Reading To Your Children

by Brent Shields

It's one of the hardest things to do in this day and age of hyper-active kids and super busy, multi-tasking parents... but spending good quality time with your children doesn't have to be a painful torture tactic.



One of the best, most enjoyable things you can do with your kids, is to read to them. This is a great way to connect with them and to share different parts of your life story in a natural, easy, and relaxed setting.



One of the best books, or sets of books, to start reading your kids, is the "Little House on the Prairie" series. Beginning in the late 1800's, it tells the story of a distant, almost forgotten, time in American history. A time that many of us might not believe ever existed, if Laura Ingalls hadn't shared her life with us.



Can you imagine living without cars, without light switches, without TVs? Well, once you start reading "Little House", you will be transported, in your imagination, back to moments that seem almost surreal. A time where kids actually played outside, and got dirt between their toes and beneath their fingernails. Where children were thrilled to get 1 or 2 holiday gifts, and enjoyed playing with them for months afterwards. A place where adults planted and grew, hunted and prepared their own foods, right from the land they were living on.



The Little House "picture" can't be painted completely rosy, either. There are some statements and beliefs, throughout the series, that can make you cringe. You may even want to reconstruct how they are read to your kids. For example, almost all of the comments about Native Americans are derogatory. But you can not just sweep American history under a rug, or hide it, in the hopes that all the painful parts will just disappear or go away. Remembering the struggles and accomplishments is a large part of sharing and passing on your heritage to your children.



Your kids will probably be excited to share such relaxing, enjoyable quality time with you. Plus the thrill of each chapter, will provide a rich and pleasant adventure for you and them.



Whether fighting a bear in hand-to-hand combat, or travelling all night across a frozen lake, or enjoying the beauty of Jack Frost's artwork on a window pane, you are sure to find something that you and your children will love in the "Little House" series. So make plans to start reading to your kids, and open up a whole new world of imaginative possibilities.



Brent is a regular writer for www.home-n-family.com - for more home and family related information please visit www.home-n-family.com



Article Source: Article Interchange

12 Must Have Products That Will Keep Your Child Safe Around The Home

About 2−1/2 million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home each year. The good news is that
many of these incidents can be prevented by using simple child safety devices on the market today.
You can childproof your home for a fraction of what it would cost to have a professional do it. And safety
devices are easy to find. You can buy them at hardware stores, baby equipment shops, supermarkets, drug
stores, home and linen stores, and through mail order catalogues.

Here are some child safety devices that can help prevent many injuries to young children. The red numbers
correspond to those on the image following the text.

1. Use Safety Latches and Locks for cabinets and drawers in kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas to help
prevent poisonings and other injuries. Safety latches and locks on cabinets and drawers can help prevent children
from gaining access to medicines and household cleaners, as well as knives and other sharp objects.
Look for safety latches and locks that adults can easily install and use, but are sturdy enough to withstand pulls and tugs from children. Safety latches are not a
guarantee of protection, but they can make it more difficult for children to reach dangerous substances.

Typical cost of a safety latch or lock: less than $2.

2. Use Safety Gates to help prevent falls down stairs and to keep children away from dangerous areas. Safety
gates can help keep children away from stairs or rooms that have hazards in them. Look for safety gates that
children cannot dislodge easily, but that adults can open and close without difficulty. For the top of stairs, gates
that screw to the wall are more secure than "pressure gates."

Typical cost of a safety gate: $13 to $40.

3. Use Door Knob Covers and Door Locks to help prevent children from entering rooms and other areas with
possible dangers. Door knob covers and door locks can help keep children away from places with hazards,
including swimming pools.

Be sure the door knob cover is sturdy enough not to break, but allows a door to be opened quickly by an adult
in case of emergency. By restricting access to potentially hazardous rooms in the home, door knob covers could
help prevent many kinds of injuries.

Typical cost of a door knob cover: $1 and door lock: $5
and up.

4. Use Anti−Scald Devices for faucets and shower heads and set your water heater temperature to 120 degrees
Fahrenheit to help prevent burns from hot water. Anti−scald devices for regulating water temperature can
help prevent burns.

Typical cost of an anti−scald device: $6 to $30.

5. Use Smoke Detectors on every level of your home and near bedrooms to alert you to fires. Smoke detectors are
essential safety devices for protection against fire deaths and injuries.

Check smoke detectors once a month to make sure they're working. If detectors are battery−operated,
change batteries at least once a year or consider using 10−year batteries.

Typical cost of a smoke detector: less than $10.

6. Use Window Guards and Safety Netting to help prevent falls from windows, balconies, decks, and
landings. Window guards and safety netting for balconies and decks can help prevent serious falls.

Typical cost of a window guard or safety netting: $8 to $16.

7. Use Corner and Edge Bumpers to help prevent injuries from falls against sharp edges of furniture and fireplaces. Corner and edge bumpers can be used with furniture and
fireplace hearths to help prevent injuries from falls or to soften falls against sharp or rough edges.

Typical cost of a corner and edge bumper: $1 and up.

8. Use Outlet Covers and Outlet Plates to help prevent electrocution. Outlet covers and outlet plates can help
protect children from electrical shock and possible electrocution. Be sure the outlet protectors cannot be easily removed by
children and are large enough so that children cannot choke on them.

Typical cost of an outlet cover: less than $2.

9. Use a Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector outside bedrooms to help prevent CO poisoning. A carbon
monoxide (CO) detector can help prevent CO poisoning. Consumers should install CO detectors near sleeping
areas in their homes. Households that should use CO detectors include those with gas or oil heat or with
attached garages.

Typical cost of a carbon monoxide (CO) detector: $30 to $70.

10. Cut Window Blind Cords; use Safety Tassels and Inner Cord Stops to help prevent children from strangling
in blind cord loops. Window blind cord safety tassels on mini blinds and tension devices on vertical blinds and
drapery cords can help prevent deaths and injuries from strangulation in the loops of cords. Inner cord stops can
help prevent strangulation in the inner cords of window blinds.

For older mini blinds, cut the cord loop, remove the buckle, and put safety tassels on each cord. Be sure that
older vertical blinds and drapery cords have tension or tie−down devices to hold the cords tight. When buying
new mini blinds, verticals, and draperies, ask for safety features to prevent child strangulation.

11. Use Door Stops and Door Holders to help prevent injuries to fingers and hands. Door stops and door
holders on doors and door hinges can help prevent small fingers and hands from being pinched or crushed in doors
and door hinges.

Typical cost of a door stop and door holder: less than $4.

12. Use a Cordless Phone to make it easier to continuously watch young children, especially when
they're in bathtubs, swimming pools, or other potentially dangerous areas.

Cordless phones help you watch your child continuously, without leaving the vicinity to answer a phone call.
Cordless phones are especially helpful when children are in or near water, whether it's the bathtub, the swimming
pool, or the beach.

Typical cost of a cordless phone: $30 and up.
Taken from the Ebook: Baby Safety Tips