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Show Page 12 The Ogden Valley news Volume XIV Issue XVII November 15, 2007 Healthy Kids are Happy Kids By Cindy Beger I’m sure there is not a parent out there that does not want their children to be happy and healthy. What can be done in this day of junk food, soda pop, computer games, and My Space, to get kids off the couch, out from behind the computer screen, and eating right? We hear dire obesity statistics on the news, and there are even predictions that this will be the first generation with a lower life expectancy than their parents’. What’s a parent to do? It’s best to lead by example. But even when parents are willing to get off the couch, kids don’t always willingly follow. There are usually excuses: too tired, too hot, too cold, too boring, etc. One activity I’ve experienced that gets 4 year olds to tech savvy teens moving is Geocaching. Geocaching is a great way to motivate the whole family to get outdoors. Now is a great time of year to hike the beautiful trails in our area since the weather hs cooled down. Geocaching is treasure hunting with a GPS unit (Global Positioning System). I just went to the www.geocaching.com website and typed in our 84310 area code. The website came up with 367 caches to discover within a 15 mile radius. What you get at geocaching websites are waypoints that can be inputted into a GPS unit, and clues. The GPS Unit can then guide you via satellite to within 20 feet of the cache. The clues take you the rest of the way. These are public caches that private individuals hide in a wide variety of places. You’re expected to bring a trinket to leave and take something for yourself from the cache. Don’t forget to sign the logbook and check out who has signed in before you. You might be surprised by the number of people from out of state and from outside the country who enjoy Geocaching in our area. A super sophisticated GPS unit is not necessary. It should be simple to use. I own a Garmin etrex, and it was easy to learn to use, but I’m sure there are many affordable easy to use brands and models out there. Warning! Don’t expect your 4 year old or your tech savvy teen to be excited about reaching your first cache, but once they’ve discovered the first treasure and they know there are 366 more out there, you might not be able to keep up with them! Please check out winter activities at <www.wolfmountaineden.com> Click on “Learning” to find out about affordable lessons and youth programs. Note: Cindy Beger is the Learning Center Director for Wolf Mountain. Horsing Around at the Eden Park The Four-H Club ends its season with a costume party held at the Eden Park arena. Five Secrets for Raising Cavity Free Children! By Dr. Paul C. Larsen If you have children, you know that introducing them to new things can be fun, challenging, exciting, frustrating and so much more all at the same time! I can still remember when my little niece Makalee got her first cavity. It was like a tornado hit the household. There were tears, yells, throwing of dolls, and then, two minutes later, she was on to something new—watching a cartoon or playing with Barbie. As Makalee is growing up, she is learning that she doesn’t want cavities; she gets rewarded if she comes to the dentist office and leaves with an A+ on her dental report card. But it definitely wasn’t that way when I was a kid. As many others, I grew up almost expecting to have cavities when visiting the dentist. Having he doctor pry, poke, and drill for an hour or so was normal. However, that is not the case anymore; times have changed! In our society today, there are a couple of benefits our children have that we didn’t when we were younger. For example, in many cities and municipalities today, kids are growing up with fluoride in the water. People are becoming more aware of good dental hygiene and parents are becoming more aware that they need to bring their kids to the dentist office. I’m submitting this article to give you a few quick, helpful tips that you can use to help your child grow up with healthy teeth, preventing as many dental problems as possible. At What Age Should a Parent Bring Their Child to the Dentist? Most dental books say you should start bring your child to the dentist when they begin to have teeth—but that usually doesn’t work out so well. What I usually say to parents is, “When your child is three or four years old—bring them in with you during your check-up appointment. We’ll sit them in the chair and ride them up and down. We may lean them back. If they let us look in their mouth and count their teeth, we will! If they let us polish their teeth, we will!” Many times we just put them in the dental chair, shine the light and show them everything and then they go home and come back again with their parent(s) in six months and we try to do a little bit more. In this way, when they leave, it’s not a negative thing. Instead, they leave thinking, “Hey this dentist stuff is pretty cool!” Five Secrets Every Parent Should Know 1.Brush two times a day. This is old news, but we still see a lot of children who are not doing this. Timing is also important. In the morning, brushing should be done after breakfast. This will allow their teeth to stay clean for a number of hours prior to their next snack or meal. In the evening, brushing should be done at a time when no more food or drink, other than water, will be consumed. Going to bed with clean teeth is crucial for good dental health. 2.Ensure your child has fluoride in their water or in supplement form. The addition of fluoride to the diet of growing children changes the make-up of the teeth, which makes them more resistant to cavities. This is a simple way to give your children the best chance of not having dental problems as they grow up. 3.Eliminate sticky candy from your child’s snacks. When we implemented this at my house, there was more rebellion from my wife than from the kids. Sticky snacks such as fruit snacks and leather remain in contact with the teeth for a long time and can cause decay. If your kids really want “fruit snacks,” offer them apple wedges or orange slices instead. 4.Realize that even “natural” foods and juices have sugar. We often hear parents say they only give their children natural juices and no soda. Then they are surprised when their children have cavities. Natural fruit and juices have sugar and the sugar in them will do the same as the sugar in candy . . . if not removed from the teeth’s surfaces. Allowing children to drink juice before bed, even though it is 100% fruit juice, is not a good choice. 5.Teach your children to floss. When children are young it is hard for them to move the floss between their teeth. This gives mom and dad a chance to play hygienist and floss their teeth for them. When teeth are flossed, you are cleaning areas of the teeth that can’t be cleaned in any other way. Many areas of the teeth are cleaned by the cheeks and tongue, but the are between the teeth can only be cleaned with dental floss. These are just a few tips that we hope will make your children’s dental experience as easy and non-eventful as possible. Dr. Larsen has been practicing in the Salt Lake area for over four years. He recently joined the team at Iverson Dental in Eden where he treats patients on Thursdays and Fridays, as well as being on call for emergencies. For more information, call 745-3882. Paul L. Judd The only name in Valley Real Estate you’ll ever need to know. 814-5667 Cell Price Reduced $150,000 2025 E. 5959 N. Liberty MLS #737008 $364,000 Beautiful Single Family rambler on spacious lot. Features huge family room and living room. Maintenance free exterior and metal roof. Three bedrooms, three baths. Two car attached garage. Very nice inside and out. Priced to sell. Call Paul L Judd at 801-814-5667 or visit this listing on line at pauljudd.net 6470 N. North Fork Road Liberty $950,000. Contractors own custom built home on 5+ acres overlooking Ogden Valley with lofty scenic vistas looking up into Ben Lomond Peak. Exceptional quality throughout. Master bedroom has fireplace, walk out covered deck double sinks & closets. This is one of finest built homes in the Valley. Priced reduced $150,000. This is a great buy! Call Paul L Judd 801-814-5667 Price Reduced $65,000 2876 E. Shaw Dr. Liberty MLS #695137 $225,000. Wow! Talk about the right setting at an affordable price. Small cabin nestled by the North Fork River. Secluded 1.70 acres with mostly wild life for neighbors. Very private setting. One of the few affordable properties left in the Valley. Call Paul Judd 801-8145667 or visit this property at pauljudd.net Lot 82 Elkhorn MLS #700784 $185,000. Priced $65,000 below adjacent lots! Owner says get it sold NOW! Stunning views of Valley and mountains. Located in prestigious Elkhorn Subdivision. Protective covenants in place. This is a great deal!!!! Call me today, Paul L Judd 801-814-5667 |