Last night was one of the evenings for viewing the Perseid meteor showers, something we have watched numerous times over the years with our children and grandchildren. There were no kids at home, so my husband and I decided that they would still be fun to watch, especially since this year there is a new moon and the sky is darker than usual. Also, the stormclouds from the last week had dissipated leaving a clear sky.
We headed north of town, away from the brightest city lights, just off the Carefree Highway and enjoyed watching the "stars fall". We saw a total of 15, several of them large and going for long distances, before heading home at about 1:30 this morning. It was delightful.
If you'd like to share these with children, they will be visible again tonight, after midnight, in the northeast area of the sky, toward the horizon. (They appear in the area of the constellation, Perseus.) The best viewing times, I've read, are closer to 4:00 a.m., when they say you can see many more than our 15. They should be visible, to some extent, through Wednesday, August 15th. Such an occasional late-night adventure can be fun for children of most ages. Take chairs, water and a flashlight. Enjoy.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Little things organize for back to school
With all the back-to-school shopping and preparations, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. I always came back to a few simple ideas that helped to make the task easier.
1) Give things a home. Make folders, files or locations for papers. Have hooks, closets or other locations for jackets, shoes, boots and backpacks. Put school supplies for homework or projects in a box, a basket, a drawer or other location. Then you don't waste time looking for things.
2) Create a family calendar. Write down due dates, school projects schedules, appointments, school events, days for classes or youth group sports or activities, church events, family gatherings and celebrations and dates for local events that you would like to attend. Keep all information, invitations, directions or schedules related to your calendar in a folder near the family calendar that everyone uses.
3) Set up an area for homework and school projects. Keep supplies near by and make sure that the TV is not visible or is turned off when school work is being done. Establish a routine that includes regular times for schoolwork and a habit of going through papers to find anything of interest to parents (such as things that need to be signed and returned) and of putting papers back into a backpack so that they make it back to school the next day.
Little things can make a big difference in education.
1) Give things a home. Make folders, files or locations for papers. Have hooks, closets or other locations for jackets, shoes, boots and backpacks. Put school supplies for homework or projects in a box, a basket, a drawer or other location. Then you don't waste time looking for things.
2) Create a family calendar. Write down due dates, school projects schedules, appointments, school events, days for classes or youth group sports or activities, church events, family gatherings and celebrations and dates for local events that you would like to attend. Keep all information, invitations, directions or schedules related to your calendar in a folder near the family calendar that everyone uses.
3) Set up an area for homework and school projects. Keep supplies near by and make sure that the TV is not visible or is turned off when school work is being done. Establish a routine that includes regular times for schoolwork and a habit of going through papers to find anything of interest to parents (such as things that need to be signed and returned) and of putting papers back into a backpack so that they make it back to school the next day.
Little things can make a big difference in education.
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