outdoor fun – Community Voices for Health

Safe Food Handling While You Enjoy the Wonders of Summer Eating

May 27, 2025

Summer is the season for picnics, barbecues, and outdoor feasts. But as the heat rises, so does the risk of foodborne illness. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) remind us that warm weather and outdoor conditions make proper food handling essential for enjoying summer meals safely. Cleanliness Is … More Safe Food Handling While You Enjoy the Wonders of Summer Eating

a mixed-race group of three middle-aged men, one holding a basketball, laugh with each other while walking across an outdoor basketball court looking as if they are about to play a game of basketball.

Fresh Air, Fresh Start

May 21, 2025

By Meagan Avery — Senior Program Director, Healthy Living Old Colony YMCA As New Englanders, we know too well how the cold, unpredictable winter weather and short, dark days can make it tough to stay active and eat well. Motivation tends to hibernate right along with us. But with warmer, sunnier days on the horizon, … More Fresh Air, Fresh Start

Tick Season in Massachusetts: What You Need to Know

May 13, 2025

As spring turns to summer across the Commonwealth, it’s time to get serious about tick prevention. Tick-borne diseases are a significant public health concern in Massachusetts, as documented by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Common Tick Diseases in Massachusetts The blacklegged tick (deer tick) can transmit Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis, while dog ticks … More Tick Season in Massachusetts: What You Need to Know

man with brown hair and a short beard wearing a white t-shirt and holding a tissue up as if he is about to sneeze.

Understanding Seasonal Allergies: Causes, Symptoms, and Relief

March 25, 2025

Spring is on its way, and with it comes seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever or allergic rhinitis, affecting millions of Americans each year. These allergies occur when the immune system reacts to airborne substances that are normally harmless, such as pollen and mold spores. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention … More Understanding Seasonal Allergies: Causes, Symptoms, and Relief

Initiate a Survival Challenge!

April 21, 2022

By: Martianne Stanger Last fall, upon the request of one of my children, I set up a survival challenge – and what fun it was! I purposely chose criteria for the challenge that would tie into knowledge that my children already had, stretch them a bit further, and be more than they could do in … More Initiate a Survival Challenge!

10 + Secrets to Enjoying Time in the Woods

October 27, 2021

By: Martianne Stanger It’s no secret that I love getting myself and my family outside and that the woods is one of my favorite places to be. What seems to be a secret to some, though, is just how to get a family outside and enjoying the woods. Yep. For I have had people ask … More 10 + Secrets to Enjoying Time in the Woods

10 Suggestions for Staying Safe and Sane Outdoors During COVID-19

May 1, 2020

By: Martianne Stanger “Stay home!” I keep hearing and seeing these words everywhere during this time of the crazy COVID-19 virus and its fallout. As anyone who has been reading my posts here at Signature Moms for any length of time might have gleaned, the great outdoors nourishes me. Being cooped up in my house … More 10 Suggestions for Staying Safe and Sane Outdoors During COVID-19

March Means Maple Syrup: 3 Places to Visit

February 28, 2020

By: Martianne Stanger Guess what time it is? Maple syrup season! A wonderful time to get outside to tap your own trees, like my family experimented with doing a few years ago or a time to go see, first-hand, how maple syrup is made. One great place to learn about maple syrup production is at … More March Means Maple Syrup: 3 Places to Visit

1000 Hours Outside

July 30, 2019

By: Martianne Stanger Long ago, I heard about a 1000 Hours Outside challenge in one of the online groups I am in and laughed at it. Who needs a formal challenge to spend time outside? I thought. My children get 1000 hours outside a year and then some. As homeschoolers, we were blessed to spend … More 1000 Hours Outside

Scouts Recharge Us with Camping Adventures

June 13, 2017

By: Sandy Churchill Our 12 year-old son Timothy is a Boy Scout—and we are blessed to be part of a super-active troop in our town. Among the scouting adventures is a bevy of camping opportunities, where scouts and chaperones hone their skills at tent set-up, cooking outdoors, hiking, and earning merit badges of all … More Scouts Recharge Us with Camping Adventures