Ready for Summer Fun?

     Tired of the same old summer activities? Wish you and your family could reconnect with nature? Not quite sure how to pull that off? My friends, you are in luck! Let me introduce you to The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids: How to Plan Memorable Family Adventures & Connect Kids to Nature by Helen Olsson. I know, I know, it’s a mouthful to say; but this tiny book is chocked full of juicy info for camping with the kiddos! Ms. Olsson has handily arranged her book in four different parts: Getting Started, In the Field, Activities and Adventures, and last, but certainly not least; Hygiene, First Aid and Safety. Even if you won’t be going camping until after the summer has wound down, I heartily suggest checking out this book now to give yourself an idea of what you are going to need to pull off a spectacular adventure.
     The first section covers the planning. When are we going? Where are we going? How long will we stay? What gear are we taking with us? What about food and water? Most importantly; what will I wear? If you have small children or, if you haven’t really been camping before, I would highly recommend going over this part of the book a couple of times to get yourself prepared.
     Once you’re all organized and have the kids psyched about spending time in the woods with all sorts of critters, parts two and three give you the low-down on how to actually pull this off. How do I set up my campsite? Part two tells you how and where to build your campfire, planning & prepping camp meals, how to clean up the camp kitchen and how to break down the camp. Part three deals with all the adventures to be had in the great outdoors. Activities like hiking, stargazing, fishing, swimming, rafting, and bicycling are all covered. Also in part three are the activities to stave off boredom: reading, coloring, bird watching, ghost stories, and don’t forget the crafts!
     Part four is all about hygiene, first aid, and safety. Chapter 8, for instance is titled: “Staying Clean in a World of Dirt”. This section of the book is dedicated to all the things that can go wrong and how to prepare for the aches, pains, and bugs that you will most certainly encounter on your trip. How do you navigate in the backcountry? What will you do if there is a thunderstorm? Can you drink the water from that lovely little stream? What about critters; big and small? All of these questions will be answered in this section of the book.
     Peppered throughout this book, Ms. Olsson has graciously included “Smart Tip” sections and various checklists to help a family get things together for their trip. In the back, packing checklists and lists of online resources have been included to help you plan a wonderful and, hopefully, meaningful trip with your family. Have fun and, Bon Voyage!

Relax on a Supernatural Vacation

Summer is close at hand--although you can't really say that according to the cool weather we've been experiencing lately! I can think of no better way to celebrate the relaxation of summer time than by reading a vacation-themed book. Death's Excellent Vacation, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner, is a collection of thirteen short stories that center around the theme of vacation. The book is great entertainment for those folks who enjoy reading about tales of paranormal R & R. Trust me, there is a little bit of everything for everyone in these tales--from vampires, to werewolves and even leprechauns. I especially enjoyed being able to "taste" a little writing from some authors that I had heard of but never read. This collection is a great introduction to many current, popular supernatural writers such as Charlaine Harris, Toni L. P. Kelner, Jeff Abbott, Lilith Saintcrow and many more. The book is a quick read, so you'll have the chance to whet your appetite before delving into another, longer book by these authors.

Put Your Vacation to Work!

I recently read a magazine article about Gen X and Gen Y, those generations born between 1960 and 1980, respectively. In the article, they didn’t want just a job or a career, they wanted what they did to be meaningful. While those jobs may be few and far between, making your time meaningful can be found in other ways. A recent addition to our collection can help. Volunteer Vacations by Bill McMillon, Doug Cutchings, and Anne Geissinger offers short-term adventures that will benefit you and others. The blurb says that “if you’re looking for a way to make a difference while on vacation—simultaneously getting away and using your talents to improve the world—this guide shows you how a short-term volunteer stint can transform your life as much as the people, animals, and ecology you choose to help.” This edition is filled with in-depth information and profiles of more than 150 select organizations running thousands of quality programs in the United States and around the world. Each listing includes complete contact information with locations, costs, dates and project details you won’t find anywhere else. In addition, it features some of the better established long-term projects as well as organizations specifically tailored for families, seniors, and people with disabilities.