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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2016)
6 Wednesday, August 17, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Commentary... Take your kids camping By edie Jones Correspondent Recently I read an article about the joys of taking your toddler camping and it took me back to the days when my adult children were little. The memories of those excursions are very precious and the results, as shown in the way they are raising their own children and living their lives, are evidence of the value. Soon after reading the article, I was visiting with a young Sisters mom who had just taken her 18-month-old on her first camping trip. Unfortunately, it was not a lot of fun. In fact, they cut their outing short and came home. How sad! I hope I can convince her to try again. Camping with a toddler is definitely a different experi- ence, and that is probably the first thing to recognize. Your attention needs to be focused on them instead of your own agenda. Being prepared for possible problems will make a big difference. Toddlers are going to get filthy; relax, let it happen. There are some studies that indicate that children who eat dirt will develop immune sys- tems that may resist allergies and other problems later on. Whether at home or in a campground you have to keep an eye on your toddler. That’s a given. While camp- ing, picking up sticks and running with them is always a danger or the possibility of falling into the fire will keep you on your guard. These are different challenges than in your backyard, but the job of monitoring your toddler’s actions is the same. FINEFURNITURE S BLE A GT IN DIN Adam Bronstein, Cra sman By Commission 541-410-1309 SpringCreekWoodworking.com An idea that came from the article on keeping little ones warm and cozy at night is pretty ingenious. Instead of worrying about how to keep them in a sleeping bag, put them to bed in their snow- suit! Now they can squirm and wiggle to their hearts content and wake-up rested and cheerful. No more wor- ried nights for mom and dad, who also get to sleep through the night. If the dark of night is a problem, hang small battery- operated lights in the tent and make it a magical place. Tents can double as won- derful places to play since most young ones love small areas to climb into, onto and around. Use sleeping bags and air mats to create excit- ing hiding places. Take along favorite toys and turn your home away from home into a fort with all kinds of special surprises. A little planning ahead will make a big differ- ence. And tents create won- derful storytime locations. Why is it important to take your kids outdoors? Why on earth would you want to put yourself through the hard work of making it happen? There are lots of reasons, one of them being perspective. Since a toddler’s gaze is usually on their immedi- ate surroundings they will naturally be attracted to the things nearer to the ground and under their feet. This causes you to also pay more attention to things that crawl, slither, borough and glide along the earth or water. When was the last time you spent 10 minutes examin- ing the antics of a colony of ants? What industrious critters they are, with lessons to teach about persistence. Explore and discover with your children and your life will be enriched. A book every parent would be wise to read is “Last Child in the Woods,” by Richard Louv, who coined the phrase “nature-deficit disorder.” This is his way of describing the increasing urbanization of America and the decreasing time children spend in unstructured play. This book describes in detail scientific studies link- ing time in nature to a host of emotional and physical benefits including higher self-esteem, stress reduc- tion, better social interactions and prevention of childhood depression. Children who spend time in natural places with lots of free time increase their inventiveness and cre- ativity. Imagination blooms with increased exposure to unstructured elements. The future of our kids and of soci- ety depends on the develop- ment of these qualities. These are characteristics needed in our next generation of lead- ers and citizens. Closer to home, there are few better ways to help your children become inquisi- tive and prepared to learn in school. The younger you begin, the more opportunity there is for this to happen. And, living here in Sisters, we’ve a wonderful, natural “school” at our fingertips. This column was inspired by the writing of Seattle- based freelancer Jeff Layton who writes about out- door adventures and over- seas travels on his blog, MarriedToAdventure.com. M&J 541-549-9090 5 90 Locally Owned & Operated www.mjcarpetcleaning.com ww ww.mjcarpetcleaningg.co om CALL for specials, C Summer Cleaning! CA including Truck-mounted steam, anti-allergen & green products. upholstery! Brace yourself for summer! $300 $30 Discount Tim Westcott Ronnica Westcott Jenny Duey Mary Morgan 541-588-6611 220 W. Cascade Ave. Come in, Relax, Enjoy! After gathering feed- back from citizens, prop- erty owners, business owners, the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Forest Service, the Oregon Department of Transportation will brief the Sisters City Council on plans for the Barclay Drive/ Highway 20 roundabout at the 7 p.m. Council meeting on Thursday, August 25. Abby Driscoll of ODOT told The Nugget that plans are for bids to be taken in December, with construc- tion on the project starting in February 2017, with a goal of traffic moving through the roundabout by Memorial Day weekend. She said that some finishing touches will still need to be done after that date, but ODOT wants to have the roundabout moving traffic through by that tradi- tional kickoff of the summer season. Graphic courteSy odot Landscaping and color choices are part of the plan. Come In And Try Our Famous Fish & Chips! Fo For F or the m month of August when y yo u std you stdrt d comprehensive tred tredtment progrdm! Not vd vdlid with dny other offer. N New Pdtients Only. Smile by Hailee and The Brace P Place! ODOT is seeking City Council approval of the roundabout construction traf- fic management plan and the aesthetics of the installa- tion. The public can view the draft concept plan at http:// www.oregon.gov/ODOT/ HWY/REGION4/Pages/ US20atBarclayDrive.aspx. ODOT has met with focus groups on management of traffic during construction, and Driscoll assured The Nugget that “we’re going to make sure people can get through.” A similar traffic manage- ment plan was required dur- ing the renovation and recon- struction of Cascade Avenue in 2014. Focus groups have also discussed the aesthetics of the project, including col- ors of concrete, and art for the installation, which will mark a gateway into Central Oregon. ZERO Residue Carpet rp & Upholstery Cleaning g Come In… Relax…Enjoy! ODOT to brief city council on roundabout SOUP OF THE DAY August 17th - August 23rd Wed ................ Caulifl ower Swiss Thurs ...............Beefy Mushroom Fri ....Clam Chowder & Vegetable Sat...................Cream of Spinach 541-382-0410 54 410 E. C Cdscdde Ave., , Sisters www.CentralOregonBracePlace.com Connect with us for great specials! Sun ..........................Beef Noodle Mon ........................ Tomato Rice Tues ................Cream of Chicken Orders to go welcome Breakfast & lunch 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Nightly dining until 10 p.m. (21 & over) 171 W. Cascade Ave., Sisters | 541-549-2631
