THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022 Page 5 How to Plan a Backyard Vacation Need to stay near home this summer? Enjoy a staycation in your yard! dren adore can become a breakfast spot or reading area. Spruce up your yard. Mow Y our backyard, always a great for your health and well-being, can do even more for families this summer by being a place to hold a staycation. With the pandemic keeping more people closer to home, a backyard vacation can be a fun way to spend time together and build new memories as a family while spending time in green space. How do you excite your family about a backyard vacay and plan a fun time? Here are a few tips to help from the TurfMutt environmental education and stewardship program. Make a backyard staycation plan. Put together a gentle schedule with a mixture of activities that your family will enjoy like dining, camping and games. Add a theme for the week, day or evening. A luau theme can be carried through with costumes, food and activities. A sports theme can have everyone in team jerseys and doing sports activities. Use creVETERANS | FROM Page 4 eral to request that the periodic health assessment for National Guard members determine whether a member is eligible to participate in the U.S. Department of Veterans Aff airs’ Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry and, if eligible, that the member register for the Registry. Massachusetts National Guard family education program: establishes a Massachusetts National Guard Family Education Program to allow National Guard members to transfer their unused education benefi ts under the National Guard Education Assistance Program to their dependents. Slot machines at veterans’ organizations: allows the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to issue limited slot machine licenses to veterans’ organizations. Founding anniversaries of U.S. Armed Forces: requires the Governor to set aside the founding date anniversaries of the U.S. Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Massachusetts National Guard. Medal of Fidelity: establishes the Massachusetts Medal of ative names for meals and activities to spice things up. Even you don’t have a pool, children’s water play misters or sprinklers can help everyone cool off in the backyard (provided your area is not under drought conditions). Map where activities will occur in the yard. A lawn area may be the site of a soccer game, bocce ball or croquet, but it can also double as an overnight camping zone for the kids in a family tent. The fi re pit can be used for roasting hot dogs for lunch or s’mores at night. Time for crafts, potting plants, and eating can happen at a picnic or dining table. Assess what you have and consider their creative uses. Lounge chairs, sports and play equipment can be used for their original purposes, but they can also become part of an amazing obstacle course. The wheelbarrow used for gardening and yard work can become part of a family fi eld day. The playset your chilFidelity to be presented to the next of kin of a service member or veteran who died as a result of service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a service-connected condition resulting from a traumatic brain injury, or a service-connected disease, condition or injury related to exposure to harmful toxin, herbicides, agents or materials. Deborah Sampson Memorial Commission: Establishes a commission to determine a location and create a memorial for Deborah Sampson, a Massachusetts resident who disguised herself as a man in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Funeral and burial benefi ts: requires funeral directors and their staff s to provide information on burial and funeral benefi ts for veterans. Earlier this year, the House passed legislation establishing additional protections for veterans and mandating increased accountability for management of veterans’ homes. An Act relative to the governance, structure and care of veterans at the Commonwealth veterans’ homes is currently in conference committee negotiations. the lawn and trim the bushes. Tidy overgrown areas. Add fl owering plants and rearrange planters for visual appeal. Put delicate fl owers in pots and out of the way of foot traffi c. Now may be the time to add a picnic table, a badminton net or croquet course, planters, patio, grill, fi re pit, or pergola to your backyard. Organize for fun. Identify zones for diff erent activities. Dining, lounging and reading may be best in shady spots. Sports, family yard games and tossing a ball to your dog may be better on a lawn that can handle rough and tumble play. Hammocks, lawn chairs, swings, picnic blankets and air mattresses can all provide a place for people to sit down and cool off . Include teachings about backyard wildlife and nature. Ask kids to take an inventory of the many birds, butterfl ies and other wildlife they see, looking up their species and background. Put up a bird feeder or plant a butterfl y garden, as well as potted flowering plants to support birds and pollinators. Add wind chimes, rain collectors, or backyard thermometers and wind gauges to help kids observe science in action. (Visit TurfMutt.com for a variety of backyard lesson plans that are free and STEM-aligned.) Design new games incorporating your green space. Hold a nature scavenger hunt that’s fun, educational and tests your family’s observational skills. Create a “drive-thru” movie theater Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 by bringing laptops outside or a projector to show them on a sheet hung outside. Build anticipation. Talk about your backyard vacation in advance with your family and review your plans. Count down the days to build excitement about spending time together in your family yard. For more information and tips about living landscapes and backyard learning visit www. TurfMutt.com.
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