The following post originally appeared in May 2010. With Summer just around the corner, and many of us making plans for the warmers months, I thought it would be a good time to revisit the concept of getting our kids involved in our local communities. The comments are open for discussion. – Kara

We live in a computer age, and for some aspects of that I am thankful.  I feel lucky to be able to contribute as a member of the blogging communities, message forums, and email loops I am a part of.  I enjoy connecting with other parents through Facebook and Twitter. But what about my local community?

Am I being as involved with my physical neighbors as my virtual ones?  I hope so.

If your climate is like mine, the warmer weather and increased free-time in the summer months make unplugging from the computer and being more active in our neighborhood communities possible.  The joke in my rural Indiana neighborhood is that as the snow melts we can all remember what our neighbors look like again without all those hats and scarves and giant parkas.

My kids and I already have plans for being active in our local community this summer, including:

• Visiting the weekly Farmer’s Market
• Enrolling in the library’s Summer reading program
• Taking swim lessons
• Participating in our neighborhood yard sale
• The Great American Backyard Camp Out

But I’ve been feeling convicted to do more this summer.  I’ve been pondering what it means to be a good local citizen and how to get my kids involved.

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The following is by contributor Robin Zipporah of The Not Ever Still Life.

It was just a few weeks ago. On the night of her fifth birthday, just before bedtime, our oldest child let out a startled shriek. I thought I knew what had surprised her but I went upstairs to check.

I found her in her bedroom staring at the parcel dangling from the ceiling. She had received her registration packet – she was successfully signed up with the Tooth Fairy Network.

Per the instructions in the packet, this was what I read to her:

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The following post is by contributor Christen Babb of Nurture Baby.

As the years change, so do our goals. In 2011, with the economy still on its way up, a common new year’s resolution is to budget better and spend wisely. We work hard to pinch every penny, but it’s just as important to impart our knowledge and experience (the good and the bad) onto the next generation.

As Dave Ramsey, a well known financial personality says, “Parents are not just responsible for providing food, clothing, and shelter for their kids. They are also responsible for teaching their kids about life—and life includes handling money.” If we don’t teach our children how to properly handle money, someone else – or some other crafty ad campaign – will.

A common way to to teach little ones the value of a dollar is to create a reward system based on a set of simple, kid-friendly responsibilities.

When to Start?

I believe it’s important for kids to start doing simple household chores before they receive a  reward – perhaps as early as 3 or 4 years old.  Tasks such as sorting and putting away silverware, feeding the pets, “folding”  the towels (don’t aim for perfection!) are fun, age-appropriate jobs for eager little helpers. It sets the tone that some jobs are not paid – they are simply responsibilities for being a part of the family. Kids who help around the home gain self-respect and take pride in a job well done. They learn early on that other rewards, such as allowance, are secondary benefits.

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The following was written by editor Kara Fleck.

In the spirit of New Year’s resolutions, my husband Chris and I have been talking about things we’d like to see our family do in 2011.  We’ve got a small list of goals we’d like work toward as a family.

I thought it might be fun to share our list with you and see what Simple Kids readers are hoping for their own families in the new year.

Here are our family’s 3 goals for the New Year:

1. Become Local Tourists

I’d like to see us take better advantage of the local resources available to us.  We’re on a tight budget this year, so that will limit our travels out of state, but there is no reason that we can’t become tourists in our local area.

We’re making a list of local things to do and places to visit. I hope to explore our local geography and history in the coming year and do more exploring of landmarks and research the history of our small town and learn more about our home state, too.

We’re hoping we discover some local businesses that give tours, too so that we can learn more about our local area’s economy.

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The following is by contributor Vanessa Brown of I Never Grew Up.

I have to admit that we are quite spoiled when it comes to the Family History department. No, not that we happen to have a very awesome family tree (who doesn’t?), but that my grandparents have made it their life mission to get thousands of years of family history in an organized order.

This means they have collected all of the photos, lineage, journal entries, news clips, stories, etc. and published books for the family for all of us to have in our homes. Family history is right at our fingertips, but not everyone has a family member that is extremely into family history. And on the other side of our family, the research is not nearly as extensive.

Where Do I Even Start in Teaching Family History?

There are many things I *wish* I would have done with family members, and I want to teach my girls to put these things as priorities in their lives. For example, last year my grandmother passed away after fighting Alzheimer’s for a few years. Throughout my whole life, she and I had an extremely close relationship that we kept strong through long talks on the phone and handwritten letters to each other.

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