What to do at the cottage

On this rainy day in Muskoka, I know there will be complaints. Canadians always complain about the weather. A couple of my Facebook friends have been complaining about those who are complaining.

The rain is a welcome break in the heat and humidity. We have been careful to open up the house at night, and close up, closing curtains in the day time.

This post arises from my experience as a teacher. While visiting the library yesterday, I noticed a drawing program for kids, as well as an intriguing box.

Our local Muskoka Lakes libraries have some great programs, as well as the books available!

They are hatching some monarch butterflies. Cathy released a butterfly while I was waiting for my hubby who was in a meeting!

As they emerge from the cocoon, and sit for awhile, eventually they can be released into the outdoors.

Specifically for kids: especially for kids with any learning disability, they need to keep up their reading and practice literacy and numeracy skills over the summer.  Good readers get to be great readers by... reading!







Here are some things you can do to keep kid's brains working:

1. Keep a journal. (Do not mark their spelling, ask them to choose 3 words they want you to check. No more!)
   
2. Keep track of money spent: how much per day or per month does your family spend on vacation for groceries, transportation, accomodation, entertainment?
   
3. Create a dream location: locate your holiday destination(s) on a map, find your location on Mapquest or Google maps.
   
4. Create some skits about cottage life. Write a play. Do some improv plays.
   
5. Write a creative story about where you are or would like to be this week.
6. Write about Fridays, or Someone Who Understands.
   
7. If you have access to Internet &/or TV, do an Olympic Project.
   

8. Create a bird watching list, take photos, make a scrapbook, study insects, rocks, trees.
9. Visit the MNR info page and collect pamphlets and flyers about wildlife, ponds, turtles.
   
10. Create a scavenger hunt.
    
11. Do book talks as a family.
12. Create a written or verbal Reading Response.
13. Ask kids to earn computer time by writing an essay.
14. Purchase writing books and drawing pads, bring new coloured pencils or crayons.
15. Buy the kids a disposable camera, let them plan a photo show, and teach them photography.
    
16. They can used the photos for a scrapbook for memories.
    
17. Blow bubbles.
    
18. Create a slide show or video of cottage events.
19. Scrabble, Monopoly, Backgammon, Sorry, card games, activity books (Soduko or crosswords!).
    
20. This is a great time to do a BIG puzzle - set it up out of the way and work on it when you feel like it.

Lots to do. Don't believe the Cottageocracy!

MTM - Summer is here!

We are leaving town. With the first day of summer yesterday, we were not amused. The crazies have come to town, we're leaving since summer fever has hit the local scene.

On the lake
The boats zip back and forth across the lake, every day, yelling obscenities, sending my poor ducklings for a bit of a ride. The goslings, they had come up on the land, where the buzzing bees and clover doesn't make them seasick. Mom, Eva, looked quite concerned.

The boys of summer are glad their own private race track is thawed after a long winter. After burning wet wood all day by the lake, 9 or 10 men, or so, screamed up and down the lake on Saturday, when the rain ceased. We had to close our windows on this muggy day! I could smell it the next morning, too. (I think he had swim shorts on, I am not sure and do not want to know!)

In my town
The general store, located in a wonderful old house in Glen Orchard, has some issues, too. The clerks are always friendly, we laugh and exchange pleasantries. The had two cases of shoplifting, and 2 cases of verbal abuse. I attended an Elder Abuse Workshop (see my other blog) last Friday morning => June 15th was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, but I think I need to write something on shopkeeper abuse.

• One woman yelling at the clerk that she didn't get her change back. (It was in her pocket already!)
• The clerk opened up his store at 6:30 (for a 7:00 a.m. opening) and the two potential customers yell at him because the coffee wasn't ready.
• A woman is told to move her car because it is blocking other customers in the small driveway/parking lot. She is insulted, and obviously has authority issues, since she overreacts: yelling at him.

On the roads

• A driver doing 50 km/per hour in an 80, is passed by a truck, who tries to come between the slowpoke and the driver behind him. It is a solid double line and there is a car coming. He squeezes in between the two vehicles, obviously a very important person, with important places to go, in a space (place?) not big enough for him.
• Another car then passes the same two drivers, on the same double line.

1. Practice water safety. (Transport Canada-safe boating) More people drown fishing than anything else. Put on your life jacket.
2. Noise carries on the water. Please leave your 4-letter words for the locker room. Turn off your music; your neighbours may (do) have different tastes.
3. Cottage Watch: As a member of the cottage community, you become a partner by simply reporting suspicious persons or activities to the police. You are encouraged to:
   

• record license plate numbers and descriptions of any suspicious vehicles in your neighborhood,
• watch for strangers in your neighbourhood,
• watch for persons taking "shortcuts" through your property,
• watch for vehicles making repeat visits through your neighbourhood.