Doing activities outdoors as a family is enjoyable, especially around the Fall season. The weather is cool and brisk - comfortable for outdoor fun! Hiking is a one of those activities that is known for appreciating and respecting nature as well as building companionship.

If you are not a regular hiker with children, it is important to plan your hike ahead of time. Here are some recommendations for you from an online article on The Wilderness Society’s website titled Take Your Kids Hiking: Ten Tips to Make the Adventure Fun for the Whole Family:

In the beginning, keep your hike easy and friendly. Select a trail that has features – such as a stream – to keep children occupied until they get there. Remember this: “It’s about the journey not the destination.”
Include a lot of time on the hike. Children love to explore, so give them the opportunities to do so. Don’t rush them as it is an adventure.
Prepare for anything that could happen. The article provides a link to essential items to carry with you.
Dress appropriately. Make sure that your children wear adequate clothing, coats and shoes. Bring a change of clothes.
Plan frequent stops for water and snacks. Children expend a lot of energy and will need to get their tanks replenished. Having water and plenty of healthy snacks ready for them is essential to a good hiking adventure.
Select a leader for the hike and rotate leadership during the hike. This will give each child an opportunity to lead.
Make the hike fun. Plan ahead of time what children can search for. Have games for them to play.
Give positive feedback. Children loved to be praised so think of things that you can say to praise their efforts. This will encourage them to keep on hiking!
Be role models for your children and leave no trace of your presence behind. Pick up your trash and throw it away responsibly.
Continue to hike as often as possible. A hike can last a couple of hours or a day or a weekend. It is up to you. Remember that national and state parks have a variety of trails for hiking and welcome families.

We live in such a beautiful world so let us be mindful of all the beauties of nature. We should enjoy them as much as we can and include our children, so they learn to appreciate and respect nature too.

To read the entire article, visit: https://www.wilderness.org/articles/article/take-your-kids-hiking-10-tips-make-adventure-fun-whole-family

Why does As the Stars of the Sky Foundation promote literacy? I found this quote by Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations, that expresses in a nutshell the answer to that question. Of all the Secretary Generals, I believe that his work to promote literacy throughout the world was the most impressive.

Literacy is key to the successful life of every human being. Without the ability to read, and read well, a child will not progress and reach his/her highest possibilities. To be effective, reading should start from an early age, when the child is very young. This gives the child the ability to learn language and cognitive skills that become of primary importance when starting school.

Literacy fights poverty because a literate person has the tools to improve his/her life and earn a good living. A person who cannot read or read well is often left to do the low paying jobs and then struggles to support a family. Poor healthcare unfortunately results as well.

Literacy is the key to development of our towns and cities. Without a literate population, government services cannot be performed properly and as needed.

From a Christian perspective, literacy enables a child to reach his/her divine destiny. I strongly believe that God has given each of us a divine destiny which He wants us to achieve. Literacy is the means by which we will be able to do the work that we are called to do.

Yes, it is ultimately a bridge from misery to hope, as Kofi Annan states!

Take Your Children Hiking This Fall

Why Does As the Stars of the Sky Foundation Promote Literacy?