Guest post by Barbara Spagnuolo, Natural Resource Specialist for the Town of Castle Rock, Colorado

From large tracts of federally managed lands, such as National Forests, National Recreation Areas, National Parks and Wilderness Areas, to smaller pockets of open space areas managed by local municipalities, millions of acres of America have been set aside and protected from future development.  These lands possess natural, ecological, open space, scenic, historical, cultural, educational and/or recreational values of great importance to the American public.  Often, these lands which provide natural habitat for native plants and animals, are also the same lands where we go to hike, camp, bike, fish, hunt, explore or just observe nature, so wildlife encounters may occur.  However, while viewing wildlife can be exciting for you and your children, it is imperative to use caution, especially with bears, mountain lions (also known as panthers and pumas), coyotes and poisonous snakes. We can safely enjoy the outdoors, where the wild things are, if we remember a few important points.  Read the rest of this post...

Guest post by Christy Aune of Kids Konserve

Back in the day, Halloween was different.  It was a time to create, be imaginative, and it was a low-budget holiday.  I still remember the countless decorations and costumes that were made out of old sheets and cardboard, not bought.  The treats were homemade and trick or treating was done on foot.  We used old pillowcases as candy bags!  Back then, Halloween was green and it didn’t even phase us.  It was fun.  Now, almost $6 billion a year is spent on costumes, candy, decor and other accessories, most of which are made from unhealthy, unsustainable materials, by people who may not be paid living wages or treated fairly.  Most of the stuff – what isn’t consumed – winds up in landfills.  It is time to get back to basics – having good clean fun!  Read the rest of this post...

Guest Post by Cat Lichtenbelt

When dealing with a child’s behavior that is less than ideal in the Kindergarten world, there are a few ways to respond. I choked down the denial, and went head first into appointments, web searches, talking with parents, meetings with the Principal. I don’t regret a moment of it. Your best friends are those who guide you without lecturing you. I have one of those and I will always be thankful for her and what she gave me, a name and phone number!

Our son was the child who was unable to sit still at circle time.  He was the one who got so focused on a project he would melt down when torn away from it. His social skills were way behind his peers at times and other times he was adored by his classmates. The opinions of the educators did not match our opinions of him. He was always fixated on details of mechanical workings, recited information as if he was reading a script, yet I said his name more times each day then I had hairs on my head!  I say he thinks like an Engineer, with all the quirks and personality! He destroyed school property and built the Lincoln Memorial out of blocks from memory all in the same day. I cried out of confusion.  Read the rest of this post...