Lawrence Kids / Summer, 2016

LK

LAWRENCE KIDS

Summer 2016

CONTENTS SEASONAL ESSENTIALS SEASON’S READINGS L AT E S U M M E R H E A LT H G U I D E M A M A S P R E E R ’ S TA L E S CLO’S MIDNIGHT FARMS

BY KIDS FOR KIDS THIS LAWRENCE SUMMER GET OUTSIDE: WILDFLOWERS D I Y: R A I N F I S H

10 14 20 24 28 36 44 56 60

cover photo by Carol Holstead

a project of

Four Birds Media

info@lawrencekidsmagazine.com (785) 766-5669 Thank you for reading.

SEASONAL ESSENTIALS with the Braden Family

Wendi and Chris Braden, along with daughters Addison (10) and Rowen (8), don’t sit around much during the Summer months. From pools to card games to movie nights, the family makes the most of the season!

1. We enjoy playing games together as a family. Board games, card games and lawn games. We all play “all-in” every time - and no telling which one of us will win.

2. We love swimming in our pool. We even have a floating table that my husband made so that we can play with our H2O Cards - (UNO h2o and a regular card deck that was made for water) trading in number one to number two.

3. Each night of the week has a theme. Saturday is movie night and Chris makes homemade kettle corn, which has become world renown. Seriously - our friends in New Zealand now have the same corn maker and our recipe. Soooo sometimes we watch a movie indoors and sometimes we watch it outdoors - Chris made a huge screen that we project onto in our screened in porch. It’s a really cool set up.

4. We make frequent trips to the library - we are all voracious readers. The girls have developed my love for books in a series. We love reading books that have become movies like Harry Potter, How To Train Your Dragon, The Spiderwick Chronicles and A Series of Unfortunate Events. The girls also love audio books.

5. We love cooking together as a family. We rarely eat out due to food allergies, so cooking for us is key and we all take part.

BOOKS FOR THOSE LAZY, CRAZY DAYS OF SUMMER from the librarians at the Lawrence Public Library Illustration from Weeds Find a Way by Carolyn Fisher

You can’t swim all day, so the librarians @ the Lawrence Public Library have a list of great Summer reads!

FICTION Cody and the Fountain of Happiness by Tricia Springstubb. For whimsical Cody, many things are beautiful, especially ants who say hello by rubbing feelers. But nothing is as beautiful as the first day of summer vacation, and Cody doesn’t want to waste one minute of it. Meanwhile, teenage brother Wyatt is moping over a girl, Mom is stressed about her new job as Head of Shoes, Dad is off hauling chairs in his long-distance truck, and even camp has been closed for the summer. What to do? Ages 6-10 A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee.When James and Eamon go to a week of Nature Camp and stay at Eamon’s grandparents’ house, it appears that their free time spent staying inside, eating waffles, and playing video games is way more interesting than nature, but who knew what they were really picking up? This is a Caldecott Honor book. Ages 4-6.

Three Bird Summer by Sarah St. Antoine. Adam and his parents have always spent their summers at his grandmother’s rustic cabin on Three Bird Lake. But this year will be differentbecause this year, the lake will belong just to Adam. Then Adam meets Alice, the girl next door. She’s frank, funny, and eager for adventure. And when Adam’s grandma starts to leave strange notes in his room that hint at a hidden treasure at the lake and a love from long ago, Alice is the one person he can rely on to help solve the mysteries of Three Bird Lake. Ages 8-10.

NONFICTION Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems collected by Paul B. Janeczko with Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet. It only takes a few words, if they’re the right words, to create a strong image. The thirty-six poems in this collection remind readers young and old that a few perfect words and pictures can make the world glow. Ages 6-9.

Field Trips with Jim Arnosky: Bug Hunting, Animal Tracking, Bird Watching, Shore Walking With Jim Arnosky With the celebrated author, naturalist, and artist as your guide, an ordinary hike becomes an eye-opening experience.

He’ll help you spot a hawk soaring far overhead, note the details of a dragonfly up close, and identify the tracks you find. All ages.

Muddy Boots by Liza Gardner Walsh. Muddy Boots is for kids and families who value outdoor exploration and unfettered time in nature, featuring mud play, forts, animal tracking and forest wisdom, foraging, insects and worms, bird watching and bird feeding, and many small things for kids to make. The activities encourage all hands to get dirty as they explore the world around them. All ages.

BASEBALL Legends: the Best Players, Games and Teams in Baseball by Howard Bryant. This is a storyteller’s journey through baseball. Accessible chapters, iconic photos, Top Ten lists for kids to chew on and debate, and a Timeline of the 40 Most Important Moments in Baseball History, this collection covers some of the greatest players from Babe Ruth to Hank Aaron; the greatest teams to take the field; the greatest social triggers, such as Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier. Ages 8 and up.

Baseball is… by Louise Borden, illustrated by Raul Colon.Revel in the fun of this all-American game! Perfect for all ages, Baseball Is... captures the spirit of this cherished pastime in brief poetic description, honoring its legendary past, and eagerly anticipating the future of the sport that is “stitched into our history.”

Dirt on Their Skirts by Doreen Rappaport. You had to be really, really good to play in the 1946 championship game between the Racine Belles and the Rockford Peaches. Margaret thrills to every crack of the bat. Someday she hopes to join her heroes like Sophie “the Flash” Kurys and Betty “Moe” Trezza. Based on written accounts and on the memories of the players themselves. Ages 5-8

New Address on 08/01!

3310 Clinton Parkway Ct

Here’s to a safe and healthy summer.

Let’s be honest: you probably don’t want to see us this summer.

That’s okay, we get it. You have swimming parties and road trips and sleep overs to worry about. But, if you do get bumps or bruises from your summer adventures, we’ll be here for you.

Have fun this summer and please call us before school starts!

Lawrence

Pediatrics, p.a.

COMPREHENSIVE PEDIATRIC CARE FOR YOUR CHILD 543 Lawrence Ave; Suite D www.LawrencePeds.com (785) 856-9090

® Unplugged and Connected—a developmentally-appropriate curriculum for an inspired, life-long love of learning

“The need for imagination, a sense of truth and a feeling of responsibility—these are the three forces which are the very nerve of education.”

– Rudolf Steiner

The only Waldorf school in Kansas offering whole-child education for preschool through middle school students.

1853 E 1600 Rd, Lawrence, KS 66044 • Ph. 785.841.8800 • info@prairiemoon.org • www.prairiemoon.org

LATE SUMMER HEALTH GUIDE

by Karrey Britt / Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department

Summer is a great time to enjoy outdoor activities like family picnics, playing in the park and swimming. However, families need to be mindful of the potential dangers that come along with hot, humid temperatures: mosquitoes, ticks and illnesses related to heat and swimming.

“It’s important to take precautions during the summer, especially when it comes to young children who are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses and injuries,” said Kim Ens, director of Clinic Services at the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department.

Here are some tips to have a safe and healthy summer.

Mosquitoes Mosquitoes can cause bites that are not only itchy and annoying, but can potentially spread disease, like the Zikavirus and West Nile virus. To protect your family from mosquito bites: • Use insect repellent containing DEET and follow all directions and precautions on the label. Use just enough to cover exposed skin and/or on clothing. Parents should apply this product to their children, ages 2 months and older, avoiding hands, eyes and mouth. After returning indoors, wash treated skin with soap and water. Wash treated clothing before wearing again. Do not spray in enclosed areas.

• Insect repellents containing DEET should not be used on children under 2 months of age. Oil of lemon eucalyptus products should not be used on children under 3 years of age.

• Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying standing water from flower pots, buckets and barrels. Change the water in outdoor pet dishes and replace the water in birdbaths weekly. Drill holes in tire swings so water drains out. Keep children’s wading pools empty and on their sides when they aren’t being used.

Ticks Tick season peaks at the height of summer’s heat. In Kansas, ticks are prone to carry four diseases: Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Ehrlichiosis and Tularemia.

Ticks lurk in tall grasses and bushy areas and then climb aboard humans as they walk by. Some ticks will attach quickly and others will wander looking for an area where the skin is thinner. They must be attached for more than 24 hours before they can transmit infection; therefore, finding and removing all ticks in a timely manner is critical to preventing disease.

To help protect against ticks: • Avoid wooded, bushy areas with tall grass and leaf litter.

• Keep grass cut and underbrush thinned in yards.

• Wear light-colored clothing so that ticks are easier to see and remove.

• Tuck pant legs into socks and boots. Wear long-sleeved shirts buttoned at the wrist. Tuck shirts into pants to keep ticks on the outside of clothing.

• When outdoors, use insect repellent containing DEET and follow all directions and precautions on the label.

• Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors, preferably within two hours, to wash off and more easily find ticks.

• Conduct tick checks on yourself, children and pets every four to six hours for several days after being in a tick-infested area. Ticks tend to attach in the following areas: under the arms, around the waist, behind the knees, between the legs, inside the belly button and in hair.

• Remove ticks as quickly as possible. The best method is to use tweezers and pull upward with steady, even pressure.

After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub or soap and water.

• If you find a tick on your body, jot down the date it was dis-

covered. If symptoms such as a rash, fever, headache, joint or muscle pains or swollen lymph nodes appear, contact your doctor as soon as possible. Tick-borne diseases can cause mild symptoms treatable at home with antibiotics to severe infections requiring hospitalization.

Heat Heat-related illness happens when the body’s temperature control system is overloaded. Infants and children up to 4 years of age are at greatest risk. Even young and healthy people can get sick from the heat if they participate in strenuous physical activities during hot weather. To prevent heatrelated illness: • Never leave infants, children or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked.

• Dress infants and children in loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing.

• Schedule outdoor activities carefully, for morning and evening hours.

• Take cool showers or baths.

Sun Just a few serious sunburns can increase you and your child’s risk of skin cancer later in life. Their skin needs protection from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays whenever they’re outdoors. To prevent sunburns: • Cover up. Clothing that covers you and your child’s skinhelps protect against UV rays. Clothes made from tightly woven fabric offer the best protection.

• Wear a hat. Hats that shade the face, scalp, ears and neck are easy to use and give great protection.

• Use sunscreen with at least sun protection factor (SPF) 30and UVA and UVB protection every time your child goes outside. Be sure to follow application directions on the bottle or tube. It’s best to apply sunscreen generously 30 minutes before going outdoors.

• Wear sunglasses that block close to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB rays as possible.

• Limit exposure. UV rays are most intense between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Drowning Every day, 10 people die from drowning, and of those, two are children ages 14 and younger. Of drowning victims who survive and are treated in emergency rooms, more than half are hospitalized or transferred for further care. These individuals often experience brain damage, which can cause memory problems, learning disabilities, or permanent loss of basic functioning. To prevent drowning: • Designate an adult to watch children swimming or playing around water. Adults should not be involved in any other distracting activity.

• Use life jackets appropriately. Don’t use air-filled or foam toys, such as noodles or inner tubes, instead of life jackets because they are not designed to keep swimmers safe.

• Avoid alcohol when swimming, boating or supervising children.

LK

MAMA SPREER’S TALES One mom. Two daughters. Many, many stories.

by Megan Spreer

“We are going to celebrate the things that make us different. Because our uniqueness is what’s beautiful.”

“Mommy, what’s this spot on my arm?”

HJ was standing in front of me as I sat on the couch in our living room. I looked up from my phone and peered at the tiny speck on her outer wrist.

“Honey, that’s a freckle. It’s your first freckle!”

This child looks like a miniature version of her father and I was finally showing up somewhere. I was elated.

“How do I get it off?” she said.

To hear my child say she even remotely disliked something about her body made my heart ache. She’s only five.

Being a girl is hard, but raising a girl is really hard.

Like, sheltering a pristine white couch from a herd of toddlers with chocolate pudding hard.

One day I read that we’re not supposed to tell them they’re pretty. The next, that we’re supposed to teach them to love themselves. Then the day after that, that they need to eat only whole foods to avoid becoming obese.

“It doesn’t come off. See? Mommy has them, too!”

“Oh Mommy, I’m so sorry you have so many spots on your arms.”

So they’re supposed to be not pretty, while also loving themselves, but not if they’re fat? What the what? The mixed messages make me angry. What exactly am I supposed to be conveying here?

Ouch.

“No, they’re not bad! I like my freckles. I think they’re cute! And I really like your freckle.”

“I don’t like it.”

I realized with sadness that we’ve reached that stage.

As a freckle-faced red haired little girl, the selfloathing for me began early. My Seventeen and YM magazines didn’t feature naturally red-haired models. Leading ladies on TV and in the movies didn’t show them either. The models and actresses I saw had brown, black, and blonde hair. They only had perfect, spotless skin. So that, combined with the teasing I endured from other kids at school, taught me that I was less than everyone else. I did not have what was desirable.

So as I entered high school, I tried my hardest to overcome what I considered flaws. I tanned my pale skin under florescent lamps after school and I highlighted my hair until it could pass as blondish. (My mother wouldn’t let me dye it brown like I’d wanted). It wasn’t until my late 20s that I finally accepted my gingerness and my freckles as beautiful. It was a long road to get there.

Everyone has a different opinion, but each one is essential to doing it “right”. We’re supposed to do all the things in order to raise strong, healthy girls, but yet we still live in a culture that values beauty, thinness, and perfection…or someone else’s version of it. Everyone is blogging, Facebooking and yelling, but they aren’t changing anything. Pristine depictions of women’s bodies are still being used to market products. An actress (who I love, by the way) gets upset when someone calls her plus-sized. We’re still being told that to be worthy, we must be perfect.

I’m over it. It’s time we celebrate people. Real people. People with stories and scars and freckles. Girls should be excited about something that makes them unique.

The other day, one of my kids (I can’t remember which one because I’m that awesome of a parent), said to me, “Hey Mom! Look! That girl has brown skin!” And I said, “Yes! Isn’t it beautiful?!” She paused for a second and replied, “Yes, it is. I’m going to go say hi to her.”

So THAT’S what I’m teaching. We are going to celebrate the things that make us different. Because our uniqueness is what’s beautiful.

LK

CLO’S MIDNIGHT FARM

A magical place combining horses and happy kids

There’s a magical place south of Lawrence where kids conquer fears and command beasts. They ride like kings and smile like queens. At Midnight Farms, a beautiful operating horse ranch, these Kings and Queens are the rulers of the land, and the masters of their own universe.

Community Living Organization’s Midnight Farm’s mission is to make a meaningful difference in the lives of adults and children with special needs. Midnight Farm offers a petting paddock with miniature horses, alpacas, a goat and a mini donkey, a fishing pond, handicapped-accessible trails through the woods, and plants for sale grown in their greenhouse.

“The relationship between these horses and the kids is nothing short of magical,” says Brett Bauer, a riding instructor at Midnight Farms. “We have countless stories of kids who are closed off or shy or physically or mentally challenged that completely change when they are around the horses. There are dozens of studies that examine the relationship, but it’s hard to argue with the idea that there’s a little bit of magic.”

The Therapeutic Riding Program at Midnight Farms offers a variety of therapeutic riding classes to meet the needs of riders ages 4 and up with a wide range of physical, cognitive and/or emotional challenges. Their instructors address the special needs of each rider while teaching essential horsemanship skills and have positive social interactions with people and animals alike.

“We work very hard with each individual rider,” Bauer says. “We try to match each client with an appropriate horse based on their size, skill and temperament. All of our horses are evaluated thoroughly to make sure they are comfortable with not only the clients, but also the instructors. These horses are around a lot of people and they need to be comfortable with that.”

Midnight Farm has a gorgeous indoor riding area and spotless stables. The area is bright and the horses are clearly pampered. In addition to the indoor area, the land features riding trails the wind through the woods surrounding the property.

Most of the time when a rider arrives, the horse is saddled and waiting in the arena with one or two instructors. Almost all of the hour in a lesson is spent on the horse, riding.

“Riding horses has been proven to increase core strength, balance and poster,” Bauer says as a horse and rider pass.

Bauer motions to the rider who sits tall atop the horse.

“Did you notice when they walked in?” Bauer asks. “Now look at that posture. That is a direct result of riding. Now, look at the smile. That smile is what happens when someone who has control of very little in their life gains the control and respect of a 1200-pound animal.”

While Midnight Farm is most well-known for their therapeutic riding program, riding lessons are open to children of any physical and mental capabilities. In fact, the ranch hosted two separate summer camps for riders of varying abilities. The camp featured horseback riding, but also included games and crafts.

“We want to get as many kids involved with and around horses as possible,” Bauer says. “I think, and I think everyone involved here would agree, that having kids around horses leads to so many positive outcomes for kids. It really is magic to see kids blossom around these beautiful creatures.”

LK

The perfect gift? A Downtown Lawrence Gift Card!

Redeemable at over 100 downtown businesses!

GET YOURSELF DOWNTOWN. downtownlawrence.com

Photo Credit: Melissa & Beth Wedding Photography

Purchase DLI gift cards at DLI office, The Granada Theater, Phoenix Gallery or online at downtownlawrence.com

Home court advantage Galen Van Blaricum, D.D.S.

Nealy Newkirk, D.D.S.

Brad Adams, D.D.S.

3310 MESA WAY / LAWRENCE, KS / (785) 843-2636 WWW.FREESTATE.DENTAL

Whether it’s a place to practice your jump shot, display trophies or ice your knees, I can help you find the perfect fit… for all the things that move you.

Helping families find the right yard since 2007.

BY KIDS FOR KIDS The story of a growing a movement, one cup of lemonade at a time

A few years ago, when Dr. Sherri Vaughn was having a conversation with her daughters Makenzie and Cameron, the topic of being blessed came up. It wasn’t the first time.

“My daughters understand how lucky we are,” says Dr. Vaughn a family medicine doctor with Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s Total Family Care. “We discuss all the time how fortunate we are to live our lives the way we do and we talk about always having empathy towards others and working to help. It’s important to me that my children learn how to identify problems around them, and then empower themselves to be part of the solution to those problems.”

That’s when the girls had an idea. Instead of just talking about helping, they wanted to do something.

“We started talking about the first day of school and how everyone was always so excited to wear their new clothes and see their friends,” Dr. Vaughn says. “That conversation evolved into talking about kids that may not be able to get new clothes for the start of school. My daughters wanted to do something to help, so By Kids For Kids was formed.”

By Kids For Kids is a non-profit that purchases new clothes for the first day of school, then offers under-privileged kids the opportunity to “shop” for a new outfit. A week or so before school starts, the group operates a “store” inside Lawrence Memorial Hospital and children are invited to work with a personal shopper to find a brandnew outfit for school.

“We wanted to make sure the clothes aren’t hand-medowns or second-hand,” Dr. Vaughn explains. “We call them peer-equivalent clothes. They are brand new, name brand clothes that will help kids fit in on the first day of school.”

Dr. Vaughn said the idea was born from her talks with her daughters and a number of conversations with Doni Mooberry, a Lawrence attorney and financial planner.

“My first thought was to get Doni involved,” Dr. Vaughn says with a laugh. “I knew if we wanted to get something done in Lawrence, Doni was the person to get it done.”

Mooberry and Vaughn have been friends for years, and Doni was happy to take the call.

“It was great timing,” Mooberry says with a chuckle. “I had just finished the paper work for another 501(c)(3) when Sherri called. She told me her daughters’ idea and I was instantly on board. I loved the idea and I knew my son, Hayden, would want to be involved.”

The ladies and kids help a lemonade stand downtown in front of Weaver’s on a hot June weekend and asked for donations. In a few short hours, the group had raised more than $400. All additional funds needed were donated by Vaughn and Mooberry.

The crew began conversations with local schools helping identify students that may benefit from the new clothes.

Being very conscious of maintaining anonymity, they were able to send letters and vouchers to kids inviting them to the store in LMH. When a student arrives at the store, they are assigned a personal shopper who guides them through the racks of clothes, helping them find the outfit that is “just right.”

“We do everything we can to make these kids feel as special as we can,” Dr. Vaughn says. “We really cater to them and make them the star of the day.”

By Kids For Kids has grown from a handful of kids helped the first year to serving more than 300 students from 7 different schools in 2015. Last fall the group even had 3 hair stylists donate their time to offer free haircuts.

Dr. Vaughn says the group has big plans, but is taking a conservative approach to growth. Each year the group adds a few more schools to the list of kids they serve.

“We’d love to not have the need to do this,” she says.

“But there is a need and our kids now recognize that.

I’m so proud of these kids and all the work and time they put into raising funds to help others. We get emails from other kids in Lawrence that are donating funds from a lemonade sale or garage sail to help the cause. It’s great to see your kids develop empathy and a passion to help others.”

LK

THIS LAWRENCE SUMMER Kids in Lawrence have June, July & part of August to cram an entire Summer’s worth of activities. Here’s how they do it...

1

This Lawrence Summer

The Lawrence Outdoor Aquatic Center provides the good old-fashioned atmosphere of a traditional neighborhood pool with all the fun and excitement of a first-class water park. The Outdoor Aquatic Center now boosts two water slides, zero-depth children’s area, diving well, interactive play features including fountains, spray mushrooms, and water buckets, and a 50-meter competition area. The fun and convenience extend out of the water as well, with shaded lounge areas, ample deck space, adjoining grass playground, and a full-line cafÊ style concessions area.

This Lawrence Summer

2

It’s no secret that Lawrence is a ball town. When basketball season wraps up at the beginning of April to the end of July, kids in Lawrence focus on the field. Lawrence Park & Rec (LPRD) hosts thousands of games and even more practices. According to LPRD rep. Roger Steinbrock, more than 2000 Lawrence kids participated in baseball and / or softball on nearly 200 separate teams. In fact, Lawrence’s legendary competitive baseball leagues hosted more than 850 boys players!

This Lawrence Summer

3

Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence makes the most of its full day with kids in the summer by implementing academic enrichment programs at each site. The Club’s academic success team hired 13 teachers for the summer to help close achievement gaps and ward off summer learning loss. These teachers create a fun curriculum that utilizes the KidzLit program and its learning initiatives. The primary focus is on increasing reading comprehension through art, critical thinking, social science and various other activities. Each teacher develops an innovative way to tie the lessons from the book into a learning activity - just like those pictured here.

This Lawrence Summer

4

Books, video games and sports are all great, but sometimes a kid just has to build something! The outstanding crew at The Toy Store in Downtown Lawrence have just the thing... a Leggo Building competition. Each summer, the staff at the phenomenal shop invite kids of all ages to submit an original Leggo creation. The pieces are put on display around the store (and in their big front window) for the public to view. Patrons are encouraged to vote for their favorite pieces and the most popular are awarded a prize!

This Lawrence Summer

5

If it’s Summer in the Midwest and you’re a kid, you kind of have to go fishing, don’t you? Even if it’s just dropping a hook into the local pond, few things can match the anticipation of trying to catch a fish. Clinton Lake, Lone Star Lake and Perry Lake all have great spots for families to try their hand at landing Moby Dick. In town, Mary’s Lake at Prairie Park and Potter’s Lake on the KU campus are both easily accessible and perfect for younger kids. Be sure to get your fishing license and be careful with the hooks! Oh, and try not to fall in.

This Lawrence Summer

6

Soccer is a year-round sport in Lawrence. From fall ball to indoor futsol, Sporting Kaw Valley keeps kids moving!

In fact, nearly 2000 boys and girls, ranging in age from 3 to 18 play in a variety of different leagues and competitive levels. Almost any Saturday morning, YSI south of Lawrence is jumping with kids running, kicking and scoring goals. Also, the league employs kids to help referee matches. When a player turns 13, they can apply to become a line judge for younger Sporting Kaw Valley soccer matches!

GET OUTSIDE: WILDFLOWERS Story and Photo by Rebecca Zarazan Dunn

GET OUTSIDE: Wildflowers Summer is near. The days are getting longer, strawberries are in season, and the kids are restless for the relaxed freedom that comes with summertime. It is also a time where the world around us becomes a vibrant spectrum of blazing wildflowers.

Wildflowers Although the wildflowers in the woods have now vanished with spring’s new canopy of tree leavesoffering shade from the sun, now is the time prairie grasses start reaching up toward the sky and prairie wildflower buds start bursting with color. These flowers can be small and dainty, such as the wild strawberry, or strong and tall towers like our state beauty, the wild sunflower. Different colors, shapes, and sizes reveal themselves over the next several weeks and on into autumn. In their coming out, they’ll be celebrated by the bees and butterflies you’ll also find visiting their blooms.

Where to Find Them Just a 10-minute drive north of downtown Lawrence there’s 1,800 acres of public land open from dawn to dusk, every day, free of charge. The University of Kansas Field Station is a place we enjoy seasonally and just the other day we noticed the wildflowers in the fields were starting to bloom. The Lowland Trail (The Suzanne Ecke McColl Nature Reserve) is a short trail friendly to even the littlest of legs. A good place for children to enjoy a variety of habitats, it’s also an excellent place to walk among the fragrant wildflowers. A wildflower is a flower that grows naturally in the wild without human involvement, and summer is their time to shine on the prairies. Go on a flower scavenger hunt; look closely and notice if there are insects visiting a particular flower, run your fingers along the tallgrass, or play in the sunshine! Other places to explore wildflowers are Prairie Nature Park and the Akin Prairie Conservation Easement. Also, keep you’re eyes open for wildflowers along the roadside during your summer vacation travels.

Enjoy and let it be!

It’s natural for children to want to touch and explore something they’re interested in, but it’s very important to leave flora and fauna where it is found-- So many animals depend on wildflowers for survival,and explaining this will help them resist the urge to pick wildflowers. Something I’ve been doing to avoid picking is bringing a kid-friendly camera or a sketchbook and coloring pencils along on our adventures. This way, the girls can either take a picture or draw the beloved flower. The picture memento comes home instead of the actual plant. Another idea is to bring along a little squirt bottle and instead of picking a flower, invite the child to say “hello’ and give it a drink of water. This goes for animals too! Be sure to leave all animals in their homes. The exception is if you find an injured animal or abandoned animal.

Keep away and contact Operation WildLife immediately at 785-542-3625.

Books to Check Out Flowers are Calling by Rita Gray The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle Wildflowers, Blooms, and Blossoms by Diane Burns Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers by Kathi Appelt For directions and a map of the KU Field Station trails visit: http://kufs.ku.edu/about/nature-trails/ For wildflower identification visit: http://www.kswildflower.org/

DIY RAIN FISH Story and Photo by Rebecca Zarazan Dunn

1.

2.

4.

3.

Rainy summer days don’t have to be spent indoors. Use it as an opportunity to look for rain fish! Inspired by Lois Ehlrt’s new picture book, Rain Fish, debris found in alleyways, sidewalks, or at the park can be transformed into art supplies for fish collages. Help keep our city clean by picking up trash washed away by the rain and give it a new life.

MATERIALS / Art supplies (trash, leaves, feathers, etc.) found outside / Glue / Paper

HOW TO / 1. Head outside and find some reusable items. 2. Wash found debris in warm, soapy water before using. 3. Paper items such as tissue or paper bags can be molded while wet and maintain their shape once dry. 4. Glue items to paper to create colorful, mixed media collages. We were inspired to make fish, but you can turn your newly found art supplies into anything your heart desires.

Rain Fish book image credit: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Rain-Fish/ Lois-Ehlert/9781481461528

Discover the strongest you.

Improve your speed, strength and agility with Sports Performance Training at the LMH Performance and Wellness Center.

LMH Sports Performance Training takes athletes to the next level.

Strengthen your performance with sport-specific athletic training designed to improve speed, functional strength and agility while also lowering the risk of athletic injury. LMH Therapy Services offers customized Sports Performance Training for athletes ages 8-18 who want a new training home to maximize athletic performance. Licensed Sports Physical Therapists and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists and Athletic Trainers cater to each athlete’s specific needs, offering individualized assessments and training programs best suited to personal goals.

Boost your performance. Schedule now: 785-505-5840 • lmh.org/perform

Stay healthy. Stay close.