Hope Chest #43 pt 4: Character Counts! (Home School Newsletter)
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>
THE HOPE CHEST: Ideas and Inspiration for Home Education
Issue #43 part 4 / August 11, 2001
Character Counts!
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This is part 4 of 5.
HOMEMADE GEOGRAPHY GAME
by Angie Payne
CHARACTER BUILDING THROUGH HOUSE CLEANING
by Dana Estes
HOUSE CLEANING TO PREVENT ASTHMA by Dona W
GO FOR THE GRIME! by Virginia Knowles
THE ROMANS ROAD
WEB SITES
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HOMEMADE GEOGRAPHY GAME
by Angie Payne
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My 9 year old and 5 year old made up their own geography game.
They got out a US map placemat and a top they got for a party
favor. Each child takes a turn at spinning the tornado top as they
call it and see in what state the tornado lands. Then my 9 year old
reads the name of the state. This way she is teaching her little
brother the states and reinforcing what she already knows! But
SSH!!! Don't tell them this is learning! They think it is just for fun!
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CHARACTER BUILDING THROUGH HOUSE CLEANING
by Dana Estes
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Our best character building lesson was a complete accident. Here
is what happened. Two summers ago I decided to try a different
approach to chores around our house. The boys were bored with
their assigned chores and I was tired of the attitude with which
they were accomplished. So, I proceeded to sit down and re-do
our chore lists.
I began by listing every chore that I thought we should accomplish
in a week. You know the list, dishwasher unloaded, kitchen swept,
vacuuming, beds changed, etc. I omitted the things that I wanted
to do for myself such as clean my bathroom. Then, I wrote each
chore on its own separate index card. Any job that would take
more than 10 minutes, I divided into two jobs. If the chore was to
be done every day, it got a card for every day. (ie: I had 5 cards
for take out the trash.) Then, I divided the cards as evenly as
possible between the days of the week.
First thing Monday morning we all sat down together and dealt out
the cards like playing cards. As you can imagine, we weren't sure
how they would deal out and everyone was delighted when I (dear
old Mom) got to vacuum and take out the trash. (God has a
wonderful sense of humor, doesn't He?) They weren't sure I could
do either job since I never did them. Sam wasn't sure that he
wanted to make his brother's bed, but figured it was ok since his
brother had to pick up his (Sam's) dirty clothes.
This system worked great for us. The house was cleaner and
neater without any fussing or eye-rolling. They could do their
chores any time they desired as long as it didn't interfere with
someone else's responsibilities. We had a wonderful unexpected
blessing in this little exercise. The children quit complaining about
doing things for one another. They quit competing with one
another and measuring each little favor. They learned to serve
one another. No one felt like he was being taken advantage of
and no one felt superior to anyone else. Imagine the oldest son
picking up his little brother's dirty clothes without a fuss!!!
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HOUSECLEANING TO REDUCE ASTHMA
by Dona W.
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My son and I have asthma. We have found two major things to
help cut down on asthma attacks.
First, While your typical heat/ac man tells you to clean the filter
once a month, how many people actually do it? Do it! It makes an
incredible difference in your heat/ac units efficiency and in your
indoor polution levels. Also, dust all vents and air intake areas at
least once a month. This also entails taking off the vents and
registers every six months and dusting inside the area. Don't
forget the bottom vent of the refrigerator and the dryer exhaust
area.
Second, old carpet is a no-no. If your carpet is more than 10 years
old, pull it up and toss it out. Carpets harbor many indoor
pollutants. While hardwood floors require a bit more upkeep, they
are actually better than carpeted areas as they tend to be more
sanitary.
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THE HOME HAVEN: GO FOR THE GRIME!
by Virginia Knowles
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I am not what you would call a cleanie by nature, but with Gods
perfect sense of balance (or is it humor?) I am married to Mr.
Safety/Health/Hygiene himself! Shall we say that this is an area
which can build character in me?
Anyway, in this issue, I thought I would take a swipe at grime. Are
germs hiding like little fugitives in your home? Lets get em,
ladies!
1. You can unscrew plastic sink/shower faucet knobs and clean
them out. Sometimes the screws are underneath a plastic cover
plate that you can lift out. Check for a hidden notch where you can
pry gently with a screwdriver. I have been doing this for several
years, and they are usually full of slimy stuff. Even if you don't
take the knobs off, you can clean around them if you have an old
toothbrush. I bought a special brush recently that has short
bristles on a long flexible wire with handles on each end.
2. In between the thorough cleanings, be sure to spray
disinfectant on faucet handles (as well as door knobs and
telephones). If you ever replace sink faucets, skip the knob
handles, and get the kind with a lever that you can lift with the
back of your hand. This cuts down on germs from dirty hands!
My friend Tonya says: If someone is sick (which is rarely at our
house), I use Lysol or pine disinfectant (not deodorizer) on all
doorknobs, faucets, daily. I also clean all bathroom sink areas
daily with Lysol. We have other kids over regularly. (Tonya is a
piano teacher.)
3. Sponges are notorious germ havens. Dont your hands stink
after you have been touching an old wet one? Yick! In our house,
we only have one scrubber sponge for pots and pans. I replaced
the rest of them with over a dozen textured dish cloths (for dishes,
wiping tables and counters, etc.) and lots of small white cleaning
towels for floor spills and yucky jobs. We have nice looking utility
buckets in the kitchen and near the garage door. Whenever we
use dish cloths or cleaning clothes, instead of letting them sit
around breeding germs for the next job, we drop them in the
bucket. I launder a load of linens almost every day, so we usually
have a pretty good supply. If you do use sponges, pop them in
the dishwasher or clothes washer (not the dryer) every once in a
while, and throw them away when they start smelling, looking or
feeling gross.
4. If you have an aluminum towel bar on your shower door, check
for crevices on the back that may harbor mold. When I cleaned
mine several weeks ago (the first time in our 8 years here), I got
great gobs of black gunk. And my towels had been rubbing
against this! Yick! I checked my work by using a little dental
mirror.
5. The drain hole of your shower might catch hair, crud, and
germs on the underneath side. You can unscrew the little
perforated floor plate and clean it out. I poked around the sides of
my drain pipe with a long screwdriver to pull up crud off the sides.
6. Be sure to change your toothbrushes often -- at least every 3
months, but preferably every month. I think the Butler Gum brand
has come out with an economical new set which has a
comfortable plastic handle with 3 replaceable heads to be
replaced every 30 days. If your toothbrush falls on the floor you
can sterilize it in boiling water. Also, clean your toothbrush holder.
This is hard to do if it is a built-in attached to the wall. We use a
pretty wide-mouthed flower vase in our master bath. It can be
easily put in the dishwasher.
7. The intake of your air conditioning unit needs to be cleaned
periodically. In our house, there is an air space behind the wall
vent. A few years ago we unscrewed it and found that there had
been a hose leak. The whole area was covered in mold. No
wonder we'd had so many respiratory illnesses! That stuff had
been circulating through the house via our A/C! Double yick! At
the very least, take the time to wipe or vacuum off the dust that
collects on the vent grill.
8. You can pull down stove hood filters and wash in hot soapy
water. If you haven't done it for a while, be prepared for thick
greasy grime.
9. Clean the cabinets underneath your sinks periodially. If you
have an undetected leak, your floor boards might be rotted out!
We usually leave a plastic bucket under our pipes, just in case.
Since we have small children, we do NOT store cleaning supplies
(except for a tightly closed canister of dish powder) under our
sinks. I dont trust safety latches because people around here
dont always close cabinets correctly! Ours cleaning supplies sit
on top of the refrigerator and on our bedroom closet shelf.
10. Beyond the regular refrigerator wipe down which will remove
lots of germies, check how many OLD food items are you
harboring in there! Go through and check expiration dates, the
appearance and smell of the food in bottles and jars, etc. Clean
the grille at the bottom of your refrigerator, and while you have
that off, vacuum the coils underneath the fridge. This will help
your refrigerator work optimally, saving you money and making
sure your food stays safely cold.
11. Canned goods can have dirt on the top. We rinse ours
before opening to make sure nothing falls into the food. Also, be
sure to clean your can opener blade often. We use a hand held
model that goes in the dishwasher.
OK, I guess thats enough about grime! Go clean house!
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HOME HEALTH: HEATSTROKE?
by Virginia Knowles
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The local news just aired a story about a two year old girl who
died after being forgotten in a van for about 3 hours. Apparently a
young child can die from being left in a car for even 15 minutes on
an 80 degree day. With heatwaves sweeping the country, please
lets all remember that when we are out and about with our
children!
Children can also get heat stroke or heat exhaustion from playing
outside on a hot day. Symptoms can include confusion, delirium,
faintness, a high temperature, ashen appearance and nausea.
Skin will be hot and dry with heatstroke, or cold and clammy with
heat exhaustion. If you suspect that your child has been
adversely affected by the heat, move him into a cool room, give
him a cold (NOT iced) drink with a teaspoon of salt mixed in,
loosen clothing, lay him down, and cover him with damp sheets
until his temperature has stabilized. For a serious case, dont
hesitate to call for emergency medical help!