Ways You Can Contribute to Scientific Research

Want to do something with your spare time that can help others? Get involved in a “citizen science project”. You don’t need a degree in science (or anything else) in order to participate. Consider contributing to any of the following projects. It has been said that volunteering is good for you. People who volunteer their time and energy to help others experience some benefits themselves. Volunteering is a great way to boost self confidence, to fight depression, and to stay physically healthy. It is also a great way to make new friends. The following science projects need people to help … Continue reading →

St. Baldricks – Fundraising for Childhood Cancer

For the last few years I’ve looked for places and causes where we could volunteer as a family. I’ve found rare things like envelope stuffing, collecting food, garage sales for worthy causes, and things like that. I want my children to realize that not everyone is as fortunate as we are. I want them to have a spirit of giving. They are too young though to work at the Humane Society or the zoo. They are too young to do house construction. They are too young for a lot of things. And yet my twin fourth graders came home last … Continue reading →

A Story for Thanksgiving, Part II

continued… Ellen could hardly believe it. She didn’t think things like this happened in her community. Everybody seemed to be pretty comfortable. It scared Ellen a little, and it also made her sad. “What’s your name?” she asked, in a much friendlier tone. “Susan.” “I’m Ellen. Do you want to sit with me? I’ll share my lunch with you.” Susan was too embarrassed and she didn’t want Ellen’s friends to laugh at her. “Just leave me alone.” As she started to walk away, Ellen’s friend Tommy walked over to them. “Please, wait.” He had been listening to the whole thing, … Continue reading →

A Story for Thanksgiving, Part I

Once there was a little girl who had most everything a child could want. Her family wasn’t rich, but she had a nice home, nice clothes, lots of games and stuff to play with, and plenty of good food to eat. She didn’t always get everything she wanted, but she never had to do without things she needed. One year, around Thanksgiving her mother was busier than usual gathering items for Thanksgiving baskets for poor families. She wondered why her mom made such a big deal out of it, and she was even a little bit upset that her mother … Continue reading →

How to Get Involved for Veteran’s Day

Do you know what Veterans Day is? Do you know why it’s important? It is the day where we show appreciation, or give thanks, to all the brave people that fought in wars to help keep our country safe. These people are called Veterans. While today is the official date of Veteran’s Day, many people will celebrate in on Monday, November 13, because they have the day off from school or work. So, what can you do to get actively involved in honoring our American heroes? Many communities have a Veterans Day parade. Ask a grown up to call your … Continue reading →

Other Things You Can Do with Costumes

What else can you do with old Halloween and Harvest costumes? It’s great to mix them and match them to come up with other costume ideas, but eventually, you run out of uses for them. This might be a good time to trade with friends and family members. Get together and swap costumes, masks, face paints and make up that are still good, and other accessories to see what you can come up with. Your kids will have a blast digging through the different costumes and accessories, trying things on, and coming up with all kinds of whimsical and inventive … Continue reading →

Having Fun While Helping Others

Wouldn’t it be cool to help other people while having fun too? There are lots of things you can do to help others, get some exercise, and have fun, all at the same time. One idea is raking leaves for an elderly or disabled neighbor. Okay, that may not seem like a great way to spend a Saturday, and it probably doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, but wait. If you take a friend or a sibling along and make it into a contest, it can be fun. You can work on one side of the yard while your … Continue reading →

School Supply Party

A great way to teach kids about giving something back to their community is to get them actively involved. Most children are very caring and are quite willing to help other youngsters in need. There is no reason that helping others can’t be fun at the same time, so make a party out of it! Help your children throw a small party in an effort to collect school supplies for needy children. It’s very easy to do and it won’t cost you much. You have a built in theme for the party: school supplies. Whip up a store-bought cake mix … Continue reading →

Lemonade Stands with a Few Twists

These ideas are not only good ways to keep kids busy, but they also provide good opportunities for teaching children about money and about giving back to the community. Lemonade Stand You can certainly do the lemonade stand thing, and use it as a simple way to show your kids about profit and expenses. Instead of just buying the supplies and letting the kids keep the money, teach them about gross and net. Teach them that profit is calculated after expenses have been paid. Snow Cone Stand This is another good business experiment. If half the kids in the neighborhood … Continue reading →

Projects to Support Our Troops

People have differing opinions about the war, but most people agree that the men and women that make up each of our armed forces are brave individuals, worthy of our gratitude. If your children would like to support our troops, or you want to teach them ways to show gratitude, please consider sending some items through the Any Soldier program. You can send gifts, but your children can also make cards and write letters, which would mean a lot, especially to those soldiers that don’t get very much mail or don’t get any at all. That’s how the Any Soldier … Continue reading →