June 1989

DAY CARE

We invited a group of our readers to share their opinions on child care: what's right, what's wrong, where do we go from here? They gave us an earful. Here's what they had to say.

KIDS AND CHORES

Chores are an important part of a child's upbringing. Household jobs will help your kids master the mechanics of running a home-- and the skills needed for responsible living. Here's when to start your kids on chores and how to encourage their willing cooperation from toddlerhood through the teen years.

OFF WE GO, INTO THE DRY BLUE YONDER

SUN SENSE FOR KIDS: EASY AS A-B-C

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SUN BLOCK

SUNSHINE AND RETIN-A

MEDICINES THAT MAKE YOU BURN

CAN MIRACLES HAPPEN?

What the numbers mean

DROP THAT BOTTLE, PARDNER: TAKE THIS TEST FIRST

SUMMONING THE SANDMAN

Can't sleep? Don't take it lying down. Sleep researchers have uncovered some surprisingly simple ways to help most nonsleepers.

VITAL NEWS FOR MOMS-TO-BE

Trying to get pregnant? Don't forget your pill-- your vitamin pill, that is. Vitamin supplements may offer a measure of protection against several birth defects of the nervous system. But don't just start popping pills willy-nilly: overdosing on vitamins poses risks for the developing baby.

GABBY CO-WORKERS SAVE LIVES

TAKING IT OFF

WHAT'S WHAT IN VEGETABLE OILS

"No cholesterol." "100% pure." "Less saturated." Shopping for a cooking oil can be confusing. Labels beckon us with promises, and in our pursuit of a lower-fat diet, we wonder Which is better?

AS YOUR CHILD GROWS

Your child's development is an exciting thing to watch-- and an endless source of worry, especially for first-time parents and new stepparents. Here's how to chart your child's progress, and when to be concerned.

WHEN KIDS WON'T READ

Even your most eager bookworm is likely to stray from reading around age 10. But there are things you can do to keep the reading fires burning-- and to encourage a lifetime of loving literature.

TEST GARDEN TIP

GIVE ORCHIDS A VACATION Summer sabbatical

QUICK COVER-UPS Colorful annual vines

GARDEN PEST UPDATE

SUPER-SIMPLE PORCH SEAT

With little more than a few scraps of lumber and one afternoon's time, you can create an inexpensive sitting area like this on your porch.

LIVING OUTDOORS

Summertime fun for the Higgins family of St. Louis means enjoying the great outdoors. Their private backyard haven caters to favorite fair-weather pastimes: swimming, sunning, gardening, and unwinding.

BUILDING A POOL

Splash away the day's cares in your own swimming pool! Building a pool no longer means breaking the budget. With careful planning and attention to choices, you can put the right pool in your yard.

VACATION CABIN

Vacation homes are not just for the rich, and this family proved it. They started with a tent, a plot of land, and no construction experience. Two years and $26,000 later they were fishing, gardening, and relaxing in and around a handcrafted cabin of their own. Here's how.

BUYING YOUR VACATION LOT

There's more to a good vacation lot than a pretty view. Even if all you're after is a one-room cabin in the woods, practical matters come into play when you're eyeing a piece of rustic real estate. Will you be doing your own building? All the more reason to pick your site carefully. Use our checklist to rate your choices before you sign on the dotted line.

HIRING A CONTRACTOR

It's time to get bids on your remodeling project. Here are some important details to cover so you avoid any unpleasant surprises later.

BORROWING MONEY

For small loans or large, financial institutions are peddling cash right now. But rates and terms differ, and changing tax rules complicate decisions.

WHAT'S HOT IN LAWN MOWERS

Summer's in the swing, and your faithful old lawn mower is wheezing its last. From oil injection to leaf-bagging benefits, these new mowers will put the whistle back in your lawn work.

A LITTLE PRIVACY, PLEASE

Kirk Gastinger's inventive sliding lattice gate leads multiple lives on his patio's privacy fence. "When it's closed, no one can see in from the street, and we have a private, outdoor room," says Kirk. "It also extends the width of our latticeaccented house visually."

NEW LIFE FOR OLD LINENS

Quick-change less-than-perfect pieces into one-of-a-kind home accessories. With a little creative attention, tattered and torn linens, needlework, blankets, and rugs can catapult into a new life. Search through your drawers and attic, or haunt antiques shops and flea markets for imperfect items at reasonable prices.

CLASSING UP YOUR CONCRETE

Why not do something really different with your new sidewalk, patio, or driveway? Rubber stampers pressed into fresh concrete can create a look like cobblestone, slate-- even rough-hewn wood-- at a fraction of the cost for the real McCoy.

NIFTY NEWEL

BUYING A USED CAR

Presumably you've already weighed the variables of new versus used, and you're committed to the economic advantages of used. Now your big challenge is to make sure that used isn't actually abused. This isn't as forbidding as it sounds.

What's New In BARBECUE

Barbecuing is hot! And, there are more barbecue accessories than ever to choose from: grills, briquettes, wood chips, sauces, and more. Our Test Kitchen tried out a bunch of these new products. Here's the best of what we found.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

With each recipe we give important nutrition information. The calorie count of each serving and the amount, in grams, of protein, fat, carbohydrate, cholesterol, sodium, and potassium help you keep tabs on what you eat.

TODAY'S ICE-CREAM MAKERS

Put away the rock salt and big bags of ice! These easy-to-use icecream makers simplify your favorite homemade ice creams. We scoured the market for the best models and after testing, deemed these the pick of the lot.

HOW TO ORDER

Jack Daniel's Charcoal Briquets are made from the hardwood sugar maple charcoal used to mellow Jack Daniel's whiskey. The solid, whole briquettes light fast, burn clean, burn hot, and burn evenly with a steady barbecuing temperature.

PET-SERVICE ENTREPRENEURS

HEARTWORM

Heartworm is a serious, often fatal, canine disease-- and it ranks among the fastest-spreading pet ailments. Twenty years ago, heartworm appeared mostly in the southeastern U.S. Today, it's found in all but a few western states and as far north as Canada.

HOUSE-SOILING CATS

Cats can seem so ungrateful, and never more so than when they soil the house. Buy your pet a state-of-the-art litter pan and it still may insist on using your favorite chair when nature calls.

SAVE THE ELEPHANTS

Whenever families go to the zoo, one of the animals the kids clamor to see first is the African elephant. It's hard to imagine, but the zoo may soon be the only place to see these legendary beasts. The reason: without our help there may not be any wild elephants left in Africa by the end of this century.

THE SHOCK-COLLAR CONTROVERSY

So-called "shock collars" generate an electric current that zaps a dog when it barks-- they also generate a lot of controversy. Proponents say shock collars are a safe, fast, and effective way to cure dogs of chronic barking.

AMERICA'S GREAT NORTHWEST

FAMILY VACATION ADVENTURES IN THE NATION'S LAST FRONTIER

Shopping editor's choice

Discover the ease and pleasure of shopping by mail. Order from the convenience of your own home with complete confidence. If not delighted, each company will happily refund your money.

THE MAN NEXT DOOR

Grandma Hillis claims there's nothing particularly modern about phone answering machines. They were around a half-century ago, she says, except that then, they were known as party lines.