SAVVYkids | August 2020

AUGUST 2020 · SAVVYKIDSAR.COM

WORK IT OUT!

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STUDY BUDDIES

& CHORES : EVERYBODY DO YOUR SHARE

museumofdiscovery.org bnelsen@museumofdiscovery.org

first discoveries fall camps

501.214.1122

SHOP LOCAL EAT LOCAL

9 a.m. to noon on mondays for ages 4-6 $40 per camp: museum members or $50 per camp: non-members

follow us for virtual and homeschool programming announcements!

Support your favorite local restaurants and retailers.

Order or by phone Support your favoriteonline local restaurants and retailers. then pickup curbside.

Order online or by phone then pickup curbside.

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AUGUST 2020 | SAVVYKIDSAR.COM

SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | AUGUST 2020

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AUGUST

DIY BACK TO SCHOOL BLING ON PAGE 10

2020

5 EDITOR’S NOTE 8 LOCAL & ONLINE & CRAFTS!

12 MAMA SAID ...

THE AUGUST CONUNDRUM — JEN HOLMAN GET KIDS IN THE KITCHEN ON PAGE 20

14 FAMILY & PARENTING EVERYBODY DO YOUR SHARE

18 EXPLORE & LEARN STUDY BUDDIES

20 GOOD EATS MINI CHEFS

26 HEALTH & WELLNESS WORK IT OUT!

30 MEET THE PARENT ALI NOLAND

MEET ALI NOLAND ON PAGE 30

ON THE COVER: ENHANCE YOUR ATHOME LEARNING EXPERIENCE. STORY ON PAGE 18.

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AUGUST 2020 | SAVVYKIDSAR.COM

Photo by Stacy Kinzler

ADAPT & CHANGE August is typically the big back to school issue at SAVVYkids. It’s the time of year parents should be strolling the aisles at Target, letting kids pick out a new lunch box, backpack and folders for a fresh start at school. But, we are all shifting gears to accommodate this new normal. Whether you’ve chosen to send your kids back to school, opted for virtual learning, or are bravely exploring homeschool territory, we hope you’ll find something in these pages to make this transition easier for everyone in your home.

With more time indoors due to the heat and the pandemic, you may find your home is a perpetual wreck. Never ending laundry, not a clean bowl in the cupboard, juice boxes crammed between the couch cushions … I could go on, but I’m guessing you can relate. If you find that you’re the only family member stuck in the endless task of house cleaning, stop. We consulted the experts, and they say put a mop in that kid’s hand now! On page 14, get the green light on why chores are great for kids’ long term success, how to encourage them to participate and what age to introduce small tasks.

Another place to get your kids involved is the kitchen. Take a deep breath, embrace the mess and encourage them to create a few fun, kid-friendly recipes from Zara Abbasi on page 20. From edible Play-Doh to homemade Pop-Tarts, these creations will inspire and delight your mini chef!

If your child is deeply missing sports and other activities that had them moving, running and jumping, you might consider introducing some online family-centered movement into your routine. Our bodies need to move for both physical and mental wellbeing, and we chat with a local fitness trainer on page 26 about ways to get kids moving indoors.

Kids had a rough end of the school year in the spring, and are headed into another nine weeks of uncertain learning structure. Whether you’re opting for in-school or at-home learning this semester, there are many opportunities to enhance your child’s education with local tutoring services. Turn to page 18 to learn more.

The theme for 2020 seems to be “adapt and change.” Schools, restaurants and businesses are doing their best to ride the choppy current this year, and SAVVYkids is doing the same. Next month, you’ll be able to find the same great family-oriented content in a slightly reduced size and bound within the pages of the Arkansas Times, our parent publication. Until then, we hope you and your family stays safe, healthy and receives all the good vibes we are sending your way for an easy transition into this upcoming school year!

Amy Gordy Editor, SAVVYkids amy@arktimes.com

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PUBLISHER BROOKE WALLACE | brooke@arktimes.com EDITOR AMY GORDY | amy@arktimes.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR MANDY KEENER ART DIRECTOR | DIGITAL MANAGER KATIE HASSELL SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE LESA THOMAS PRODUCTION MANAGER | CONTROLLER WELDON WILSON ADVERTISING TRAFFIC MANAGER ROLAND R. GLADDEN ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR MIKE SPAIN DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & EVENT PLANNING LUCY BAEHR PHOTOGRAPHER BRIAN CHILSON

3 Instructional Options Offered Blended | Traditional | Virtual Staff required to wear face coverings Students expected to wear face coverings All details can be found on Roadmap to Reopening on pcssd.org

IT DIRECTOR ROBERT CURFMAN ACCOUNTING CHARLOTTE KEY CIRCULATION DIRECTOR JACKSON GLADDEN PRESIDENT ALAN LEVERITT

©2020 ARKANSAS TIMES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP 201 E. MARKHAM ST., SUITE 200 LITTLE ROCK, AR 72201 501-375-2985

FIND US ON

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AUGUST 2020 | SAVVYKIDSAR.COM

contributors ZARA ABBASI lives in Little Rock with her husband and three children. She is a licensed attorney, but you know her better as Little Rock’s friendly pastry chef and custom cake maker. She keeps busy with dessert orders, pop-up dinners, writing articles and doing anything food-related.

Follow her on Instagram @Zaramadeit for her newest cake creations and dinner ideas.

KATIE CHILDS is a wedding, lifestyle and commercial photographer based in North Little Rock. When she's not behind the camera, Katie, her husband, Jon, and their new addition, baby Jonas, can be found traveling the U.S. in a DIY camper van.

DWAIN HEBDA is a writer and editor living in Little Rock. He and his wife, Darlene, are the parents of four grown children. The empty-nesters spend their time traveling, working out and spoiling their two dogs.

JEN HOLMAN is doing her best right now, OK? She lives in Little Rock with her husband and three children, striking that delicate balance between inspiration and frustration.

She’s written five novels, one of which won a Rosemary Award for excellence in young adult fiction.

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ANGELA E. THOMAS is a proud University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate and a member of its Alumni Board. For 11 years, she served Central Arkansas as editor for a locally owned magazine. Thomas is founder and owner of the greeting card company GODsent Greetings.

MELISSA TUCKER spends her days working in web marketing. When not at work, you'll probably find her at the gym, on the playground with her kids or checking out too many books from the library.

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SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | AUGUST 2020

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LOCAL & ONLINE

AUGUST 2020

BABYSITTING CERTIFICATION Aug. 22

‘BLUEBERRY’S CLUBHOUSE’ ON ARKANSAS PBS Through Aug. 14

Younger kids will love this new original series produced by Arkansas PBS and the Arkansas Arts Center. Tune in to “Blueberry’s Clubhouse” on Fridays at 10 a.m. through Aug. 14 to follow the adventures of Blueberry, a fun-loving puppet, across The Natural State. This program will provide educational content and feature local partners, locations and special guests, including: “Exploring Arkansas” host Chuck Dovish, Al “Papa Rap” Lopez, Museum of Discovery, Little Rock Zoo, Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub at Winrock International, Apple Seeds food education program, UAMS, CALS, Arkansas State Parks, Zig Zag – A Place to Make and Historic Arkansas Museum. Episodes will be available to watch each Friday at 10 a.m. on ARPBS-1, myarkansaspbs.org/ blueberrysclubhouse, Facebook and youtube.com/myarkansaspbs, as well as in the Engage Arkansas PBS app and PBS Video app.

NATIONAL DAYS OF CELEBRATION! Aug. 2 - National Friendship Day Aug. 4 - National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day Aug. 6 - National Root Beer Float Day Aug. 9 - National Book Lovers Day Aug. 13 - International Left Handers Day Aug. 15 - World Honey Bee Day Aug. 17 - National Nonprofit Day Aug. 22 - National Tooth Fairy Day 8

AUGUST 2020 | SAVVYKIDSAR.COM

If “The Baby-sitter’s Club” series on Netflix has your tween dying to start a childcare service or you’d like him to be more comfortable being in charge of younger siblings, consider a Child and Babysitting Safety course by Safety Before Skill. The four-hour course for ages 10 and older covers topics from getting started with a babysitting business, to dealing with parents and children, key safety points, caregiving and first-aid tips. Masks are provided, 10-student limit, seating 6 feet apart and temperatures taken at the door. All equipment sanitized. Pre-registration is required at safetybeforeskill.com.

BACK2SCHOOL BLOCK PARTY: THE DRIVE THRU EDITION Aug. 16

Parents are invited to bring the kids to this drive-thru school supplies event at the Omega Psi Phi house, 2512 State St. The Center for Healing Hearts and Spirits, Omega Psi Phi fraternity and many more partnering agencies are providing stuffed backpacks at this event. Limit three per family while supplies last.

PANDEMIC PARENTING VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUP

Each Wednesday, 5-6 p.m.

Connect with other parents and find support through Behavioral Health Services of Arkansas at this free weekly discussion on the challenges parents experience and strategies to address them. The goal of this group is to provide weekly, meaningful content, tools and advice to help parents navigate these uncertain times. To register email maggie.adams@bhsarkansas.org.

SALES TAX HOLIDAY Aug.1-2

Enjoy a brief break from sales tax and fulfill your virtual or in-person school supplies list. The sales tax holiday allows shoppers the opportunity to purchase certain school supplies, school art supplies, school instructional materials and clothing free of state and local sales tax. dfa.arkansas.gov.

FREE IMMUNIZATIONS Aug. 8, 10, 13, 15, 22

Baptist Health Community Outreach is making sure you have everything you need to go back to school, including immunizations. Make an appointment for free immunizations for primary and secondary school-aged children. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 screening guidelines will be enforced, including mask requirement, temperature check and screening questions. Please bring shot records, and if you have Medicaid please bring proof of coverage. Contact Community Outreach at 501-202-1540 to schedule an appointment.

VIRTUAL LITTLE BEGINNINGS PRE-K PROGRAM Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

The Old State House Museum is continuing its educational programming online with this virtual version of Little Beginnings, geared toward little ones, with storytime, games and hands-on activites. Topics for the upcoming 30-minute sessions include: Aug. 5, Frogs; Aug. 12, Outer Space; Aug. 19, Hermit Crabs; Aug. 26, Animals.

CARTI’S TOUR DE ROCK Aug. 15

Enjoy a fast-paced ride through Central Arkansas and raise money to help fight cancer at this annual ride.

Choose to ride one of four smooth routes with plenty of rest stops and enjoy an after-party with music, great food and beer garden at Heifer International Pavilion. This year’s ride will feature a few modifications to ensure the health and safety of all riders. Register at carti.com.

SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | AUGUST 2020

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ART SPACE

Too Cool for School

DIY backpack charms will get you back in the swing of things

BY KATIE HASSELL

You’ll Need:

Shrinky Dinks® Black permanent marker Colored pencils Key rings or lobster clasp Hole punch Tassels, charms Needle-nose pliers Scissors Foil and baking sheet Oven

10 AUGUST 2020 | SAVVYKIDSAR.COM

How To:

1. Take a Shrinky DinksÂŽ sheet and use the permanent marker on the roughed side of the plastic sheet to draw cute images you want on your charm. Draw a cute cactus, smiley face or your favorite sports equipment. Keep in mind they will become at least half the size you draw them, so draw big images.

2. Once you have your images drawn, color them in with the colored pencils.

3. Cut them out of the plastic sheet. Be sure to punch a hole in your image where you want it to hang from the key chain hoop.

4. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and cover a baking sheet with foil.

5. Once the oven is preheated, lay your images shiny-plastic-side down on the foil. Place in the oven and wait 1-3 minutes. Once they have shrunk, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

6. Now assemble your charms. Use the needle-nose pliers to open the key rings and rings on tassels. Use beads or tassels to add a little more character.

7. Once you have finished, attach charms to a zipper pull on your backpack. You’re ready to go!

All Summer Luau!

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4822 N. HILLS BLVD. NORTH LITTLE ROCK 501.978.3154 SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | AUGUST 2020

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MAMA SAID ...

The August Conundrum Kids, class and coronavirus

BY JEN HOLMAN

A

s I write, 459 Arkansans are hospitalized with COVID-19, and 94 are on a ventilator. As of mid-July, there had been 30,297 confirmed cases in our state and 335 deaths.

This virus is serious. It is highly contagious. It can be deadly for immunocompromised and aging people. And despite all of us being sick and tired of dealing with it, it’s not over. The fact we are in the middle of a global pandemic is not news. Making hard choices and evolving in our daily habits is a regular part of life now. What is new, or maybe rather what is urgent and pressing, is the choice we parents must make for the coming school year. Do we send our precious children to school in masks, hoping they keep them on and their hands to themselves? Or do we opt for virtual school, further depriving them of social interaction and a bit of normalcy?

Something that came as a surprise to me when looking at statistics is the breakdown of confirmed cases of COVID-19 by age group. Children up to age 17 made up 12% of cases in Arkansas and young adults 18-24 made up 14%. As we’ve heard from experts over the last several months, this virus disproportionately affects people who are vulnerable due to illness or age or a compromised immune system. In Arkansas, people over 65 made up 10% of cases but 70% of deaths. At the time of this writing, there have been no recorded deaths of children in Arkansas as a result of COVID-19.

Nationwide there have been 3,416,428 confirmed cases and 135,991 deaths: 773 of those are new today. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) projects that by Nov. 1, those numbers will be much higher: over 224,000 deaths nationwide and 617 in Arkansas.

These numbers are scary. Certainly, they are worse than when school dismissed in a flurry of backpacks and AMI instruction in mid-March. And yet the entire nation is considering whether and how and when to begin classes.

In our house we are still weighing the options. We are waiting to see how the details shake out for the district, and specific schools’ plans. If I am honest, we go back and forth on this decision every day. Every hour. I work from home, which means I could help the kids through virtual school as long as necessary. But part of my job, the creative part, needs a set three or four hours of being left alone, of being “in the zone” to write. My kids will not leave me alone for 10 minutes. Any realistic hope of getting back to work is out the window if we opt for virtual school.

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But if we send them to class so I can work, they will be exposed to hundreds of kids at two different schools. If they are exposed to someone who tests positive, that means we all are and my husband, our primary income earner who works in an office setting, will have to quarantine. That is a real risk that can greatly affect us.

I know March was an emergency scenario and online learning was hastily thrown together, but for us it was a nightmare. There were so many tears. So much frustration. I am not proud of my kids’ attitude and behavior surrounding virtual learning. I am not proud of my own. Thankfully, virtual school has been better planned by districts, administrators and teachers, and new and (hopefully) improved platforms are scheduled for the fall.

Since we are on the subject, in a classroom setting, teachers are suddenly on the front line. While many other professionals are still working from home for safety, suddenly classroom teachers are exposed to multiple families. Summer camps and sports leagues have taken great precautious over the last few months but still faced outbreaks. Why do we think schools will be any different? And so what then? If a teacher tests positive, must every child in the class quarantine and get tested? Must their family? If they don’t have insurance, who pays for that? What about middle and high schools where teachers interact with four or five different classes each day? How many times will we have to quarantine once school starts? The exposure, quarantine, release cycle seems inevitable.

“Summer camps and sports leagues have taken great precautious over the last few months but still faced outbreaks. "

DeeDee’s Skin Care

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All made from ingredients found in your kitchen!

Despite the risks, all three of my children are desperate to return to school. When I asked her thoughts, my soon-to-be seventh-grader tried to put her foot down about virtual school.

She learned nothing last term, she says. She can’t focus or take school seriously when she’s at home. She wants a typical school setting and I cannot blame her. I miss my work and my friends, too. And that is another thing. Our family has been going to the pool and playing baseball and tennis. Though these facilities are taking precautions, kids are not always wearing masks. We are taking some risks already. If we keep our kids home from school, should we put an end to these activities? Is it pointless and hypocritical if we don’t?

If you are thinking this article poses more questions than answers, you are right. They are the honest questions of parents trying to make the right choices for their family. I have talked to so many friends, most of whom have the same concerns.

These are hard times with tough choices and each family, each circumstance, is different. Honestly, the families who have choices are lucky. Working parents everywhere count on school in order to return to the office or the restaurant or the construction site. Teachers, too, are deprived of choices for their children if they must return to class.

Short of a vaccine or temporarily quarantining the country to stop the spread once and for all, there is not a perfect solution.

Starting school in-person in August? Yikes! Virtual school?

Not again. Homeschooling? Huh-uh. In the end, we must all do what is right for our families and hope for the best. We won’t all make the same choice, but it will help if we are kind and accepting of one another in the months ahead. These decisions do not come lightly.

Starting Aug. 1, 2020 DeeDee Helbig has been the owner of the award-winning day spa Ava Bella Day Spa since 2004. She is the mother of two boys and is the PTA president at Roberts Elementary School.

A licensed esthetician for over 20 years, she loves educating people on how to take care of their skin. She has been doing just that as a monthly guest on “Good Morning Arkansas” the last 15 years.

Each month, Dee Dee will bring our SAVVYkids readers skin care recipes with ingredients that are right in your kitchen! You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to have beautiful skin.

You can use ingredients that you already have.

So stay tuned each week for a new recipe :)

@SAVVYkidsAR

SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | AUGUST 2020

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FAMILY & PARENTING

EVERYBODY DO YOUR SHARE

The secret to kids’ long-term happiness? Doing chores.

BY DWAIN HEBDA

I

n 2014 the American Camp Association reported the average summer camp took in $1.28 million.

Last year Bankrate reported Americans spent around $2,000 on average to go on vacation and, per The Aspen Institute, up to $35,000 on youth sports. We also spent, said Gallup, $1 trillion on 2019 holiday gifts, or $942 per person. And in January, Business Insider ran an article on kids’ birthday parties, a booming sector of the party planning industry, where some parents are shelling out $50,000 for their toddler’s fête.

Such statistics show there’s seemingly no cost too high, no cake too big and no soccer game too far for many parents in the arms race to make their children happy.

But an emerging body of research suggests all they really need to do is get them to make their bed.

Two years ago the University of Minnesota released findings of a 20-year study measuring the correlation between having childhood chores and happiness later in life. The project followed 84 young adults based on the age they were assigned chores—ages 3-4, 9-10 and 1516—and interviewed them in their mid-20s.

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“Parents should also be prepared in the beginning to model for their child the behavior that they’re looking for."

The result? The best predictor of young adults' happiness in educational, professional and personal success was having participated in household tasks from age 3, especially compared to those who didn’t have assigned chores until their teenage years.

The findings were old news to child development and parenting experts like Emily Shields, program consultant for Methodist Family Health in Little Rock.

“Chores and household tasks, contributing to things, cleaning up your own things and contributing to your greater household instills a sense of autonomy in kids. It also helps them understand the collective good,” she said. “If I’m responsible for my bed and my stuff and my toys, and I control who plays with them by putting them away, that is a great sense of independence for kids.

"On the other side of that, having kids help with putting away dishes, setting the table, dusting, and other things that help the family helps them understand collective responsibility. And, there’s lots of information that indicates people who make their beds every day are more successful. So, making your bed is a great place to start.”

The Minnesota study also reported the impact of the “chore effect” on kids is proportionate to the age appropriateness of the task and how it’s presented. Shields agreed, saying parents who work out elaborate chore charts are often complicating things unnecessarily, especially for young children.

“Rather than trying to make it into a chart, making chores a game is a great idea,” she said.

“Build them intentionally into the daily routine and in how you communicate with your child. Say, ‘The reason it’s a great idea to pick up your teddy bear is so that when it’s bedtime, you’ll know where he is.’

Presented that way, chores are something you can start really young.”

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Incentivizing chore completion, particularly through money, is a subject of much debate. An article on Moms. com last year gave five reasons in favor of paying kids (including learning the value of money and saving for what they want) and five reasons against it (entitlement, over-valuing money). Shields said while there’s nothing wrong with incentives per se, parents should take care to manage them correctly.

“There are two principles we look at in terms of rewards,” she said. “One is contingency. Contingency is the way that B is dependent on A, such as ‘In order to access the Wi-Fi signal, I need you to make your bed, take a shower, do your dishes.’

“The other thing is, you can incentivize things that are assumed. Again, Wi-Fi is a good example: If your child just assumes they’re going to have access to Wi-Fi, you can incentivize that by saying, ‘OK, I need you to do A, B or C and then your reward for your contribution is participating in our collective benefit of having Wi-Fi.’” Ultimately, Shields said, success in chores among children comes down to consistency and perspective.

“The first thing is, never ask a child to do something that you haven’t done or are not willing to do when it comes to chores,” she said. “Parents should also be prepared in the beginning to model for their child the behavior that they’re looking for.

“You also have to be careful if you find yourself yelling at your kids because of chores or if you find yourself using consequences when you’re not getting results, because the kids can lose motivation. That creates a vicious cycle of negatives.

“At the same time, if you say you’re going to give a reward, you need to only give the reward if it’s earned. On the flipside, don’t promise something and then not give it because the first or second time you do that, you’ve lost.”

“Success in chores among children comes down to consistency and perspective. "

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Special strategies for special kids Chores can have a positive long-term effect for children, including those with developmental delays or disorders.

Emily Shields of Methodist Family Health offered some tips for making the most of these teaching opportunities no matter where the child falls on the developmental scale.

BREAK THINGS DOWN: Make sure the child knows specifically what you want done to help increase success.

“It’s not going to work to say, ‘Go clean your room.’ That has no meaning for a child with developmental delays,” Shields said. “Break that down into smaller tasks and then do them with your child in the beginning. That way you’re not demanding something from them they aren’t capable of because they don’t know how to do it.”

FORMALIZE BUY-IN: Come to an agreement over chores, such as with a summer contract like the one developed by Boys Town. (www.boystown.org/parenting/ article/Pages/summer-contract.aspx).

“A summer contract sets your expectations in writing, then parents and kids sit down and say, ‘OK, we agree that we can do this,’” Shields said. “It’s written down, you can stick it on your refrigerator or even give a copy to your kids so they can see it when they get up.”

LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY: Consider a chore tracking app to keep jobs on pace and organized.

“My brother has five children and they use an app that divides the chores and gives reminders over everyone’s devices,” Shields said. “You can even break down a job by task, like in the bathroom, clean the sink, clean the toilet, change the towels. Throughout the day you can check things off or let everyone know what must be done.”

SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | AUGUST 2020

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EXPLORE & LEARN

STUDY BUDDIES

Tutoring services are playing a big role in COVID-era education

BY DWAIN HEBDA

W

hen the coronavirus shut down the final quarter of the 2019-2020 school year, Charlotte Foster, Little Rock center director for Sylvan Learning Center, had a lot of questions about how the well-known tutoring business would weather the pandemic.

She only had to wait until the first easing of restrictions to find out.

“By the time things started to open back up, parents actually pushed their kids right back to the center,” she said.

“The parents were like, ‘OK, we’ve had enough of this.’ You know how kids are; they’re not listening, they don’t care what their parents say. Parents were like, ‘Yeah, take them back.

Take. Them. Back.’”

All joking aside, academic tutoring services such as Sylvan and Mathnasium are being touted as an important supplement to educational instruction curtailed by school closings and parents thrust into an unfamiliar void as academic educators, seeking help.

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“For the most part, parents are understanding that their kids, especially when it comes to math, need live instruction,” said Jess Walker, Little Rock center director for Mathnasium.

“It’s very easy with math to very quickly give up because [students] need that immediate reinforcement of ‘Am I understanding this or am I not understanding this? Am I doing this right or wrong?’ “[Parents] realize that it’s really tough to replace face-toface education. It’s not the same, even for online.”

Long seen as a way for struggling students to catch up to their classmates, private tutoring companies have steadily marketed themselves into a clientele of students who keep up just fine, or are even ahead of their peers. Part of this growth has been in response to the “summer slide” theory that suggests students can lose an average of 20 percent of schoolyear gains in reading and 27 percent of math gains over an idle summertime.

Add in the effects of the pandemic and tutoring is

poised to become an even more common tool in primary and secondary education, some of which is being paid for with public money. In 2009, No Child Left Behind set a precedent for this by providing a means for children from low-income families to receive free tutoring through state-approved private for-profit and nonprofit sources. In May, Tennessee officials announced a sweeping program to pair college students with schoolchildren, called Tennessee Tutoring Corps.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as coronavirus is promising to provide private tutoring companies with an even bigger potential windfall of new business.

Businesswire.com reported in May the findings of a report that predicted the global private tutoring market will grow by $106 billion over the next seven

“Our parents appreciate the fact that our curriculum is on an iPad, and then students can work on paper, they can work on a white board, they can work wherever they work best. But it’s dynamic. They’re not just doing a page of worksheet problems, flip over and do the next page and then somebody grades them and then do more. We don’t do that.”

Another key area to ask about is the qualifications of the instructors, Walker said, even if that person doesn’t fit parents’ mental picture of a teacher.

“I have a really young staff of instructors right now.

But we’ve put a lot into training them and it pays off,” she said. “Parents shouldn’t necessarily exclude someone out of a tutor pool just because someone is young. That’s often a good key to getting your child to feel comfortable. Sometimes that can feel like more

“Our parents appreciate the fact that our curriculum is on an iPad, and then students can work on paper, they can work on a white board, they can work wherever they work best. " years, both in the U.S. and abroad.

“Given the world we live in now, it’s more essential to have your kid be part of some supplemental education program outside of school,” Walker said.

“There are a variety of distractions that kids have around them these days that weren’t around a long time ago. That’s just the reality.”

The growth projection translates to millions more families nationwide seeking out the personalized attention and targeted skills improvement that tutoring advertises. But how’s a parent to know which is right for their child? Foster said parents need to ask solid questions, starting with curriculum.

“You want to know how your kid is going to be working when they’re in there and who are they working with,” she said. “One question that I get asked a lot by parents is, ‘Are they just going to be at the table doing worksheets?’

of a big brother or big sister helping them. A young, energetic person who’s well-trained might be a good key in getting your child to open up.”

And, of course, in this day and age it’s important to discuss a company’s COVID safety procedures as well as contingency plans for how services will be delivered if the pandemic flares up and disrupts regular school operations again.

“We already instituted remote learning and virtual classrooms when all of this started. So, our teachers are all experienced with working in that format,” Foster said. “But we’ve also set up a program for our kids to come here to work on their schoolwork with their teachers in small groups with masks, with 6 feet in between the teacher in a mask and extra disinfecting. We’ve already got that in place and, I think, we’re ready for whatever the new school year throws at us.”

SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | AUGUST 2020

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GOOD EATS

20 AUGUST 2020 | SAVVYKIDSAR.COM

MINI CHEFS

Little hands love to help with the cooking!

Try these kid-friendly and delicious recipes to help build confidence in the kitchen.

BY ZARA ABBASI PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATIE CHILDS

I

f you’re anything like me, you are at your wits end trying to figure out what else you could possibly do to entertain your kids. With the new school year approaching and many schedules up in the air, the last thing I personally want to think about is what may be involved in this year’s school supply list. It’s fair to say every parent is feeling a certain uneasiness.

But lucky for you I’m the queen of taking naps instead of focusing on the issues at hand. That means I’ll come up with quite a few ways to turn lemons into lemonade. If we have the kids at home, let’s make the interactions we have with them positive because we are all shouldering enough stress to carry us into the next century … there’s no reason to burden their tiny shoulders, too.

We are pretty open with our kids so as not to leave them in the dark, but I hate to make them feel like there can’t be beautiful little memories found among all the darkness surrounding us right now.

One way we create memories is by cooking together. The kids like hands-on and interactive recipes that don’t require parents to jump in and “fix” mistakes. These recipes are practically foolproof, so despite aesthetics, all the food is still edible and the kids feel independent and useful making them all on their own. It’s a win-win!

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JELL-O PLAY-DOH I love this simple recipe because it’s a great way to interact with little kids who want to help in the kitchen but are more interested in playing. I also love that this is edible in case they get it in their tiny mouths. My toddler loves to help cook, but she wants sprinkles in everything, which means we deviate from the tasks at hand quite often. This way, she feels like she’s helping cook like the big kids but she can keep playing while we cook our meal. As she gets older, she’ll have a bigger role in cooking, but right now I love getting her involved this way and building her confidence by not having to give her many different instructions. ¼ cup instant pudding mix 1 cup cornstarch 1/3 cup warm water 1. Mix pudding with warm water and stir.

2. Slowly add in ½ of the cornstarch and keep stirring. It’ll be extremely sticky at this point.

3. Add in a bit more of the cornstarch at a time until it’s too hard to stir. Then knead it all together with your hands.

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THE BEST MEATBALLS Why do I like these meatballs? Because they’re so incredibly flavorful, and I make a huge batch to freeze for later. They receive rave reviews no matter when I make them. When you want to make a huge batch, get the kids involved for some free labor ... I mean ... good quality time.

To be honest, kids love getting their hands dirty, so making meatballs is an incredible activity for them. I’d leave out the red pepper flakes and hot sauce for them unless they like that bit of spice.

These are so good with a homemade marinara on pasta, or in a sub sandwich.

1 pound groundchuck ½ cup dried bread crumbs 4 large eggs ½ cup whole milk ¾ cup grated Parmesan or Romano ¾ cup grated yellow onion 4 cloves finely diced fresh garlic 2 ounces finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves 5-6 finely chopped fresh basil leaves ½ teaspoon garlic salt 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning ¾ teaspoon dried oregano ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional) 1 dash hot sauce or to taste (optional) 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1. Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.

2. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. If mixture seems a little loose, add more breadcrumbs.

3. Roll meatballs loosely about the size of a golf ball and place on baking sheet. Place into preheated oven for approximately 35-40 minutes. Enjoy!

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HOMEMADE POP-TARTS How fun are Pop-Tarts? If you grew up on that store-bought staple, you’ll love these homemade ones. What I love most about this is how absolutely rewarding they are!

Not only are they so delicious, but you can customize the fillings for each person and decorate however you’d like! The easiest part is that you can use store-bought pie dough if you don’t want to make it from scratch, to make it fun and easy for everyone.

Pie dough (skip if using store-bought): 2½ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces (1 stick) 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening 6 tablespoons ice cold water 1 large egg mixed with 2 tablespoons milk Fillings: -Jam fillings: ¾ cup strawberry jam or your favorite flavor 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon cold water Mix the ingredients in a small pan and heat together until thickened and let cool before using as filling.

Filling Ideas: Nutella and Fruit Peanut Butter and Jam Marshmallow Fluff and Chocolate Chips Icing: 1 cup powdered sugar Enough water to create a thick but spreadable icing Sprinkles (optional, but is it really?)

Mix ingredients together until desired consistency and set aside.

1. To make the dough, combine flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor.

Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the cold water and pulse just until the dough starts to hold together. Don't over process.

2. Gather the dough together and divide in half. Form each half into a disc. Wrap each tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

4. Roll out pie dough thin and measure out equal amounts of rectangles.

5. Fill the centers of half the dough pieces with fillings of your choice. Make sure to leave a bit of an edge so they can seal properly.

6. To seal the dough, use a little bit of water along the edges and place another piece of dough on the top and push gently to seal.

7. Go over the edges with the tines of a fork and press gently to seal completely and create a pretty edge.

8. Place on lined baking sheets, and cut 3 small slits on top to allow steam to escape.

9. Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on your oven and allow to cool a few minutes.

10. Top with icing and sprinkles. Enjoy!

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

WO R K I T O U T !

The need to social distance has affected every area of our lives, including our social and physical activities. Most children no longer have play dates. Many team sports have been reduced or eliminated, and even if children return to school, recess and P.E. will likely not look the same. So what can we, as parents and caregivers, do to help?

BY ANGELA E. THOMAS

I

t’s official: We’re all bouncing off the walls from the lack of activity. The need to move isn’t just about getting rid of excess energy. It’s beneficial for our mental and physical wellbeing.

While adults may be drawn to exercise because we want to look better, the many benefits of regular physical activity are more than superficial. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children who are physically active tend to have better cognitive performance, get better grades, have better school attendance and fewer behavior issues in the classroom. They focus better, have better memory and stay on task. The sooner you begin to introduce your children to an active lifestyle, the better.

“The benefits of physical activity can be seen in children as young as 3 to 5 years old. It helps them develop a normal circadian rhythm,

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helps boost self-esteem and helps them feel empowered.

They’ll also learn cognitive flexibility, which is the ability to switch between ideas and focus quickly,” Lee Ann Jolly said.

Jolly has a Ph.D. in physiology and is an Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) certified trainer.

“Generally, we lead pretty sedentary lifestyles, and during this unprecedented time, this is especially true. However, the need to help our children become or maintain physical activity is important. Exercise helps improve focus and increase the attention span. It also helps individuals manage anxiety and depression,” she added.

The World Health Organization recommends children 6 and older participate in 60 minutes of rigorous activity each day.

Jolly adds that this should be outside of school recess and P.E. “As your children become teens, this is especially important as they’re going through hormonal changes. Even light activity is linked to a decreased likelihood of depression. Additionally, the increased confidence they gain with movement correlates to a healthy outlook and is likely to carry over into adulthood.

And parents who are physically active are more likely to make sure their children are as well.”

While she acknowledges that children may be struggling due to a lack of interaction with their classmates, she recommends that you regulate their screen time. This is especially important if your child is attending school virtually.

If your child is fidgety or easily agitated, has a change in sleep or eating habits and/or temperament, this could be signs of depression or anxiety. “Remember, children may not recognize how they’re feeling or they may not have the ability to express their feelings verbally, so watch their behavior,” Jolly said. A doctor’s visit may be in order to address their mental health.

If sports activities e your child would be playing team sports and use that time to strengthen your bond.”

Online Family Fitness Check out GoNoodle.com for games and activities.

Check out YouTube for family workouts, like POPSUGAR Fitness’ 13-minute Family Fun Cardio Workout! youtu. be/5if4cjO5nxo and Moe Jones’ Workout for Beginners youtu.be/L_A_HjHZxfI

Jolly also offers online fitness classes for just $1 each! Log onto The Jolly Bodies Digital Studio at jollybodiesfitness.com.

P.S. While you’re embracing your inner child, consider jumping rope and/or learning to double dutch. According to the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, just 10 minutes of jump-rope exercise daily over six weeks yields the same level of improved cardiovascular health as jogging for 30 minutes a day!

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Physical Activity Recommendations for Kids Active kids have a better chance of a healthy adulthood. How much activity do they need?

Be Active

Kids should be active throughout the day. Replace sedentary behavior with activity whenever possible.

Go Play

Encourage preschool-age children (ages 3-5) to engage in active play as well as structured movement. A good goal is about 3 hours per day of a variety of activities (light, moderate and vigorous).

Live Healthy

Learn & Grow

Kids who are active have better bone health, physical fitness, brain function, attention and academic performance.

They stay at a healthier weight and have fewer symptoms of depression.

Fit in 60+

School-age kids and teens (ages 6-17) should try to get at least 60 minutes per day of moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity. It can be broken up into shorter sessions throughout the day.

Keep kids active at home and at school. Support physical education, walkable communities and safe places to play. Their future health depends on it.

Sit less and move more.

Learn more at heart.org/movemore. © Copyright 2018 American Heart Association, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. All rights reserved.

Healthy for Good is a trademark. Unauthorized use prohibited.

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Switch it up, Mom and Dad!

A recent article published in “Translational Behavioral Medicine,” focused on an analysis of the physical activity of adults in the United States. Walking, biking, dance, running and walking on a treadmill, and weightlifting were the most popular exercises. The individuals who consistently achieved the recommended 150 minutes of activity each week did so by mixing up their activities. Some walked, swam, did strength training, and danced throughout the week. Others mixed in yoga, core exercises and playing ball.

On average, these individuals engaged in three different activities totaling 150 minutes. So, it seems variety really is the spice of life.

Women had less time to exercise, due to household responsibilities, so they were more likely to exercise for 30-40 minutes at a time versus the hour most men took to exercise. Don’t fret, ladies, the study found that women exercise an average of six days per week and were more disciplined, consistent and successful in the regimen.

You Can Do This!

• Walk it out. Find an activity your children enjoy. You don’t have to run a marathon or start a five-day-per-week high-intensity workout.

Start with walking or dancing for 30 minutes, get the entire family to join you.

• Give it time. It takes time to establish a habit—even a good habit.

• Schedule it. Figure out what time of day your child is most energetic and motivated, and make exercise a priority.

• Break it up. Set a goal of 150 minutes, just 2.5 hours, of moderate activity each week for you and an hour per day for your child. For instance, you may choose to work out for 30 minutes a day, Tuesday through Saturday. Try breaking it up and exercise 15 to 30 minutes in the morning and 15 to 30 minutes at lunch or after dinner.

• Spice it up. For instance, try yoga one day. The next day, go biking. Go for a swim one day, and if your child is a teen, take online aerobics or HIIT classes together the next. I subscribe to Beachbody on Demand, which gives me access to a variety of workouts and trainers who regularly kick my butt virtually.

• Keep at it. It’s OK to miss a day. Just don’t give up.

Information from American Heart Association, heart.org

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ALI NOLAND is the mother of two young children in the Little Rock School District.

She's an attorney and a public-education advocate who is currently running for the Little Rock School Board, Zone 5. Last legislative session, Ali successfully led a grassroots effort to guarantee that all Arkansas elementary students receive an age-appropriate amount of recess time during the school day. Ali has also been a leading advocate for the return of the Little Rock School District to local control and served on Mayor Frank Scott's transition team for education.

How do you organize to balance work and family? Any apps, tools, services, prep work you’ve found to be a lifesaver? Well, it's not an app, tool, or service, but my lifesaver has definitely been my husband, Ross Noland. We both work full time as attorneys, and he also runs a nonprofit organization. I am incredibly fortunate to have a partner that is just as comfortable cooking breakfast, managing our household and handling the kids as he is in the courtroom.

What will back-to-school look like for your family this year? This is the million-dollar question for so many Arkansas families right now, and there is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

Because our children are too young to be able to reliably wear masks and social distance, we have decided that our family will utilize the LRSD's virtual-learning option this fall. This is definitely a source of anxiety and stress for our family right now, but we have decided that the online option is the right choice for us. We are also grappling with the fact that being able to stay home with our kids is a huge privilege that most don't have, so even though our kids won't be in the classroom, we plan to continue fighting for policies that will keep all kids and their teachers safe and healthy.

What are your favorite “family time” activities? We love to canoe, raft, hike, camp, and explore The Natural State. The Buffalo National River has a very special place in our hearts.

What currently keeps you up at night? Like most moms I know, I have always worried about balancing work, parenting, my marriage, civic involvement, volunteer work, friendships and everything else, so I used to stay up at night worrying about whether I was dropping the ball in any of those areas. Now, though, my worries are much more specific and concrete: I worry about us getting sick, about not being able to adequately educate our kids, and about not being able to meet our work obligations while at home.

Do your kids help with chores? Not enough!

We have gotten better about it while everyone has been quarantined at home, but generally this is one of those mom-guilt things that makes me feel like I'm probably not teaching them to be as selfsufficient as I should be.

Name three things that helped your family get through the summer of 2020. Patience, too much screen time, and the love and support of our extended family.

How do you recharge? What does your “me time” look like? I love podcasts! My daily escape is to put in my earbuds and get lost in a great podcast while I do chores garden, or take a walk.

What is your favorite bedtime story to read with your kids? I love reading chapter books aloud to my kids, especially classics like “Charlotte's Web” and the “Little House” series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My mother-in-law recently gave my kids a subscription to National Geographic Kids magazine, and that has also been a huge hit in our house.

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will now be a part of ARKANSAS TIMES MAGAZINE! This means that we now reach all of our Arkansas Times Readers as well.

Arkansas Times has been established for over 45 years and we produce strong results!

ARKANSAS TIMES READERS:

Men: 53% Women 47% Average Income: $60,394 Average Age: 41 Home Owners: 59% Average home Value: $271,763 College Degree: 33% Advanced College Degree: 8%

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Interested in advertising? Contact publisher, Brooke Wallace at Brooke@arktimes.com SAVVYKIDSAR.COM | AUGUST 2020

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YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH IS A BIG DEAL. At Arkansas Children’s Hospital, we care about your child’s health and safety. Our hospitals and clinics are open for in-person visits to ensure sick children get better today and every child has a healthier tomorrow.

Examples of in-person visits include: • All newborn visits and infant/toddler check ups • Immunizations or other well-child care • Appointments that may need lab work • Serious illness or injuries Do NOT avoid calling your child’s doctor or worry that a trip to the clinic or hospital will put you or your child at higher risk for COVID-19. We’ve created the safest possible environment for you, your child, and our team.

You’ll experience a full screening process, required masking for everyone, deep cleaning practices, and more roomy waiting areas to allow for social distancing.

We’re ready to see you now.

TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT:

Primary Care Appointments: (501) 364-1202 Specialty Care Appointments: (501) 364-4000 or visit archildrens.org/hereforyou

1 Children’s Way, Little Rock, Arkansas 72202

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