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Christian Parenting Today, July/August 2001
Get Hooked on Fishing
Fishing with your child is bonding at its best, but it's an activity that takes preparation. Here's what you need to know to have a great time, from buying the pole to bringing home your catch. And the rest is fishtory!
Plan ahead. Most discount department stores or sports stores carry a child's pole for beginners. Perfect for little squirts, these poles have a large button that releases the line either for casting or lowering the line into the water from a dock or pier.
A tackle box is half the fun of fishing, so fill a shoebox, a bucket, or a real tackle box with bobbers, sinkers, hooks, fishing line, needle-nose pliers (for those swallowed hooks), a small towel for wiping hands, and a child-size gardening glove for holding the fish while removing the hook.
Cast your line. Help your child practice casting in the back yard or a local park. Fit his pole with a rubber sinker (in place of the hook) and place a small bucket or box on one end of the lawn as a target. Point the tip of the rod at the target and bring it back just behind your shoulder. As you bring the rod forward again (with your aim on the target), release the line by pushing the button or whatever release method your pole calls for.
Choose your bait. Worms are really the best bait for first-time fisherkids. They work well, and getting them is part of the fun. Kids will love looking for worms under logs, rocks, or piles of leaves. To hook the worm, run the hook back and forth through the worm's entire body to make a zigzag shape. Minnows are an alternative to worms, but you'll need to go to your local bait shop for the minnows and a bucket to keep them in. You can also try to catch your own minnows by using a small hand net in shallow water. To hook the minnow, run the hook up through the lower lip and out the upper lip.
Pack your bag. In addition to the basic equipment, bring life jackets (even if you're fishing off a dock), sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, a cooler with snacks and drinks, and bug spray.
Pick a spot. Many city park ponds are stocked with trout or panfish, or head to a local lake that's known for good fishing. Be sure to pick a site that's not only comfortable but safe as well. If you're fishing from shore, choose a bank with no loose gravel or slippery mud that might cause your child to slip into the water. Bulrushes, cattails, and weedbeds are signs of a great fishing spot. If you're unfamiliar with the area, call your state's game department and ask for recommendations.
Catch something. Kids want the immediate thrill of catching a fish. Find out which spots stock fish that are easy to catch, such as bluegills, perch, sunfish, and trout. Unless you're planning to eat what you catch, practice "catch and release" and send the live fish back to their watery homes.
Make the most of your time together. Usually, fishing is a peaceful time when nature speaks. Talk with your child about the wonders of God's creation and the beauty of the great outdoors. Because of the quality time together, your conversations are sure to move into other topics of interest to your child. Take advantage of the situation and just listen.
Set a time limit. Kids wear out fast and have short attention spans, so keep your first fishing trip short. Two or three hours is plenty of time. Many fishermen recommend fishing in the morning, when the fish are more active. Bring your camera and take lots of pictures—you're sure to have some great fish stories!
—Lisa Jackson
Take a Hike
If I had a quarter for every time someone said to me, "I don't have time to exercise," I could buy myself a new pair of walking shoes—and then some. Sure, it's hard to find the time to exercise when you have little ones, a job, a home to clean, meals to make, and the list goes on and on. Despite our responsibilities to everyone else in our lives, we still have an important obligation to take care of our bodies, which are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And taking care of your temple doesn't have to involve a major time commitment. You can do it with just a few minutes a day.
Begin by taking a 15-minute walk every day. If childcare is a problem, grab 15 minutes before your spouse leaves for work or after he gets home. Find a comfortable pair of walking shoes and step outside for a brisk trek around your neighborhood. If you work outside the home, hit the pavement during your coffee break. According to the fitness Web site www.asimba.com, that 15 minute walk will burn 254 calories. As an added plus, your stress level will decrease, too. Remember, it only takes 30 days of repeated behavior to form a habit. Ask God to bless this commitment, and take that first step toward better health.
—Jennifer Mangan
Classic Movies Your Kids Will Love
Like best-loved books, these films with kid appeal have stood the test of time to become part of our heritage. Filmed during Hollywood's wholesome heyday, they were never rated (NR).
Beauty and the Beast (1946, Lopert Films, NR, French with subtitles) Enchanting and artful version of the fable of a self-sacrificing young woman who takes her father's place as hostage in the castle of a beast. She overcomes her fear and the beast overcomes his mistrust. Finally, love and compassion release a prince. 7+
Captains Courageous (1937, Warner, NR) Rudyard Kipling's story of a spoiled rich boy. Neglected by his father and later lost at sea, the boy is rescued by a Portuguese fisherman and made to work hard and behave respectfully. But his heart is not the only one that's changed, as seen in his reunion with his now-loving father. All ages.
Go West (1940, Warner, NR) The Marx Brothers go western in this hilarious comedy. This isn't the most popular of their films with their adult fans, but it's a kids' favorite. Choose this when you're in the mood for something just plain silly. All ages.
Seven Samurai (1954, Home Vision, NR, subtitles) In this Japanese epic, the granddaddy of many American films, a village threatened by marauders hires seven professional soldiers to protect them. Detailed, fascinating, and perceptive look at human nature and relationships. 8+
—Barbara Curtis
Get a Jump on This
A toy that outsells the Razor Scooter and a new litter of robotic dogs deserves attention. You're probably thinking it's some Pokémon doodad or yet another update of PlayStation. Believe it or not, it's an educational toy—and it's the first time in the history of the toy industry that an educational toy has attained this ranking. The LeapPad, the most successful of the LeapFrog line of electronic learning toys, is a portable reading tool that looks like a small laptop computer, but it's lighter, more colorful, and perfectly sized to fit on the lap of a preschooler. It snaps open easily to display a storybook and special pen that help a child hear the story, pronounce the words, isolate the sounds that letters make, learn the names of objects in the story, and more. The complete line of LeapFrog toys is too lengthy to list, but some of the toys for older kids (such as the Excelerator, which teaches math, science, social studies, and vocabulary for middle-schoolers and looks just like a GameBoy) are Web-enabled, meaning you can download more information from the LeapFrog Web site (www.leapfrog.com). In other words, the toy grows as your child grows.
—Jennifer Mangan
e-fridge
Cookingwithkids.com has lots of kid-friendly recipes. Here's one that's creative too:
Flowerpot Bread is a fun project to do with your kids this summer. Great as a gift or just for home sweet home, this recipe is easy as pie. Believe it or not, baking bread in clay flowerpots rather than metal bread pans achieves a better crust, and flowerpots are a perfect mold for bread. But before you bake, you knead to do a few things. First, use a very clean clay flowerpot (a new terra cotta pot is inexpensive) and rub the inside all over with vegetable oil. Place the pot in a 450 degree oven for one hour. After this treatment, the pot needs simply be washed in warm water after you've baked in it. If you notice any sticking, repeat the treatment.
Doughs to use: Almost any yeast dough will bake well in a flowerpot.
Forming and baking: Follow the package directions for the first rising. When the dough is ready, punch it down and form it into a shape roughly half the size of the flowerpot you are using. Most flowerpots have a hole in the bottom. Stuff it with a wad of crumpled aluminum foil. Oil the inside of the pot thoroughly, including the bottom, and have the pot slightly warmed when you put the dough in. Fill the pot only half full. Clay makes dough expand more readily, so if the pot is more than half full, the dough will mushroom over the top and it will fall over to one side. Cover the filled pot with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise until it is almost to the top (about 45 minutes). After the bread has risen for 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Just before baking, paint the top of the bread with a glaze of 1 beaten egg mixed with 1 teaspoon water.
Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees. Small pots will need to bake 5 to 10 minutes more; medium-sized, 10-15 minutes; and a large pot, 30 minutes. Slip the baked bread out of its pot and let it sit a few minutes in the turned-off oven, then cool on a rack.
Check out the Cookingwithkids.com Web site for decorative bread topknots and flavoring options.
Art Hang-Ups
Want to display your little darling's artwork someplace other than the refrigerator door? You will need clothesline or rope (colored rope would be fun), clothespins (they come in colors, too), cup hooks and picture frame mats in various sizes and colors. Pick a wall area that provides space either horizontally or vertically. Attach the cup hooks to either end of the wall, then fasten the clothesline or rope to the hooks keeping the line somewhat taut. If your wall space is vertical, line up several rows of rope far enough apart to accommodate larger artwork. Match the artwork to the mats and use the clothespins to attach the art to the line. Watch your child's face light up when he sees his hard work beautifully displayed for everyone to see.
—Jennifer Mangan
Copyright © 2001 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian Parenting Today Magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Christian Parenting Today.
July/August 2001, Vol. 13, No. 6, Page 6
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