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Bright-Kids
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Vol. 5, No. 27 - July 7th, 2008
http://brightkids.wordpress.com
mailto: debi@simplemom.com
Copyright 2008 Deborah Taylor-Hough
ISSN: 1536-0466 All Rights Reserved
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Subscribe: join-bright-kids@hub.thedollarstretcher.com
***: leave-bright-kids@hub.thedollarstretcher.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
-- "Dear Readers"
-- Quote-able
-- Science Experiment: Disappearing Water
-- Balancing Indoor Activities with Outdoor Fun
-- Reader Tips
-- Assorted Information (resources, archives, etc.)
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< < O U R . S P O N S O R > >

"Raising Money Smart Kids" -- back by popular demand in July

(Reader response to this eBook was so overwhelming in May
that we've brought it back until July 31st!)

In 1998 Mike DaSilva was on the verge of bankruptcy with $90k
in debt. Five years later, after studying everything he could about
personal finance, he emerged a millionaire.

Looking back Mike says, "I don't want my kids to have to live
through what I did. What I learned at age 33, I could've learned
when I was a kid. My parents just didn't teach me about money."

"Raising Money Smart Kids" is a collection of Mike's practical
advice for every parent. Normally sold as part of the KidsWealth
Money Kit, you can download it at no cost until July 31st.

Teach your kids how to spend less, invest, live their best
& help the rest at http://tinyurl.com/5uzmwy

________________________________

Dear Readers ...

We still have a few openings for sponsorship ads in Bright-Kids
over the upcoming months. If you have a book, product or service
that you think may be of interest to this audience of folks looking
for ideas on education, home schooling, and general parenting
topics, just contact Laura at Laura@stretcher.com to ask about
the modest rates for reaching this highly targeted audience.

You won't want to miss this rare opportunity -- ad spaces in the
Bright-Kids ezine go quickly!

Simply Yours,

--Debi
(Deborah Taylor-Hough)
Editor, Bright-Kids Email Newsletter
--Author of the popular 'Frozen Assets' cookbook series, 'A Simple
Choice,' and 'Frugal Living For Dummies(r)'
--Editor, Simple Times and Bright-Kids email newsletters

http://brightkids.wordpress.com
http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com
http://snurl.com/DebiTupperware
http://dsimple.wordpress.com
http://whiteriverpres.org

________________________________

QUOTABLE

"If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be
enthusiasm."

--Bruce Barton

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SCIENCE EXPERIMENT: DISAPPEARING WATER
Copyright Robert Krampf
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
http://krampf.com
FPLshows@aol.com


In this week's experiment, we're going to do a little science "magic."
I have always liked magic tricks, but was never really good at sleight
of hand. Luckily, some magic tricks are really science tricks, so the
science does all the work.

Imagine that you pour water into a glass. After a couple of seconds,
you turn the glass upside down and no water comes out. It makes
a fun trick and has some really neat science in it as well.

You will need:

- a disposable diaper
- a sheet of newspaper
- scissors
- a water glass (one that you cannot see through)
- water

Lay the sheet of newspaper on a flat surface. Use the scissors to
cut the diaper into pieces. Hold each piece over the newspaper and
shake it gently. A white powder should fall out. Don't expect to get
a lot. It doesn't take much. Place the powder in the glass. Pour
about 1/2 cup of water into the glass and watch carefully. Within a
second or two, all of the water will solidify. It looks as if it is
frozen, until you touch it. Then you find out that it is a soft gel.
You can turn the glass upside down and the gel should stay in the glass,
giving the illusion that the water has vanished.

The white powder is sodium polyacrylate. It is a chemical that is
very good at capturing water. It can absorb up to 300 times its
weight in water, forming a gelatinous blob. It works very well in
diapers, and is also used for cleaning up chemical spills. You
can also find it in garden supply shops, where it is used to hold
water in the soil until the plant needs it.

Have a wonder-filled week!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
--Robert Krampf travels the world providing fun science-related
programs to schools, home school groups, and other venues.
You can learn more about him at: http://krampf.com/bio.html

________________________________

< < O U R . S P O N S O R > >

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________________________________

BALANCING INSIDE ACTIVITIES WITH OUTSIDE PLAY
by Shari Steelsmith
Copyright Parenting Press
www.ParentingPress.com
Reprinted by permission.


TIP: Outdoor activities can be a lot more fun if Mom and Dad
participate along with them.


I can still hear my parents' plaintive cry in my mind's ear,
"Please put that book down and go outside!"

I was, and still am, a voracious reader. Although an obsession
with reading is far from a problem in itself, too much time spent
in one activity can lead to imbalance. That was my parents'
concern. They wanted me to play outside, for at least some of
the time, in nature and with other children. (Don't tell my parents,
but I often hid my book under my shirt and just went out and
climbed a tree, perched on a sturdy branch, and continued
reading, undisturbed.)

Today, parents' concerns focus more on inside activities with
screens -- TV, video games, computer, I-pods -- that suck up
much of our children's discretionary time.

Technology is going to be an even bigger part of our children's
lives than it is for us -- that's just a given. The key, then, is to
ensure that the opportunity for outside, traditional play is readily
available and that our children take advantage of it. This is a
personal concern for me -- my ten-year-old daughter and two
teenage sons all love their screens.

Although I have lots of tolerance for the reading they do, I become
worried when they consume more than an hour of screens per day.


TOOLS:

Harriet Heath, Ph.D., psychologist and author of 'Using Your
Values to Raise Your Child to Be an Adult You Admire', advocates
deliberately integrating your values into your daily parenting. What
would this look like in the case of balancing indoor and outdoor
activities?

Let's use her step-by-step process for brainstorming a plan on
this issue.

1) Describe the situation in your family that needs attention.

In my family, the children are spending more time than I think
healthy on indoor entertainment pursuits involving screens. I'm
particularly concerned that they get enough outside time -- both
nature time and time with friends outside.


2) Brainstorm ideas to address the problem.

My husband and I sat down and came up with a list of ideas we
thought would help. Here are only a few of them.

-- Encourage bike riding each afternoon it doesn't rain. Establish
a once-a-week, family bike ride -- perhaps on Sunday afternoons.

-- Enforce screen limits for weekdays and weekends.

-- Be willing to have friends over more often and have outdoor
equipment available -- like a badminton set, frisbees, slip-n-slides
and bikes.

-- Rotate dog-walking responsibilities so that Mom isn't the only
one taking advantage of this outside time.

-- Mom can invite kids to hike with her in the greenbelt areas
surrounding the neighborhood.

-- Check with Grandad to see if he is willing to help Dad and the
boys build a treehouse in his big, maple tree.

-- Organize park visits with friends and frisbees along.

-- Plan 2-4 weekend camping trips. Choose locations with hiking trails.

-- Include the kids in gardening and harvesting tasks in Grandad's
vegetable garden.

-- Schedule a day trip to the rainforest on the coast.


3) Make a plan, using ideas from your list that support your values.

We actually liked all the ideas we generated, but decided to start
with weekly family bike rides, screen limits, and to involve the kids
in planning camping trips.

We resolved to try and think of pursuits in nature first when we have
a free afternoon for a family activity instead of heading to the movie
theater.


FOR MORE INFORMATION:
--You'll find more practical tips you can use right now in 'Using
Your Values to Raise Your Child to Be an Adult You Admire', by
Harriet Heath, Ph.D. You can order the book online at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1884734367/simplepleasuresp/

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READERS WRITE / READERS' TIPS
Submitted by Bright-Kids' readers.
Send your tips to Debi: dsimple@aol.com


== Frugal Family Food Idea ==
An all time favorite around my house: Split a pita in half and put
in some left over chicken, and shredded cheese. Spray cast iron
pan with cooking spay, "toast" the pita and cut into wedges, serve
with a side salad. This is yummy and a good way to use those left
overs, you can use whatever meat you have, I have used left over
hamburger, add a bit of taco seasoning, this is tasty also. Enjoy!
--"RubyNurse"


We'd love to hear YOUR fun ideas to encourage kids to learn
something new or try something different! Or even just have
some good old-fashioned family fun. :-)
______________________________

READ-ALOUD BOOKS FOR FAMILIES:

http://snurl.com/reading4kids

Recommended books for children and families
(This is a great list to print out and hand to your kids'
grandparents for suggestions at gift-giving times!) :-)
_______________________________

A special thanks to Gary Foreman and the friendly folks at
The Dollar Stretcher for making this mailing list possible! :-)
http://www.stretcher.com/
_______________________________

< < B E . O U R . S P O N S O R > >

Would you like to place an ad in this newsletter? Contact
Andrea at marketing@stretcher.com Subject line: bright-kids
Discover the modest rates for reaching this targeted market.
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Feel free to forward this newsletter to your family and friends. :-)
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DEBI'S RESOURCES:

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My Church: http://whiteriverpres.org
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