Prevent Noise Induced Hearing Loss

Did you know that there are small sensory hair cells in our ears which can actually be permanently damaged by loud noises?

Some noises we don't even think twice about can be harmful to a child's hearing when greater than 85 decibels (a normal conversation is around 60 decibels): lawn mowers, leaf blowers, music through headphones, movie theaters, stadiums, and more.

To learn more about this important subject and how you can protect your child from Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL), visit the Noisy Planet website by clicking HERE. NIHL is hardly noticable at first; the consequences are permanent but can be preventable.

Camp Attitude in Oregon

The end of Summer is looming as parents try and pack in more fun between school shopping trips and loading up on school supplies.

For some families, Summer vacations can include researching whether their accomodations are wheelchair accessible. If that is the case for your family, we've heard of a camp that you might keep in mind for next Summer's fun: Camp Attitude in Foster, Oregon, a faith-oriented fully wheelchair accessible family camp on 41 forested acres bordering the sound Santiam River with 6 authentic log cabins that sleep 20 campers each as well as 10 RV spots with full hookups. The camp has lots of outdoor activities including hiking and fishing. Costs are free or negligible.

We have not visited the camp and it is full through the end of this summer, but it sounds great and worth being aware of. For more information click HERE to go to the Camp Attitude website.

Summer Reading!

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." — Dr. Seuss

Time to gear up for children's Summer reading! Our local library, the Everett Public Library, will have reading logs available starting June 14th for "Make a Splash- Read!" Prizes include swim center passes, paperback books, entrance to the Imagine Children's Museum, and more.

I wasn't aware until preparing this post that there are three levels of the reading program: one for little children who don't read yet "Read to Me"; the main event which includes children who read up to 5th grade; and a teen program from 6th grade up to age 18 with extra credit for book reports. Each category has multiple prize choices that readers can choose from.

Summer's coming!

Sorticulture

Image from Sorticulture

We recently featured a post on our blog about gardening with children and what a great activity that is to do together; furthering that thought, you may want to visit Sorticulture, Everett's Garden Arts Festival at Legion Park on June 11th-13th.

Sorticulture is planning display gardens, children's activities, food, crafts, and plants for sale. Gardening experts including Cisco Morris will be there to answer questions. For location and more information, click HERE.

After all the excitement, use the opportunity for your child to communicate their experience with a friend or family member. Give them the opportunity to draw some pictures of the event from their perspective that they can proudly share as well.

Happy Spring!

Happy Mother's Day!

Clear Speech makes working with your child a family affair in our welcoming building modeled after a comforting home environment.

Making a decision to have a child--it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

Photo: Susan Emery

Gardening with Children

The arrival of Spring brings the promise of growth and renewal; trees are budding and flowers are beginning to bloom. There's a certain magic that comes along with the changing of the seasons, sharing that magic with children can be a wonderful opportunity for making memories and learning new things.



Activities to get kids involved:

- Get inspired by nature. Taking walks, hikes, or vising a park is great way to get out together and start talking about plants and trees. In the Everett area, try Forest Park or Spencer Island Natural Wildlife Preserve to get out and see nature. If you want to roam farther afield, try the Japanese Garden or the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle for family fun and to see some wonderful flora and fauna. If you want to take a drive North, consider going to see the tulip and daffodil fields in the Skagit Valley, or go to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

-Make gardening a fun playtime opportunity by inviting a little friend over and providing all the necessaries to put together a Spring planter: soil, flower starts, and a planting pot or two. They'll be proud of their success. Expand the project by helping your child to be responsible to water the plants regularly; they'll have an important job and will be able to see rewarding results!

-If you have a garden area at home, set aside an area just for you child's garden. At harvest time, sharing homegrown produce with someone special or bringing a bouquet to their teacher can be a very proud moment.

-Pressing flowers together can be a fun project for children. The finished product can be incorporated into their very own art masterpiece.

-A funny and creative project is to grow grass "hair" for eggshell people. Click HERE for more information on eggshell people, more information HERE.

Children grow fast, you can't go wrong when you make time for them, talk to them, and spend time listening.


Photos from Lowes.com

Valentine's Fun

Paula Hible


A simple Valentine for friends, transform fun-size chocolate bars by cutting pretty paper to size, using a wrapper for a template. Have fun decorating them!


Gregory Boyd


King-sized candy bars make an impressive personalized valentine for someone special! Wrapping paper or craft paper are great for this project. Fingerpaints, ribbon, glitter, and glue, let your child take the lead and see what creative ideas they can come up with!



Paula Hible

Personal and inexpensive, making valentine's from plain paper and craft supplies will bring a smile to the recipients face and create a special memory for your child. Make sure and take a picture of you child making cards and some of the finished products for a lasting memory.

Happy Valentine's Day!

These pictures and ideas taken from Parents Magazine. To visit their website, click HERE.