Signs and Flat Stanley, Worthington Ohio

Silly Stanley, it's Saturday not Friday, so this I guess will be less fun? The post scheduled for yesterday's Friday Fun with Flat Stanley got deleted I guess, so this will be a message of safety from Stanley about signs on Saturday. But, the Friday Fun will return this Friday June 18th. Stanley observed this sign while on a recent photo session and wanted to share with you, but couldn't get his picture taken by the sign because it was up to high on the building. Do you know what this is? Do your children know what this is? This particular sign is posted at post office in Worthington Ohio. If you click to enlarge the picture I think you can see capacity 52.


According to Wikipedia, a fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designed to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War.
During a nuclear explosion, matter vaporized in the resulting fireball is exposed to neutrons from the explosion, absorbs them, and becomes radioactive. When this material condenses in the rain, it forms dust and light sandy materials that resembles ground pumice. The fallout emits alpha and beta particles, as well as gamma rays. Much of this highly radioactive material then falls to earth, subjecting anything within the line of sight to radiation, a significant hazard. A fallout shelter is designed to allow its occupants to minimize exposure to harmful fallout until radioactivity has decayed to a safer level.
Now if you're my age and grew up during the Cold War, these signs mean a great deal to you. Do you remember the film clip, "Duck and Cover"? Do you remember practicing drills in school? Kids today don't do that at all. They do practice fire drills. But, do the kids know why we hear a siren on Wednesday at exactly 12 noon?
Now besides these lyrics:

Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign

running around in my mind it occurs to me there are signs that kids do need to know about. It's summer, they'll be out and about more then usual. Do they know where the closest block parent lives? Do they know what sign to look for? Do they know how to get help and from whom if you're not around? That was such a big part of the school practice, what to do if you weren't with an adult. The importance of staying calm in an emergency.

The fall out shelter program began in earnest in 1961 with shelters in churches, schools, and other public buildings. What I found interesting after seeing this sign (which peaked my interest); is that Switzerland had a huge network of fallout shelters stocked with essentials enough for the entire population for a full 2 years after an attack back in the Cold War. Other countries too had vast underground networks far different than what we had/have here in The States.

Does your family have a plan for emergencies? Be they a tornado, a fire etc? This seemed like a good reminder to me that being prepared is a good way to be safe.

Thinking of safety while traveling, show the kids were the stairs are, talk about sirens, talk about evacuating calmly should something happen while you're in a hotel in your summer travels.

In case you've missed any of Stanley's Friday Fun, you can catch up here:

• April 23, 2010 Books and Parks (Upper Arlington, Ohio)
• April 30, 2010 Traitor or Hero (Worthington, Ohio)
• May 7, 2010 Flat Stanley and his friend Captain Pinney (Worthington, Ohio)
• May 14, 2010 First Flight and Flat Stanley (Worthington, Ohio)
• May 21, 2010 Up The Indian Mound with Flat Stanley (Columbus, Ohio)
• May 28, 2010 Flat Stanley goes to Camp (Upper Arlington, Ohio)
• May 31, 2010 Honoring Those who Served on Memorial Day (Upper Arlington, Ohio)
• June 12, 2010 Signs and Flat Stanley, (Worthington, Ohio)

Marblehead Lighthouse, Lake Erie, Ohio

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The day after the tornado's hit Northern Ohio the sky was beautiful blue and the sun shone brightly. Though the air was cool, the sun was warm. Marblehead Lighthouse was built in 1821 with a 50 foot beacon. In 1903 15 additional feet were added making it's beacon 65 feet. The Marblehead Lighthouse was built by William Kelley from limestone and became an Ohio State Park in 1998.

Here on Lake Erie it attracts visitors from all over. Lake Erie is the 12th largest freshwater lake in The World, is the most shallow of the 5 Great Lakes, measures 210 miles long, 57 miles wide and has approximately 871 miles of shore land to enjoy. That's a lot to explore folks.

Marblehead Lighthouse is the oldest continuously operated lighthouse in The Great Lakes, and one of the most photographed scene's in the area. Come spend the day walking the shoreline with views of Lake Erie, Sandusky Bay, Kelleys Island, and South Bass Island. You can even see the rides at Cedar Point from your vantage point here at Marblehead Lighthouse State Park.

There's picnic facilities for families of all ages to enjoy. On week days and the 2nd Saturday of the month you can take a guided tour of the lighthouse.

Though I've stopped here at Marblehead Lighthouse multiple times, I've not yet been able to take the tour; so it's still on my list of things to do while touring and enjoying The Port Clinton area.

Port Clinton, Ohio

The list of things to see and do in and around Port Clinton are numerous and so this post will be part I.

Port Clinton lies on the north coast of Lake Erie in Ottawa County and is known as, the "Walleye Capital of the World". So there is your first clue about what to do while in Port Clinton. Fishing! Everywhere you look you see people fishing. Some fish from shore, others from boardwalk's and bridges, and many from boats. Lots of marina's to dock your boat, or to enjoy a stroll to take in the sites.

Camping, swimming, shopping, and site-seeing are a few more of the items on the large list of things to see and do.

DeWitt Clinton a New York Stateman proposed building a canal from the mouth of The Portage River in Sandusky County to The Ohio River in Cincinnati. 1212 acres of land were purchased, and a surveyor selected. Several years later in 1827 the selected surveyor, General Lytle's stepson bought the same 1212 acres for a mere $1,000.00 and began platting the town of Port Clinton. The town was named in honor of DeWitt Clinton known as The Father of The Erie Canal; though he died just 4 months prior to the completion of the platting. Ultimately, the canal project was a failure due to insufficient water flow. Port Clinton grew despite the failed canal project. In 1999 the downtown revitalization of Port Clinton began giving all who visit a wide range of activities to enjoy.

Those who know me, know I am NOT a shopper. Not in the traditional since anyway. But, give me a good yarn shop.........I could spend all day fingering the yarn making purchases and chatting.




Just For Ewe is not just any yarn shop! The shop is owned by Christi someone you've got to meet. Fiber for Knitting, Crocheting, Spinning, Weaving and more. This is MUST stop even for those among you who don't knit or crochet etc. There are 7 shops here all quaint, cute and fun. Buy some homemade goodies to eat, hand crafted purses, shoes or beautiful jewelery. And if that doesn't entice you come and feed the animals!

Through a wonderful conversation with Christi she donated yarn to help me with warming the homeless. I'll get it photographed so please check it out, over on Bridge and Beyond. She gifted Julie with an extra goodie because it was her birthday. We left the shop after a hug, the warmth of finding a new friend made the day special.

I do plan to return when I can spend more time.

You can find Christi at 9523 East Harbor Road (Route 163), Lakeside/Marblehead, Ohio 43440 right on the way to the famous Marblehead Lighthouse. Go, visit and shop...tell her Sandy sent ya.

Traveling with Children

I posted this some time back, but since it's almost the end of the school year and families will be hitting the highways, and airports for their family vacations; I thought it worth repeating. Plus I'
ve added a few more do's and don't's at the end for you.

"Are we there yet"? "I'm hungry". "Mom, he's on my side........Brings back memories I bet for lots of us. Make travel easier for all. Make your child his or her "special", very own trip tick. You can keep them busy, make them feel special, and the time spent in the car will be more pleasant for all. PLUS, the bonus is your kids will actually learn something while on vacation.

Supplies needed:
3 ring notebook
pocket dividers
colored pencils (not crayons they melt, not markers they're too messy)
Plain White Paper for drawing
Lined paper for writing

Divide by area, or state depending on the age of the child and where you're going AND how long you'll be in the car.

Make a few math problems that involve the kids keeping track of monies spent for gas, food, miles traveled, ...let them figure out how many miles per gallon you're getting. Things like how far it is from point A to point B.

Make hidden word puzzles about vacation, the things you're going to do and see along the way.......like the names of cities you'll travel through, the capitals of the states you'll be in, the state bird.

Have pictures to color that are appropriate....like the state bird. See if they can find them or the state flower as they look out the window.

Make a fact sheet about what's interesting in that area, like what famous person came from there, or what sports teams are in that city (if you've got a sports minded kid). Always cool is to find something the kids can identify with, like a child about their age who famous for something from the area. Think Shirley Temple, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Johnny Shilo and the like.

Encourage them to write a travel journal (we left the house at 7 am, and I was the first to see a Cardinal, the state bird of Ohio...), tie it all in together. If your child's a reader, try to find a book appropriate for the area so they'll have something they can tell you. **For helpful tips on how to encourage them to journal, PLEASE visit my SIL's blog. She has all kinds of writing exercises, some can even be verbal depending on the age of the child.

As you travel ask them what you're going to see next, how far it is to the next stop etc. Make them a part of it.

I did this every year, and after the first year; my daughter could hardly wait to get in the car and see what I'd put together for her. DON'T LET THEM SEE THEIR TRIP TICK BEFORE GETTING IN THE CAR. KEEP IT A SURPRISE.

Turn off the DVD player, car time is wonderful family time...use it. They can watch TV and DVD's anytime; make vacation special--make it different.

And think about how far you're going, how old the children are. Make sure they get a good nights sleep before you start out. Don't count on them falling asleep on the plane or in the car. Generally, even young children know something is different, something special is going on and they don't want to miss it. So, they stay awake; then you have an already tired grumpy child who makes everyone involved not enjoy themselves. Be respectful of their need to rest, to use the bathroom. Never ask them if they have to go. Simply stop and everyone use the bathroom (if you're in the car). Ask any adult how many times they've asked a child who says no. They don't use facilities when they exist and you get rollin again then they urgently have to go. If you're flying go to the bathroom right before boarding so you don't need to mess with it on the plane. Limit what they drink. It stands to reason if you give a child a biggy size drink they're going to need to use the bathroom.

If you're going to be in the car for an extended time, take breaks. Pull off and let the kids run and swing at say a school yard. Prepare the kids ahead of time. Let them know how long they'll be in the car. Let them know they need to get along. Don't throw surprises at them. Prepared children fare far better and when they do well, so will you.

Next post will address some specific issues when flying with children in more detail. Stay tuned.

Wanted to add this comment from my daughter, when parts of this post were published previously.
Christine said...

As the person for whom the binders were made ... loved it. Wish more parents did this rather than plugging their children in and letting them tune out - is it a wonder that so many children are unable to communicate with adults?!

I'd like to add, my daughter is now a school teacher.