Category: Houston

Free Educational Activities For Houston Kids

12/27/2015

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Image © michael mccullough photos; Flickr.com

Looking for free educational activities for kids in Houston? As a mom to many, who lived and homeschooled in Houston for a while, I discovered lots of great places to go. Here are 5 of the most interesting free educational activities for Houston kids.

The Sam Houston Boat Tour is great free activity for kids in Houston. Operated by the Port of Houston Authority, the free educational tour lasts 90 minutes. While on the tour, kids can observe international cargo vessels that may pass by, as well as the operations at the port terminal. While free, reservations for this Houston activity must be made in advance.

The Health Museum in Houston contains a variety of educational exhibits for children to explore.This interactive science exploration is for all ages. It focuses on the human body, mind, and spirit, encouraging kids to focus on health. On Thursdays, the general admission is free for families from 2pm - 7pm.

At Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, kids can enjoy the education and beauty of nature. Native and cultivated plants thrive in this 300 acre horticultural museum of life. In addition to learning about the plants by observation, Houston kids also can enjoy the educational benefits of observing the animals that live in this park.

Utilize the Kids Workshops at Home Depot to their full advantage. Once per month, the Home Depot locations in Houston offer free workshops for kids, in which they get to learn and build projects that they can use. These educational workshops are not only free of charge, but are a great supplement to homeschool wood shop. They also work as an extracurricular educational activity for Houston kids in both homeschool and traditional school.

Free Crafts for Kids are offered every Saturday from 11am - 3pm at Houston Lakeshore Learning Store locations. Yes, crafts are so much fun for kids. But, did you know that they also have educational value? Craft activities can help kids with focus, creativity, and fine motor skills. These skills all are required to complete other educational activities. Houston kids will enjoy creating fun and educational crafts that they can use to decorate their rooms, give as gifts, wear, and more. A different craft is featured every week.

*I originally published this as The Houston Parenting Examiner (no longer published there).

Houston, Texas Community Gardens as a Sustainability Lesson for Kids

10/16/2014

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Houston, Texas' high poverty rates alone are a good reason to teach kids lessons about sustainability. Did you know that 1 in 5 Houston kids are at or below poverty level? Using community gardens to teach children about long-term food sources could help reduce those numbers and children will hone life skills, including knowledge on being healthy and taking care of the environment.

Community Garden vs. Personal Garden

Who says kids need to choose between a community garden or personal garden? There are benefits to both. Community gardens help bring neighborhoods and communities together as a team. This can help foster skills needed in the workplace, as well as be a building block for neighborhood growth. Kids can indeed grow their own personal gardens and should. However, combining both could be the optimal choice.

Need for Sustainability Lessons in Youth

Many of our youth these days know more about electronic gadgets, such as computers and video games, than they do about survival. Sustainability lessons provide skills they can use in the workforce, as well as life in general. By starting kids on the path of sustainability, we are paving the path for a better future. If a major catastrophe were to happen, how would your kids handle it? Do you have the survival and sustainability skills it would take?

Community Growth Through Shared Gardening

Shared gardening provides food for communities, which means that it can help fight hunger in kids. According to a 2010 report from chron.com, hunger rates in Houston area children have increased over 85 percent when compared to just 4 years ago. This also provides opportunity for income. Community gardeners, including kids, can sell their harvests at local farmer's markets and to grocers. These gardens also can be a great source of food supply for local food banks. When dealing with unemployment and hunger issues, community gardens are a simple solution to growth and sustainability. Studies also show that community gardens help reduce crime rate.

Can My Houston Community Afford This?

Grants are often readily available for Houston and other communities who choose to organize and maintain gardens for this purpose. Money should not be a reason for putting off getting a garden started in your neighborhood. In fact, by not participating, your community is likely losing out on potential funds. Urban and community gardens also are preferred as many corporate farms are not sustainable. This is due to soil erosion and the tight packing and caging of animals.

Who Teaches the Kids to Garden?

Volunteers can be called in to help teach the kids about gardening. Also, the neighborhood residents should look to each other for support. This is yet one more benefit. Gardening in a shared space can help bring neighborhoods together, creating closeness in a community. Anyone who knows how to garden can chip in their knowledge to help everyone pull it all together.

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network

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Houston Dome Project: Are the Environmentalists Right? Can a Geodesic Dome Save the City of Houston?

6/9/2009

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by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Recently the Discovery Channel aired an episode of Mega Engineering (video shown below) that mentioned constructing a geodesic dome over the city of Houston. Could this Houston dome project really be the fourth most populated US city's only hope, as some environmental experts urge? As a resident of Houston, I have to admit that I am skeptical of the Houston dome project for a few reasons.

What Does The Dome Need In Order To Work?

The dome must contain a clear material that can fill in all the holes in the frame, act as windows, and be able to withstand very high winds and other forces of nature. However, for a structure large enough to cover even just Downtown Houston, the material would need to be lightweight, but durable at the same time. According to clips shown on the Mega Engineering episode, a material called Texlon ETFE can make that possible, as well as protect the Houston dome from winds of up to 180 MPH.

That wind speed is faster than even the most forceful winds of the strongest category 5 hurricane. This brings experts to the conclusion that in combination with the specially-designed steel structure, the Houston Dome project could be successful. The Texlon ETFE also can hold up to fire and water.

What About Sustainable Life?

That's great that there is a protective solution to hurricanes and other natural disasters that plague Houston, such as flooding. But, how will life be sustained inside this geodesic dome? True, there will be air conditioning (and boy does Houston need that during the summer), but what about growing plant life? How well will it do under the dome?

Outside Air Concerns

What if people in Houston want to actually feel the rain or the sun - you know, the way it feels naturally? What about feeling the warm Houston breeze on my face or picking flowers in a field (or the backyard)? Would the kids and I still be able to do that under a giant geodesic dome? True, there would be entrances and exits, but I wonder how many people would really travel to the other side of town every single day just to get that taste of "outside" air.

Is This Really The Only Way To Save Houston?

Some environmentalists seem to feel that the Houston dome project is the only way to save the city. I'm all for preserving nature. In fact, being Earth-friendly is high on my list of everyday living. But, I want to know how exactly the very nature being potentially saved will thrive inside of a man-made structure instead of being in...well, nature itself. Houston has been referred to as the number one contributor to greenhouse gas, which comes from energy use. Increased emissions of these gases could cause climate change, which is one of the the main reasons these environmentalists say Houston needs saving.

While the dome would just go straight over the buildings and nature located in its designated area, for me it just would not feel the same. Plus, is a large air-conditioned dome even good for the environment? It may save the city from hurricanes and tornadoes, and perhaps even climate change. But, what sort of damages could it potentially cause?

What About Waste?

Since these materials are so strong, what happens to them if this structure gets built and then it's discovered it either doesn't work or it's unwanted? That would be a very large amount of waste being contributed to the Earth. Also, if the entire city is under a dome, where are the greenhouse gases going to go? Will the people, like my asthmatic children, be breathing that in? Are the benefits greater than the risks?

Is Houston Really In Need Of Such Drastic "Saving" Measures?

Perhaps experts have thought of these things and perhaps the geodesic dome could actually work. I have many more questions and am still questioning whether the city of Houston really needs such drastic saving measures as the Houston dome project.

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network

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Free Educational Activities For Houston Kids

Houston, Texas Community Gardens as a Sustainability Lesson for Kids

Houston Dome Project: Are the Environmentalists Right? Can a Geodesic Dome Save the City of Houston?

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