Marriottsville/ Sykesville /Woodstock

People of all ages typically find interactive learning more enjoyable and effective than a lecture. During the recent Colonial Day celebration at West Friendship Elementary School, teachers Nathan Haskins, Beth Cayer, Libby Swords, Patricia Mack-Preston and Kathy Showman put this theory into action by guiding the fifth-grade class through a routine day in Colonial Williamsburg.

The students – many of whom dressed in period clothing – experienced life from the perspective of the governor, a church parishioner, and a slave. They also participated in colonial activities like sewing and shoemaking. Although the children really enjoyed the experience (especially the cider and gingerbread at the town tavern), they ultimately decided that life has improved greatly over the past 300 years. The children look forward to continuing their study of American history, which will culminate in the simulated Congressional hearings in the spring.

Colleen Konstanzer, Community Outreach Coordinator for Neighbor Ride, Inc., would like to announce a new Howard County initiative called the Senior Volunteer Fund. In partnership with the Volunteer Center Serving Howard County and as a result of a contribution from the Ascend One EDGE Fund, Neighbor Ride now offers half-price trips to adults 60 and older who require transportation for volunteer activities.

Often seniors provide the perfect blend of talent, experience and availability required to fill the ever-growing volunteer needs of our area, yet they lack transportation. The Senior Volunteer Fund aims to eliminate this hurdle. The program will extend through the end of the year, with hopes of attaining enough community support to continue indefinitely.

For the last four years, Neighbor Ride has provided low-cost transportation to seniors by using dedicated volunteers who drive their personal vehicles. The program needs drivers, especially in western Howard County.

If you can help, call volunteer coordinator Rosemary Noble at volunteer@neighborride.org or 410-884-3616. To register as a passenger, call 410-884-RIDE (7433). For more information on the Senior Volunteer Fund, e-mail Konstanzer at community@neighborride.org or call 410-884-3616 or Mickey Gomez, executive director of the Volunteer Center Serving Howard County, at info@volunteerhoward.org or call 410-715-3172.

Have you ever dreamed of establishing a small farm? The Maryland Cooperative Extension can help you realize your goal through its two-part short course series,
“Beginning a Successful Small Farm Operation. ” The program has earned national recognition for its innovation and effectiveness and now appears for the first time in Howard County.

Part I of the series, a six-week, 12-hour course, begins this fall. (Part II takes place in the spring.) Topics include Finding the Perfect Farm Enterprise/Marketing What You Produce, Basics of Soil and Plant Fertility, Review of Pasture Weeds, Cover Crops/Field and Forage Crops on Small Farms, Developing a Pasture System, and Pasture System Management/Hay Evaluation. The program not only teaches the basics of farming, it also provides a means of networking with others who share similar interests.

Instructor Terry Poole will teach the course from Nov. 6, 19 and 25 and Dec. 4, 11 and 18 from 7 to 9 p.m. All sessions will take place at the Howard County Extension Office, located at 3525-L Ellicott Mills Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043. Registration is free, and space is limited. For more information, call either the Howard County Extension Office at 410-313-2707 or Poole at 301-600-3577.

On Monday, Oct. 6, you can enjoy a day of golf while supporting a terrific cause at the 18th annual Verizon Wireless SIDS Golf Invitational. This year’s event begins with an 11 a.m. shotgun start at Turf Valley Country Club and concludes with a 4:30 p.m. reception and program presented by emcee Alex Cortright of WRNR-FM 103.1, in Annapolis. The evening includes live and silent auctions, music and golfing awards. All proceeds help fund the Center for Infant & Child Loss in Baltimore.

Honorary tournament chairwoman, Brenda Frese, the head coach of the University of Maryland women’s basketball team, hopes to raise awareness of and support for the Center for Infant & Child Loss.

As a new mother herself, Brenda understands the anxiety parents feel about the health and safety of their children. Every year, hundreds of Maryland families experience the abrupt, tragic loss of a child through Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or an accident. The Center for Infant & Child Loss provides these bereaved families with counseling and support, facilitates research into SIDS, offers risk reduction training, and educates the community about infant and child loss.

To register for the golf tournament or donate money to this worthy cause, call the Center at 410-706-3091 or 800-808-7437, or go to www.infantandchildloss.org.

Amy Bejm, band director of West Friendship Elementary School, would like to congratulate her WFES Band Musicians of the Month. Students earn recognition by demonstrating superior musicianship and outstanding attitudes.

Bejm’s October Musicians of the Month include Hunter Cestone, Megan Plummer, Brent Wade, Alexandra Pickett, Jake Polinsky, Cade Buch, Niklas Schnake and Samie Costa.

Kudos to these kids for setting a great example!

This week, I have another update from our ever-changing Waverly Woods Village Center. Nika Edwards, who has owned Nika’s Hair Studio on St. John’s Lane since 1994, launched a second salon in the Waverly Woods Village Center this year, Nika & Co. Hair Studio.

Nika grew up in Catonsville and opened her first salon in her hometown. However, after falling victim to an armed robbery, she changed locations. Another stylist told her about the Ellicott City shop, which she loved at first glance. In fact, she has now made Ellicott City her own home, too.

When the Waverly Woods location became available, a friend notified Nika and asked whether she would be interested in opening a second business. After making the decision to proceed, she needed look no further than her own clientele for a manager.

Vicki Tymann, also an Ellicott City resident, has frequented Nika’s for 10 years. Because all of her children had entered school full-time – Dean is now a senior at Mt. Hebron, and Drew, 10, and Jennifer, 7, both attend Worthington Elementary – Vicki felt a little lost and mentioned to Nika that she might begin looking for a job. Nika offered her one on the spot.

For more information, call 410-480-7030 or go to www.nikaandcompany.com.

LaVerne Miers-Bond, an art teacher at Marriotts Ridge, asks you to remember the high school while cleaning out your house this fall. The art department needs crock pots, blenders, hair driers, hand tools, power tools, and knitting supplies. Marriotts Ridge provides many opportunities for students to channel their creativity, including free drawing sessions on Tuesdays, a knitting club on Wednesdays, and National Art Honor Society and Art Club, which meet on Thursdays. E-mail LaVerne at Laverne_Miers-Bond@hcpss.org if you can donate any of the requested items.

Are you looking for a fun vacation idea? This summer, the Sisney family journeyed to one of their favorite locales: exotic Anthony’s Key Resort in Roatán, Honduras. They returned home with some great stories and some even better photos.

As certified divers, parents Steve and Tricia Sisney spent all but one day of their weeklong vacation participating in organized dives. For those unfamiliar with this pursuit, Tricia relays that each dive is unique and beautiful, providing close-up views of coral, tropical fish, and her favorite, sea turtles. Steve and Tricia chose to go deep-sea fishing on their day off from diving. Although the fish remained relatively scarce, the pair did manage to catch a few tuna and a barracuda.

Meanwhile, their children, Sam, 10, and Sarah Beth, 8, attended Dolphin Scuba Camp. Sam opted to take the junior scuba diver certification class and successfully completed all of the course requirements. He received his junior certification and may now dive to a depth of 40 feet with a dive master. For Steve and Tricia, the highlight of their trip was joining Sam during his final dive at the camp.

Although Sarah Beth was not old enough to participate in the junior scuba diving class, she, too, used scuba equipment and dove to a depth of 8 feet and she also enjoyed some horseback riding. Both children took part in guided dolphin encounters during their camp and visited Gumbalimba National Park, where they learned about the island’s history and interacted with monkeys and macaws.

Interestingly, the Sisneys met another Maryland family at AKR: a granddad from Severna Park, his pediatrician daughter from Phoenix (with her two children) and another daughter who is a commander in the Navy and resides in Laurel. Imagine traveling 1,700 miles and meeting people who live 20 to 30 miles from your home! The Sisney family so thoroughly relished their adventure that they already plan to make another trip.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about my family’s encounter with a black widow spider. In response, I received a phone call from John Traunfeld, Director of the University of Maryland Home and Garden Information Center.

John encourages area residents to submit their plant and pest questions to the center, either via phone at 1-800-342-2507 or via e-mail through its Web site at www.hgic.umd.edu.

Staff experts operate the free telephone hotline between the hours of 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you have a question after hours or wish to submit a photo with your query (or just prefer to use e-mail), the website provides an easy submission form under the “Send a Question” tab. I can state firsthand that the center provided a quick and helpful response when I e-mailed a question about blueberry bushes earlier this summer.

Recently I chatted with Dr. Carin Rennings of Home Veterinary Service. Dr. Rennings, who graduated from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1994, sees animals solely on a house-call basis for routine physicals, vaccinations, euthanasia and the like. Six years ago, I began using her services because I felt daunted by the idea of hauling multiple pets to a veterinary office with young children in tow. However, I also enjoy an unexpected perk – the opportunity to converse without feeling rushed.

This year, Dr. Rennings and I spoke about her interest in alternative medicine. After a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgia 12 years ago, Rennings grew discouraged by her lack of progress using conventional treatments. She instead turned to acupuncture, chiropractics, and energy work and noticed improvement. Then, while working with a veterinary technician who was also a certified Reiki practitioner, she observed a positive change in the behavior of “difficult” animals. The idea of combining Eastern and Western approaches intrigued her.

According to the website www.reiki.org, the Japanese word Reiki (pronounced “RAY-key”) loosely translates as “spiritually guided life force energy.” Practitioners use Reiki to reduce stress, encourage relaxation, and promote healing through the laying on of hands. Rennings began learning the technique two years ago and this July received her certification as a Reiki Master from Reiki Master and Teacher, Donna Edwards, of Columbia.

Early on, Rennings exhibited a fascination with animal training – she began this pursuit at age 10 – and her interest evolved into a study of animal communication, particularly the work of Pat Parelli, the “Horse Whisperer.” Rennings sees Reiki as similar and connected to the approaches used by Parelli and the equally well-known Cesar Millan, the “Dog Whisperer.” Although Rennings performs healings if requested, most of her human clients remain unaware that she uses Reiki constantly during her veterinary interactions. She finds the approach particularly helpful in calming owners during in-home euthanasia and once the owners feel at peace, the animals, in turn, tend to relax.

Rennings acknowledges that some people may not be receptive to holistic medicine. However, she feels very enthusiastic about the benefits and successfulness of Reiki and other non-traditional methods of therapy, and she welcomes questions on the subject.

To reach Dr. Rennings, contact Home Veterinary Service at 410-461-9969, or go to her Web site, www.carinrennings.com/homevet for additional information.