January 2011 Baystate Parent Magazine

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JANUARY 2011

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baystateparent Massachusetts’ Premier Magazine For Families

ANJALI’S STORY: Sports ARE Possible JUMP AROUND BOSTON’S NEW TRAMPOLINE PARK

SMART STARTS EDUCATION 2011 ALPHABET SOUP: A Diapers To Diplomas Glossary MASSACHUSETTS’ FIRST VIRTUAL SCHOOL

SCORE! SUPERBOWL PARTY APPS

SKIPPING SCHOOL For Sun & Fun Voted Best Parenting Publication in North America 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008

84º and Sunny Year Round! Chase away the winter blues with a day trip to CoCo Key Water Resort! 2010 Go Red Survivors and Models

Thursday, February 24th, 2011 5:30pm – 8:00pm Saint Vincent Hospital Atrium 123 Summer Street, Worcester Join WXLO’s Jen Carter and Mary Knight at “Go Red In Your Own Fashion”, presented by the American Heart Association and Saint Vincent Hospital. Enjoy a night of cooking, fashion and entertainment by comedian and former Biggest Loser contestant, Kelly MacFarland

Jen Carter

Mary Knight

Kelly MacFarland

To purchase tickets please visit www.americanheart.org/goredinyourownfashion

150 Royal Plaza Drive Fitchburg, MA 01420

©2010, American Heart Association. Also known as the Heart Fund TM Go Red trademark of AHA, Red Dress trademark of DHHS.

2 JANUARY2011

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Let Your

Creativity

CAPTURED

Flow

Visit www.claytimestudio.com for programs and monthly calendar of events

HAVE YOU CAPTURED A GREAT PHOTO OF YOUR CHILD? SHARE IT WITH BSP AND WE MAY FEATURE YOUR CHILD IN AN UPCOMING ISSUE!

Just email your photo to

editor@baystateparent.com. Don’t forget to tell us a little about the photo as well.

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Here’s what we’re looking for:

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February: Birthday Girls and Boys March: Beautiful babies

Golden Dragon Acrobats FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

Sunday | January 30 | 3pm | Symphony Hall Exponents of the 25-century old tradition of Chinese acrobatics, the Golden Dragon Acrobats tame gravity and fear with feats of balancing, tumbling, and startling gymnastic wizardry.

For tickets call

CelebrityCharge | 617-482-6661 (Mon-Fri, 10-4) or online at 6 JANUARY2011

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April: Happy Campers (tribute to summer camp) May: New Moms

our special guest Kyle Corliss, age 8, of Fitchburg captured by Michelle Vergari Photography, North Central MA www.michellevergariphotography.com

table

12

SCORE! SUPERBOWL PARTY APPETIZERS

Sunday, February 6th here we come! Check out local chef, Matt Williams’ crowdpleasing recipes from his cookbook, Wicked Good Food.

38

THE WORLD WIDE CLASSROOM

Learn all about MAVA@ Greenfield, the state’s new virtual school as well as the Pathways Innovation School, an early college high school in Gardner.

52

MOMS ROCK

“Being fit makes everything you do a little easier,� says 43-year-old Nancy Andrews Broderick, a super-fit mom of two, ages 3 and 5 months, from Shrewsbury.

the of the home

JANUARY 2011 • VOLUME 15 • NUMBER 9

in every issue 8 WELCOME 9 GUESTBOOK

smart starts

advertising directories

26 TAKE GOOD CARE: Are your Kids Eating Healthy at School?

20 LET’S ROLL: Boston’s New Indoor Trampoline Park

28 ALPHABET SOUP: Education Glossary 32 FINALLY, FOREVER: The World on your Doorstep

24 JUNKDRAWERS

36 WHEN KIDS SKIP SCHOOL FOR THE FAMILY VACATION

14 OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO: Calendar of Events

33 JANUARY’S CHILD 33 CIRCLE OF FRIENDS: Adoption Calendar of Events 46 ON MY PLATE: You are Not Alone 46 DIRTY LAUNDRY: Shutting it Down

52 MOMS ROCK: Nancy Andrews Broderick, Shrewsbury 55 CAPTURED: Winter Wonderland

38 THE WORLD WIDE CLASSROOM:

Massachusetts’ First Virtual School

41 WHEN THE TEACHER CALLS

something special

47

BULLETIN BOARD

49

PARTY PLANNER

54

ADVERTISING INDEX

sneak peek FEBRUARY

CELEBRATIONS

MARCH

BABY-LICIOUS

APRIL

CAMP

10 ANJALI’S STORY: Sports are Possible!

12 SCORE! Appetizers for your SuperBowl Party 44 OUR 5-YEAR-OLD WENT TO CAMP...in Norway!!

Voted Best Parenting Publication in North America 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008

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Massachusetts’ Premier Magazine For Families

e m o c l e W In the new year, two inspirational families, the Budds of Acton and the Gengels of Holden, are working tirelessly to fulfill the dreams of two girls. January 12, 2011 marks the one-year anniversary of the 7.0 magnitude Haitian earthquake that according to UNICEF claimed the lives of nearly 230,000 people and displaced over a million children and their families. We’re honored to welcome baystateparent contributing writer, Bonnie Toomey of Lunenburg, as she shares a series of stories this year about the Budd family, who six years ago, answered a request at their church to sponsor an abandoned Haitian child. Their daughter, Clarissa, selected

a photo of a smiling 6-year-old girl in a red dress named Roselande. Since January 2005, the Budds have sent Roselande a $25 check each month, which pays for her schooling, as well as packages of clothes, toys, games and snacks. But all this changed when the catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti as well as the Budds’ world. Their family anguished over their sponsor child’s safety, and in an instant, their $25 monthly commitment just wasn’t enough. Bonnie’s series, which begins in February, follows the Budds’ plight to bring Roselande home to their family in the suburbs of Greater Boston away from the extreme poverty, social unrest and disease (Haiti’s October 2010 cholera outbreak is the first of its kind to hit the tiny country in a century). And to make matters worse, as of this writing, there is no postal service in Haiti. Any goods or packages the Budds wish to send to Roselande must be delivered in person or by a network of families traveling to Haiti. Please join us each month in counting the days to Roselande’s arrival as well as following Bonnie’s companion stories on bringing Roselande’s younger brothers to their special families in New England as well. As we remember Haiti and all those affected by last year’s tragedy, we think of the Gengel family, whose 19-yearold daughter Britney lost her life in the earthquake while volunteering

with her school, Lynn University (“Be Like Brit,” Trish Reske, bsp July 2010). The Gengels have spent the past year fulfilling their daughter’s last wish. Three hours before she died, Britney sent her mom a text about her experience, “I want to move here and start an orphanage.” This year, Britney’s dad, Len Gengel, father of three and local home builder, will make that happen, traveling twice a month to Haiti with the Be Like Brit Foundation to build an orphanage in the fishing village of Grand Goave. The orphanage will be earthquake proof and constructed in the shape of the letter “B” (for Britney). You can learn more at the Be Like Brit Facebook page and belikebrit. org. There’s nothing more important than making the world a better place for our children, and while we all may be on our different paths in achieving this, a common factor is education. Our January issue features editorial and ads from preschool through college that we hope will help you in your plans for making the world a better place for our families in 2011 and beyond. Happy New Year baystateparents!

baystateparent publisher GARETH CHARTER 508-749-3166 x153 gcharter@holdenlandmark.com editor CARRIE WATTU 413-265-1202 editor@baystateparent.com

creative director PAULA MONETTE ETHIER 508-865-7070 baystateparent@holdenlandmark.com

promotions JENNIFER ANTKOWIAK 508-269-1728 jemsa2@charter.net

graphic designer STEPHANIE RENAUD 508-865-7070 srenaud@holdenlandmark.com

sales & business development manager STEPHANIE PEARL 774-364-0296 stephaniep@baystateparent.com account executive STACI LaTURNO 774-364-5073 stacil@baystateparent.com account executive EMILY RETTIG 774-364-4178 emilyr@baystateparent.com

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account executive JORDAN FOWLER 508-423-3749 jordanf@baystateparent.com contributing writers

Carrie Wattu, editor editor@baystateparent.com

ING COM ON SO s

BARBARA BEAUCHEMIN MELANIE MCCARTHY MARILYN PELLINI GAYLE GALLETTA AMANDA ROBERGE LYNN JOLICOEUR KIM FOLEY MACKINNON

photographers STEVEN KING MICHELLE VERGARI Illustrator ANGELA STORK

presidents KIRK and LAURIE DAVIS

baystatestateparent 117 Elm St., Millbury, MA 01527

508-865-7070

Meet Our Cover Model

www.baystateparent.com campguide.baystateparent.com www.massfieldtrips.com

Kyle Corliss

baystateparent Inc. is published monthly with a main office at 117 Elm Street, Millbury, 01527 508-865-7070 Fax 508-865-7979 It is distributed free of charge throughout Massachusetts. www.baystateparent.com • info@baystateparent.com

of Fitchburg, age 8

You are turning 9 years old in February. What will you do at age 9 that you did not get to do at age 8? I am going to try to ice skate, and I also want to audition for a play. What will you do on your birthday? I’m going tubing at Nashoba Valley Ski Area. Will your family watch the Superbowl together? Yes... but I always fall asleep! 8 JANUARY2011

January is our education issue. Tell us about your school. I go to South Street Elementary School. The teachers are nice. It’s very close to my house, and I have a lot of friends there. What’s the biggest challenge you experience in the third grade? The math is a lot harder. Name two of your favorite things about winter. You can play in the snow and drink hot chocolate!

Massachusetts' premier magazine for families has earned more than 100 national and regional awards since 2004, including 24 in 2009: michelle vergari

What do you hope will happen to you in 2011? I hope to go back to Myrtle Beach to see my grandmother.

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14 Parenting Publications of America Awards 4 New England Newspaper Press Association Awards 6 Suburban Newspapers of America Awards Including 1st Place in Community Service

GUESTBOOK

Enter to win

WHEEEEE!!!!! Megan Army's first time tubing in her Worcester backyard.

BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA 2 DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack

TM

My children are all teenagers now, but I am a kindergarten teacher and love to read baystateparent magazine cover to cover. Thank you! Catheryn Clapp, Paxton

I love that you write about real people with real problems (or, without problems!) instead of using celebrity moms. It’s much easier to relate to someone who faces the same challenges that most of us deal with everyday. Thank you! Marcie Moskowitz, Natick

Love the coupon section! I never miss a month of baystateparent! Amanda Kilmer, Jefferson

baystateparent giveaways are announced at baystateparent under “Giveaways� as well as on our Facebook page (Join our page today by searching “baystateparent Magazine.� We’re a friendly and resourceful group of 1,472 parents and growing strong). Some of our recent prizes and winners include: Glow Baby Family Calendar: Shelley Cook, Upton Teeter Tot Gift Card: Lisa Marsh Carlin, West Boylston Metrowest Yoga Gift Basket: Shannon Haraldsen, Framingham

Editor’s Note: baystateparent offered a popular coupon page in our December issue and hopes to offer more coupons from our advertisers in the upcoming months.

$75 iParty Gift Card (January Winner): Heather Rowley, Townsend Toy Story 3 DVD: Aneesa Donahue, Framingham Kathy Dunton, Putnam CT Marisa Bortlik, Woburn

You know you’re a baystateparent when... by mid January you have enough single mittens to decorate next year’s Christmas tree. To send an idea for “You know you’re -a baystateparent when..,� email editor@baystateparent.com. Winners will be sent a prize.

"7"*-"#-& 0/ #-6 3": %7% '&#36"3:

Winners

Deadline to enter is January 31st

baystateparent

No purchase necessary.

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Gwendolyn, the Graceful Pig Book By David Ira Rottenberg: Christina Lashua, Fitchburg

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Christmas Carol DVD: Susan Giroux, Chelmsford Brenda Grossi, Gardner All letters will be edited for clarity and length. Please include your full name and town for publication.

A Uniquely Magical Wo rld

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The only developmental education program of its kind for 2 1/2 to 4 year olds, taught by early childhood professionals in a state-of-the-art facility. It is designed to cultivate preschool readiness in a safe, nurturing environment and geared toward social interaction in a fun and exciting atmosphere. Call for information or visit our website www.danceitup.com

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SPECIALFAMILIES

Anjali’s Story

SPORTS ARE POSSIBLE amanda roberge

benjamin melancon

BY

7 years old, Anjali Forber-Pratt was what her parents would have described as “feisty” and “determined.” She was

At

10 JANUARY2011

already an aspiring athlete, involved in downhill skiing, hockey and track. “Once I got an idea in my head, there was no telling me ‘no’,” she says now of her school-aged self. “I definitely always wanted to make things happen.” Her parents, committed to helping her thrive, tried to keep Anjali involved in any sport she wanted to try, and the list was long. But finding sports that their daughter would have access to posed a bit of a challenge. Some of the activities able-bodied people take for granted are much more difficult to access from the confines of a wheelchair. Perhaps she craved the same physical experiences that other kids were having – the cool wind against her face as she flew down a mountain, the refreshing splashes of lake water bounding off a paddle onto her skin, the pride of breaking through the taut ribbon at the end of a track relay. And so, feisty and determined, ForberPratt embarked on a lifelong journey

for equal access in all areas of her life – even engaging in a lawsuit against her hometown of Natick, Massachusetts during high school for better wheelchair access to the same academic classes and enrichment activities as her peers. “It was my decision entirely,” she says. “I hired myself a lawyer and told my parents they could support me or not but I was doing it.” It is this determination that caught the attention of Lunenburg artist, writer and athlete Lynn Toomey, who has teamed with Forber-Pratt to make her the star of her latest Color, Learn & Play activity book for kids – All About Sports for Athletes with Physical Disabilities. “It’s a great book that really speaks to kids with disabilities, especially those kids who have a passion for sports,” says Forber-Pratt. “But it also speaks to the kid that sits next to them in class. It teaches tolerance and acceptance.” The book, which is being geared and marketed toward medical facilities in order

to reach its intended audience of disabled children or parents of disabled children, also has its place in the mainstream, Toomey says. “We want to teach inclusion, especially in the public school system,” Toomey says. “Our focus is on making children aware that because a classmate is disabled doesn’t mean they aren’t just as good and important a human being as everyone else.” As the activity book hits the shelves, Forber-Pratt is now turning her attention toward educating kids all over the world about the endless abilities a disabled person actually has, and how nothing – not even a wheelchair – can hold you back from your dreams.

Anjali’s Story Born in Calcutta and adopted as an infant by Natick couple Rosalind Forber and Larry Pratt, it wasn’t until baby Anjali was safely in the United States that she became ill. At 4 months old, a diagnosis of Transverse Myelitis, a neurological disorder caused by an inflammatory process of the spinal cord, left her paralyzed from the waist down. “They knew something was wrong,” Forber-Pratt says. “But I don’t think they knew how serious it was.” But by 6 years of age, Forber-Pratt had her first racing chair and she hasn’t slowed down since. She has been racing competitively in wheelchair track events for more than 10 years and currently as she works toward a doctoral degree at the University of Illinois – the most wheelchair accessible campus in America, she says –while training for the 2012 Paralympics in London. With two bronze medals in wheelchair track events at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics under her belt, in addition to dozens of medals and records from national events that she has racked up over the years, Forber-Pratt has already reached some of the highest heights she ever dreamed she would.

“As a kid, I knew the Paralympics existed but it was the big leagues,” she says. “I’ve always had dreams of being on that track but you don’t realize that’s an option for yourself.” Kids are curious by nature and when Anjali Forber-Pratt rolls into their world, they want to know everything. Why are you in a wheelchair? Will you ever walk? And, her personal favorite, can you eat pizza? “The educational piece is very important to me,” she says. “That’s how questions get answered.” Whatever the question, Forber-Pratt prefers that parents find a constructive and positive way to help their children find the answers they seek. “It’s a natural reaction for parents when their kids start asking about my wheelchair, they tend to shush them and pull them away,” she says. “I would much rather the child be allowed to come and ask me. It could be a teachable moment, maybe for the parent too.” Looking back on her life now from age 26, as an accomplished and admired Paralympic champion with no signs of stopping, Forber-Pratt acknowledges that it was the intensity of the challenge that motivated her to spend her life advocating for changes that will alter the course for many youths with disabilities who seek equality and opportunity in sports. “One of my passions is educating kids about what is possible for them,” she says, adding that one of the most profound changes she would love to inspire is getting them to dream big. Real big.

cleared all health and safety concerns, it’s okay for parents and sport professionals to push. “We think the people with disabilities are often coddled when it comes to athletic achievement or in reaching for higher function,” he says. Lilley’s son Josh has been “something of a test pilot for much of what we do,” he adds. “Though he lives with CP and quadriplegia, through hard work and training with AccesSportAmerica, Josh can walk holding just one hand and ‘runs’ our own marathon course on Heartbreak Hill for two miles in just over two hours.

This is the kind of feat we urge our athlete to try.” As Forber-Pratt takes her message on the road – having traveled to schools from Ghana to India to Bermuda – she is looking forward to sharing the Color, Learn & Play Activity book along the way. While it is Toomey’s artistic vision behind the book, Forber-Pratt’s voice is woven into every page, explaining the ins and outs of how sports can be adapted for people of varying abilities. “As a kid, there weren’t a lot of books in general that I could relate to,” she said.

o you remember the excitement of boarding the bus for the first day of school? The new friends … new clothes … new backpack … and an exciting new world of subjects to learn. Now you can experience that excitement again – at the head of your own classroom!

Q Q Q

“There is a lot of energy and excitement about this book; it’s catching on like wildfire.” For more information, visit colorlearnandplay.com and anjaliforberpratt.com. Amanda Roberge is a Leominster-based freelance writer and mother of three. continued of page 21

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It’s OK to Push Kids of All Abilities Ross Lilley, Executive Director of AccesSportAmerica based in Acton, Massachusetts, spreads the same message. The national non-profit organization is dedicated to inspiring a level of higher function and fitness for children and adults living with disabilities through high-challenge sports from windsurfing to Hawaiian outrigger canoeing to cycling and training. And while Forber-Pratt was the driving force behind all of her athletic pursuits while her parents played a supporting role, Lilley’s message is that once you’ve

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BAYSTATEPARENT 11

Buffalo Chicken Dip This recipe will yield about four cups of finished dip and take you about 25 minutes total. Ingredients: • 1 c. cream cheese • 1 c. cheddar cheese spread (such as Wispride) • 1 c. bleu cheese dressing • ¼ c. hot sauce • 1 stalk celery, diced fine • 8 oz. chicken fingers, cut into bitesize pieces (Using breaded chicken is important to the consistency of the dish, but store-bought chicken or even restaurant leftovers work just as well as frying the chicken yourself.) Combine all ingredients except the chicken in the bowl of a small mixer, and mix using a paddle until combined. Fold in the chicken by hand. Bake at 375 degrees in an ovenproof dish of your choice until bubbling and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Serve warm. You may also use a microwave to heat the dip, but you will lose any flavor developed through browning. Chef Williams prepares Texas Toast Sliders with Blackstone Valley Tech student, Nick Trudeau.

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carrie wattu steven king, photographer

12 JANUARY2011

Sunday, Feb. 6th here we come! baystateparent recruited local chef, Marlborough dad and all-around nice guy, Matt Williams, to whip up some appetizers for us from his cookbook, Wicked Good Food (iUniverse, March 2009). This month’s three featured recipes, like most of the recipes in Williams’ book, are crowd pleasers that would be great additions to any family’s Superbowl Sunday menu: chicken wings, pizza dip, chili, chicken potpie with cornbread crust, baked beans...Plus, the simplicity of Williams’ ingredients and instructions make his cookbook a score. Chef Williams is a chef/instructor at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Techical High School in Upton. He says, “I can’t think of anything I love talking about more than food. I love everything...even the history and science of it.” With this in mind, he introduces his students to an

educational food item each week, items such as kumquats and sugarcane. “We’ve even had kangaroo and snails,” says Blackstone Valley Tech junior Sandra Ottos. It’s also an adventure for his family as he shares this love with 9-monthold daughter, Lucy, and wife, Jane. Since Jane suffers from gastroparesis, a digestive condition where the muscles in her stomach don’t work properly, Matt tries to avoid, fats, acids (like vinegar and OJ) and most vegetables when preparing dishes for her.“It’s really a challenge,” says Williams, “but it gets me out of my comfort zone as I try new things.” One of the coolest things Williams has made for her is a modified version of his pancake chicken (also featured in the book). As his daughter grows, Williams looks forward to sharing the comfort foods of his childhood, souped up versions of cream of tomato soup and grilled cheese. In the meantime, he shares many of his favorites with hundreds of Blackstone Valley teens and now all of us.

Scallop and Bacon Flatbread The base for this dish is pizza dough, which my local supermarket just so happens to do a great job of making. Don’t get too stressed about spreading the ingredients on evenly. The different proportions of ingredients on each slice will help make every bite unique. This recipe will make one large flatbread that will feed 10 – 12 people as an appetizer or 4 people as an entree pizza It should take about 40 minutes to make. Ingredients: •15 cherry tomatoes • pinch of salt • pinch of granulated sugar • 1 lb. dough, pizza or bread

• 2 T. extra virgin olive oil • 6 oz. scallops, about ½” each (larger ones work fine too) • ¾ c. bacon, cooked, chopped • 3 T. chives, chopped • ½ c. feta cheese (a nice goat cheese is great too) • pinch of kosher salt • pinch of fresh ground black pepper Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place on a sheet pan, cut side facing up. Sprinkle lightly with salt and sugar. Bake 7 – 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Remove from the pan, and cut into 10 mini-burgers. Add 1 piece of cheese to each piece of meat. Meanwhile, lightly brush the bread with butter and brown in a saute pan or griddle over medium heat. (Use the same pan or griddle if there is enough room.) Spread thin layer of mayonnaise on each piece of toast.

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Roll out the dough to 1/4” thickness.

Place the cooked burger and cheese on the toast.

Coat the dough with olive oil.

Add one pickle to each burger.

Place the dried tomatoes and all other remaining ingredients onto the dough. Bake 400 degrees 12 – 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

Add a pinch of onions to each burger. Top with the remaining piece of toast.

Cut into the desired size and serve warm.

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Texas Toast Sliders

Ingredients: • ½ onion, finely diced • 3 T. water •1 lb. Ground beef (I use 80/20, but use what you like) • freshly ground black pepper – to taste • kosher salt – to taste • 6 slices of Texas toast, crust removed and cut into fourths • ½ c. butter • ½ c. mayonnaise • 16 dill pickle slices • 4 American cheese slices cut into quarters Add the onions and water to a saute pan over medium heat, and cook until the onions are translucent. Do not allow them to caramelize. Roll the ground beef to a thickness of about 1/4” (Editor’s Note: Chef Matt and his students made a giant patty, which saves you from making several cheeseburgers).

For more information about Chef Williams’ cookbook, Wicked Good Food, visit chefmattwilliams.com. Carrie Wattu is editor of baystateparent. After sampling the appetizers featured here, she was inspired to make Chef Williams’ homemade macaroni and cheese, cheeseburger pizza (so good!) and peach cobbler. Photographer Steven King said his visit with Chef Williams just might inspire him to take a cooking class with his wife.

MELVIN A. EHRLICH, D.D.S., P.C. DrMelChildrensDentist.com Individualized Preventive Dental and Orthodontic Care for Toddlers, Children through Adolescence, and those with Special Needs Melvin A. “Dr. Mel” Ehrlich, Pediatric Dentist Diana Pardo, Orthodontist for Children and Adults 223 Walnut Street, Framingham, MA 01702

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Place on a preheated griddle or saute pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until medium well.

Don’t Let the Ball Drop on Dental Health in 2011

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These sliders stand up tall because they’re made with Texas toast, which its extra thick cut bread, and they are held together nicely with frilled toothpicks. The mayonnaise plays an important role in protecting your bread from getting soggy, and that extra bit of fat adds a lot of flavor. It will take about 30 minutes to make 16 mini-burgers.

BAYSTATEPARENT 13

OH, THE

PLACES YOU’LL

GO

kindra clineff/mott

Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! - dr. seuss

GO SMELL THE FLOWERS: Brighten up a winter’s day by taking in the sights and scents an the art-inspired floral exhibit, Floral in Winter, at the Worcester Art Museum. worcesterart.org. 14 JANUARY2011

GO MLK: See powerful performances of “M.L.K.:Amazing Grace” as award-winning actors and storytellers bring history to life in Providence, RI. childrenmuseum.org.

courtesy of worcester sharks

courtesy of worcester art museum

courtesy of providence children’s museum

GO WHEEE!!!!!!: Have an old-fashioned winter’s day in New England! Sledding on your favorite hill is inexpensive, wholesome and healthy.

GO SHARKS: Take in a family-friendly hockey game in Worcester. Kids are just $5 every Sunday, which includes a piece of pizza! sharksahl.com.

MELTDOWN WARNING: Before you pack up the mini-van, please confirm your destination. Although we’ve done our best to assure accuracy at press time, things can and do change… A Adult C Child Y Youth M Member NM Non-Member PP Per Person

1SATURDAY Festival of Trees. Berkshire Museum, 39 South St., Pittsfield. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. More than 200 creativelydecorated trees designed by local artists, schools, businesses and organizations. $7 - $10. 800-239-3391, berkshiremuseum.org. Last Weekend to See Bright Nights. Forest Park, Springfield. Ends Jan. 2.Thousands of twinkling lights and holiday displays! $15 per car. 413-733-3800. Admission discount online: brightnights.org.

2SUNDAY Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly. Museum of Science, Boston. 9 a.m – 5 p.m. Milk a viper, learn to speak croc in less than five minutes, and test your knowledge of turtle trivia! See deadly snakes, colorful lizards, bizarre turtles and rugged crocodilians exhibited in naturalistic habitats. Engaging interactives and bold interpretive graphics entice you to explore the major groups of modern cold-blooded reptiles through cutting-edge science and the perspective of conservation. A $21, C $18. Members free. 617-723-2500, mos.org.

Animal Happenings. The Children’s Museum in Easton, 9 Sullivan Ave., North Easton. Each Tuesday in Jan., 10 – 10:45 a.m. Drop by to enjoy an informal petting zoo and to learn about the care of animals. $6pp. 508-230-3789, childrensmuseumineaston.org.

5WEDNESDAY Cirque du Soleil presents Dralion. Agganis Arena, Boston. Jan. 5 – 9. The international cast features 52 world-class acrobats, gymnasts, musicians, singers and comedic characters. Ticket prices vary. 800-745-3000. cirquedusoleil.com/dralion. FREE Wee Care Infant Oral Health Program. Melvin “Dr. Mel” Ehrlich, D.D.S., 223 Walnut St. Ste 22, Framingham. 10 a.m. Children under 3 are invited to register for this free seminar with examination designed to help parents assure a cavity-free child. The informal format assures that all parents’ questions will be answered by this pediatric dental specialist. Space is limited. Call Dr. Mel at 508-875-KIDS to register. weeCareAtDrMels.com. Exploring Music. The Children’s Museum in Easton, 9 Sullivan Ave., North Easton. 10 – 10:45 a.m. Every Wednesday and Thursday in Jan. from 10 a.m to 10:45 a.m. Participate in a variety of creative musical activities such as singing, rhythm-making and dramatic interpretation.$6pp. 508-230-3789, childrensmuseumineaston.org. Shadow Science. Moose Hill, 293 Moose Hill St., Sharon. 10 – 11:30 a.m. Experiment with light and dark during this hands-on class. Make shadow puppets and have fun creating a shadow show. Brighten up the dark winter days with shadows! Ages 4-6. NM $12. Registration is required. 781-784-5691 or email moosehill@massaudubon.org. FOR PARENTS Journey of Dating. One Journey Consulting, 75 Claypit Hill Rd., Wayland. 6 – 7:30 p.m. Jan 5, 19, Feb 2, 16, Mar 2, 16. In this new workshop series, use the experiences of the dating journey as an opportunity for self-discovery, and for learning and practicing new relationship skills. $35 per class 508-276-1764, onejourneyconsulting.com.

Kids Night. UNO Chicago Grill, 22 JFK St., Cambridge. 5 – 8 p.m. Every Sunday kids make their own pizzas while Jungle Jim the balloon entertainer performs. 617-4971530, unos.com.

6THURSDAY

ZooLights: Last Day! Stone Zoo, 149 Pond St., Stoneham. 5 – 9 p.m. Stroll along tree-lined paths lit by thousands of twinkling lights. A/C NM $6. 781-438-5100, zoonewengland.org

FREE Take a Look Morning. Applewild School, 98 Prospect St., Fitchburg. 9 – 11 a.m. Prospective parents for this K – 8 school, meet at the Crocker Building for an opportunity to tour the school and see teachers and students in action. No RSVP necessary. 978-342-6053, x110, applewild.org.

3MONDAY Children’s Music Hour. Finagle a Bagel, 11 First St., Cambridge. 10 – 11 a.m. Acclaimed musicians Ed Morgan and Jeanniemack perform original and classic children’s songs. $3 per family (In return you will get a $3 coupon for Finagle a Bagel food that you can enjoy during the show). 617-871-1125. Also at Finagle a Bagel in Wayland, 3 – 4 p.m. 508-358-6282.

courtesy of the john f. kennedy presidential library and museum

OH,THEPLACESYOU’LLGO

Lexington Montessori Open House. 130 Pleasant St., Lexington. 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. lexmontessori.org. Tenacre CountryDay School Open House. 78 Benvenue St., Wellesely. 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. tenacrecds.org.

Adventure Boot Camp. Adventure Boot Camp, LLC,15 Bellingham Rd., Worcester. 5:30 – 6:30 a.m. This four week fitness program offers fitness instruction, nutritional counseling and motivational training - packed with fun and energizing activities designed to help you reach your fitness goals. Fees apply. 508-579-6064, AdventureBootCampLLC.com.

Budding Scientists - What’s the Matter? EcoTarium, 222 Harrington Way Worcester. 10:15 -10:45 a.m., 11 - 11:30 a.m. Experience fun, hands-on (and safe) science experiments designed especially for children ages 4-6 and their parents. This month, Budding Scientists explore how solids, liquids and gases behave. What makes ice melt faster? This is active and interactive science, so come prepared to participate. Pick up free tickets at information desk. Limited to first 10 children with accompanying adult. Admission applies. 508-929-2700, ecotarium.org.

4TUESDAY

7FRIDAY

K’NEX: Building Thrill Rides. Museum of Science, Boston. 9 a.m – 5 p.m. Through Jan. 17. Tap a well of imagination while creating your own heart-stopping theme park ride using K’NEX construction kits! Visitors age 5+ can build a free takeaway windmill or create a more ambitious thrill ride and stop at the “Weigh and Pay” station to take it home. A $21, C $18. 617-723-2500, mos.org.

Skating on Frog Pond. Boston Common, 84 Beacon St., Boston. Days/hours: Mon. 10 a.m – 4 p.m, Tues. - Fri. and Sun. 10 a.m – 9 p.m, Sat. 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. A hopping spot for ice-skating! Dependent on the weather, Frog Pond has its own ice-making system. It also offers skate rentals and hot cocoa at the Pond Cottage. A (14 and up) $4. Skate rentals are A $8, C $5. 617-635-2121, bostonfrogpond.com.

Grab a seat on the imaginary bus and come along for Rosa’s Ride, a musical story based on the life of Rosa Parks in Boston, 10:30 a.m. jfklibrary.org. Buddy Valastro: The Cake Boss. Symphony Hall, Springfield. 7:30 p.m. symphonyhall.com. Freestyle Motorcross. DCU Center. 50 Foster St., Worcester. Jan. 7 – 8, 7:30 p.m. Riders launch their bikes off ramps that propel them towards the rafters, performing mind-bending acrobatic moves as they soar through the arena airspace. A$20.75, C (2 – 12) $10.75. dcu.com.

8SATURDAY Super Science Saturdays. “e” inc. 337 Summer St., Boston. 11 a.m – 4 p.m. Have you ever wondered what the inside of a whale looks like, or how much you really have in common with a monkey? Come to “e” inc.’s brand new storefront environmental science teaching center, The Learning Room, to experience hands-on science at four eye-opening activity stations. Currently showing: “Whales,” “Who’s in the Amazon Rainforest?” “Garbage Goes Where?!” and “Making a Difference.” Grades K-6. There is also an art room for special projects and special demonstrations each week at 1 p.m and 3 p.m. A $7, C $5. 617-227-1522, e-action.us. History of Wachusett Reservoir. Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Dr., Boylston. 1 – 2 p.m. Please join author Eamon McCarty Earls as he discusses his new book on the history of Wachusett Reservoir, Wachusett: How Boston’s 19th Century Quest for Water Changed Four Towns and a Way of Life. Snow date: Jan. 22. Free with admission. 508-869-6111 x124, towerhillbg.org. Debbie & Friends. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 10:30 a.m. Parents and kids join in this interactive “variety show,” which includes a diverse array of styles including rock, pop, country, reggae, and Broadwayesque tunes. Recommended for ages 2+. A $9.75, C $7.75. 617-734-2500, coolidge.org/kids. Verrill Farm Pancake Breakfast. 11 Wheeler Rd., Concord. 9 a.m – 12 p.m. A $7.50, C (10 and under) $4.50. 978-369-4494, verrillfarm.com. WinterFest. Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard. Weekends, Jan. 8 – Feb. 27. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Sledding, skating, XC skiing and snowshoeing, plus hotdogs and hot chocolate around the bonfire. Admission is paid per car: $10NM. 978-456-3924 x292, fruitlands.org.

5K Resolution Run. Knights of Columbus, Lexington.11 a.m. Proceeds go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through the Team in Training Program. Founded by three women who have been personally touched by cancer. The goal is to raise money for cancer research and patient programs, and to promote healthy lifestyles for people in the community. $25 advance, $30 day of race. active.com. FREE Ice Skate Lacer Craft. Lakeshore Learning Store, 230 Needham St., Newton. 11 a.m – 3 p.m. This lacing board is double the fun! Kids just paint & decorate—then lace it up again & again! Craft activities for kids ages 3 and up. 617-969-0885, lakeshorelearning.com. Parents’ Night Out. Boroughs JCC. 45 Oak St., Westborough. 5 – 9 p.m. “How to Train Your Dragon” themed child drop-off event. For ages 3 months to 12 years old. Age-appropriate crafts, games and indoor gym activities, and movie. Pizza dinner from Monti’s Pizza. Age appropriate activities throughout the evening. C $20 / $50 per family (non-members). 508-366-6121, boroughsjcc.org. GLBT Family Playgroup. Mother and Company, West Boylston. 2 – 4 p.m. Come meet other non-traditional families, with their kids. Lightly facilitated by Erica, momma of two. Know other GLBT couples/singles who are planning to bring a baby into their lives? Bring them! And please feel free to bring something yummy to share... FREE but online RSVPs are needed. mothersandcompany.com. Also meets March 5. Friends and Family CPR. Mother and Company, West Boylston. 9 – 11:30 a.m. For anyone who wants to learn the latest guidelines for CPR and Choke Saving techniques for infants, children and adults. Even if you’ve learned CPR before, the guidelines have changed significantly since 2005! $30pp. mothersandcompany.com.

9SUNDAY Sense of Wonder Walk-For the Birds. Mass Audubon Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, 87 Perkins Row, Topsfield. 1 - 2:30 p.m. Come meet some of the birds that live in our area all winter long. After a walk, make some simple feeders for the feathered friends in your backyard. A $9, C $7. 978-887-9264, massaudubon.org/ipswichriver. FREE St. Distaff’s Day Celebration. Westford Museum, 2-4 Boston Rd., Westford. 1 – 5 p.m. BAYSTATEPARENT 15

OH,THEPLACESYOU’LLGO Spinners of all abilities are welcome to bring a wheel and enjoy the afternoon. The public is welcome to come visit and chat with spinners or just tour the museum. 978-692-5550, Westford.com/museum.

10MONDAY LaserLab. Museum of Science, Boston. 9 a.m – 5 p.m. Harness the power of a laser and learn to bend it around corners with this high-tech exhibit that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the laser’s invention. Visitors of all ages can explore not only how these power-packed beams of light work, but also how their technology impacts our everyday lives. A $21, C $18. 617-723-2500, mos.org.

little ones aged 3 and under. New themes every week! Session one (story and animal): 10:30 a.m.; Session two (same story and animal): 11 a.m. Free with museum admission. ecotarium.org.

13THURSDAY Icy Investigations. The Discovery Museums, Acton. 3 – 4:30 p.m. Sleet, snow, icicles, and black ice! How do they all form? How do we deal with them in winter? Experiment with sand, salt, ice melt, and Magic Salt and learn about the environmental impact of different methods of ice control. A/C $10.50. 978-264-4200, discoverymuseums.org.

geological occurrences. A free, C $12 NM. Register: 978464-2712.

Sanctuary on Snowshoes Homeschool Program. Mass Audubon: Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, Worcester. 1- 3 p.m. No experience necessary. Snowshoes and basic instruction will be provided. (In the event of no snow, learn basic snowshoe technique and take a winter ecology hike on foot.) For ages 8 to 13. C$12NM. Register: 508-753-6087.

Preschool Animals in Winter. Mass Audubon: Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, Princeton. 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. An hour of fun with your youngster focusing on nature. Read a book, do a craft, and go for a walk. For ages 2.5 to 5. A/C pair $10 NM, $2 additional child. Register: 978-464-2712.

Nature Adventures for 5 to 7 Year Olds. Mass Audubon: Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, Worcester. 1 – 3 p.m. Meets the second Thurs. of each month for a hands-on nature program and provides an in-depth learning in a supportive social environment. C$10 NM. Register: 508-753-6087.

FREE Movie Night. Burbank YMCA, 36 Arthur B. Lord. Dr., Reading. 7 p.m. View a movie on the big screen. Register: 781-944-9622. ymcaboston.org/burbank. FREE Nursing Beyond the First Year. Mothers and Company, West Boylston. Meets the second Friday of the month, 3 – 4:30 p.m. A monthly discussion group/ playgroup for those who are continuing to breastfeed children over one year old or those who are considering it and curious to meet moms who are doing it. This is a free, drop-in group. Online RSVPs are helpful. mothersandcompany.com.

11TUESDAY Children’s Music Hour. Finagle a Bagel, 1240 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill. 5 – 6 p.m. Acclaimed musicians Ed Morgan and Jeanniemack perform original and classic children’s songs. $3 per family (In return you will get a $3 coupon for Finagle a Bagel food that you can enjoy during the show). 617-738-0800.

15SATURDAY Film: Babe. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 10:30 a.m. Recommended for ages 5+. A $7, C $5. 617-734-2500, coolidge.org/kids.

Cornerstone Academy Tours. 5 Oak Ave., Northboro. Educating students in grades K – 6. Call 508-351-9976 to reserve your spot. cornerstoneacademy.org. Also Tues., Feb. 8.

courtesy of amazing things arts center

Nature Class Ages 4 to 5. Mass Audubon: Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Ave., Worcester. 9:30 a.m. - Noon. Tuesdays, Jan. 11 – Feb. 15. This six-week series of nature classes is for young children unaccompanied by a parent. Fees apply. Register: 508-753-6087.

12WEDNESDAY Smart Gals: Meiere’s Mosaics. The Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. Drop-In: 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Science Discovery Museum. Learn about Hildreth Meiere who in 1956 became the first woman to receive a Fine Arts Medal from the American Institute of Architects. She created many murals and mosaics that can be found in some of the nation’s most important buildings. Find out what a mosaic is and make your own to take home with you!A$ 9.50, C$10.50. 978-264-4200, discoverymuseums.org. FOR PARENTS Parenting As A Team. Parenting Solutions, 6 Colonial Dr., Suite 2, Westborough. 7:30 – 9 p.m. A Parenting That Works! program led by Dr. Sylvia Sirignano, a developmental psychologist and Mr. Glenn Smith, a marriage and divorce counselor. A $30, $45 per parenting couple. 508-366-7557, parentingsolutionsprograms.com. Preschool and Toddler Wednesdays. EcoTarium, 222 Harrington Way, Worcester. 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Storytime, craft activities, live animals and more--all for

Clown around in Framingham with Benjamin the Juggling Clown on Saturday, January 22nd at 2 p.m. amazingthings.org. Children’s Music Hour. Finagle a Bagel, 11 First St., Needham. 4 – 5 p.m. Acclaimed musicians Ed Morgan and Jeanniemack perform original and classic children’s songs. $3 per family (In return you will get a $3 coupon for Finagle a Bagel food that you can enjoy during the show). 781-444-8501. Positive Discipline. Mothers and Company, West Boylston. 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. This workshop focuses on the developmental stages of children from birth – 4 years old. The conversation will offer parents and caregivers the information, tools and strategies useful for teaching their young child socially acceptable behaviors. $25 per family (meaning 2 parents in the same family). Babes in arms are welcome. mothersandcompany.com.

14FRIDAY FREE Second Fridays. MIT Museum, 265 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. 5 – 8 p.m. Mingle with friends in the Museum’s unique galleries with displays of holograms, kinetic sculptures, historic robots and some of the latest research coming out of MIT during this monthly free evening. web.mit.edu/museum/ Geology Homeschool Program. Mass Audubon: Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, Princeton. 1 – 3 p.m. Earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and geysers - learn how the earth is changing dramatically as a result of these

Amazing Aztecs Family Program. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge. 12 - 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 - 4 p.m. Ages 8+ with adult. How do we know what we know about the Aztecs? What can be done with a macuahuitl? What could be bought in an Aztec market? Find the answers and make and take home an Aztec craft. $5 per child plus Peabody Museum admission A $9, St.,Sr. $7, C (3 - 18) $6. 617-496-1027,peabody.harvard.edu. FREE Jam Time Grand Opening Party. 86 Powder Mill Rd., Maynard. 10 a.m – 5 p.m. A new playspace for the early years. This grand opening party will feature national performing musician Cheryl Melody, face painting, giveaways, meet “JT� a moose mascot, cupcakes, and more! 978-897-2917, jamtime.com. FREE Snowman Magnet Craft. LakeshoreLearning Store, 230 Needham St., Newton. 11 a.m – 3 p.m. Kids create a festive 3-D snowman magnet—using pipe stems, wiggly eyes, buttons & more! Craft activities for kids ages 3 and up. 617-969-0885, lakeshorelearning.com. Paint Play. Providence Children’s Museum, 100 South St., Providence, RI. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Children dip into an array of colors and paint at a large see-through easel. Ages 3 – 11. $8.50pp. 401-273-5437, childrenmuseum.org. Also Jan. 16. Studio Saturdays: A Kite of Hopes and Dreams. Peabody Essex Museum,161 Essex St., Salem. 1 - 3 p.m. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., help create a large kite filled with hopes and dreams for the community. A $15, Students $11, C (16 and under) and Salem residents admitted free. 978-745-9500.

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every 3rd Friday of the month. For location details, email Joanne at momsclubofhubbardston@yahoo.com.

24th Annual Winter Conference. Northeast Organic Farming Association/Mass. Worcester Technical High School, 1 Skyline Dr., Worcester. 9 a.m. Workshops on sustainable living. All-day seminars on organic apple-growing or herbs for family health. Find ways to do-it-yourself: grow it, plant it, raise it, cook it or heal it yourself. Crafts and games for kids. 978-355-2853, nofamass.org.

The Springfield Motorcycle Show. The Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield. Jan. 21 – 23. A topof-the-line motorcycle show that brings together many differing manufacturers, builders and retailers in a way that brings fun to the entire family. $7 - $10. 413-467-2171, osegshows.com.

16SUNDAY

22SATURDAY

Chantey Sing. MIT Museum, Cambridge. 2 – 4:45 p.m. Celebrate MIT and the sea! Come and sing sea chanteys and other maritime-related songs with a room full of fellow enthusiasts, professional and amateur. Recommended for ages 8 to 108. Free with Museum admission. web.mit.edu/ museum/.

Janine Rogers, Magician and Ventriloquist. Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St., Arlington. 10:30 a.m. Awardwinning magician and ventriloquist, Janine Rogers, presents a fanciful show of magic and puppetry. Proceeds benefit Arlington’s Thompson Public Elementary School. A $10, C$8. 781-646-4849, regenttheatre.com.

Animal Footprints and Signs. Mass Audubon’s Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, 280 Eliot St. (Rt.16), Natick. 1 – 2:30 p.m. Ever wondered what animal made those tracks? Wonder who is traveling on the trails or through your yard? Come find out how to solve the mystery! A$12, C$8 NM. 508-655-2296, massaudubon. org/broadmoor.

Debbie and Friends Concert. Belmont Cooperative Nursery School, 421 Common St., Belmont. 11 a.m – 1 p.m. Includes a silent auction, bake sale and pizza. Tickets: denisegregg@gmail.com. If the show hasn’t sold out, tickets can also be purchased at the door. A/C $7. Children under 1 free. belmontcoop.org.

17MONDAY FREE Rosa’s Ride. Celebrate MLK, Jr. Day at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston. 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Enjoy a play about a woman who stood up for civil rights when she sat down with dignity at the front of a segregated bus. Grab a seat on the imaginary bus and come along for Rosa’s Ride, a musical story based on the life of Rosa Parks. Reservations required: 617-514-1644 or JFKCelebrate@nara.gov. jfklibrary.org. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration. The Children’s Museum in Easton, 9 Sullivan Ave., North Easton. 10 a.m – 4 p.m. Celebrate how you and your family can use your hands to help those less fortunate in your community. Learn about weaving with fabric artist Rhonda Fazio, and make weaving projects inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. A/C $6. 508-230-3789, childrensmuseumineaston.org. A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Providence Children’s Museum, 100 South St., Providence, RI. 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Families explore an exhibit of photographs, words and books describing Dr. King’s life and work, participate in an interactive exploration of the negative power of discrimination and see powerful performances of “M.L.K.: Amazing Grace.� Award-winning storytellers and actors Rochel Coleman and Valerie Tutson bring history to life through songs and stories as they portray Civil Rights activists Rosa Parks, Ralph Abernathy and more. Shows at 11:30 a.m., 1 & 2:30 p.m. Ages 5 – 11. $8.50pp. 401-273-5437, childrenmuseum.org. Breastfeeding Basics. Mothers and Company, West Boylston. 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Dads/partners, grandparents or friends who attend with you are given special instructions

boroughs jcc

OH,THEPLACESYOU’LLGO

Get your hands on Science Sunday in Westborough on January 23rd from 1 to 2:30 p.m. boroughsjcc.org on supporting the breastfeeding relationship. Please bring a pillow and baby-sized doll or stuffed animal. $45 per couple/family. Register: mothersandcompany.com. Monster Mock-up Last Day. Eric Carle Picture Book

18TUESDAY Art Museum, Amherst. Take a look at Shrek and The Wild Things in the exhibition Monsters and Miracles and then paint your own imaginary creature, great or small. $7 $10. 413-658-1100, carlemuseum.org. FREE Story Hour and Craft. Cornerstone Academy, 5 Oak Ave., Northboro. 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Grades 3.9 to 4.9 years old. Call 508-351-9976 to reserve your spot cornerstoneacademy.org. Also Jan. 25.

19WEDNESDAY Lil’ Kids Club Play Group. Boys and Girls Club of Woburn, 1 Charles Gardner Lane, Woburn. 9:30 – 11:30 am. A drop-in, age appropriate playgroup for Tot/PreK children age 5 and under. Held inside the gym and activities include blocks, slides, trampolines, ride-on toys & much more. Children must be accompanied by parent/guardian. C $2. 781-935-3777, bgcwoburn.org.

20THURSDAY FOR PARENTS 8th Annual Flutie Bowl. Kings, 600 Legacy Place, Dedham. 6 - 11 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism.flutiefoundation.org. Winter Explorations for Pre-Schoolers. Mass Audubon’s Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, 280 Eliot St., (Rt.16), Natick. 10 – 11 a.m. Suitable for children ages 3-5. Pre-registration required. A/C NM $10. 508-6552296, massaudubon.org/broadmoor. FOR PARENTS Divorce That Works for Children. Parenting Solutions, 6 Colonial Drive, Suite 2, Westborough. 9 - 11:30 a.m. A five hour court-approved parent education program required for divorcing parents, but all parents just beginning to think about divorce, or already divorced are also welcome. A $80. 508-366-7557, parentingsolutionsprograms.com. Also Jan. 21st.

Wizard School Scavenger Hunt. Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston. Follow in the footsteps of young wizards on a field trip in search of art that echoes characters, places and enchanted objects in the Harry Potter books and movies in this hunt hosted by Watson Adventures. Track down flying owls, Hagrid-like giants, centaurs and unicorns like those you’d see in the Forbidden Forest, dragons and sharks that seem straight out of the Triwizard Tournament, and eerie figures as scary as any Death Eater or Dementor. For children ages 10 and up accompanied by an adult. A$33, C (10-17) $21; includes museum admission. 877-9-GO-HUNT; watsonadventures.com. Penguins: Blue Discoveries Family Day. New England Aquarium, Central Wharf, Boston. 11 a.m – 3 p.m. Learn more about penguins through art, science and storytelling. Admission required. 617-973-5206, neaq.org. The Carrot Salesman. Puppet Showplace Theatre, 32 Station St., Brookline. 1 p.m. The Carrot Salesman is the original story of a door-to-door carrot sales rabbit who is not very good at his job. But through his unsuccessful efforts to sell carrots to elephants, jellyfish, moles and robots, he discovers a way to help all of the animals. For ages 3 and up. $10. 617-731-6400, puppetshowplace.org.

21FRIDAY

Saturday Family Workshops: Snow Sculptures. Fuller Craft Museum 455 Oak St., Brockton. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Saturday Family Workshops are a special opportunity for kids of all ages to create unique, hand-made objects. Workshops are led by professional artists. $10 per child (max of 3 children per adult). 508-588-6000, fullercraft.org.

Playgroup. Location TBA. 10 a.m – 12 p.m. MOMS Club of Hubbardston Area is a chapter of the International MOMS Club, a support group for mothers, serving the towns of Barre, Hubbardston, Princeton and Templeton. Meets

FREE Applewild School Open House. Applewild School, 98 Prospect St., Fitchburg. 10 a.m – 12 p.m. Applewild School (independent school for grades K through 8) is hosting an open house with student-led tours at the Marshall Building. Please RSVP : 978-342-6053, x110, applewild.org.

FREE MOMS Club Monthly Membership Circle/Open

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Nature does not provide snow, enjoy a hike. Hot chocolate and coffee will be available. Price includes snowshoe rental. For ages 5 and older. A$9, C$5. Family Rate: $28NM. Register: 508-753-6087.

23SUNDAY

courtesy of lowell memorial auditorium

Artbarn presents Click Clack Moo. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 10:30 a.m. The Split Hares will perform Click Clack Moo, based on the Caldecott Award-winning book by Doreen Cronin. Recommended for ages 3+. A $9.75, C $7.75. 617-734-2500, coolidge.org/kids.

Sing “Ladybug Picnic,” “Inch by Inch” and “I Love Trash” with Elmo and his friends at Sesame Street Live, Jan. 27 - 30 in Lowell. lowellauditorium.com No Time to Waste. Providence Children’s Museum, 100 South St., Providence, RI. 10:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. What’s so funny about trash? Find out during a family comedy show about recycling. Four 20-minute shows. Ages 5 – 11. $8.50pp. 401-273-5437, childrenmuseum.org. Also Sun., Jan. 23. FREE Forecasting Dial Craft. LakeshoreLearning Store, 230 Needham St., Newton. 11 a.m – 3 p.m. What’s the weather? Sun, clouds, snow or rain? Kids predict all kinds of weather with a cute forecasting dial they design themselves

at this science fair! Craft activities for kids ages 3 and up. 617-969-0885, lakeshorelearning.com. Shrewsbury Montessori Open House. At both the Shrewsbury and Auburn locations. 1 – 3 p.m. For children ages 3 through grade 6. Snow Date: Jan. 23. shrewsburymontessori.org. Native American Winter Traditions. Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge. 9:30 a.m – 4 p.m. Explore Native American winter traditions including snowshoeing,

storytelling and winter fashions. Stop by the millpond to witness a traditional ice harvest and see the long lost art of ice cutting. A $20, C 3-17 $7. 800-SEE-1830, osv.org. Snowshoeing for Families. Mass Audubon: Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Ave., Worcester. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Learn how to use snowshoes and practice in the field before heading out onto the trails. Look for signs of wildlife as you enjoy the beauty of the sanctuary in winter! If Mother

From Earthquakes to Volcanoes. Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge. 2 p.m. New England has a surprising amount of active seismic activity and a geologic landscape full of volcanic remains. Join Jack Loveless, post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences at Harvard, to learn how these spectacular natural events. Free with museum admission. A$9, Sr.$7, C$6. 617-495-3045. hmnh.harvard.edu. Cambridge Symphony Orchestra Family Concert. Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, 3 Union Terrace, Cambridge. 3 p.m. Peter and the Wolf by Serge Prokofiev. Concerto No. 3 by Camille Saint-Saens. After the concert enjoy the annual petting zoo of the instruments! A $10 (advance), $15 (door), C (3-12) $5 (all times). 617-5761819, cambridgesymphony.org. Playing with Pop-Up Art: Robert Sabuda’s Winter’s Tale. Peabody Essex Museum,161 Essex St., Salem. 2 – 3 p.m. Enjoy an eye-puzzling journey through David A. Carter’s One Red Dot, in the Eye Spy, Playing with Perception exhibition. Then, delve into Robert Sabuda’s amazing pop-up Winter’s Tale as inspiration for creating your own series of pop-up animals! A $15, C (16 and under) and Salem residents admitted free. 978-745-9500, pem.org. Wingmasters Presents: North American Birds of Prey. Mass Audubon Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, 87 Perkins Row, Topsfield. 1 - 2:30 p.m. Come see live birds

L L O N R OW N E

Est 1974

So much more than piano lessons! Our complete MUSIC program (ages 4 1/2 to 8) includes: Piano Singing Harmony Rhythm

Worcester

Guitar Note Reading Ear Training Composition

Recorder Ensemble Playing Music Theory Percussion

Westborough

Making Musi Last a LIFETIME! 508-898-3888 18 JANUARY2011

childrensmusicacademy.org

OH,THEPLACESYOU’LLGO of prey up close in this presentation that will introduce you to the different types of eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls. A $12, C $10. 978-887-9264, massaudubon.org/ipswichriver. FREE Sowing the Seeds of Liberty: Lexington and the American Revolution. 33 Marret Rd., Lexington. Mon. - Sat.,10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, Noon-5 p.m. A new cornerstone exhibition on the historic battle of April 19, 1776. Through a highly engaging mix of objects, documents, images, re-creations of historic environments, and interactive elements, people of all ages are able to learn about the roots of the American Revolution for years to come. 781-861-6559, nationalhertiagemuseum.org.

26WEDNESDAY Skating on Frog Pond. Boston Common, 84 Beacon St., Boston. Days/hours: Mon. 10 a.m – 4 p.m, Tues. - Fri. and Sun. 10 a.m – 9 p.m, Sat. 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. A hopping spot for ice-skating! It also offers skate rentals and hot cocoa at the Pond Cottage. A (14 and up) $4. Skate rentals: A $8, C $5. 617-635-2121, bostonfrogpond.com. Indoor Playtime for Ages 1 – Preteens. Gymnastics Academy of Boston, Cambridge. 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Mon. - Fri. Running trampoline, tumbling mats, obstacle course, balance beam, separate toddler area with ball pit. $10NM. Confirm playtime: gymnasticacademy.com.

24MONDAY Open Craft Night. Crafts,Crafters & Creations, 507 Electric Ave., Fitchburg. 6 – 8:30 p.m. Experiment with new ideas, tools and more. Bring your current project or create something new! Munchies are provided as well as workspace a materials. Extra items are available for purchase. Cost is $10 and includes basic projects. 978-4007555, craftscrafterscreations.com.

25TUESDAY Children’s Music Hour. Finagle a Bagel, Chestnut Hill. See Jan. 11 listing for details. Infant and Toddler Indoor Playspace. Tot Plex, 5 Carver Circle, Canton. 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. $8per child. Call to confirm: 781-821-0304 x 34, totplex.com. FREE Story Hour and Craft. Cornerstone Academy, 5 Oak Ave., Northboro. 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Grades 3.9 to 4.9 years old. Call 508-351-9976 to reserve your spot cornerstoneacademy.org.

27THURSDAY FREE 18th Annual Summer Camp Fair. The Merriam School PTO, Parker Damon Building, 11 Charter Rd., Acton. 5 – 8 p.m. Choose from over 90 Camps for grade school through high school. Free Kid Sitting (K-6). merriampto.org. Snow Date: Jan. 28. Sesame Street Live “Elmo’s Green Thumb.� Lowell Memorial Auditorium 50 East Merrimack St., Lowell. Jan. 27 – 30. $10-$51. 978-454-2299, lowellauditorium.com. Flora in Winter 2011 Art Exhibit. Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester. Thurs., Jan. 27 – Sun, Jan. 30. Skilled artisans from across New England create clever, provocative interpretations of works from the Museum’s collection. Held in collaboration with Tower Hill Botanic Garden. $20pp or $25 to include Flora Euphoria. C (17 and under) free. 508-799-4406, worcesterart.org.

28FRIDAY Grand Opening: Dream Green Exhibit. The Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 1 – 4 p.m. Be among the

first to explore the museums’ brand-new exhibit where you can explore green design, energy conservation and thermal energy transfer. A/C $10.50. 978-264-4200, discoverymuseums.org. The Secret Garden. Wheelock Family Theatre, 200 The Riverway, Boston. 7:30 p.m. A cherished story that has enchanted generations of readers, “The Secret Garden� will take to the stage with musical flair. A $20-30. C $15. 617879-2300, wheelockfamilytheatre.org. Also Jan. 29 and 30. FREE Birth Circle. Mothers and Company, West Boylston. 7 – 9 p.m. Most women don’t get an opportunity to really talk about their birth experiences, share their emotions or process what happened...come ready to listen, laugh, cry and learn. Whether your story is one of joy or one of frustration, come share your story with other compassionate mothers, mothers-to-be and future mothers. All ages welcome. Light snacks and refreshments included. FREE but online RSVPs are strongly recommended. mothersandcompany.com. MA International Auto Show. DCU Center, Worcester. Jan. 28 – 30. A$6, C under 12 free with adult admission. 508-836-2222, worcestershows.com. Flora in Winter 2011Art Exhibit. Worcester Art Museum, Worcester. See Jan. 27 listing for details. The Secret Garden. Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston. 3 p.m. See Jan. 28th listing for more details.

29SATURDAY Davey the Clown. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. This physical comedian, juggler, unicyclist and accordionist brings his show filled with juggling, amazing magic, incredible unicycling (on a 6-foot unicycle!), wacky antics, balloon sculpture, audience participation, and a rubber chicken! Plus accordion music, and a parade with volunteers from the audience! Recommended for ages 2+. A $9.75, C $7.75. 617-7342500, coolidge.org/kids.

FREE Winter Igloo Craft. LakeshoreLearning Store, 230 Needham St., Newton. 11 a.m – 3 p.m. A fun-to-make igloo that sparkles like snow—complete with a penguin to call it home! Craft activities for kids ages 3 and up. 617969-0885, lakeshorelearning.com. FREE Open House Montessori Preschool & Kindergarten. Sunrise Montessori School, 31 Hayward St., Franklin. 11 a.m – 1 p.m. . Meet the teachers, explore the classrooms and learn more about programs. 508-5418010, MySunriseMontessori.com. Fire and Ice. Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge. 9:30 a.m – 4 p.m. Embrace the joys of an old fashioned winter with a “Fire and Ice� celebration, complete with ice skating, sledding on vintage 1830s sleds, and horse-drawn sleigh rides. Visitors can watch the Mill Pond ice harvested with vintage ice-cutting tools and learn how early New Englanders cut blocks of ice and shipped them around the world before the invention of electrical refrigeration. Afterwards, guests can warm up with hot cider, stories, songs and fireside tales at the Bullard Tavern. A $20, C 3-17 $7. 800-733-1830, osv.org. Also Jan. 30. Groundhog Day Celebration. Mass Audubon Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, 87 Perkins Row, Topsfield. 1 – 2:30 p.m. Join sanctuary naturalists for a fun educational program as we take a closer look into this annual event. Will we have six more weeks of winter? A $9, C $7. 978887-9264, massaudubon.org/ipswichriver. Family Fun at Flora in Winter 2011 Art Exhibit. Worcester Art Museum, Worcester. See Jan. 27 listing for details about the exhibit. This day includes music and puppets with Mr. Kim Webster from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Then hear the Shrewsbury High School Women’s Choir, 4 p.m. worcesterart.org. Animal Tracks Detective. Mass Audubon: Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, Worcester. Drop in anytime from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Take a guided hike and look for signs of animals in the mud or snow. Enjoy making a plaster animal track, play a tracking game, or enjoy sketching or coloring a picture, or hearing a

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Mass Audubon members receive free admission, discounts on programs and 10% discounts in our gift shop. Join today! Check us out at www.massaudubon.org BAYSTATEPARENT 19

OH,THEPLACESYOU’LLGO story about tracking. Be prepared to go outside. A$4, C$5 NM. Family Max: $20 NM. Register: 508-753-6087. The Secret Garden. Wheelock Family Theatre, Boston. See Jan. 28th listing for more details. A $20-30. C $15. 617-879-2300, wheelockfamilytheatre.org.

30SUNDAY Green Eggs and Ham Discovery Concert. Thayer Academy’s Center for the Arts, 745 Washington St., Braintree. 3 p.m. The Atlantic Symphony Orchestra presents a Discovery Concert for audiences of all ages. ‘Green Eggs and Ham,’ Dr. Seuss’s timeless rhyme, is translated into music. This fun narrated piece composed by Robert Kapilow in 1995 is a great way to help children discover the full symphony orchestra. Meet the musicians and hear their instruments up close during a post-concert Instrument Showcase, filled with music-centered activities. A $20, C $10. 781-331-3600, thayer.org. Winter Wonders Walk. New England Wild Flower Society. Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Rd., Framingham. 1:30-3:30 p.m. See a puppet show about winter survival. Make a “track-finder.” Walk through the wintry woods. Enjoy hot drinks and a winter craft activity. Hike and look for signs of winder residents and their activities. Learn how foxes, rabbits, squirrels, turtles, frogs, trees, and wildflowers survive the long snowy months of winter. $11NM. 508-877-7630, x 3303, newenglandwild. org/learn. Origami Flowers for Kids of All Ages. As part of the Worcester Art Museum’s Flora in Winter 2011Art Exhibit. Worcester. See Jan. 27 listing for details on the exhibit. Origami is from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Join Origami experts (and brothers) Dennis and Dave Brannon and learn the fine art of Origami. Create your own flowers and take a piece of Flora in Winter home with you! worcesterart.org.

31MONDAY Open Play for Infants – Age 9. Playtown Express, 25 South St., Hopkinton. 9:30 – 2:30 p.m. Open every day but Sunday (T, W, F, S: 9:30 to 4:30; Thursdays open until 6 p.m.) Inflatables (including toddler area), large climbing structure, five themed playhouses with toys, matted infant area, mini roller coaster. $10 per child (adults free with child). playtownexpress.com.

Submit an Event For best results, fill out our form at baystateparent.com. Keep in mind, our deadline for February is Wednesday, January 5 at 6 p.m. E-mail calendar@baystateparent.com.

It’s FREE. visit us at

www .bay state parent .com 20 JANUARY2011

jump LET’S ROLL

AROUND!

EVERYONE FROM TOTS TO TEENS (EVEN MOMS AND DADS!) CAN BOUNCE IT UP AT THE REGION’S FIRST AND ONLY INDOOR TRAMPOLINE PARK. BY

j

kim foley mackinnon

umping on a trampoline is often seen by parents as an activity about as safe as playing in the street---sometimes it is okay-- but it’s better to avoid it if at all possible. It just seems like a broken ankle waiting to happen. But a new attraction in Hyde Park could change a lot of minds. Sky Zone, the region’s first and only indoor trampoline park, offers 10,000 square feet of walled trampoline courts to safely jump on to your heart’s content. Imagine if you can, several trampolines stitched together in a giant rectangle, with three sides (or walls) also made of trampolines, and you come close to what one section of Sky Zone looks like. Another trampoline court has high net walls, where 3D dodge ball is played. A third small court is just for toddlers under the age of 4. Sky Zone, which is actually part of a franchise, opened the day after Thanksgiving, and even with no advertising, the place was packed. The franchise owner’s name, Stella Downie, may sound familiar to some. She founded Stellabella Toys in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Clearly this is a woman who seeks out the fun in her work. Downie says she was casting about for a new business when she stumbled across the Sky Zone Web site on-line. Originated in Las Vegas in 2004, the concept immediately struck a chord with Downie, who was looking for a business involving “play.” To return to the safety issue, here is how the park works. Entry is timed by the half-hour to keep the numbers of jumpers limited. A 30-minute pass is $8; 60 minutes is $12; 90 minutes is $16; and two hours is $18. (Frankly, I’d love to see who could keep jumping for two hours. After 30 minutes, the kids in

my group who visited were red in the face, sweating and begging for water, yet still a bit reluctant to leave.) Your pass is a sticker that you wear on your shirt. Patrons are issued special sneakers to jump in and then directed to a holding area to wait where a safely talk is given. All of the courts are supervised by “referees,” who watch jumpers closely and are not afraid to use their whistles or call people over for a chat on rules. On the bigger court, the trampoline is sectioned into squares. You can jump from square to square, but two people are not allowed in one square at one time. And, yes, you can literally bounce off three of the walls, which was the source of much hilarity in my group. And certainly don’t assume the trampoline is just for kids. Several adults were bouncing around and giggling. There is a fitness class offered called “SkyRobics,” where you can supposedly burn up to 1,000 calories per hour. It combines advanced calisthenics, core exercises and strength-building aerobics. If the adults in my group were any indication, the calorie-burning effects must be true. After about 10 minutes of jumping, they were feeling the burn. There is also a SkyRobics class for kids. Even teens, who may think they are too cool for this activity, might rethink that when they discover an evening is targeted just for them. SkyJam, every Saturday night from 10 p.m. to midnight, is only for teens age 16 and up. A 90-minute jump session, plus pizza and sodas, costs just $15. Private birthday parties and corporate events can also be booked. Since Sky Zone is in an industrial area, there is not much else in the immediate area to visit, at least not on foot. If you are looking for somewhere to dine, Townsend’s (81 Fairmont Avenue), a

somewhat upscale Irish pub, is a great option and less than 10 minutes away by car. If the family needs something to cool off with after all that jumping around, Ron’s Gourmet Ice Cream and 20th Century Bowling (1231 Hyde Park Avenue), also less than 10 minutes away, offers delicious homemade flavors. Just be prepared for the kids to try to coax you into a game of candlepin bowling too. Sky Zone, 91 Sprague St., Hyde Park. Located in an industrial area, the 20,000-foot facility has plenty of parking. Make sure to call or visit the Web site for hours, which vary. For more information, call 857-345-9693; boston. skyzonesports.com. Kim Foley MacKinnon is a Boston-based journalist and travel writer. Her most recent book Boston Baby: A Field Guide for Urban Parents came out in 2010. MacKinnon also is the founder of The Savvy Factory (thesavvyfactory.com), a Web site about kids, food and travel.

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SKY ZONE! Go to baystateparent.com.

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Get your Physically Disabled Child in the Game Wachusett Mountain Adaptive

TREK (Therapeutic Recreation Empowering Kids)

Princeton, MA Contact: Ric Patrick, Director Call for info & directions Phone Number: 978-464-2300, x 3308 E-mail address: wachusett@abilityplus.org Ski School program runs with instructors who have been through the intensive Instructor Training Course, with a specialization in adaptive. The program operates when the mountain is open, 7 days a week from Thanksgiving until season end. Call for reservations.

Durham, NH Contact: Matt Frye Phone Number: 603-862-0070 E-mail address: matt.frye@unh.edu Designed to work with parents, students, administrators, physical education, special education or classroom teachers, as well as other related service providers, to ensure equal opportunity for students with physical and developmental disabilities.

Nashoba Valley Adaptive Snowsports

Kartwheels Boston Sports Club at Healthpoint

Westford, MA Contact: Al Bevington, Director Phone Number: 978-692-3033 E-mail address: nashoba@abilityplus.org Learning Center program running weekends during the ski season. Call for reservations

Kids in Disability Sports, Inc.

kidsindisabilitysports.com Lowell, MA Phone number: 866-712-7799 Offers a variety of sports, social and recreational activities for children of all ages with all types of disabilities, including baseball, basketball, bowling, floor hockey, golf, gymnastics, karate, kickball, soccer, swimming, track & field, wiffle ball, dances, outings, awards banquet

Waltham, MA YMCA Oak Square Brighton, MA kartwheels.org Offers a safe and fun opportunity for a diverse population of children and young adolescents to benefit from the therapeutic effect of gym and pool recreation.

AccesSportAmerica

accesssportamerica.org Acton, MA Contact: Betty Miller Phone: 978-264-0985 E-mail: betty@accessportamerica.org Creates a community where differences are diminished, blurred and often erased.

The baystateparent Facebook Page is a place for moms to win free tickets and merchandise, find out about upcoming events, discuss news, share resources get advice and support and much more!

e W ed ers in ne nte ate es! u icip udi l vo art st h p to earc s re

Please help us

find better treatments for

Depending on the study, participants must be:

children and adolescents who may have experienced mood swings or are diagnosed with or suspected to have

• 6-17 years old • physically healthy • have an IQ of 70 or above • be willing to have a brain scan and for some Interested to learn more? studies, provide blood samples Call CANDI Research Line • be typically developing 508.856.5896 or OR exhibit mood swings ChildResearch@umassmed.edu or bipolar symptoms

Bipolar Disorder

CANDI, the Child & Adolescent NeuroDevelopment Initiative, research program is at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. UMMS IRB Docket #13692; #13715; #13821; #13058 BAYSTATEPARENT 21

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Applied Behavior Analysis

ABA 3URJUDP Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) Are you interested in a rewarding career helping children with autism and other developmental disabilities? If so, Becker College’s Center for Accelerated Studies offers the coursework and supervision to prepare you to sit for the Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) exam.

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JUNK D R AW E R S

A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT FUN FELT:

SCIENCE ON THE GO: Tell your school’s PTA about The Discovery Museums Traveling Science Workshops, a MA state curriculum-based program sponsored by MathWorks of Natick that brings hands-on science into K-8 classrooms throughout New England. Find out more discoverymuseums.org.

Q&A

Frustrated by the amount of toys being recalled due to levels of lead and harmful chemicals, Worcester mom Jocelyn Paquette decided to launch her own toys. The Little LOVE Bug offers a sweet collection of felt play food. Soft, strong and safe, choose from fuzzy cups of coffee and pizza to carrots and ice cream cones. Jocelyn’s felt hair clips in owl, puppy paw, penguin and more designs are also super cute! Stop by thelittlelovebug.etsy. com/ or zibbet.com/thelittleLOVEbug.

HOMELESS STUDENTS:

Didn’t get to help a child in need over the holidays? Start the new year with a resolution to help one of the 100,000 children impacted by homelessness in Massachusetts (half of whom are enrolled in our public schools). Cheryl Opper of Easton, Massachusetts founded School on Wheels of Massachusetts (SOWMA) in 2004 and works to help the homeless student in 13 sites from Peabody to Middleboro. From tutoring to school supply drives, every age can help. Find out how at schoolonwheelsofmass.org.

Starting to look for ways to get your child ready for kindergarten? Take a family field trip to the Boston Children’s Museum’s Countdown to Kindergarten! exhibit. Their new 1,500 square foot model classroom invites children to take part in a typical kindergarten experience. This exhibit is permanent so it should be there when your family needs it: BostonChildrensMuseum.org.

THE TRENDY TOT: Super-talented Duxbury mom Jen Dimler makes handcrafted fashion-forward clothing for toddlers and preschoolers up to size 6 that you just have to see! Dresses are her specialty in bold graphics and prints. A must visit: thetrendytot.com and thetrendytot.etsy.com.

Junkdrawers strives to highlight the products, people and places of Massachusetts. Have an idea? E-mail editor@baystateparent.com.

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smartstarts TAKEGOODCARE

Are your KIDS EATING HEALTHY at School?

L

earning how to eat healthy is an important part of a child’s education. So important that Chef Kirk Conrad, who used to work in the fine dining restaurants of Boston, dons his white chef hat, jacket and checked pants to serve a healthier version of school lunch to the students in three Boston schools as well as Salem and Lawrence high schools. Entrees include whole-grain pizza with fresh salad, vegetable soup, fresh spaghetti sauce with multi-grain pasta, fresh roasted turkey roll-ups and grilled chicken quesadillas with brown rice and beans. Chef Kirk has worked to change the food culture and eating habits of elementary, middle and high school students in the City of Boston for the last several years as part of Project Bread’s Chefs in Schools program. He does this by training kitchen staffs to create kid-tested and approved healthy food. At Chef Kirk’s schools, participation in the school lunch program increased by 17%, vegetable consumption went up over 30% and plate waste was reduced significantly. While we all can’t have a Chef Kirk in our school cafeteria, here are some of his tips for parents who want their kids to eat a healthy lunch at school.

butter, or even a no-trans-fat sunflowerseed spread with a no-sugar fruit preserve. Put this on a healthier bread, like whole wheat. Then add fruit and cold skim milk.

Q: My son only wants peanut butter and marshmallow spread on white bread. How can I make this healthier?

A: I’ve had the exact same experience as this, so I sat down with my daughters and said, ‘This is what I want you to eat first and this is what I want you to eat second and here is why: I love you and I want

A: You can include a form of peanut

Q: Should I hold marshmallow spread?

out

courtesy of project bread

What Boston’s Chef Kirk is doing to make schools healthier

against

A: That’s something you and your child have to agree on: marshmallow spread is nothing but sugar so if you can come up with a low-sugar jelly or fruit preserve that would definitely provide him with a healthier sandwich. Q: What about bologna? A: They do have a turkey bologna and low-fat bologna, but this meat tends to be high in fat and sodium. Educate your child about the healthier options such as low-fat, low-sodium deli meats. There are versions of low-sodium turkey and ham and lighter fat cheeses available. Look for nitrate-free items as well. When you have leftover oven roasted chicken or turkey at home, use that. Q: My child brings home her sandwich with only one bite taken out of it. Should I worry?

the most nutritious food in your body so you can grow and be better learners. If you do not eat this first, then there will be no extra treats — that is, there will be just this sandwich in the lunchbox from now on.’ I have to rely upon them to tell me the truth; it’s part of our working together.

What we’re dealing with now in the school systems are kids who are pre-hypertensive. This is a particularly important question because a lot of the processed foods have hidden salts, especially in kids’ foods. Read the labels and avoid processed food.

Q: Juice used to be considered really healthy; what’s wrong with it?

A: My personal opinion, as a father, is that a little bit in moderation is fine. I think that if you’re looking at daily consumption of flavored milk instead of 1% white milk at lunch and breakfast that’s when your child is not getting the right nutrients. All flavored milks have too much sugar and full-fat chocolate milk has too much fat.

A: You have to be careful with it because it can be incredibly high in sugar. I’ll give you a quick example, one of the schools I’m working in outlawed soft drinks. You can’t get a cola or lemon-lime soda, but the juice in the 100% juice box has double the sugar of soda! Q: Should I worry about salt?

Q: So chocolate milk is fine as an occasional treat, once or twice a week?

A: This is a very important question.

A: Absolutely. But, and it’s the same for

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smartstarts fruit juices, when it becomes a substitute for water or white milk, that’s when it becomes a problem. Q: What’s your thinking on sports drinks and/or high energy bars? A: I went to this nutrition class and the instructor brought out a container and a bag of sugar. She scooped out the number of tablespoons of sugar that was equivalent to the amount of sugar in a typical sports drink and it was 16, 18, 20 tablespoons of sugar! Sports drinks have their places if you’re a football player or a swimmer and need the carbohydrates or electrolytes for long practices. But for a kid in the school system eating lunch and washing it down with a sports drink, it’s not what’s best. Q: The same thing for high energy bars? A: Yes, absolutely. They’re really high in calories, sugar and fat. Q. How can parents make changes in their child’s school cafeteria? A. Unfortunately, it does cost more to serve fresh better foods. The key is to have professional food service people with the proper training in charge. It doesn’t have to be a restaurant chef but someone who knows how to use the foods available and work with what they have by adding herbs and spices and mixing in fresh ingredients with the canned. It has to be someone who knows how to make healthy versions of the meals children like to eat.

For the past seven years, Project Bread, the state’s leading anti-hunger organization, has worked to improve the food that low-income children receive in school because schools provide up to two-thirds of a hungry child’s daily calories. For more information, visit projectbread.org. The information in this article is courtesy of Project Bread and edited by baystateparent.

Chef Kirk Conrad of West Roxbury is spearheading school lunch reform in Massachusetts, driven to show children what good food tastes like by teaching school staff new cooking techniques. As a father of two young girls, age 7 and 8, Chef Kirk says,“My kids keep me very real about what boundaries I can push in the schools.”

OPEN HOUSES North Central Charter Essential School January 9 from 10am – 12pm, January 19 from 3:30pm – 5pm 1 Oak Hill Road, Fitchburg, MA 01420 978-345-2701 • www.ncces.org Shrewsbury Montessori School 55 Oak Street, Shrewsbury, MA 01545 508-842-2116 and Montessori Children's House of Auburn 135 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Auburn, MA 01501 508-832-9262 January 22 from 1pm – 3pm Contact Elizabeth Leandres 508-842-2116 www.shrewsburymontessori.org

Venerini Academy January 30 at 1pm (snow date February 1 at 7pm) 27 Edward Street, Worcester, MA 01605 Contact Paul M. Jourcin 508-753-3210 www.veneriniacademy.us St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School January 30 from 1pm – 3pm, February 3 from 10am – 1pm 266 Main Street, Northborough, MA 01532 Contact Mrs. Deborah O'Neil, Principal 508-351-9905 • www.stb-school.org Bancroft School January 13 at 7pm 110 Shore Drive, Worcester, MA 01605 Contact Debbie Lamir 508-854-9227 www.bancroftschool.org/winteropenhouse

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Pre-K IEP MCAS

You’ve heard terms like these used in the context of your child’s education, but do you really know what they mean? baystateparent encourages you to take a few moments to verse yourself in public school literacy by reviewing some common terms used in education today. You may find something helpful that you didn’t think you needed to know!

NAEYC

SMARTSTARTS

t e b a h alp

P U SO

Is your child’s preschool accredited, that is, in compliance with national standards? The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a nonprofit organization of early childhood professionals and others who are dedicated to improving the quality of early childhood education. A major part of NAEYC’s efforts is to review and study early childhood education programs to see if they are meeting national standards of quality. naeyc.org

Pre-K Preschool programs for children ages 3 to 5 are sometimes referred to as pre-K as they describe school before kindergarten. However, a traditional pre-K program is designed for 4-year-old children who are ready for academic and skill-building beyond a typical preschool program, which tends to focus on socializing and play, or for the 5-year-old who misses the kindergarten cut-off date for his/her school. Pre-K, as well as preschool, are not requirements for kindergarten.

The Montessori Preschool

This type of preschool embraces the Montessori Method, a child-centered teaching method characterized by things such as intimate peer, staff and parental involvement; one-on-one learning; a focus on the student’s interests; multiage classrooms; spontaneous activity; a family setting; freedom within limits and

environmental stewardship. This may differ from a traditional preschool which focuses on a more structured curriculum set and guided by the teacher instead of the child as well as other differences.

Kindergarten Screening

Attending kindergarten is not mandatory in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts but children are encouraged to complete a kindergarten program before entering first grade. If your child does attend kindergarten, he will need to be screened at the school he will attend for pre-academics, speech and language development, pre-literacy and vision and hearing. This screening is in compliance with Massachusetts’ Child Find requirements to assist in identifying children who should be evaluated for special education services. That said, kindergarten screening is used only as a tool to provide local schools with information concerning any special learning needs a child might have before entering school.

NCLB

Signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is a federal education law which impacts kindergarten through high school. It mandates annual student testing (called the MCAS in Massachusetts), includes guidelines for under performing schools and requires states to train all teachers and assistants to be “highly qualified” through education and teacher testing. The goal is for every student in public school to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Critics of the law say that it forces teachers to teach to the test and does not account for the many variables that affect a child’s learning process.

Title 1

Title I is a federal program that provides funds to improve the academic achievement for educationally disadvantaged students who score below the 50th percentile on standardized tests.

Inclusion Placing students with disabilities in regular classrooms is known as inclusion. It is also known as mainstreaming.

CORI

Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) is basically a background

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check into any convictions or pending criminal cases that a person may have in a state or federal court in Massachusetts only. All schools must conduct criminal background checks on current and prospective employees and volunteers, including those who regularly provide school-related transportation to students, who may have direct and unmonitored contact with children. This includes subcontractors or laborers commissioned to work on school grounds. CORIs must be renewed every three years.

Team Meeting

A Team meeting is called to develop an individualized education program (IEP) for a child with special needs. Gina Gallager and Patricia Konjoian, local authors of “Shut Up about your Perfect Kid: A Survival Giude for Ordinary Parents of Special Children,” write that parents, teachers and special education teachers make up the Team as well as a representative of the district knowledgeable about the district resources and qualified to supervise the provision of special education services, individuals who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results, and -at the discretion of the parents - any other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child.

IEP

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written special education plan for your child. It is developed at a Team meeting with parents, teachers and staff. This formal agreement, a contract between you and the school, lists the instructional modifications (tutors, study guides, graphic organizers) as well as environmental accommodations (such as seating, position, changes in space) that the student requiring special education services may need.

MCAS

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is the state’s student testing program, used to hold schools and districts accountable, on a yearly basis, for the progress they have made toward the objective of the No Child Left Behind Law that all students be proficient in Reading and Mathematics by 2014. All students in Massachusetts receiving an education at public expense must participate in state assessment. As required by the Education Reform Law, students must pass the grade 10 tests in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics as one condition of

eligibility for a high school diploma (in addition to fulfilling local requirements). Massachusetts students in public schools, including charter schools, who are in grades 3 through 8 must take MCAS tests in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics every year and once in high school, plus science in elementary, middle, and high school. High schools students in grades 11 and 12 who have not yet passed the grade 10 MCAS tests in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics will take retests. Students with disabilities and student who are English language learners must also participate in MCAS, although different rules may apply.

Magnet School A public school focused on a specialized area of learning, such as science, mathematics, art or computer science. It is designed to recruit students from other parts of the school district.

504 Plan

A 504 Plan helps a child with special health care needs, physical or mental, to fully participate in school. Usually, a 504 Plan is used by a general education student who is not eligible for special education services. A 504 Plan lists accommodations related to the child’s disability and required by the child so that he or she may participate in the general classroom setting and educational programs. For example, a 504 Plan may include: • Plans to make a school wheelchairaccessible • Your child’s assistive technology needs during the school day • Permission for your child to type assignments instead of writing them by hand • Permission for your child to hand in assignments late due to illness or a hospital stay

School Choice

According to The Massachusetts Department of Education, most children in Massachusetts attend school in their home district, the school district in which they live. However, in certain situations, parents may choose to enroll children in public schools outside of their home district. Choice allows parents to enroll their children in any public school within the district or outside of the district. It could also provide tax credits that can be applied toward tuition in private schools. While all districts are required to allow

students to leave their home districts, not all districts accept School Choice students. Districts who accept school choice students receive $5000 per student plus the cost of special education services, which are paid at the state’s standard rate. Any additional costs of educating the school choice student are borne by the receiving district. Visit doe.mass.edu and click school district profiles to see which school districts are accepting choice students.

Charter Schools

income and asset information for both parents and the student, and provides some protection allowances to account for your family’s basic living and other expenses. For more information, visit MEFA at mefa.org. Sources include: • baystateparent archives • Massachusetts Department of Education • The United States Department of Education • Parents Place Massachusetts PIRC: pplace.org.

Charter schools are public schools chartered by the Mass. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and funded with tax dollars. They are governed by an appointed board of trustees, not a publicly elected school committee, and report to the DESE. A charter is granted for five years at a time; schools that fail to achieve satisfactory test results or are poorly managed are at risk of losing their charter. Any students in the state can apply for admission to a charter school. Generally, transportation is provided to charter school students only if they live in the school district in which the charter school is located. If your child lives in a school district outside of the one in which the charter school is located, you are responsible for getting your child to and from the charter school.

Curriculum Frameworks

Massachusetts teachers must follow learning standards called “Curriculum Frameworks.” To view the state’s frameworks for your child’s grade, visit doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html.

NEASC

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) provides accreditation services for more than 2,000 public and private schools in New Englands’s six states, Pre-K through college. The accreditation team oversees a school’s self-reflection and peer review as well as monitors the follow-up endeavors of the school’s improvement plan. For more information, visit neasc. org.

FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a federal form required by all colleges and universities for federal and state aid. According to the Massachusetts Educational Financial Authority (MEFA), the FAFSA gathers

OMA EDUCATION GLOSSARY BAYSTATEPARENT 29

SMARTSTARTS

NOW ENROLLING FOR FALL 2011 Theophany School fosters the intellectual, moral, and social development of our students by engaging their minds, nurturing their spirits, and enriching their God-given gifts and talents through the teachings and life of the Holy Orthodox Christian Church.

PROGRAMS. . . Theophany School offers 2-, 3-, and 5-day programs for children ages 2.9 - 6 years, including FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN. Lunch and Afterschool Programs are also available.

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A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL. . . A loving environment, offering a strong educational program steeped in Christian values.

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978-266-2779 www.BlossomStation.com UÊ"«i Ê9i>ÀÊ, Õ `Ê À Ê ÊÊÊÇ\Îä> È\ää« UÊ-iÀÛ }Ê -Ê vÊ v> ÌÃ]Ê ÊÊÊ/ `` iÀÃ]Ê*Ài -V iÀÃ]Ê ÊÊÊ*À Û>Ìi `iÀ}>ÀÌi iÀÃ]Ê ÊÊÊ iv ÀiÊ&Ê vÌiÀÊ-V Ê-ÌÕ`i ÌÃ EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION. . . Theophany School is EEC certified. All of our teachers hold a bachelor’s degree in education or related field. INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION. . . Our low student/ teacher ratio allows us to offer your child personal attention unmatched in most schools. LOCATION. . . Theophany School is conveniently located off Route 128 in Needham.

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SMARTSTARTS

Where Learning is FUN and School Feels Like Home

Infant Toddler Montessori Preschool Full Day & Part Day/Morning Sessions Arlington 118 Pleasant Street, 781-646-7689 50 Paul Revere Road, 781-643-1722 Belmont 259 Beech Street, 617-489-4240

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BAYSTATEPARENT 31

smartstarts

Eleven-year-old Tara Knoblock makes Origami with her "big sister" Jingjing, a Chinese foreign exchange student living with her family this year. Tara, who was adopted from China when she was a baby, says, " I've learned that in the Chinese culture, family is super important and they value education , maybe even more than we do in America. Jingjing's parents were willing to send her to America so that she can improve her English and then attend college here. That's a big sacrifice. "

FINALLYFOREVER

The WORLD on Your DOORSTEP BY

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leven-year-old Tara Knoblock has heard the story, perhaps more than a hundred times. And yet she hangs on every word and keeps her eyes trained directly on her mom, who still gets a little weepy at times, like it is being told only to her. It’s the tale of how she came to be her mother’s daughter. And while it doesn’t involve a growing belly and morning sickness, the story certainly unfolds with its fair share of labor pains and ends with a trip across the world to finally hold the baby, affectionately called “FeiFei” by her caretakers at the orphanage in China. Maureen Tallon and her husband Ken Knoblock had been dreaming of this since the long-awaited phone call when the social worker announced, “You have a daughter.” “That whole time of my life was a blur,” Maureen says from her North Grafton home, where pictures of that baby – who is growing way too fast into a stunning and smart young lady –hang on every wall and her lively spirit fills every room she enters. “It was just so emotionally charged.” Even Jingjing Shen has already heard the story more than a handful of times, and she has only been living in the 32 JANUARY2011

amanda roberge, steven king photography

Knoblock’s North Grafton home since September, when she arrived as part of a 10-month long international program to study in the United States. It’s all part of the Knoblock family lore and its richness has woven itself into the very fabric of their lives. And while Jingjing loves to hear the story, what she might not realize is that her very presence is the final chapter, yet another dream that Tallon and Knoblock held in their hearts for almost a decade, knowing that in order to pay complete respect to their adopted daughter’s culture, they would always have to be striving to learn more about it. “When you adopt a child from another country, in a lot of ways you have to be prepared to embrace their culture,” Maureen says. “We were always looking forward to having a student here so we could have the experience of that cultural exchange.” For many people, true cultural understanding comes from complete immersion. And while Maureen and Ken have every intention of bringing Tara back to China at some point in her life, they haven’t figured out the logistics of that trip just yet. Their two-week stay there 10 years ago, while beautiful for the food and theatre and traveling they were

able to experience, had a much greater purpose beyond learning the culture. They were there to bring Tara home. But through NACEL Open Door, a Minnesota-based organization that strives to connect exchange students with host families, the couple has been able to come one step closer to that dream of understanding Tara’s culture. “You can read about it in books; you can learn about it in school,” she says, “But you can’t really know it without being there. Having Jingjing here with us is the next best thing.” Jingjing, a beautiful and well-spoken 17year old who hails from the huge, busy city of Shanghai, seems right at home at the Knoblocks’ house. She attends Holy Name High School in Worcester and is currently spending her second year in the United States, having spent her previous school year with a family in Minnesota. This year, with the Knoblocks, she is continuing to receive a top-notch education while exploring a culture very different from her own. “One thing I love about the United States is that it’s a country full of freedoms,” she says with a maturity so pure it’s almost shocking. She explains that when she was home for the summer in China between her studies in Minnesota and Massachusetts,

she was unable to use Facebook to keep in touch with her newfound American friends – the Chinese government blocks the use of many such Web sites. Aside from the freedoms that Jingjing enjoys here – like choosing which subjects she would like to study and focus on – she also understands that her parents in China have expressed their love for her by giving her the freedom to explore this kind of opportunity. “My education brings me better choices to succeed in life,” she says with all the wisdom of a sage. According to Lyn Gordon, International Private School Program Local Coordinator at NACEL, the high school students arrive at the home of their host family with a specialized Visa that will follow them through their higher education in America, so a majority of the students are already planning to attend college here. Getting to know the culture in the safety and comfort of their hosts’ home is a great start to their life in the states. “The student benefits greatly in learning how to share their lives, especially for the Chinese students who are all only children at this point,” Gordon says of the learning process that is part of any student’s life in America. “They are not used to sharing space, and things and just

Amanda Roberge is a freelance writer living in Leominster with her family.

CHILD

learning that the hosts have other family members to consider before they can agree to a request can be tough to process at first.� According to Gordon, it is quite common for adoptive families to undertake this commitment of hosting a student from their child’s culture and it has proven to be a successful experience time and time again. “[Maureen and Ken] care about her happiness and success as much as or even more than as if she were their own, because they know her family has made this leap to send her here,� Gordon says. Already, with only a couple months of the school year having passed, Jingjing and Tara could easily be mistaken for sisters, with their familiar body language and easy rapport. According to Gordon, it is quite common for adoptive families to undertake this commitment of hosting a student from their child’s culture and it has proven to be a successful experience time and time again. “We’ve had the most fascinating conversations with Jingjing,� Maureen beams with a humble adoration for her house guest. “And before getting to know her, there were so many things we didn’t really understand.� Indeed, for many years, the prevailing trend in international adoption was to erase all of the baby’s culture so the child could acclimate to life in their new land. But there was a flaw in that design, no matter how honest the intentions. “There was at one time this idea that we should all be color blind,� Maureen says. “But those kids grew up to feel slightly disconnected, like they didn’t have a place to belong.� Furthermore, she says, it’s not realistic to expect children to not notice each others’ differences. Her first introduction to this fact came during Tara’s first year at preschool, when another child commented on her almond-shaped eyes. “It was our first real run-in with race issues,� Maureen says. “She was not even 3 years old.� Instead of denying Tara her heritage, Maureen and Ken work hard to embrace it and they drink information in like cool water. “There is so much we’ve wanted to learn about China,� Maureen says. “We are constantly looking to learn more about the culture, and it’s been such a big help to Jingjing here.�

JANUARY’S

smartstarts

Jordan Jordan will turn 13 this month and really wants to be adopted. He told his social worker “Don’t try to find the perfect parents; I’ll take anyone.� He’s legally free for adoption and has been waiting a while for either a single parent or a couple. He feels no one would want him and, consequently, suffers from very low

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS HIGHLIGHTS OF JANUARY’S ADOPTION-RELATED EVENTS MAPP (Massachusetts Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) Training: A required 8-session (24 hour) course to foster or adopt a child from the

TLC Christian Preschool

self-esteem. Unfortunately he has been in three different foster homes in the past year which has contributed to Jordan’s uncertainty about his future. Jordan is a real sweetheart, very concerned about other people and animals, notes his social worker. He loves dogs! His favorite book is the award -winning The Giver by Lois Lowry. If you read it, it explains a lot about what makes Jordan tick. He likes arts & crafts, board games, action adventure movies and Chinese food. He is currently interested in archeology and dreams of attending Holy Cross one day. Jordan is in 7th grade and receives special education services at a specialized Worcester-area school with small class sizes. With the support of a permanent family, it is believed he can transition to a mainstream classroom. Academically he is on target but sometimes struggles with some behavioral issues which are thought

Department of Children and Families (DCF, formerly the Department of Social Services). This course must be started before the home study begins; it covers the information necessary to make an informed decision about adopting a waiting child, like Jordan featured here, from DCF. MAPP Training at Cambridge Family & Children’s Service: Four consecutive Saturdays: Jan. 22 and 29, Feb. 5 and 12, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Contact: Yael A. Lenkinski, 617-876-4210 X160 or ylenkinski@helpfamilies.org.

to be due to the lack of stability in his life. He has made a great deal of progress emotionally and is remorseful if, at first, he overreacts to a situation. He had a wonderful summer attending different camps and was well-liked at all of them. Jordan has made a lot of gains in his life, overcoming a traumatic past. Two years ago he successfully transitioned from a residential facility to a specialized foster home and really wants to be part of a family. Jordan would like other kids in the home but that’s not necessary. This kid needs a family who can stick with him no matter what. He can’t take another move in his life that isn’t permanent. For more information about Jordan or the adoption process in general, please contact Adoption Supervisor Kathy Musiak at the Department of Children and Families at 508-929-1249.

MAPP Training at the Department of Children and Families: Ongoing. Please visit the Department of Children and Families’ Web site at mass.gov/dss (Click on Adoption, then Foster Care and Adoption Information Meetings to find the MAPP training link) for a schedule of MAPP trainings or call 1-800-KIDS-508 (543-7508). Please submit February’s adoption-related events by Wednesday, January 5 at baystateparent.com, Calendar, “Submit an Event.�

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St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School PreK3 – Grade 8 Committed to providing a challenging, quality education, which combines rigorous academic standards with a strong spiritual foundation.

Join us for our Open House on Sunday, January 30, 2011 1:00-3:00 p.m. Complementary breakfast after 11:00 a.m. Mass

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Thursday, February 3, 2011 10:00-1:00 p.m. For more information contact St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School 266 Main Street (Rte. 20) – Northborough, MA

508-351-9905 Visit Our Website at www.stb-school.org Accredited by NEASC New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. St. Bernadette School in the diocese of Worcester admits students of any race, color, religion, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available at all schools.

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smartstarts smart starts

WHEN KIDS Skip School

for Fun and Sun Two Teachers’ Perspective BY

barbara beauchemin and marilyn pellini

Has your boss ever told you that he can spare you for vacation time only in the fall, or have you and your spouse come to the realization that you can afford that Caribbean trip if you go in springtime? You certainly will avoid the crowds if you travel in the off-season and save a bundle of money, too. So, you think, we’ll just take the kids out of school. After all, it will only be for a week. Every family needs a time of togetherness. Johnny or Mary will see things that they may otherwise never have a chance to experience in their lifetime. They will return with pictures and memorabilia to share with their classmates. That way all the children will benefit from this trip, and they’ll surely get an A in “show and tell.” Resist that temptation to yank the kids out of school for an unscheduled vacation period and think about the message you are sending to your child about the importance of school. Responsible adults appear at their jobs each and 36 JANUARY2011

every day, unless they are ill. School is “children’s work,” and they have the same responsibility to be there each day school is in session, as you do to be at your place of employment. Continuity and sequence are broken when the child is removed from school while others are still attending class. Enrichment projects and programs are an integral part of the instructional process as units of study are immersed with other disciplines. For example, the classroom teacher often includes computer activities, instructional videos, visiting speakers, group projects and other learning extensions. Special teachers become involved through the disciplines of music, art and physical education. The school librarian makes provisions to supplement classroom materials. Thus, when the child returns to class his instructional process has been fragmented and may not be on a par with his peers. There is yet another consideration

however, and that is the child’s teacher. She is now made responsible for your child “catching up” when he or she returns to school. If you ask for school assignments to take along on vacation, you are requiring the teacher to foresee the outcome and timetable of lesson plans, which are often student-driven. Sometimes projects linger and lengthen as the learning process takes place, and the teacher cannot always predict how long this will take. Parents often come in at the last minute expecting a week’s worth of work in reading, math, social studies and science at the very least. It is a time-consuming process for a teacher to assemble this amount of meaningful schoolwork and yet not have the child take an armload of heavy books along on his trip. Johnny is not the only child in the class who will be taking an extra vacation this year, or even the only one this month. The teacher will go through this process over and over again. So, can you blame some teachers for being less than overjoyed and cooperative under these circumstances? Also, you will place your child in an embarrassing position of being resented if you are one of the many parents who allow a return to the classroom with little or none of the schoolwork accomplished. “Well,” is the defense, “We were just so busy

having fun that we never even thought of the homework” or, “We were always traveling, and the kids were just too tired at night.” One teacher even tried placing the whole dilemma back in the hands of the parents. She gave guidelines, which suggested daily activities linking the present curriculum with the trip. For example, each day the children were to write a journal of the day’s events, having the parents assess their work for spelling, punctuation, paragraphing and sentence structure, etc. As a math project they were asked to calculate the miles traveled each day and the hours spent on the road. Also, helping to estimate the cost of the restaurant bill, the percentage of the tip to leave and counting out the money to pay the cashier was another excellent math exercise. She had other challenges for science such as, observing weather patterns in the area they were visiting and comparing them to weather systems at home. For a social studies exercise the children would be assigned to record the relationship between the cultural activities, living conditions and population diversity in this new area as opposed to their hometown. This teacher stated that it was rare to get any of this schoolwork back at all, and felt this was due to the

smartstarts fact that quite a bit of time was required on the part of the parent. It was easy to be demanding of the teacher, but less easy to discipline themselves, even if they were well-educated and capable of helping with these requested assignments. Perhaps now you can understand why a trip to see Grandma’s new condo in Hilton Head, Disneyland off-season, or even a safari is not reason enough to remove children from scheduled classes. It becomes a burden for them, you, and their teacher, and most unfortunately it gives them the idea that school is just not that important. Contributors Barbara Beauchemin and Marilyn Pellini are former school educators (Barbara was also a principal in Rhode Island for three years). Both are mothers of grown children who live in Massachusetts.

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WHAT READERS THINK Did our readers agree with the teachers’ viewpoint in this article? Out of the bsp readers we polled: • 63% felt it was OK to have kids miss school for vacations or a special day off • 27% felt children should not miss school unless they are sick • 10% said they were undecided Here are some of their viewpoints: As a former teacher, I recognize the importance of student attendance with regards to class projects. Sometimes that one missing student can throw off an entire lesson plan. It also means more work for the teacher, as he must collect missing work assignments, grade them at a later date and possibly help the child who falls behind in the time she is missing. As a parent, however, I recognize that learning doesn’t only take place within the four walls of a classroom. Traveling is experiential, hands-on learning and often provides much-needed bonding time with family members. It’s not always possible, or desirable, to travel during school vacation times. The way I’ve compromised the two is to have a child (including my own) keep a journal while she is away. As a teacher, I would “grade” the journal according to content. Missing assignments have to be the responsibility of the student and the family. Notice of planned vacation times should be given to the teacher as early in the year as possible. - Donna Morin Miller, Wrentham When my now-adult sons were growing up, we took a trip and took them out. It was a lifetime experience. However today’s families travel more, and I think frequent absences could be disruptive to the student and classroom. - Mary Greendale, Hopedale I absolutely think that family vacations involving taking kids out of school are important and worth the absence - and so does the administration at our sons’ school. We can take the kids out of school

for up to two weeks without problem, and the social and cultural enrichment from the vacation experience offsets missed classwork. Responsible parents will find a way to make up for missed assignments; why create rigid policies based on a few parents who might not fulfill requirements? A week with grandparents, a trip to Europe or nine days with the entire family visiting the giant mouse in Florida are emotionally, psychologically and developmentally significant. School may be "work" for kids but schools and teachers also need to recognize that children aren't the sum of academic work and assignments (any more than working adults are only worker bees), but are complex, whole human beings who are part of extended networks in society. - Melanie Barton Zoltan, Framingham I allowed my son to take a Friday off to go to the Cape with his grandparents for a very special weekend. This is a reward for doing all his homework and pulling great grades on his spelling tests. - Danielle Raymond, Millbury As a former Special Education teacher (before I became a SAHM), it was very difficult when kids took days off to go to the Big E, Florida, etc. It creates more work for the teacher - preparing work for them if they will be gone a while, catching them up on information missed, finding time to make up tests/quizzes, etc. I also think it sends the wrong message, especially to kids in Special Education, that skipping school is OK. - Colleen Cekovsky, Monson

I think this is a very complicated issue that needs to be handled on an individual basis. As a former teacher, I was happy to help families meet their children’s needs when they approached me in a respectful, considerate manner. When parents plan vacations, they should realize that it is not a right for teachers to do extra work for them; it really is a privilege. There are many families who cannot afford to take certain vacations unless they take them on “off seasons.” The difference in price between a school vacation week and a non-school-vacation week is astounding. Parents also need to think about the personality and academic standing of their children. They should be able to tell if their children will readily make up the work missed. Like most things in life, I think vacations off-season can work if parents are thoughtful about planning and follow the teacher’s lead. - Amy Rodriguez, Belmont Since I am both a teacher and a mom I can look at this debate from multiple angles. I have to admit that there are times that I myself am frustrated by having to plan my vacations around school vacations. The cost is indubitably higher for many vacations during school vacation weeks, not to mention the crowds. When I retire and my kids are out of school, I hope to plan vacations for the first week of September!

That being said, as a parent and a teacher, I believe you can’t learn it if you are not there. While there are some students who will return from vacation and responsibly make up the work, there are others who won’t. Overall, I believe that ultimately each situation is unique. Is the family going to the beach or is it a trip for a wedding or some other important family event? Sometimes life happens and ultimately parents must make the decision that works best for their family. - Leslie Castillo, Wayland Teachers and students only have 180 lessons to glean from a complete curricula. Only 180 days to learn vocabulary, comprehend, build upon knowledge and master skills. In short, both students and teachers need to be in school and commit to learning. I am not a fan of the extended vacation, or the mid-school get-away. When children aren’t present for several days of instruction, they aren’t just missing paperwork, they are missing key information that scaffolds for their future learning. It’s much more than completing workbook pages or filling in the blanks. - Amy Benoit Grade 3 teacher Worcester Arts Magnet School

Winter Open House

Having new experiences with your family is one of the best classrooms there is. In a time where people are busy busy busy and we expect kids to be going in seven directions at once, and even see school as their “job,” maybe we could put a little more value on slowing down and spending time with the family away from those pressures, whenever the parents can make it happen. - Amanda Roberge, Leominster I’d hesitate to have our children miss school because we wanted an extra day of skiing or wanted more time in Florida, but if we’re headed to some distant destination, like Europe or Asia, then I’d be happy to have the kids miss a few days of school. A trip like that is rare and offers a number of unique teaching moments.

January 13 at 7 p.m. Bancroft students in Lower School explore the world in a safe, exciting, and nurturing environment. They retain their curiosity and

A rounded education. A grounded experience.

expressive nature as they learn by imagining, questioning, and creating.

- Doug Page, Mendon I think it is okay to take the kids out of school for vacation when they are young...in elementary school. The trips can be educational and inspirational. However, once kids are in middle and high school and workload increases, I think that it's impractical since so much school work has to be made up...and some athletic commitments cannot be missed for vacations. - Bonnie O'Connor, Holliston

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LOWER, MIDDLE, & UPPER SCHOOLS

110 Shore Drive Worcester, Massachusetts 01605 508.853.2640 www.bancroftschool.org/winteropenhouse

BAYSTATEPARENT 37

smartstarts

The World Wide Classroom

BY

Massachusetts’ First Virtual School

lynn jolicoeur

J

osh Heffner’s favorite school lesson in recent memory didn’t involve using a book or sitting at a desk. Instead, he was dressed up in an oversized button-down shirt, his hair styled all wild and crazy. He was a mad scientist, working with his mom in his family’s kitchen-turned-lab. “I did a little experiment with super hot water and super cold water, to see which dissolved salt,” the 7-year-old from Greenfield explains. “That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?” Josh’s mom says he happily did science projects for most of the day and then completed a lab sheet about them – on the Internet. “Cool” is a good place to be for a secondgrader who had his share of struggles, including frequent disciplining, during more than three years of traditional school. Josh has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, and is now one of 300 students enrolled in Massachusetts Virtual Academy at Greenfield. It is the Commonwealth’s first school run entirely on the World Wide Web, with no traditional classrooms. Josh’s mother, Cindy Heffner, says virtual schooling is a great education solution for her son, since it allows her to “work with him and his personality and his learning style.” To keep his attention, she gets him away from the computer for lessons where windows and dry erase markers take the 38 JANUARY2011

place of a black board and chalk. “It’s not learning; it’s ‘Oh, we get to role play and have fun,’ and he’s getting the information in the background, not in your face.” Still, they must complete necessary Online lessons for the accredited program, and Josh’s progress is monitored via the Internet by a teacher to whom he is assigned.

VIRTUAL INNOVATION Greenfield, in western Massachusetts, began exploring the idea of starting a virtual school during the 2008-2009 school year. When the commissioner of the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Mitchell Chester, learned of Greenfield’s interest, he informed school leaders that state law did not allow for the creation of virtual schools. Some districts were offering certain courses on line, but not entire curriculums. The state created an advisory group to explore the issue, and that led to the passage of a law authorizing “virtual innovation schools” last January. “I think it has a place,” says Chester, adding that virtual schooling “has the potential to serve a population that traditional schools are not successful with.” The commissioner expresses concern, however, about students missing out on the social

aspects of a traditional education. “It’s a qualitatively different experience than face-to-face interaction,” Chester says. “At its core, learning is a social enterprise.” Massachusetts Virtual Academy at Greenfield – nicknamed MAVA@ Greenfield – is open to any student, but the superintendent says the district identified certain groups it particularly wanted to serve. Those include kids with severe medical conditions; students with developmental or social-emotional needs that impact their classroom learning; those who have safety concerns stemming from bullying; students out of school due to pregnancy or parenting; and kids in training for competitive sports or the performing arts. Some students might even seek a more advanced course program than their school offers. “There never was any intention with the school to A, compete with the regular brick-and-mortar schools, or B, to harvest children from the schools,” explains Susan Hollins, Greenfield’s school superintendent. Hollins says each family has to undergo a “risk assessment” to make sure parents aren’t pushing virtual schooling on an unwilling child. And the school works to build a “sense of community.” Josh Heffner’s mom approached school leaders about the Online schooling option.

A few months in, young Josh still expresses concern about the social drawbacks. “I don’t really get to see much friends. That’s the problem,” he says when first asked a general question about his schooling. His mother says she counters that concern with frequent social activities. “He doesn’t need to be in the same classroom with the same 15 kids every day to be socialized,” she comments.

WORLD WIDE CLASSROOM Students can enroll in Greenfield’s virtual school from any other Massachusetts district, or from out of state. If a student comes from another Massachusetts community, that home district pays approximately $5,000 to cover education costs, as with the traditional School Choice program. Students from a wide range of districts including Abington, Beverly, Hopkinton, Lawrence, Lexington, Mashpee, Monson, Needham and Worcester are getting their schooling through MAVA@Greenfield. Those kids are in grades kindergarten through eighth, as the program is currently accepting high school students from Greenfield only. The school uses the curriculum of K12, a Virginia company that started selling its course offerings nine years ago. Several

other companies produce their own versions of Internet-based elementary and secondary school classes and curriculums. About 100,000 students around the U.S. and some foreign countries use the company’s courses, the majority of them through full-time virtual schools like Greenfield’s operating in 27 states and the District of Columbia. It’s “an exceptional way for some students to be able to achieve,” says Jeff Kwitowski, K12’s vice president for public affairs. “It’s about providing a highly-interactive and personal learning experience for the students.” Industry advocates estimate 175,000 to 200,000 kindergarten through 12th-grade students in the U.S. are enrolled in full-time online schools. Several hundred thousand more are taking individual Online courses. The International Association for K-12 Online Learning says the $300 million industry that produces the coursework is growing at about 30% per year. In Greenfield, K12 is also providing academic support, handling everything from enrollment to overseeing teachers and accreditation compliance. The virtual academy has eight teachers, all employed by the town, who either work solely with the virtual school or split their time between the Online school and traditional classrooms. The teachers communicate with their students via e-mail, phone conversations and face-to-face meetings. Kwitowski says though students have to complete courses from required subject areas and take the state’s standardized MCAS tests, the goal is to “customize programs so they meet the needs of every child better.” Some students may use the program for a time and eventually return to traditional school.

They’re highly accredited,” Keenan says of Laurel Springs, adding, “I’m learning a lot.” He says he wasn’t learning much at his previous school, a charter school where he claims students ran rampant and undisciplined. Until he started virtual schooling his sophomore year, all of his education was traditional – including 7th

might spend a couple months focusing on two subjects, like math and French, then finish one or both and dive into English Literature. Each of Keenan’s classes is divided up into 36 one-week lessons. But he prefers to complete an entire lesson in one day, thereby focusing on one subject. Some

smartstarts

BIG AND BOLD

ON HIS OWN TIME Sixteen-year-old Keenan Cochrane of Boston says he’s done with bricks-andmortar schools until college. Following in his father’s footsteps as a professional actor, he says he’s finally found the perfect stage for his education. A high school junior, he “attends” the Internet-based Laurel Springs School in Ojai, California. He takes his classes in the comfort of his bedroom, and can bring them along or leave them behind when he goes to New York for an audition or travels with his family. “Here the classes are really, really good.

and has phone conferences with them and his parents. “They’re very big into communication – keeping the lines of communication open,” Keenan’s dad says. Asked about any drawbacks of virtual schooling, the Boston teen says he still battles the “temptation to do something else” like get on YouTube or Facebook, and he occasionally wishes he were having the “high school experience.” But he has learned to discipline himself – following his parents’ rule of getting up by 9 a.m. and beginning his schoolwork within an hour. He takes frequent breaks in order to stay focused. He reminds himself of all the high school conflicts, crises and drama he’s not getting caught up in and thereby distracted – important for him in concentrating on his goal of getting into UCLA. Students from Laurel Springs go on to colleges around the country, including the Ivy Leagues. What does Keenan like most about virtual schooling? He controls the timing. “I know if I crank now, I’ll be able to end school sooner,” he explains. “I want to have school vacation start in May this year.”

and 8th grade at the prestigious Boston Latin. Keenan’s father, Doug Cochrane, says testing has shown why virtual schooling works so well for his son, who also has Attention Deficit Disorder. “He likes to learn in chunks,” Doug says, adding that if Keenan is “kind of grooving” on a subject, “he likes to just get up and go on that.” He

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classes have textbooks in addition to Online work. In certain subjects, he can re-take a test if he wants to bring up the grade. “They realize it’s not about the grade. It’s about learning (the material),” Keenan says of his teachers, who live in Georgia, California and Connecticut. He frequently exchanges e-mails with them

Cindy Heffner has to work with her son’s timing. Sometimes Josh is wired and can’t sleep in the middle of the night, and that becomes the perfect time for the markerson-the-window teaching technique. Off-beat scheduling is a much better alternative, she says, to their attempt at medication so he could adapt to traditional school, which she says left him with “no personality” and looking “like a zombie.” When not medicated, Josh was often disciplined and isolated because he couldn’t sit still, according to his mother. “So what’s better,” Heffner asks. “Do I work with his energy level? Do I get him excited about learning, or let him be punished?” Josh clearly prefers the hands-on lessons to the computer-based components of his classes. He energetically relays his plans for his next science project. “I’m going to be working on a volcano,” he says. “I’ve never done it in my life! But I’m thinking I have the perfect way to do it.” As his school district makes a bold foray

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smartstarts into the world of virtual education, Josh and his mom are going along for the ride. “For him to stay focused and on task,� Heffner says, “it has to be big, bold and ‘Wow, this is cool!’� Lynn Jolicoeur is an award-winning journalist and the mother of kindergarten twins. She’s worked extensively as a television reporter – most recently in Boston. She makes her home in Shrewsbury.

Innovation School for Motivated Learners Looking for an alternative high school education but the latest cyber schools in Massachusetts and (across the country) are not your thing? If you live in Central Massachusetts, the Pathways Early Innovation School in Gardner is worth checking out. And even if you don’t live in the area, take note, as the school serves as a model for other school systems to emulate. Established in partnership between the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District in Orange and Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC), the Pathways Innovation School opened this past fall with 20 students from the region who are simultaneously earning their high school diplomas and an associate degree during the year-round, two-year program. The school was one of the first two innovation schools created under the state’s new education reform bill, An Act

Relative to the Achievement Gap, and the first established as an early college high school under this new legislation. “There is a need for an alternative pathway to higher education for students – socially, emotionally and financially – that this program meets for an eclectic group of learners who are looking to be challenged and engaged in ways not always possible in a traditional high school environment,� says Pati Gregson, vice president of Access & Transition at MWCC. Innovation schools function as indistrict, charter-like public schools. In the Pathways school, high school juniors or home schooled students who are at least age 16 enroll in college-level courses at MWCC. Credits earned apply toward their high school diploma requirements as well as toward an associate degree to prepare them for the workforce or to transfer to a public or private college or university to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Because the Pathways school is funded through Chapter 70 funds from Mahar Regional School District, students are earning the college credits for free. Students receive individualized academic and career support, will participate in internships and other employment opportunities to develop strong professional skills,and have access to all MWCC facilities and services. “To me, this is just an indication that we are doing the right thing for our students and for our communities. High schools in general have been the same for a very long time. The schedules, the bells and the prescribed requirements often turn students off. The ability to be self-directed

“I wanted to take things like Anatomy and Physiology, not physics,� says Giorgia Nobili, a ballet dancer from Sterling, who attends the Pathways Innovation School. “This also fits into my schedule better, because of all of the hours I take for ballet. Now I can actually fit sleep into that schedule.�

in learning and to take classes that are of real interest on a college campus is very exciting for many learners. The interest that many have shown in the Pathways program is proof that ‘innovation’ works,� says Mahar Superintendent Michael Baldassarre. The first cohort of students drew residents from Athol, Barre, Baldwinville, Bolton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Leominster, Lunenburg, Orange, Shirley, Sterling, Townsend and Winchendon. “It’s a wicked good opportunity and I’m

doing very well in it. I love it,� said Ashley Elworthy, of Bolton, who is pursuing a degree and career in criminal justice. For more information about enrolling in the Pathways Early College Innovation School for the spring 2011 semester that begins January 19, or the fall 2011 semester, contact Garo Papazian, director, at 978-630-9393. Text courtesy of the Pathways Early College Innovation School and edited by baystateparent.

ASK ABOUT OUR ENROLLMENT SPECIAL

40 JANUARY2011

smartstarts

when the TEACHER CALLS

We

1. Be aware of your child’s environment. Explore contexts that are explanations for the behavior, like external stressors. Consider any relevant changes in your family in terms of finances, physical and mental health issues, or other significant factors. Also take into account nutritional factors: too much sugar and skipping breakfast are both linked to difficulty concentrating. 2. Seek solutions. Ask the teacher, “What are we going to do to support her?� Children need to learn how to learn, and every stumbling block in education is not brain dysfunction. Your child may simply need repetition, practice of basic skills and coaching to excel in school. 3. Consider that your child may not be the problem. Sometimes our children’s learning style and profile of strengths and weaknesses mean that they need accommodations. While changing schools may not be an option, you can still protect your child’s passion and motivation by encouraging them to pursue those things that draw their attention. 4. Be a good listener. When a child has a conflict with a teacher or classmates, our first approach should be to listen to the child’s complaints. Consider that some teachers may not be the best match for your child, and likewise for classmates. Bullying does happen, and it has proven long-term consequences. Ask your child how she sees the problem, listen, and take it seriously. 5. Define abnormal. “In active boys, it is completely normal for them to display

‡‡ ™Š› ͔͔͗ ˆƒÂ?‹Ž‹‡• ˆ”‘Â? ƒ…”‘•• …‡Â?–”ƒŽ ƒ••ƒ…Š—•‡––• …Š‘‘•‡ ƒÂ? ••‡Â?–‹ƒŽ …Š‘‘Ž ‡†—…ƒ–‹‘Â?Ǥ

ƒ�‡ ƒ ‘—”

ƒÂ?‹Ž‹‡• ™ƒÂ?–‹Â?‰ –‘ Ž‡ƒ”Â? Â?‘”‡ ƒ„‘—– ‘—” Š‹Â?Â?ÇŚ ÂƒÂ”Â‡ÇŚ …– Â?‹••‹‘Â? ƒÂ?† ‘—” ’‡”•‘Â?ƒŽ‹œ‡† ƒ’’”‘ƒ…Š –‘ ƒ…ƒ†‡Â?‹…• …ƒÂ? …‘Â?‡ –‘ ƒÂ?

ADHD should be the last possible explanation love our kids so much that we dread that fateful call—the teacher calling to report that your child is misbehaving, underachieving or should be tested for ADHD. While it’s easy to “freak out,� don’t panic. Dr. Lara Honos-Webb, author of The Gift of ADHD (2nd Ed.) provides nine pointers for handling the situation:

”‡ ›‘— …—”‹‘—• ƒ„‘—– –Š‡ •…Š‘‘Ž‹Â?‰ ‘’–‹‘Â?• ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡ –‘ …Š‹Ž†”‡Â? ‹Â? ͛–Šnj͕͖–Š Â‰Â”ÂƒÂ†Â‡Â•ÇŤ

Â?ˆ‘”Â?ƒ–‹‘Â? ‡••‹‘Â? ÇŁ —Â?Â†ÂƒÂ›ÇĄ ƒÂ?Ǥ Í? ȋ͕͔ǣ͔͔ ƒǤÂ?Ǥ ÇŚ Â?‘‘Â?ČŒ ‡†Â?Â‡Â•Â†ÂƒÂ›ÇĄ ƒÂ?Ǥ Í•Í? Č‹Í—ÇŁÍ—Í” ÇŚ ͙ǣ͔͔ Â’ǤÂ?ǤČŒ ÂƒÂ–Â—Â”Â†ÂƒÂ›ÇĄ ‡„Ǥ Í™ Č‹Í– ÇŚ ͘ Â’ǤÂ?ǤČŒ

some rambunctious behavior,� says Dr. Honos-Webb. There are tons of creative ways to channel physical energy, and allowing productive release of such energy can alleviate or even eliminate many socalled problems. 6. Look within. “Your child receives emotional nourishment from her parents, so if you are having trouble, she may be taking in your emotional pain,� says Dr. Honos-Webb.

Í•Í”Í”Ψ Â‘Âˆ ‘—” ‰”ƒ†—ƒ–‡• ƒ”‡ ƒ……‡’–‡† –‘ …‘ŽŽ‡‰‡

’ƒ…‡ ‹• Ž‹Â?‹–‡† •‘ ‹– ‹• ‹Â?’‘”–ƒÂ?– –‘ Ǩ ‘Â?–ƒ…– —• ÂƒÂ–ÇŁ Â?‡ ƒÂ? ‹ŽŽ Â‘ÂƒÂ†ÇĄ ‹–…Š„—”‰ ™™™ǤÂ?……‡•Ǥ‘”‰ Čˆ Č‹Í?Í›ÍœČŒ Í—Í˜Í™ÇŚÍ–Í›Í”Í•

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‡ƒ…Š •–—†‡�– ‹• ˆ”‡‡ –‘ „‡ Š‹�•‡Žˆ ‘” Š‡”•‡Žˆ

7. Be an optimist. Every strength is a resource for patching up a weakness. Focus on the positive attributes commonly found in children with ADHD: Creativity, emotional sensitivity, exuberance, interpersonal intuition and connection to nature. Creating a list of your child’s many gifts before returning a teacher’s phone call, or going into a parent-teacher meeting may help you maintain a positive outlook. 8. Translate “symptoms� into “needs.� Be an advocate for your child’s unique needs. For example, hyperactivity is a need for physical activity. “When your child’s teacher points to a problem, think about ways to translate it into a specific need that can be met with support form you and the school,� says Dr. HonosWebb. 9. Remember: The call from the teacher is not a diagnosis. There are many factors that may contribute to your child’s difficulty concentrating or disruptive behavior in class. Contrary to increasingly popular belief, ADHD should be the last possible explanation explored, not the first. Dr. Lara Honos-Webb is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of ADHD. Her work has been featured in Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, Publisher’s Weekly and many newspapers across the country. She is the author of The Gift of ADHD, The Gift of ADHD Activity Book, Listening to Depression and more than twenty-five scholarly articles. BAYSTATEPARENT 41

SUMMER CAMP

countdown N Helping students do school. Strengthening skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, handwriting, critical thinking, memory, study skills, and learning. N Helping students navigate their lives. Developing strategies for social interaction, problem solving, executive functioning, organization, and emotional regulation. N Helping families and teachers maximize success. Supporting parents, teachers, and schools through professional consultation and comprehensive speech-language, reading, written expression, and psychotherapy evaluations. N Helping students learn through the summer. In our theme-based academic clubs and classes, students may explore the world as ďŹ lm critics, detectives, wizards, zoologists, or even Knights of the Round Table.

Individual and small group intervention as well as multi-sensory, theme-based classes for K-12 students. Speech-language therapy, Occupational therapy, Psychotherapy, Tutoring, and Academic enrichment. Our vision is that all individuals see themselves as whole and capable.

Architects For Learning 160 Gould Street, Needham Heights, MA 02494 781-235-8412 www.architectsforlearning.com

42 JANUARY2011

SUMMER CAMP

countdown Providing children with memorable summer camp experiences for over 88 years.

Parents, summer camp sign-ups start now!

Half Moon campers will develop conďŹ dence, build relationships and learn new skills in the beautiful Berkshire Hills of Mass. Campers will enjoy: UĂŠ Ă€ĂŒĂŠEĂŠ Ă€>vĂŒĂƒĂŠUĂŠ ĂŒÂ…Â?iĂŒÂˆVĂƒĂŠUĂŠ/Â…i>ĂŒiĂ€ UĂŠ7>ĂŒiĂ€vĂ€ÂœÂ˜ĂŒĂŠEĂŠ `Ă›iÂ˜ĂŒĂ•Ă€iÉ7ˆÂ?`iĂ€Â˜iĂƒĂƒĂŠ>VĂŒÂˆĂ›ÂˆĂŒÂˆiĂƒ UĂŠ iĂœĂŠvĂ€Âˆi˜`ĂƒĂŠ>˜`ĂŠ>`Ă›iÂ˜ĂŒĂ•Ă€iĂƒĂŠ>Ă€iĂŠĂœ>ÂˆĂŒÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠvÂœĂ€ĂŠĂžÂœĂ•ĂŠ>ĂŒĂŠ >Â?vĂŠ ÂœÂœÂ˜ĂŠĂŒÂ…ÂˆĂƒĂŠĂƒĂ•Â“Â“iĂ€°ĂŠ

LOOK FOR FIVE MONTHS OF CAMP ADVERTISING: FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL, MAY AND JUNE TO ADVERTISE A CAMP,

CALL 508-865-7070

Enroll today! 413-528-0940 www.camphalfmoon.com

OR EMAIL STEPHANIEP@BAYSTATEPARENT.COM. REGISTERING NOW FOR SUMMER 2011!

MetroWest YMCA Day Camp

June 27-August 26 • Co-ed for ages 3-16

LLearn Le e eaar ear arn rn to to

ARD O B E T A at at SK On February 6th we can all go On February 5thCamp! we can all to Summer go to Summer Camp!

Traditional Camp activities include archery, arts and crafts, canoeing, kayaking, nature study, music, drama, sports, high and low ropes course, outdoor skills, and swim lessons.

SummerScape 2010

Specialty Camps include Rocketry, TV Production, Hands-On Physics, Farm, Drama, Gymnastics, Fort Building, Robotics, Engineering with Legos, John Smith Soccer and Horseback Riding.

Snow date: Sunday, Feb. 7th

Teen Leadership and Trip and Travel Programs are available for older campers. Busing, AM/PM extended day programs and financial assistance are available.

45 East Street Hopkinton, MA 01748 (508) 435-9345 www.metrowestymca.org

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The North Shore’s Shore’s Summer Camp Fair Saturday, February6th, 5th,2010 2011 Saturday, February 11:00–3:00 pm 11:00–3:00 pm Snow date: Sunday, February 6th

6 weeks of

OVERNIGHT Back for our 7th year!

5 nights, 6 days, tons of FUN! 6pm Sun - 3pm Fri

Full summer of Glen School Glen Urquhart Urquhart School 7474Hart MA HartStreet, Street,Beverly Beverly Farms, Farms, MA For information call or email: For information call 978-927-1064 978-927-1064 x 132 summerscape@gus.org

Registered Nurse on site at all times, as well as first aid, CPR and EPI-pen trained staff.

METROWEST YMCA HOPKINTON

SummerScape 2011

SPORTS BROADCASTING CAMP

Over 80 day and overnight camps as day welland as specialized Over 80 overnight camps as well as specialized enrichment programs of all kinds. enrichment programs of all kinds. Programs geared towards Programs geared towards children aged 4 - 18. children aged 4 - 18. Admission Admission is is FREE! FREE!

5 Day

Instruction, 1 on 1, games, FUN! 9am - 3pm, Mon - Fri

July 25-29, 2011 s -AKE SPORTS ANCHOR TAPES FROM A 46 STUDIO s -AKE PLAY BY PLAY TAPES OF THE 3UPER "OWL ."! &INALS s 4OUR &ENWAY 0ARK AND MAKE REPORTING TAPES INSIDEx AND MUCH MORE

Boys & Girls ages 10 - 18 will have an opportunity to learn from the pros in the industry.

For more information call 800-319-0884 or visit www.playbyplaycamps.com

All camps are for Skateboarding and BMX

www.RYEAIRFIELD.com Route 1, Rye, NH

This camp must comply with regulations of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and be licensed by the local board of health

GIVE THEM THE BEST SUMMER EVER! A day camp experience that’s out of this world!

For girls and boys ages 5 to 15

UĂŠ Ă?ViÂŤĂŒÂˆÂœÂ˜>Â?ĂŠĂƒĂŒ>vv UĂŠ ÂœĂŒĂƒĂŠÂœvĂŠV…œˆVi UĂŠ-ÂŤiVˆ>Â?ĂŒĂžĂŠ*Ă€Âœ}Ă€>Â“ĂƒpĂŠ ,ÂœLÂœĂŒÂˆVĂƒ]ĂŠ ÂˆĂ€VĂ•Ăƒ]ĂŠ Ă€>“>ĂŠĂŠ >˜`ĂŠÂ“ÂœĂ€i

UĂŠ-ĂœÂˆÂ“Â“ÂˆÂ˜}]ĂŠ Ă€ĂŒĂƒ]ĂŠ-ÂŤÂœĂ€ĂŒĂƒ]ĂŠĂŠ `Ă›iÂ˜ĂŒĂ•Ă€iĂŠ>˜`ĂŠÂ“ÂœĂ€i UĂŠ i˜iĂ€>Â?ĂŠ>˜`ĂŠ-iÂ˜ÂˆÂœĂ€ĂŠ >Â“ÂŤĂƒ UĂŠ >ÞÊ/Ă€ÂˆÂŤĂŠÂŤĂ€Âœ}Ă€>Â“Ăƒ UĂŠ ÂœĂŒĂŠÂ?Ă•Â˜VÂ…iĂƒĂŠ>˜`ĂŠĂŒĂ€>Â˜ĂƒÂŤÂœĂ€ĂŒ>ĂŒÂˆÂœÂ˜

Summer Fenn Day Camp AT 4HE &ENN 3CHOOL IN #ONCORD -ONUMENT 3TREET s OR WWW SUMMERFENN ORG EMAIL SUMMERCAMP FENN ORG s 4O SCHEDULE A PRIVATE CAMPUS TOUR PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL US BAYSTATEPARENT 43

SUMMER CAMP

countdown

courtesy of the gallettas

OUR 5-YEAR-OLD WENT TO CAMP...IN

NORWAY! BY

gayle galletta

any of you may recall the story about the New York City journalist who allowed her 9-year-old son to take the subway home alone. That event sparked a debate between the so-called helicopter parents who were appalled and parents of “freerange kidsâ€? who believe that children need more freedom and independence. While every parent wants to teach his or her children about stranger danger, the amount of attention that this lesson receives varies greatly from parent to parent. I must confess that I hover much less than most parents that I know. While I do insist that my children buckle up, there is no hand sanitizer in my mini-van, and we live by the seven-second rule. On occasion, I even allow my children out of my sight. Perhaps, as a result, my children, ages 6, 7 and 8 are very independent. My husband, Bjørn, grew up in Norway where sleeping babies are left undisturbed in their strollers outside of the store. We have been traveling there since our children were infants. My children are proud of themselves when they can navigate through airport security and to the gate. In December 2008, my oldest son, Erik, who was 6 at the time, traveled for ten days with my husband to Norway.

M

We were able to arrange for him to attend the elementary school where my husband had gone as a child. He spoke Norwegian, learned how to make candles out of hot wax and had sleepovers with new friends. Early last year, we asked our daughter, Annika, who was 5 at the time, if she wanted to have a turn going to Norway by herself. Her eyes lit up and she said, “You can make sure that I get on the right plane, then the lady in the uniform will tell me where to sit. When the seatbelt sign goes off, I will play my DS, then they will bring me apple juice and cookies, which I will put on the tray table. I will take a nap with the special airplane pillow and blanket. When the plane lands in Iceland, someone will help me get to the next plane, and I will get some more juice and cookies, color with crayons and take another nap. Then Bestefar (Grandpa) will pick me up at the airport and drive me to his house.â€? We told her that we were impressed that she knew the routine, and then proceeded to inform her that Pappa would be going with her. She was actually upset and said, “But I want to go by myself!â€? On the 22nd of June, I drove Bjørn and my “baby girlâ€? to the airport. While I knew that giving her this freedom was the right thing to do, I did have a few fleeting moments of doubt. It would be six weeks before I flew over to meet her. I stuffed a little cloth pouch with lipstick-embossed kisses and words of support and advice

>˜`ĂŠ 7ĂŠĂŒÂ…ÂˆĂƒĂŠĂƒĂ•Â“Â“iĂ€°°°

1`SObWdS AbO`ba

44 JANUARY2011

A summer multi-arts program for ages 8–15

An immersive introduction to the arts for ages 6-8

NOW ENROLLING!

NOW ENROLLING!

First Session: June 27 - July 22 Second Session: July 27 - August 20

Summer sessions run June 27 through August 20

an Arts Festival takes place on the ďŹ nal day of each session

P.O. Box 339, Dover, MA 02030 xän‡Çnx‡nĂ“xäĂŠUĂŠĂœĂœĂœ°VĂ€V>°ÂœĂ€}

SUMMER CAMP

countdown like “Mommy loves youâ€? and “Eat your vegetables.â€? For six weeks, Annika stayed with her Tante (aunt), who is single and lives on a farm with a horse, pony, dog, rabbit and cat. She cleaned the stable and received riding lessons in return. Tante learned firsthand how difficult it is to be a single parent and Annika received the attention of an only child, with doting grandparents close by. For a portion of the summer, Annika went to SFO (Skolefritidsordning) at Bjørn’s old elementary school. This is an after school and summer program where children do arts and crafts, activities, make a traditional Norwegian lunch and have a lot of outdoor free time to play. We knew that she was adjusting well when she told us that she had a kjĂŚreste (boyfriend). We spoke almost every day on the computer via Skype. This was not always easy with the six-hour time difference. When we awoke in the morning, Annika was midway through her day -- at school, swimming at the lake or visiting with friends. We would try to call around one o’clock in the afternoon eastern daylight time, in order to catch her after dinner, but not too close to bedtime, because that was when she missed us the most. When I worked a night shift, I would bring my laptop and call her at one o’clock in the morning (our time) when she was eating breakfast in Norway. After being immersed in the culture, she became fluent in Norwegian and picked up Bjørn’s small town dialect. There were times that, despite my intermediate Norwegian, I could not understand her, and would ask her to please speak English. It is a little nerve-racking to allow someone other than yourself to have complete control over raising your child for such an extended period of time, but I had complete confidence in my sister-inlaw. She adhered to Annika’s vegetarian diet, limited television time and kept her entertained. When I arrived in August, I was nervous about how Annika would respond to me. As soon as we pulled into the driveway, she ran out to greet me saying “Mama, jeg savnet deg!â€? “I missed you so much, too, Annika.â€? From that moment on, the time we

spent apart was erased. She was my same baby girl, but much more confident and independent, and with stronger ties to her father’s Norwegian culture. Gayle Galletta is a Shrewsbury mom of three. Her story kicks off baystateparent’s summer camp countdown with editorial and advertising January through June.

Q&A WITH ANNIKA GALLETTA, AGE 6 Most of us have never been to Norway. Tell us what Norway is like! In the summer it stays light really late. I had to go to bed when the sun was still up. There are a lot of trees, lakes, farms and sheep, and everyone speaks Norwegian.

Eagle Hill School HARDWICK MASSACHUSETTS

What were some of the differences between Norway and your home in Shrewsbury? There are a lot of red houses, barns and horses. What did you eat for traditional Norwegian lunch? Porridge, pancakes, waffles or soup. Norwegians eat pancakes and waffles for lunch and dinner – not just for breakfast. What new games or outdoor activities did you learn in Norway? I learned how to play hopscotch. What are the names of some of the friends that you met at camp? Senna, Tom, Erik, Sondre and Rina

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Do you attend summer camp in America too? When I returned to Massachusetts, I went to YMCA’s Camp Harrington for a week with my brothers. What was the first thing you wanted to do when you returned home after six weeks away? I wanted to see my friends and have a sleepover with my friend, Arden. Were you scared to go away for the whole summer? I was a little scared to be away from my family. I missed my parents and my brothers. What do you think summer 2011 will be like for you? I will go back to Norway again, but this time my whole family will be with me. It will be nice to see my Tante Anne and grandparents again.

166 Main Street Concord, MA 01742 978.402.2284 concordacademysummercamp.org BAYSTATEPARENT 45

DIRTYLAUNDRY

ONMYPLATE

NOT ALONE BY

jennifer andersen

A

fter spending all but 30 minutes of my morning trying to get my 6-month-old to sleep, I am doing all that I can to hold back from crying. Upon getting up from the bed where my finally sleeping child lies, all I want to do is go to sleep myself. My nerves are frazzled and I need a rest. I close the door behind me to see the beautiful face of my 2-and-a-half-year-old who waited so patiently all morning for my attention while I put his new sister down for a nap. I know instantly that again my need for rest will have to wait so that I can give him the attention he so richly deserves. Thus is the “plight” of any stay-at-home parent. Yesterday my wonderful friend and neighbor who recently returned to the working world after her youngest started school came home to tell me that she had been thinking of me that day. She was envying the stage of life that I am in. She was thinking of how special it is to be able to be at home with your children each day and do things like play in the pool and have picnic lunches. I shared with her that while there is no place I would rather be, I am having a hard time figuring out how to balance having two children. I told her that my patience is at an all-time low and the guilt that I feel when going to sleep at night from the way that I handled things that day is overwhelming. Immediately, my friend- who is certainly the most kind and laid back person I know- shared that she could sympathize. She revealed how many sleepless nights she had from the guilt of how she treated her children during the day, and how she vowed each night that the next day would be different. I was surprised that this woman had had experiences like this. She is so loving and so

calm. Her children are so happy, confident and intelligent. It seems that many of us are afraid to share these parenting struggles. What is it that we are we afraid of? It may be the thought that our most real fears will be validated, that “everyone else” is handling the day to day with dignity and grace and that we are in fact the only one screwing up. We may fear that we are putting our children at a significant disadvantage because we can’t figure this parenting thing out. But we aren’t alone even while we are trying to con our kids into eating vegetables or sitting with a sick child in the bathroomtears pouring down our unwashed faces. We are one of many, many mothers crying at that same moment. It all comes down to the same point: this is the most overwhelming undertaking we could have ever imagined, and we wonder if we made a terrible mistake by bringing a life into our care. Thankfully, all it takes is one stroke of our sleeping child’s hair to remind us that it is worth every tear, every internal (or audible) scream and every minute of sleep lost. For this truly is the most important and wonderful “job” we’ve ever had the good fortune to accept. Jennifer Andersen lives in Newburyport with her husband and two children, ages 1 and 3. You can see more of her writing at ponderingjane.com. What’s on your Plate, Moms and Dads? If you have a story, viewpoint or experience you’d like to share with other parents, here is your chance. You don’t have to be a published writer for your essay to be featured in an upcoming “On My Plate.” Please send your inspiring, funny or thought-provoking submissions to editor@baystateparent.com.

Shutting it

DOWN BY

melanie mccarthy

My husband has this annoying habit of “shutting it down” as he calls it. He announces it as we shuffle our children off to bed , and then “shuts down” the living room, kitchen and den. “Shutting it down!” he shouts. We help brush teeth, read a story or two, and when I go back to the kitchen to bake or attack my “pile,” I am greeted by silence and darkness, pitch black everywhere at 7:42 p.m. I click everything back on, leave for a second to start a load of wash and he is back in the kitchen, “shutting it down.” In the blackened kitchen, I turn everything back on and peer down the hall of our ranch to catch my husband climbing into bed with the newspaper. I’m thinking, “Why does he get to do that?” while I mix batter and listen to the guinea pig chew on his cage. It sounds like an inmate clanking the bars of his cell trying to get the prison guard’s attention. That’s me, standing guard as the cake bakes and listening to the chewing and clanking as I begin to attack the “pile.” I ponder Dad’s seemingly-natural ability to “shut it down” while Mom is inherently consumed by the next task. Earlier in the evening, when the lights were still on, I listened to my family playing in the living room, laughing and wrestling. I was surprised by what I felt...jealousy. I actually feel jealous that my husband can so easily shut down and enjoy. Why does the messy kitchen whisper only to me? The buzzer for the cakes go off, and so do I. Something snaps in me. I put the pile away, leave the cakes to cool and head for the den. I watch my first-ever episode of Modern Family (everyone’s been saying it’s so funny) while I read a book during the commercials.

Even while relaxing I am multitasking. I even sip a glass of wine. I get so into “shutting it down” that I indulge in more wine, TV and relaxing until it’s nearing midnight. Twenty minutes into sleep I finding myself “working” again as I change a wet bed and chase away a nightmare. The morning comes fast, and I discover that the uncovered, unfrosted cake for school is dry and inedible. I am in a fog and the morning madness is worse than normal. I wish I didn’t stay up so late. I wish I didn’t have more wine, and I especially wish I wasn’t on my way to the store to buy a replacement cake. No wonder “shutting it down” always seems so annoying! Look at all the awful things that happen! I figure the next time I shut it down will be pretty much never!

katina bentley

you are

Contributing writer Melanie McCarthy is a South Shore mom, the one driving around town with the stickers all over her mini-van windows. Melanie chooses to see the humor in family life. Dirty Laundry is a humor column about a mom’s day-to-day life raising kids. Basically she’s not afraid to air out the Dirty Laundry and say it like it is, making the rest of us not feel so alone.

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Party Planner To advertise, call Stephanie Pearl at 774-364-0296 or email stephaniep@baystateparent.com

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Look What We Found At baystateparent wants to know:

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MOMS ROCK!

Nancy Andrews Broderick OF SHREWSBURY Age: 43 Mom of: Jamie, age 3, and Jimmy, age 5.5 months Occupation: Program Manager at General Wire Products, Inc. & Electroweave, Inc. and Bodybuilding & Figure Promoter BY

carrie wattu, lisa brewer photography

It’s January, and we know where you are. Oh, alright. We know where you think you should be. At the gym. For one Shrewsbury mom of two, Nancy Andrews Broderick, that “New Year’s” motivation to exercise is part of her life all year long. Her secret? “The more that you do it, you stick with it,” she says. She also surrounds herself with people who love sports and fitness as much as she does. Seventeen years ago, at 27 years old, the lifelong gymnast was coaching gymnastics and doing cardio at a local gym when a trainer invited her to enter a bodybuilding contest. Nancy didn’t know much about bodybuilding but learned as much as she could about natural ways to build her body for competitions. Her first year she qualified for the nationals. The following year, Nancy earned pro natural status and won the nationals. Over the next decade, Nancy went on to win many pro competitions including fourtime WNBF Pro World championships (1997, 1999, 2003 and 2004) and Pro 52 JANUARY2011

Ms. Universe in 1999. Nancy was in the best shape of her life and achieving many of her goals, but she did have one goal left to attain: starting a family. Years of extreme dieting and training combined with her age (39) made getting pregnant the real challenge of her life. She sought help from fertility doctor, Dr. Irene Souter at Mass General Hospital, and after hard work, Nancy gave birth to a daughter, Jamie, at age 41, and a son, Jimmy, at age 43. Nancy hopes other moms will realize that if you are willing to get help from people who are top in their field with anything you do in life including having kids, breastfeeding or working out, the outcome is always better. “There are so many good people who can help you with whatever you want to do,” she says. Today Nancy cannot imagine her life if she and her husband, Jim, had waited and not reached out for assistance. “We are so happy to be parents. I remember after we had our daughter, my husband said to me, ‘we almost missed out on all of this!’”

To make the most of being a parent and businesswoman, Nancy regularly consults with a life coach and does not falter from her exercise routine. “If you put the 45 minutes in to exercise, you will be more productive and can do almost anything.” For information on Nancy Andrews Broderick and her January workshops on getting started in bodybuilding and figure, visit neclassic.com.

Take 15 with Nancy Three words to describe my family: Loving, generous and FUN I am the queen of: multitasking. I always have lots going on! Why raising a family in Massachusetts is great: Our family is here, and there are so many opportunities because of the great schools, health care and sports. We love going to: Chatham What makes me a better mom: Being fit (of course) and my dedication to my

family. I want to do everything I can to make my children’s lives the best they can be. A typical day: I usually get up early to exercise and then get both of my kids ready to go to daycare. I take my daughter to her preschool or daycare and then head to work at my family’s business in Worcester. My husband takes my son to daycare. After work, I pick both of my kids up at their daycares, bring them home and make something for dinner. After we eat, I clean everything up, pack the bags for the next day and then I get to relax a little. Bodybuilding is a hobby that I do in my spare time. For my bodybuilding shows, I do all of my computer work and emails after I have finished everything else. My daughter does not like going to bed at night so it is always a challenge getting her to go to sleep. I am thankful for: PEAPOD delivery because I do not have very much free time.

so impressed because she said I made it look easy. Being fit makes everything you do a little easier. On nursing: To do well in bodybuilding, you have to be willing to make sacrifices, work very hard, be very committed to your training and diet and able to focus on your goals. All of those things are also important when parenting. I had a really difficult time breastfeeding so I went to see Debbie Page, a lactation consultant in Sterling. It was a lot of work, but I think because I really wanted to do it, and had professional help early on, I succeded.

“Being fit makes everything you do a little easier.”

steven king

Current workout routine: Now, I do cardio at least five days a week for 45 minutes. I usually do 3 days of weight training but much shorter sessions and a different style of training. I do higher reps and more of a circuit type workout.

My daughter’s view of my bodybuilding: At my November show, my daughter wanted to wear a Dora bathing suit and Cinderella shoes and get on stage like the figure ladies who wear high heels and bathing suits. She will always say, ‘Oh, when you were brown’ and ‘when you did not have milks’ (she calls breasts ‘milks’). It is pretty funny what she notices. Also, I have been on lots of natural bodybuilding magazines so when we are at the store she will ask if I am in that magazine.

Getting through the challenges of being a working mom: I really believe that the exercise and staying fit helps me because I have more stamina to do all I have to do. Sometimes I wish I had a little extra time to relax and not do anything but it has not happened yet as I am really enjoying my children and everything they do (My daughter is involved in the Little Gym in Westborough, dancing at Diane Cournoyer’s Studio in Northborough and gymnastics at Gymnastics Learning Center in Shrewsbury. I competed and coached gymnastics so it is very exciting for me to see her enjoying it too. My son is too young right now but when he is a little older, I am sure we will get him involved in some activities. Then my biggest challenge will be scheduling both of them!).

CHILDREN’S DENTISTS of Worcester

On working out during pregnant: Through both pregnancies, I continued weight training and did 45 minutes of cardio six days a week. With both of them, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight when I came home from the hospital. I did not look the same, that is for sure, but since I did not have a lot of extra weight, it made it easier to get back to normal. On childbirth: Through bodybuilding, I realized that I have great mental focus. I never really thought much of it until I had my daughter. We had a doula, Madeline Browning, and she was so interested in knowing how I was able to tolerate the pain of labor and deliver my daughter without medication. Madeline has been to hundreds of births but she was

What I eat: When I was competing, the diet was very critical so I would weigh and measure everything I ate. I had six small meals a day mostly eating – chicken, fish, egg whites, protein powders, vegetables and a limited number of carbs. The carbs were always unprocessed so oatmeal, potatoes and rice were the most common one. Now, my diet is still healthy but not as limited. I still try to eat smaller meals and lots of fruits and vegetables and very healthy food. The biggest difference is that if I want something that is not as healthy, now I will eat it because it does not matter as much because I am not competing. One thing that surprises a lot of people is that I do like to drink wine. I really enjoy sharing a bottle of wine with my husband on the weekends. We are not big drinkers but we do enjoy it occasionally. Advice for moms interested in bodybuilding: Do it! You will learn a lot about your body, nutrition and training. Many people tell me, other than their wedding and giving birth to their children, competing is the next biggest day of their life. Most people are really surprised at what they can do and how they can look if they work at it. Our monthly “Moms Rock” column sees the good in what all moms do. Do you know a mom who just rocks? Email editor@baystateparent.com.

Dr. Manouch Darvish Dr. Daniel Moheban certified, American Board of Pediatric Dentistry

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ADVERTISERS’DIRECTORY A Place to Grow...................................................... 31 Adventure Boot Camp LLC ........................................ 54 Applewild School .................................................... 39 Architects for Learning ............................................. 42 Attorney James Connors .......................................... 16 Bancroft School ...................................................... 37 Bay State Skating School ........................................ 9 Becker College...................................................11, 23 Blossom Station ..................................................... 30 Boroughs JCC ......................................................... 41 Boston Children’s Theatre......................................... 4 Bright Horizons Family Solutions ............................... 34 British School of Boston........................................... 27 Camp Half Moon .................................................... 43 Celebrity Series of Boston ........................................ 6 Charles River Creative Arts Program ........................... 44 Charter .................................................................. 56 Children’s Dentists of Worcester, LLC .......................... 53 Children’s Music Academy ........................................ 18 Claytime................................................................ 6 CoCo Key- Fitchburg ................................................ 2 Concord Academy ................................................... 45 Consign My Closet .................................................. 46 Cornerstone Academy .............................................. 3 Cutie Patutie’s ........................................................ 13 Dance IT UP ........................................................... 9 Danforth Museum of Art .......................................... 45 Devereux Therapeutic Foster Care ............................. 24 Dr. Bruce Fieldman ................................................. 7 Dr. Mel Ehrlich........................................................ 13 Eagle Hill School..................................................... 45 Ecotarium .............................................................. 18 Finagle a Bagel ...................................................... 22 Guild Of St. Agnes Daycare ...................................... 27 Gymboree.............................................................. 13 Inn at East Hill Farm ............................................... 17 Iparty ................................................................... 51 Judge Baker Children’s Center .................................. 42 Little Hands Academy .............................................. 34

Loretta LaRoche Productions ..................................... 35 Mass Audubon Society ............................................ 19 Maximum Image Salon ........................................... 54 McDonald’s ............................................................ 22 Mercy Center ......................................................... 39 Mothers and Company ............................................ 5 Munroe Center for the Arts ....................................... 24 Nashoba Montessori School...................................... 34 Next Generation Children’s Centers ............................ 40 North Central Charter Essential School ....................... 41 Panera Bread ......................................................... 4 Parenting Solutions ................................................. 22 Paula Swift Photography.......................................... 21 Room to Bloom ...................................................... 26 Rye Airfield ............................................................ 43 Seeking Sitters ....................................................... 13 Sensory Learning Center .......................................... 26 Sha’arei Shalom..................................................... 25 Skribbles Learning Center......................................... 35 Smucker’s Stars on Ice ............................................ 19 Sports Broadcasting Camps, LLC ............................... 43 St. Bernadette’s School ........................................... 35 St. Vincent Hospital ................................................ 2 Summer Fenn ........................................................ 43 SummerScape ........................................................ 43 The Brighton School ................................................ 33 The Children’s Workshop .......................................... 31 Theophany School .................................................. 30 TLC Christian Preschool ............................................ 33 UMass Memorial .................................................... 21 Venerini Academy ................................................... 35 Watertown Children’s Theatre ................................... 13 Wheelock Family Theatre......................................... 5 Wife Savers ........................................................... 22 Women’s Health of Central Mass .............................. 5 Worcester Academy of Music .................................... 25 Worcester JCC Early Childhood .................................. 4 Worcester Kids’ Dentist ............................................ 17 YMCA-Metrowest .................................................... 43

Look What’s Coming Down the Pike in baystateparent JANUARY 2011 KICKS OFF: Our Go-To Guide for SUMMER CAMPS! Each month we will feature camp advertisers PLUS helpful camp editorial in the April issue. And again this year we are offering an exciting Virtual Camp Guide at baystateparent.com.

Don’t miss your chance to reach our 100,000 readers! Please contact, Stephanie Pearl, baystateparent’s sales and business development manager, at 508-865-7070 or email stephaniep@baystateparent.com with any questions.

CAPTURED

“winter wonderland” Snowflake Fairies: Jada Isabelle and Jacinda Rose Hewes, 7-year-old twins from Chicopee, are photographed by their mom, Jennifer Rose Hewes of jenniferrosephotography.org.

Play Ball: Tristan Cibeira, age 2, of Leominster gets ready to throw a snowball at Mommy and Daddy. Cool Cut: Catherine Spinney (age 4 here) gives her very first snowman a unique hairstyle in North Grafton.

Snoooow Magical!: Johanna Geremia, age11, takes in the view at Tower Hill Botanical Gardens.

February’s “Captured”: Email special birthday party photos you’ve captured of your child to editor@baystateparent.com.

Little Sport: Jason Rogers, age 7, of Shrewsbury is ready to hit the slopes of Ward Hill. BAYSTATEPARENT 55

Sprout,® the 24-hour preschool channel, is now available! Now you and your preschooler can watch your favorite friends like Barney, Caillou and Elmo everyday, plus meet new friends from shows like The Sunny Side Up Show and The Good Night Show.® Along with crafts, songs, stories and

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more, Sprout makes every day a great day to share together.

Sprout is now available on Charter Digital channel 112. Charter Digital equipment and subscription to the Digital View Tier required.

Call 888-GET-CHARTER today. © 2010 Children’s Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Sprout and the Sprout logo are service marks of Children’s Network, LLC. The Good Night Show® and associated characters, trademarks and design elements are owned by Children’s Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The Sprout Sharing Show and The Sunny Side Up Show and their associated characters, trademarks and design elements are owned by Children’s Network, LLC. Sesame Street® and associated characters, trademarks and design elements are owned and licensed by Sesame Workshop. © 2010 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. © 2010 COOKIE JAR ENTERTAINMENT™ Les Editions Chouette. Berenstain Bears characters © Stan & Jan Berenstain The Berenstain Bears® Berenstain Enterprises Inc. Barney & FriendsTM © 2010 Lyons Partnership, L.P. Bob the BuilderTM © 2010 HIT Entertainment Limited and Keith Chapman. Fifi and the FlowertotsTM © 2010 Chapman Entertainment Limited. All Rights Reserved. © 2010 The Wiggles PTY LTD. © 2010 Charter Communications. Services not available in all areas. Other restrictions may apply. Call for full details.

56 JANUARY2011

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