TEACHERS ARE heading back to the classroom, the dog- woods are showing a flush of red, and back-to-school sales are booming. But it's not over yet!
Help your kids to make the most of the last few weeks of summer. Whether it's picnicking, playing games, or just plain fooling around, these books will help.
The last sleepover of the summer will be even more fun with "The Sleepover Cookbook" by Hallie Warshaw. Aimed at the 10 and up crowd, this includes lots of humor in its recommendations for kitchen safety ("Be careful fingers don't grow back") and good sense ("It's all fun and games until someone loses permission for the next sleepover").
The recipes cover the gamut of old favorites like s'mores and pizza, but heart-healthy choices like No-Bake Blueberry Crumble and Cheesy Strawberry Cake are included, too. Photos of boys as well as girls make this appealing to a wide audience.
Hanging around and playing with hair is a time-honored girl tradition. For some new ideas, check out "Braid Crazy: Simple Steps for Daring 'Dos" by Carla Sinclair.
Beyond the simple three-strand braid are directions for cornrows, a fishtail braid, braiding in ribbons and beads, and more.
Want a Pippi Longstocking look? It's the pipe cleaners that make the braids stick straight out from your head.
Heidi's crown of braids is achieved with the help of hair clips, bobby pins and rubber bands.
A hula dancer with a braided flower or a luxurious Guinevere look are other appealing options.
Nancy Blakey, author of "Lotions, Potions, and Slime Mudpies and More!" believes that creativity sometimes requires a little messiness.
"Your home should be the place where the mess is seen as only an incidental in the larger arena of imagination," she advises.
Let the kids go wild just one more time before schedules and homework kick in. Make an underwater volcano, paint with Spangled Salt Paint, cook up some Wiggly Jiggly Gelatin Eggs, or concoct Rub-a-Dub-Tub paint.
Stories told around a campfire always have a special flavor--or maybe that's the smoke blowing in your direction! Sisters Jane Drake and Ann Love have fond memories of campfire activities, and they've captured the best of them in "The Kids Campfire Book." Everything from lighting the fire (safety is stressed) to cooking, stargazing, playing games, telling ghost stories and singing is included.
Crinkleroot, that old man who was born in a tree and raised by bees, teaches kids the essentials of hiking in "Crinkleroot's Guide to Walking in Wild Places."
Author-illustrator Jim Arnosky offers advice on viewing wild creatures ("Let's tiptoe back and away so we won't disturb [a bird on her nest]"), avoiding poison ivy and ticks, and identifying common plants. But most of all, he wants kids to see what's around them and have fun, so he's also a great advocate of walking barefoot every now and then. As he explains, "When I'm walking barefoot I find all sorts of wonderful things, because I look at the ground carefully before each step."
The "hair-raising true tales of kids vs. fish" found in "Kids' Incredible Fishing Stories" by Shaun Morey will amaze and inspire kids and parents. Whether it's a 100-pound girl catching a 100-pound bass or a 7-year-old boy whose first catch was a 292-pound marlin, these tales might send your family to Motts Run or Lake Anna for just one more fishing trip before the school bell rings.
You can phone CAROLINE PARR, coordinator of children's services for Central Rappahannock Regional Library, at 540/372-1160 or e-mail her at cparr@crrl.org.