Keep A Kid Creative

With Farm Safety Week over, we have entered another special week: Did you know that this week is NATIONAL KEEP KIDS CREATIVE WEEK?

I believe all kids are creative. Each child has an imagination and a curiosity that adds to life each and every day, but so often we allow that creative spirit and ability to be sucked out of their heads by television shows, video games, and most recently, the IPOD.

I remember following my uncle around the farm listening as he talked about how it used to be. he showed me our old saw mill and took me into the barn and talked about how it was built. I spent long hours enjoying his stories, but more importantly, I enjoyed long DAYS of pretending I was living in the mid-1800's. My uncle had ignited curiosity and imagination in his educational talks!

This week, find something around the farm, around your house, around the community or even just in your State that will spark that imagination in a young child. encourage them to write or draw, encourage them to play outside in the autumn air. If only for a moment, unplug, disconnect or hide that ONE THING that is killing the creativity and imagination in YOUR home.

Go keep a kid creative.

For more info on the week and for more ideas, hit the following address:

http://www.brucevanpatter.com/keepkidscreative.html

The first leg of the Girl Scout Tour is almost over and to be honest, it is hard to believe. We have been so fortunate to have the very best girls in the world show up at our events and we are enjoying the energy and willingness to learn.
If you have not stayed on top of Chasing4Life news, the team has partnered with the Girl Scouts to povide programming that focuses on disaster preparedness. Each tour focuses on a special theme and has been designed for the different age groups. Right now we are on our weather watching tour. Following tours include Home Disaster Kits, Climate Change and Animals in Disasters!
Stay tuned for an "End of Tour" Update!

NATIONAL FARM SAFETY AND HEALTH WEEK

If you have been following the Chasing4Life blogs, you know we are still out on the road touring the country and presenting educational programs to every age group in every corner of the country. Ithas been a busy year and while we have had the pleasure of meeting a lot of great people, we have also had the opportunity to see a lot of tragedy. Amidst the things we have seen on tour, perhaps the most horrific have been the ATV accidents.

We are excited that this week is finally here...

It is National Farm Safety and Health Week!

Each year, the National Center For Educational Safety determines a theme for this special week and the 2010 theme is "ATV's: Work Smart, Ride Safe."

Each year, about 800 deaths are reported nationally associated with ATV accidents. In Missouri, 68 deaths were recorded from 2006 through 2008, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. According to government statistics, four out of 10 people treated in emergency rooms for ATV injuries are under the age of 16. The exact number is not known because many ATV injuries are treated at home and not reported.

We have been so encouraged by the response and the results of this year's tour and we know that there is power in communicating. Make this week the week you and your family sit down and discuss new guidelines for ATV use and make sure that you check your ATV for excessive wear and the warning signs of a breakdown.

As always, we want you to have a safe and prosperous harvest season, so Work Smart. (and Ride Safe!)

For more information about Farm Safety and Health Week, see www.necasag.org/nfsnhw.php.

September 11

photo by Robert Pears
www.robertpears.com