JOURNEY TO THE GREAT BACKYARD
and a cooler of food with snacks and dinner. Treat this like a “real” camping experience right from the beginning! FIGURE OUTTHE CAMPFIRE. Don’t have an in-ground fire pit? No worries! You can still enjoy hot dogs and s’mores with a charcoal grill or a store- bought fire pit. If you have enough room in your backyard, you could even try building a bonfire. Just make sure to check your city ordinances and get any necessary permits first. You can find advice for building the perfect campfire at REI.com/learn/expert-advice/campfire-basics.html. REMEMBER: IT’S OKAY TO CALL IT A NIGHT. For kids, the most exciting part of camping in the backyard is getting to sleep in a tent — that is, until they actually have to sleep. After stargazing, some kids will want to stay up all night whispering and giggling in the tent, and that’s great! But other kids might decide they’d rather sleep inside, and that’s okay too. Your camping trip isn’t a failure because everyone spent the night in their own beds. It’s not about where everyone sleeps; it’s about how much fun your family had together before bedtime. The best part of backyard camping? It doesn’t take a lot of planning. Just grab your gear and your family and hike out into the great backyard.
Summer is drawing to a close, but there’s still time to make some great memories. Camping trips are a summer staple. Fortunately, you don’t have to drive hours into the mountains to find the perfect campsite. Your backyard is right there waiting for you! Here are a few tips to help your family say farewell to summer with a perfect backyard camping trip. PACK FOR AN AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE. Your back door is literally a few yards away, which can be great in the event of an emergency. But if the kids are running in and out of the house all night long, they might end up deciding they’d rather be inside playing video games after only an hour. Be sure to pack everything you would need if you were really going into the woods for the night so no one is tempted to go back inside.This means tents, sleeping bags, flashlights, pajamas, books, binoculars, a compass, water bottles,
A Word From
Kalie and Caryn
care. Learning about your health history and having an open, honest conversation is good for everyone! As your dental team, we definitely care about your oral health, but we also care about your whole health. Your oral health can even give us clues about other issues. For example, if a patient hasn’t been diagnosed as diabetic, and we observe oral signs of diabetes, we’ll mention it to you so you can talk to your doctor about what’s going on. It’s why we want to be aware of the comprehensive health history of each of our patients. We often find that when we ask a patient if anything has changed in their health history, they’ll say, “Nothing that affects my teeth.” You may not automatically see the connection between your oral health and your overall health, but it’s there! We really do want to know about your whole health so we can tailor your treatment around it and adapt each reservation to you.
The kind of care we provide often depends on your health history. Medications, medical issues, certain conditions, and even surgeries can determine the type of treatment that’s best for you. The safest dental treatment starts
with an updated medical history. During your very first appointment, our team helps establish this by talking through your health history, including past surgeries, artificial joints, medications, and antibiotics you’re taking. You’ll be actively involved in this process because it’s all about you! We start your dental treatment with all the necessary information in the same way that scientists make decisions based on the data they collect. Your history will act as something of a road map for your dental treatment. At every reservation, you’ll hear us ask, “What’s changed?” as it relates to your medical history. Having all the information about your health helps us find the best treatment plan for you. We ask because we
–Kalie and Caryn
2 | Elkins Dental
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