FAMILY FUN

family fun Make Learning Fun All Summer Long

By Jennifer Halter

This was an unprecedented school year for students. Now that it’s winding down, you may be looking for ways to implement more educational activities into your days to supplement or expand upon what they learned. Here are some tips for helping your child stay on track and beat the summer learning slide.

Explore Museums, Zoos and Historical Sites

We are fortunate to live in an area rich in history and full of landmarks and museums for your family to explore, many at low or no cost. Plan a field trip to visit one, maybe for a “Take a Trip Tuesday” or “Field Trip Friday” adventure. Before you head out, have your child help with planning tasks like finding driving directions using a map and setting a budget based on the cost of admission, meals and gas to travel. Have them research to learn about the things they will be seeing, activities happening during your visit, as well as finding those important amenities, like restrooms or picnic areas, to name a few.

Once you are at your destination, let them participate in hands-on exhibits or take guided tours, if available. Some places may have information packets just for kids, so be sure to inquire. As you explore new areas, ask your children questions about what they see, feel and hear. A great follow-up activity would be to have them write stories about their adventures or do additional research about what they learned.

Write Letters

In an era where technology is everywhere and communication can happen with the click of a button, the art of letter writing is no longer the exciting activity that it once was. However, writing letters develops many important skills and is great for children of all ages. Connect with friends and family, even if they are local, to set up a summer pen pal program. Try to match children of close ages together so they have more in common and have similar reading and writing abilities. For younger children, their letters could be focused on pictures instead of words as they are still learning.

This activity provides a great opportunity for children to learn how to format a letter, address an envelope, purchase stamps and get things into the mail, either through your personal mailbox or by visiting the post office. Imagine how excited they will be receiving their own mail from their pen pal(s)!

Visit the Library

Reading to your child and/or having them read to you or themselves each day will keep them in their school year reading routine and help them maintain or grow their skills. Plus, reading can be a huge boredom buster,

especially on those rainy days or on long car rides. To keep your child interested in reading, make it fun! One way to do this is to set up a Summer Reading Challenge of your own or participate in one through the local library system. If incentives motivate your child, create a system where they can earn small rewards for reading a certain number of books or minutes each day.

You can also keep things fresh by planning weekly or biweekly visits to the library. During the summer months, there are often more programs and activities taking place where children can participate in special story times, crafts or other events.

Bake and Cook at Home

Baking and cooking provide opportunities for children to use their reading, math and science skills. Think of the skills involved in researching and reading recipes and budgeting and planning to shop for groceries. Not to mention the measuring involved in making the recipe. While cooking or baking, they will be able to keep track of cooking time and temperature of the oven, if applicable. When serving their creations, they can measure portions, which could even lead to doing some work using fractions.

Looking for interesting, hands-on ways to create teachable moments in your child’s day will benefit them in so many ways. They’ll be ahead of the game for next school year by keeping them excited and learning in fun ways all summer long.

Jennifer Halter is publisher of Macaroni Kid Woodbridge and Macaroni Kid Gainesville/Manassas.

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Miller cherished her time with Robinson so much that she started looking forward to her treatment days or “Wound Care Wednesdays,” as she called them. The two would talk about things unrelated to Miller’s wound — her dogs, the book she authored and her family — to redirect her attention away from the pain. When Miller had to seek treatment two years later for a wound that occurred while playing with her new puppy, Bumbl, she was relieved to know she’d be surrounded by familiar faces once again.

Finding Community and Healing

Physical wounds come with their own set of emotional and mental trauma. Undergoing treatment may feel embarrassing and can deter many from seeking the care they need. “Shame is a very powerful thing,” Miller shared. However, delaying treatment can cause the wound to fester, leading to a heavier emotional and mental toll along with physical complications. Miller urges anyone with wounds, whether physical or emotional, to seek treatment because the mental healing and the community that comes with it outweighs all physical pain. “You are not your wound and your wounds should not hold you back,” Miller said. “When you seek care, you’ll find a Ashley Miller with her golden retriever puppy, Bumbl.

community that will help you live out the best version of your life.” For more information about wound care at Novant Health UVA Health System, visit NovantHealthUVA.org/woundcare.

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local flavor

8 Tips for Terrific Summer Grilling

By Mia Brabham

Nothing says summer and quality time with loved ones quite like a cookout with family and friends. But if the intimidation of grilling holds you back from throwing the full-on party you’d prefer, you’re not alone. This year, instead of letting someone else man the grill while you set up the games or make the fruit salad, conquer your fear of the crate. Take a culinary journey with us to become a better griller, and declare grilling anxiety no more! Whether you need a few reminders as summer heats up or you’re grappling with the grill for the first time, here are some pointers for a perfect grilling session — from before your food hits the fire to cleaning up with a satisfied stomach. Cheers!

PERFECT PREPPING

Let your meat meditate for 30 minutes. As tempting as it is to grab your meat straight from the fridge and pop it on the grill, don’t put cold foods straight on the fire. Unless you plan on doing a rare sear for a meat or fish like tuna, give your food time to come to a more even temperature outside of the cold so it cooks more evenly as well. Plan ahead and set it out on the counter for about 30 minutes.

Use a rub or marinade for superior taste. Don’t be afraid to make an event out of grilling. Giving yourself time to prep is key if you want an extra tasty outcome. When you jazz up your food with marinade or a rub at least an hour before you grill (although overnight is ideal), this allows the flavor to sink in. Marinades, perfect for chicken, are liquid tenderizers and keep everything moist while also adding flavor. Rubs also add flavor, and texture as well, by providing a nice crisp and crunch. Local Manassas stores like Manassas Olive Oil Company and Dizzy Pig BBQ Supply offer innovative and delicious balsamic oils, seasonings, hot sauces and rubs like Pineapple Head Sweet Tropical Rub, IPA Hop Infused Seasoning and Red Eye Express Coffee Infused Rub that pack the flavor for you. If you aren’t using a gas grill, know your charcoals. There are two main categories of charcoal: briquettes and lump. If you’re making brisket or pork, briquettes are better, because they burn longer and with a steadier temperature, perfect for slow cooking. If you’re looking to grill up the perfect burgers, steaks, chops or chicken, lump charcoal is excellent because it lights quickly and burns hotter and faster.

Cave and buy a meat thermometer. It’s natural to want to take the easier route and visually estimate when your food is done. But unless you are an experienced cook, it’s tough to get the temperature right by just looking at it or even touching it — and temperature is something you don’t want to get wrong. Thermometers are typically inexpensive and easy to find at local stores. The correct way to check for doneness and get a more precise reading is to move the meat to the side of the grill to prevent overcooking, insert the thermometer into the side of the meat — not the top, which will be hotter — and aim the tip towards the center.

While you’re at it, get a

sturdy grilling brush. It’s important to always start with a clean grill. Why? Because old ashes can block air circulation (Your fire needs air circulation to start!) and leftover charcoal absorbs odors that can transfer

to food. A solid metal brush will get between the grates and clean all those hard-to-reach places so your grilled chicken today doesn’t taste like your grilled salmon from last week. It’s easiest to scrub these loose pieces of food when the grill is hot, so be sure to put your brush to use after you finish grilling or while your grill is preheating. This also prevents your food from sticking to the grill!

GET TO GRILLING

Preheat properly. Preheat your grill with the lid closed for about 10 to 15 minutes until it reaches a temperature of 500°F. This is an important step for two reasons. One, in addition to cleaning your grill with a brush, this temperature helps prevent food from sticking to the grate. Two, you want your grate to get hot enough to achieve the most excellent sear. Do NOT touch the food. Got your attention? Good! Of course, you’ll need to place your meats and/or veggies on the grill, move it to the edge to take the temperature and take it off when it’s done. The real secret, though, is that once you put your food down, you don’t want to flip or move it unless absolutely necessary. You need two things: the right temperature and patience. The fewer times you flip or touch something, the better. One flip is a good rule of thumb. This is how you’ll get the magnificent, desired sear, browning and caramelization that people grill for in the first place! Don’t flatten or squeeze your meat. We see cooks doing it on TV shows, but undo this habit. There’s nothing like the sizzling sound and sight when you press your burger into the grate, but all you’re doing is squeezing out the delicious, juicy fat at the expense of obtaining those bold grilling lines. Don’t press or squeeze your meat if you want to keep its taste and moisture. Knowledge is power! Keep the lid closed whenever possible. You don’t have to press your meat to get those aesthetically pleasing grilling lines, because if you keep your lid closed, the grates will stay hot enough to sear the food to perfection. Keeping the lid closed also speeds up the cooking time, prevents the food from drying out and stops fire flare-ups by limiting oxygen. When you trap the smokiness that is born from the fat and juices oozing from your meat, it only tastes better. Undercook foods slightly. Food does continue to cook after it leaves the grill — especially after it was sizzling at 500°F! You can expect your food’s temperature to go up about 5° after leaving the grill, so leave some room for things to heat up.

AFTER THE ADVENTURE

Don’t act on your meat right away. Once you remove your food from the grill, don’t get to slicing or eating just yet. Allow it to rest and sit undisturbed for 5 to 15 minutes after cooking. When you do this, juices will have some time to redistribute, and you’ll have the best grilled food yet. The bigger the piece of meat, the longer it should rest. Bon appetit!

Mia Brabham is an author, writer, foodie, and media host. Her debut book, Note to Self, is a short collection of life lessons that is in the hands of readers all over the world. Mia is also the host of Two In The Morning, a podcast that explores and unpacks the cultural questions that keep us up at night. Learn more at bymiabrabham.com.