Sunday afternoon we headed to the National Park and did a little more fishing and some hiking too. Ava was psyched because she reeled in 3 little sunfish. She's still set on eating her catch, but luckily this was catch and release, so I haven't had to clean and fry anything yet. We hit the Towpath Trail and had a great time walking and climbing the old locks before we got soaked by the rain. I remember learning about the Erie Canal in school so it was cool to get to see some of it in person and climb on the locks that were once covered with water. I also have to say that I'm loving the all-terrain jogging stroller for these trips! Here is a little history lesson and then I put our pictures from the day into a slide show. Just click the link at the bottom.
History of the Towpath Trail
The Towpath Trail follows the historic route of the Ohio & Erie Canal. Before the canal was built, Ohio was a sparsely settled wilderness where travel was difficult and getting crops to market was nearly impossible. The canal, built between 1825 and 1832, provided a successful transportation route from Cleveland, on Lake Erie, to Portsmouth, on the Ohio River. The canal opened up Ohio to the rest of the settled eastern United States.
Today you can walk or ride along the same path that the mules used to tow the canal boats loaded with goods and passengers. You can still see remnants of that former scene as you pass many of the canal locks and related structures. From the vantage point of the Towpath Trail you can also enjoy the beauty of forests, fields, and wetlands flanking the path as it winds its way through the Cuyahoga River Valley.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The Great Outdoors
Here is an excerpt from an article I read over the weekend:
Taking Children Outdoors
Do you have a significant relationship with a child? Maybe
you are a parent, grandparent, or other family member.
Maybe you are a scout leader, friend, or neighbor. Whatever
your role, as an adult you are responsible for creating a safe
environment in which a child can play, learn, and grow.
Sadly, our desire to protect has had unintended consequences.
Fears about strangers and germs, as well as the
lure of electronic entertainment, have driven our children
indoors. Their lives are more sedentary and removed
from nature than those of past generations. When they are
outside, it tends to be for group activities directed by adults.
Rare is the child who explores the outdoors at his or her
own pace, following a stream or flight of imagination. The
days of “come back home when it gets dark” are long gone.
Ironically, this over protectiveness is actually harmful
to children’s physical and mental health. New research
indicates that nature experiences are linked to positive
gains in cognitive development, self-discipline, creative
expression, motor and language skills, and social interactions.
Children who regularly play in nature generally
demonstrate greater self esteem, are better able to deal
with stress, and are often healthier. Many believe that
outdoor experiences are critical to the development of a
sense of wonder that, in turn, is an important motivator for
lifelong learning.
I'm not getting on my soapbox here. Admittedly, there are days that my child watches enough Playhouse Disney that she might turn into a Mouseketeer. I think this just grabbed my attention because the article reflects the way that I was privileged to grow up. I remember how magical the exploration of the woods behind our house could be. I remember building forts and hideouts with my sisters and our good friends, the Anglin kids, and catching "critters" in the the pond. Swinging on vines and climbing trees. When my mom honked the horn on the car, it was time to head home. No cell phones back then.
Certainly, I won't be turning Ava lose in the woods anytime soon. But my upbringing probably does explain why I take her hiking and "exploring" whenever the opportunity presents itself.
The DNR here has started a cool program for kids: http://www.exploretheoutdoorsohio.com/ActivityGuide/explore_about/tabid/20224/Default.aspx
I particularly enjoyed the last quote from that site in the right-hand green box following the stats:
I like to play indoors better ‘cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are.
– A Fourth-Grader in San Diego
Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
Just some FFT this fine Tuesday.
Taking Children Outdoors
Do you have a significant relationship with a child? Maybe
you are a parent, grandparent, or other family member.
Maybe you are a scout leader, friend, or neighbor. Whatever
your role, as an adult you are responsible for creating a safe
environment in which a child can play, learn, and grow.
Sadly, our desire to protect has had unintended consequences.
Fears about strangers and germs, as well as the
lure of electronic entertainment, have driven our children
indoors. Their lives are more sedentary and removed
from nature than those of past generations. When they are
outside, it tends to be for group activities directed by adults.
Rare is the child who explores the outdoors at his or her
own pace, following a stream or flight of imagination. The
days of “come back home when it gets dark” are long gone.
Ironically, this over protectiveness is actually harmful
to children’s physical and mental health. New research
indicates that nature experiences are linked to positive
gains in cognitive development, self-discipline, creative
expression, motor and language skills, and social interactions.
Children who regularly play in nature generally
demonstrate greater self esteem, are better able to deal
with stress, and are often healthier. Many believe that
outdoor experiences are critical to the development of a
sense of wonder that, in turn, is an important motivator for
lifelong learning.
I'm not getting on my soapbox here. Admittedly, there are days that my child watches enough Playhouse Disney that she might turn into a Mouseketeer. I think this just grabbed my attention because the article reflects the way that I was privileged to grow up. I remember how magical the exploration of the woods behind our house could be. I remember building forts and hideouts with my sisters and our good friends, the Anglin kids, and catching "critters" in the the pond. Swinging on vines and climbing trees. When my mom honked the horn on the car, it was time to head home. No cell phones back then.
Certainly, I won't be turning Ava lose in the woods anytime soon. But my upbringing probably does explain why I take her hiking and "exploring" whenever the opportunity presents itself.
The DNR here has started a cool program for kids: http://www.exploretheoutdoorsohio.com/ActivityGuide/explore_about/tabid/20224/Default.aspx
I particularly enjoyed the last quote from that site in the right-hand green box following the stats:
I like to play indoors better ‘cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are.
– A Fourth-Grader in San Diego
Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
Just some FFT this fine Tuesday.
Gone Fishing
Saturday evening was absolutely beautiful, so we packed a picnic basket dinner and our fishing poles and headed to a nearby lake. Ava loves to fish and she got some practice in with her new fishing pole. The fish weren't biting, so Ava eventually abandoned her pole in favor of digging in the mud. Emily also managed to dig in some dirt...and eat it, while my attention was diverted. Imagine her big smile, only muddy. We still had a fun night complete with an extended bath time to remove all of the filth before bed. Can I Scotch guard my baby?
Some New Friends
Friday marked one week in our new town and we got to celebrate with a play date. Technically, I have known Stacie for almost 4 years from the mommy board that I joined when Ava was born. However, I had never met her in person until a little over a month ago when I realized that her hometown was the very same town in which I was house hunting. She was gracious enough to show me around and make us feel very welcome. Her little girl Anna is just a few weeks younger than Ava, so they were fast friends. Anna also has a big brother, Chase. We had planned an afternoon at the pool, but our Georgia-warmed blood didn't want to tolerate 70 degrees at the pool, so we headed to the zoo instead. So, here are the pictures of Ava and Emily and our new friends exploring the zoo.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
The County Fair
So, we took a break from the unpacking yesterday and headed for the county fair. As you can imagine, Ava was beyond excited. The whole way there she talked about what she was going to ride and see and do and ride and ride...you get the idea. First stop on our adventure: the pony rides, followed by our first tour of some livestock barns, then a greasy fair-food lunch, and off to buy the ride tickets. Immediately, Ava spotted the dragon rollercoaster. I thought it looked a little fast and scary for her, but she met the height requirement and begged, pleaded, and insisted that she would not be scared. Against my better judgement, she boarded Puff the Magic Dragon Coaster. And she wasn't scared....for the first two rounds. But that carnie lady just didn't know when to stop. That thing must've gone 'round 10 times with Ava enjoying it less each time. I was just on my way over to ask her to please stop it, when Puff finally began to slow to a halt. Whew. I lifted a pale and trembling Ava off of the platform. It really threw me off to see Ava so shaken. She's practically fearless. I mean, I see her get a little scared or pretend to be scared with her flair for the dramatic, but this time she was honest-to-goodness scared. I felt bad that I had let her ride. Emily is going to be glad that Ava was our test dummy child. Live n' learn, right? Suprisingly, Ava bounced back quickly (after about 90 seconds of TLC and a big drink of Mt. Dew put her right as rain) and was off to use the rest of her tickets on a tamer variety of spinning, whirling, dipping, and potentially vomit inducing rides. She had a blast! Finished with her tickets, she persuaded us to let her bungee trampoline. Are you questioning our ability to make good parenting decisions now? Of course our little thrill seeker loved that too. At this point Mike needed to head back to work, but the fun continued for Ava, Emily, and me. We saw a bear show, Ava won a midway game and chose a neon stuffed snake as her prize, Ava had her arm painted(not a girly heart or butterfly on her face as suggested by the artist...but a sailboat on her arm. Classic Ava.), saw lots and lots more animals, learned how to milk a cow on a weird dummy bovine with synthetic teats (Heh hehehe heh, fake teats. Shut-up, Beavis). We wrapped up the day by splitting a delicious funnel cake and ice cold lemon shake up. Perfect. The Cuyahoga County Fair was super nice. To my Indiana readers, it was on par with the Elkhart Co. Fair, maybe even a little nicer. I was actually suprised by the amount of livestock in a fairly urban county. Next year we may have to venture back to see some of the tribute bands and watch the fireworks. Here are the pictures and a little video clip of Ava on the bungee trampoline.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
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