Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/452792
COURTESYPHOTO Red Bluff High School Victorian Carolers touring the Museum at the Christmas Holiday Party in December where they entertained guests. Museum directors and Kelly Guides have an- nounced the Kelly-Griggs Museum membership kick- off for 2015. A few early birds have already sent their do- nations—thank you. Renew- als, lifetime members and first-timers are encouraged to give their financial sup- port annually as well as at- tend all museum sponsored events at this uniquely spe- cial place in Red Bluff. The Kelly-Griggs House Museum Association was first organized in 1965 by a dedicated group of local citizens to purchase and restore the iconic 1880 Vic- torian at 311 Washington St. as an educational non- profit. It had been lived in by two pioneer families; the Sidney Allen Griggs family and then the Kelly family of adult siblings. The home was elegantly renovated by more than 100 community volunteers beginning in 1965 and con- tinues even today as the foundations are rebuilt when funds become avail- able through donations and grants. The museum can only be kept open with con- tinued volunteer support, renewal and restoration. The Collection has been generously given over the years by local families and out-of-towners with a con- nection to the area. All fur- niture, clothing and other artifacts of the era are au- thentic and their history is interestingly told to vis- itors by docents tagged Kelly-Guides. Traditionally, Guides have been mostly women, but men are en- couraged to volunteer and participate in all aspects, as well. The house museum is open and supported en- tirely by yearly association membership, community organization donations, grants and other nonprofit contributions. There are no paid employees—strictly op- erated by volunteers—rely- ing on donated goods and services. Local high schools send students who perform community services; Salis- bury High students recently undertook a fence painting project, housekeeping and other maintenance. Early organizers held special classes studying California and local his- tory of pioneers during Vic- torian times; records indi- cating that over 1,000 stu- dents visited each year. The Museum encourages what field trip possibilities are left at local schools these days consider visiting the historic house as a worthy educational destination. The Association is pleased to share the house and collection with area lo- cals and visitors alike; a tour takes about an hour. Larger groups may take special tours—for exam- ple: visiting RV and auto clubs, service clubs and or- ganizations, etc. Regular guided tours are available to the public from 1-3 p.m. most Sundays and Thurs- days; call the museum to book special tour dates at 527-1129. Membership can be mailed to Kelly-Griggs House Museum Associa- tion, P.O. Box 9082, Red Bluff, CA, 96080. For more information, visit kel- lygriggsmuseum.org. Museumholds membership kickoff KELLY-GRIGGS St. Elizabeth Commu- nity Hospital in Red Bluff and Mercy Medical Centers in Redding and Mt. Shasta encourage schools and com- munity members to come together and participate in The Great Kindness Chal- lenge Jan. 26-30. Dignity Health is part- nering with Kids for Peace to sponsor this year's Great Kindness Challenge, a global pro- gram that aims to inspire students to make a life- long commitment to ser- vice and kindness. In Tehama County Ev- ergreen Elementary and Bidwell Elementary are par- ticipating. The Great Kindness Challenge School Edition is an anti-bullying initia- tive dedicated to creating a culture of kindness in ele- mentary, middle, and high schools worldwide. The Great Kindness Challenge is a positive, pro- active, bullying prevention initiative, reaching millions of students during the last full week of January every year. Through Friday, students nationwide will be provided with a checklist of 50 kind deeds to perform and cre- ate positive change. To learn more, and get your child's school involved, visit www.greatkindness- challenge.org/School/event. html. Dignity Health has cus- tomized a kindness chal- lenge for employees, physi- cians, and volunteers as a way to strengthen the hu- man connection and en- courage more acts of kind- ness within the Dignity Health family. Employees at Mercy Red- ding, St. Elizabeth's and Mercy Mt. Shasta will take part in the challenge. The entire community is also encouraged to join the chal- lenge. Download a kindness checklist at any one of the hospital websites found at www.mercy.org. EDUCATION Local schools take Great Kindness Challenge I saw the most amazing thing recently. A little girl I'm guessing to be about 2-years-old, reached for her daddy's iPhone, turned it on, in- put the password and then sat back to watch something that required no effort on her part. It was seriously cute for about 20 seconds, until I realized that wasn't the first time she'd done that. She was quite skilled. I watched that child go from being actively en- gaged with her parents and her surroundings to being a totally passive observer. The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging parents of infants and toddlers to limit the time children spend in front of anything with a screen. Video screen time provides no educational benefits for children un- der 2 and leaves less room in the day for activities that do. Which brings me to the subject of toys. The best toys — and the ones we should be vigor- ously introducing to chil- dren from a very young age — are toys that pro- mote creativity and stim- ulate mental develop- ment, while at the same time are fun to play with. If you have young chil- dren in your life for whom you buy gifts from time to time, think about giv- ing toys that require them to create their own enter- tainment rather than al- lowing them to sit back and be entertained. The following toys for children ages 3 to 7 will bring out the creativity in the kids and also stimu- late their mental develop- ment. 1. Magna-Tiles. The tiles are just amazing. And they're not cheap, but they will last for many years and bring out build- ing and creative skills in your kids you didn't know they had. Children will play alone or in groups with Magna-Tiles and for hours, constructing tow- ers and geometric shapes. Magna-Tiles stimulates a child to think in 3-D. This 32-piece set is about $52. 2. Puppets. Kids love puppets. And we know that therapists love them because, for some reason, a child with a puppet be- comes more expressive and willing to role play — something that is so crit- ical for proper develop- ment. You can find sets of people puppets and an- imal puppets for under $30. 3. Cootie Bug Game. You probably played Coo- tie by Hasbro when you were a kid. And while the bugs may look a little dif- ferent these days, it re- mains a simple, fun, clas- sic game that little ones love to play. Since the children only compete against themselves, group play doesn't get heated and overly competitive. Still quite inexpensive at about $5. 4. Gears! Gears! Gears! This building set from Learning Resources gives young children opportu- nities to experiment with simple mechanics and sci- ence. And it's so much fun! Watch how their lit- tle minds are engrossed for hours as they fig- ure out how to make the gears fit together and ac- tually do things. And the more they play the more they will discover new ways to do things. This really is a perfect gift. The 95-piece set is about $21. 5. Magneatos. These jumbo magnetic build- ing pieces from Guide- Craft are ideal for small hands. Completely safe to play with, children as young as 3 years old will have so much fun and en- tertain themselves for hours. Their imaginations will go wild! This sturdy 30-piece set is about $42. 6. Blocks. This 3-D Feel & Find set of 40 big, chunky blocks and wood shapes is a great example of brain-building blocks. Little ones can be play alone or in groups and be content to do so. These blocks are well-made, and some are painted bright colors. The set comes with a cloth bag for storage and is about $25. 7. Straws & Connectors. Whoever it is at the Ro- ylco Company that came up with this is pure ge- nius. Using sturdy drink- ing straws and unique connectors, a child can create all kinds of amaz- ing structures. This huge 705-piece set is about $50, and if reviews are a good indicator, worth every dime! 8. Sorting Food Tray. This puzzle is just too cute, and just one of many available for child play. Made of wood, it's sturdy and will help develop fine motor skills. Check out the other food trays that would go with this par- ticular one. Perhaps your child needs a matching set. About $19. For more information about the toys mentioned above please visit www. everydaycheapskate.com/ besttoys. MaryHuntisthefounder of www.DebtProofLiving. com, a personal finance member website. You can email her at mary@eve- rydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheap- skate, P.O. Box 2099, Cy- press, CA 90630. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE Best toys for kids ages 3 to 7 Mary Hunt Are you still using the old school method of do- ing your taxes? Do you still mail paper forms to the IRS? If so, make this the year you switch to a much faster and safer way of filing your taxes. Join the nearly 126 million tax- payers who used IRS e-file to file their taxes last year. Here are the top five rea- sons why you should file electronically too. 1. Accurate and easy. IRS e-file is the best way to file an accurate tax return. The tax software that you use to e-file helps avoid mis- takes by doing the math for you. It guides you ev- ery step of the way as you do your taxes. IRS e-file can also help with the new health care law tax provi- sions. The bottom line is that e-file is much easier than doing your taxes by hand and mailing paper tax forms. 2. Convenient options. You can buy commercial tax software to e-file or ask your tax preparer to e-file your tax return. You can also e-file through IRS Free File, the free tax preparation and e-file pro- gram available only on IRS.gov. You may qualify to have your taxes filed through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance or Tax Counseling for the El- derly programs. In general, VITA offers free tax prep- aration and e-file if you earned $53,000 or less. For more information, call 528-4923. TCE (Tax-Aide) offers free help to all tax- payers, with a special em- phasis on people who are age 60 or older. For more information regarding Tax-Aide, call 727-8298 in Red Bluff, or 824-2531 in Corning. 3. Safe and secure. IRS e-file meets strict security guidelines. It uses secure encryption technology to protect your tax return. The IRS has safely and securely processed more than 1.3 billion e-filed tax returns from individuals since the program began. 4. Faster refunds. In most cases you get your refund faster when you e- file. That's because there is nothing to mail and your return is virtually free of mistakes. The fastest way to get your refund is to combine e-file with di- rect deposit into your bank account. The IRS issues most refunds in less than 21 days. 5. Payment flexibility. If you owe taxes, you can e- file early and set up an au- tomatic payment on any day until the April 15 due date. You can pay electron- ically from your bank ac- count. You can also pay by check, money order, debit or credit card. Visit IRS. gov/payments for more in- formation. TAX TIP To p fiv e re as on s to e -fi le The Associated Press WASHINGTON Medicare will change the way it pays hospitals and doctors to reward quality over vol- ume, the Obama admin- istration said Monday, in a shift that officials hope will be a catalyst for the nation's $3-trillion health care system. "It is in our common in- terest to build a health care system that delivers better care, spends health care dollars more wisely and re- sults in healthier people," said Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. A broad cross-section of health-care industry representatives attended Burwell's announcement, including insurers, hospi- tals, and doctors, as well as employers, who provide coverage for most workers and their families. MEDICARE Payments to doctors, hospitals to be overhauled Take15%offyourmeal with this ad dineinonly 723 Main St. 527.5470 www. palominoroom .com PrimeRibonFridaysnights Open Tues-Sat 100JacksonStreet Red Bluff (530) 529-1220 No Enrollment Fee $25.00 month RUNNINGS ROOFING SheetMetalRoofing ResidentialCommercial • Composition • Shingle • Single Ply Membrane Ownerisonsiteoneveryjob ServingTehamaCounty 530-527-5789 530-209-5367 No Money Down! "NoJobTooSteep" " No Job Too Flat" FREE ESTIMATES CA. LIC#829089 Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. starting at $ 29 95 + $ 8 25 certificate SERVICESATLOWERPRICES All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K MembersWelcome WeDo ALIGNMENTS We Do BRAKES 1375MontgomeryRd. Red Bluff, CA T:530 529-0797 StromerRealty 590 Antelope Blvd RedBluff (530) 527-3100 Specializingin Residential to Ranches LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, January 27, 2015 MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5