Ages & Stages

Vacation Survival
Kids learn healthy eating habits from their fathers. When vacationing, you don't have to abandon healthy eating. Along with the luggage, take along these tips!

For long car rides
* Dried fruit: apricots, apples, raisins
* Cherry tomatoes
* Small cans (pop-up lids) of fruit in their own juices

For the cooler
* Low-fat yogurt
* Bottled water
* Vegetable sticks

Eating out for breakfast
* Bagel or English muffin
* Cold cereal with skim milk

Eating out for lunch or dinner
* Grilled chicken breast
* Baked potato topped with broccoli, chili or salsa
* Watch your portions

Convenience stores
* Prepackaged turkey sandwich
* Baked chips
* Water, fruit/vegetable juices

No TV?!
You know that limiting TV watching for your kids is a good thing. But what to do instead is sometimes a challenge. Children of all ages need social interaction with each other and with significant adults. Make the couch potato extinct at your house with Over 100 Activities to do with your children instead of watching TV.

Links
Turn off the TV! (pdf)

Quality Time, Quality Books

Dad, you help your children develop literacy and language skills when you read and talk with your kids. Check out this book at your local library and spend some quality time in conversation.

My Ol' Man, By Patricia Polacco, New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1995.
This heartwarming, life-affirming, true story traces the summer experience of the author, her brother, "Da" and "Gramma." The author and her brother spend their summers with their extravagant, story telling, magical father and their grandmother in Michigan. The author's parents have divorced, and the magic and sparkle that was once present in the eyes of the children is absent until a magical rock brings their family good luck. At the end of the book, the author realizes that the magic did not come from the rock at all. The magic and sparkle was always present inside of her, her brother, Da and Gramma. Actual photographs of the author and her family accompany the beautiful and eloquently written text. A wonderful tale of the beauty of the human spirit.

Discussion Questions

• What is self-sacrifice?
• How and why do the characters in the book give up things they love, in order to give something to someone they love?
• Have you ever taught someone a special skill that you enjoy?
• How do you think the grandma feels when she teaches her granddaughter to paint?
• Do you think that the rock was truly magical?
• Do you have magic and love inside of you that you can use to make things look and feel better?

Does your dad have neat or special stories he likes to share with you?

• What is your favorite character trait about your father?
• Do you have a brother or sister that you feel especially close to, and feel as if you understand them and can truly be yourself around?
• How does this trusting and loving relationship make you feel?
• Do you have some special memories?
• What are your most favorite memories?
• Do you think of these memories when you are having a bad day?
• Do they make you feel better?
• Do you have a grandparent that you help out a great deal or you feel especially close to?
• What do you do together?

If your loved ones live far away, perhaps you could write them a friendly letter telling them about this special story, or you could create an illustration depicting your feelings about this story.