TINY GREEN THUMBS Written by Arleen M. Kaptur
Gardening is considered one of America's greatest pastimes. People enjoy going out and communing with nature. They like feel of earth between their fingers and excitement of seeing tiny sprouts and plants opening up to drink in sunshine and warmth. It just makes you feel good inside. How about letting your child experience joys of gardening? No matter where you live, you can introduce gardening and miracle of plant life to your child. They will thrill to see their seeds sprout and grow. That very first strawberry, pickle, or parsley leaf will bring true delight and amazement to them. You would be instilling in your child a love of nature, an appreciation for life, and knowledge that with a little work and care, you can grow food, flowers, and other things of beauty. Begin with small, fast-growing plants. A child's attention span is still limited so long, slow growth may lose its appeal. Strawberry plants are a perfect way to introduce your child to wonder of how that ruby-red berry in his/her cereal grew. A small patch of ground that will allow plant to grow and spread its "fingers" will amaze your child with each day's accomplishments. Then when that first flower appears, prospect of a strawberry grows, and then finally that first berry becomes a reality. Aw, taste of first berry you ever grew contains untold feelings of victory.
| | TABLE TALES Written by Arleen M. Kaptur
Setting table used to mean placing forks, knives, and spoons in exact same place where your grandmother and your grandmother’s grandmother placed theirs. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with tradition, does setting table today carry same meaning as it did in past generations? When your children are small, you prepare family meal, and then use place mats, your eating utensils and assorted bowls and platters. Kids don’t seem to mind if there are no flowers on table or crystal water glasses. They seem to enjoy their food with these amenities or without them. On special occasions, when your in-laws visit, preacher comes visiting, or your child’s favorite teacher comes for brunch, you try different ways to present a table that is not only laden with best in culinary delights, but also your very best china, silverware and linen. In all different phases of life (single, newlywed, bringing up family, empty nest, retired, or living alone once again) people go through simple, very elaborate, kind of trendy, and then back to very simple. Of course, time, money, and family ideas and needs are all different, except for one. People eat better when they are treated with charm, dignity, and special little details designed for their comfort and enjoyment. When eating alone, why bother setting table? You are setting it for a very special guest - you. Your thoughts and ideas are paramount to conversation, and your mealtime needs to be stress-free and well-appointed. You will feel better for it, your digestion will thank you, and you will leave table feeling good about yourself . Small children - they learn from our example more than they learn from our words. If we treat family meals as special times, they will learn to feel same way about sitting down with everyone sharing, caring, and being attentive to each other. Of course, this would be ideal situation. Family squabbles, fighting, spilling, and other added features will occur during mealtime when you have various ages gathered at table. Welcome these annoyances, deal with them appropriately and carefully, because message you convey carries a lot of baggage. It imprints on a child fear of being careless, and a bother, or it will boost self-image and creativity. How - your child will see that you deal with disruptions in an orderly way, clearing mess as cheerfully as circumstances permit. They, in turn and maybe not right away, but they will deal with their peers and their elders in mimic of you. How would you like their imitation of you to be projected?
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