Cincinnati Parent // 02.2009

What Labor & DeliverY Nurses

Wish You K new

Going Beyond the Baby Blues

Montessori Schools: FEBRUARY 2009

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www.CincinnatiParent.com

Providing Another Option February 2009 * indyschild.com

IE E MOV H T E E S IVE WITH L A! STR ORCHE

SAT MAR 7 10:30 am MUSIC HALL

.;N ! JG .OH ( - JG GOMC= B;FF Erich Kunzel conductor Grab your free popcorn in the lobby and hear the Oscar-winning score performed live by full orchestra while watching the completely remastered film The Wizard of Oz on the big screen. You’ll be completely swept away... over the rainbow!

513.381.3300 • cincinnatipops.org TICKETS: $20 CHILDREN

Vince Lee, conductor Narrator: Joe Zerhusen, Great American Ball Park announcer The CSO has the bases covered with Casey at the Bat, Take Me Out to the Ballgame and more.

Meet all three Reds mascots— Mr. Redlegs, Rosie Red and Gapper.

Preconcert fun includes an instrument training camp, Reds Heads Kids Club activities and photos with mascots.

$12 ADULT $7 CHILD cincinnatisymphony.org 513.381.3300

MEDIA PARTNER

FEBRUARY 20 09

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table of contents

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going beyond the baby blues

what labor & delivery nurses wish you knew

in this issue NEWS & SHOPPING

Montessori Schools: Providing Another Option

HEALTH & Wellness

around town

29

THE RIGHT CAMP FOR YOUR CHILD

commentary & parenting

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14

13

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Free Camps, Green Living, Local Entrepreneurs & More!

Brighten Your Smile With Cosmetic Dentistry

Toddler Tales

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18

Lollipop Family Concerts Offer Fun, Interactive Entertainment for the Whole Family

TEENS & TWEENS

Cutting-Edge Products for Kids Ages 0 - 12

Give All Your Heart to Your Health

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Mommy makeover

profile

women’s health

Arts & enrichment Help Your Child Get Involved in Theatre

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pediatric health

ONE CHIC MAMA February Sweets and Treats

Krohn Conservatory Cultivates Wonder and Intrigue

Special Needs Kids and the Challenges With Driving

The Boxcar Children Books

The Chocolate Touch

Lad a Dog n

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RESOURCES

FINE ARTS & Enrichment DIRECTORY

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4 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

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Jack and the Beanstalk

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James and the Giant Peach

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“Do I have to pick just one?”

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Grimm’s Fairy Tales

Hollie Hobbie

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The Madeline Series

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SUMMER CAMP guide rt

what In obyseorvuranfacevo, rite was children’s book?

Special Needs Awareness

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Februar y n’s th is Childre 1-7 a nd Authorss week. r to a r t s Illu

Second Child Syndrome

HOT SPOTS

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ask the staff

Understanding Your Tween’s Newfound Self-Awareness

THIS JUST IN

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Smile, Kids­—It’s Dental Health Month

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ages & Stages

STAFF NOTES

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NEWS YOU CAN USE

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EDUCATION directory

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CALENDAR

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party & entertainment directory

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classifieds

Cincinnati

PARENT Publisher/President Mary Wynne Cox Executive Vice President Richard A. Dickinson Vice President, Sales Sara Lippert Executive Editor Lynette L. Rowland CFO Debbie Klineman Copy Editor Kimberly Laughlin Art Direction & DESIGN Heather Lipe Marketing Coordinator Rachel Wynn Account Executive Tracy O’Connor On the cover Mario Mejia

co mm e n tary

Toddler Tales

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staff notes

Because Every Day’s An Adventure My daughter absolutely loves olives — well, at least today she does. For dinner this evening she dipped olives in strawberry-flavored applesauce, letting out an enthusiastic “Mmmm!” after each bite.

That wasn’t the first dinner I had prepared, but it ended up being what was eaten. Originally on the menu were a turkey wrap, carrots and some sliced cheese.

My daughter, however, had other plans.

“Why do they want to drink water from everywhere except their sippy cup? Bathwater — YUM. The dog’s bowl — YUM.”

I can’t tell you why toddlers do the things they do, but I can tell you as a parent of one that their behavior is as puzzling and frustrating as it is funny. I recently read an article that said, “All toddlers are quirky because they don’t know what ‘normal’ behavior is yet.” A toddler doesn’t stop to think, “Oh this would be inappropriate.

This may embarrass Mommy.” Oh no — they have no filter. What I would give to be in my daughter’s head for an afternoon and have the absolute freedom to act as irrational as I wanted with the only consequence being a time-out. I think could handle that.

Everyone knows toddlers are picky about their food, but by talking with other parents I’ve found that they also share other puzzling behaviors. Why, for example, are

they so fascinated with belly buttons? My daughter is so proud of hers and always wants to show it off. However, she then expects strangers to offer up their bellies for her own viewing pleasure. She has been disappointed more often times than not, but I will never forget the man at the supermarket who to my surprise lifted his shirt to reveal his hairy belly button to my daughter. She, of course, laughed in delight as I cringed.

Why do they want to drink water from everywhere except their sippy cup?

Bathwater — YUM. The dog’s bowl — YUM. A flowerpot with half frozen snow —YUM. A cup from the water table at the Children’s Museum — DOUBLE YUM. My daughter has also developed a puzzling and embarrassing habit of grabbing her diaper and saying, “pee-pee” whenever she thinks she has to go potty. I say “thinks” because what this actually means is that she just went, but wants to go sit on the big girl potty. She wants so much to go through all the motions as if she were a grown-up. She wants to flush the toilet, wash her hands and even look in the mirror — presumable to check her adorable self out. This crotch grabbing behavior, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, ALWAYS happens in public.

Some of my favorite behaviors are only puzzling because I don’t know where she came up with them. Her new ritual when I get home from work is to run up to me, squeeze my cheeks in her little hands, give me a kiss and scream, “Hi, baby!” I think she came up with that one all on her own, but it’s those moments that make her puzzling behavior all worthwhile.

Working here at Cincinnati Parent and writing a blog on our Web site, www.

CincinnatiParent.com, I hear a lot of stories from local moms about their kids, and I encourage you to continue to send them my way. As we celebrate Valentine’s Day this month, let it be a reminder of the love and laughter that your kids give you every day.

I also hope you enjoy our February issue and all the hard work our staff put into creating it. We do it for the devoted and hard-working parents of our great city.

From our family to yours, have a wonderful month!

Sara Lippert is the Vice President of Sales for Cincinnati Parent. She is married with a 20-month-old daughter. She would love to hear your puzzling toddler stories so she knows she’s not alone. You can email her at sara@cincinnatiparent.com.

cover Photography Essenza Studio Models provided by Wings Model Management

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Cincinnati Parent 1071 Celestial St., Suite 1104 Cincinnati, OH 45202 513.684.0501 (ph) 513.684.0507 (fx) info@cincinnatiparent.com Copyright: Cincinnati Parent Magazine is published monthly. Copyright 2008 by Cincinnati Parent and Midwest Parenting Publications, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Distribution of this magazine does not constitute an endorsement of products, commentary or services herein. For information on subscriptions, editorial guidelines, advertising rates and more visit www.cincinnatiparent.com CINCINNATIPARENT.COM 5

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news you can use

Free Camps, Green Living, Local Entrepreneurs & More!

Cincinnati Tidbits You Don’t Want to Miss

Free Camps for Military Kids The National Military Family Association, with funding through the Sierra Club and The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, is sponsoring a camp program called Operation Purple® Camps. This is a FREE week of camp for children who have a parent or parents currently, recently or soon to be deployed and is exclusive to military families of all branches of the armed services, including Reserves and National Guard.

With the theme “Children Serve Too,” it’s a chance to celebrate and explore the sacrifices the children make as well.

Camp organizers plan everything from bringing in Humvees amd a Black Hawk Helicopter, visits from politicians and more all to encourage and support military children. The service that this camp provides families is critical to the region. Despite the number of parents deployed, kids are often the only one in their class dealing with the issues that face military families. This camp provides a safe haven for military children by surrounding them with others in the same situation. With over 100 of these camps around the country there is likely to be one near you. For more information, visit www.nmfa.org and click on “Operation Purple® Camps.”

Stay-At-Home-Mom Friendly Careers in Cosmetology With a souring economy, many SAHMs are finding the need to re-enter the workforce. During this time period there has been a tremendous upswing in the area of cosmetology, including stylists, make-up artists, manicurists, massage therapists, estheticians and more. This flexible career is perfect for many moms, and it pays quite well, too. Average earnings for cosmetologists start at around $38,843 (excluding tips), while colorists, massage therapists and estheticians making even more. The versatility of such a position also opens doors to working in hotels, nursing home, cruise ships, in-home settings and much more. To find a listing of schools in your state. visit www.beautyschools.org

Appalachian Culture Fest February 14 & 15 · Noon to 5 p.m.

Local Farms Offer Great Addition to Green Living Trying to move to buying more of your produce locally? Consider becoming a member of a CSA or “Community Supported Agriculture.” This concept allows you to become a member or “shareholder” to a particular farm. Every month or week you make payments, most quite reasonable, in exchange for a weekly basket of produce that you pick up (some even deliver). To find a local CSA near you, visit www.localharvest.org/csa/.

At The Goddard School ... ®

Summer is full of fun and learning.

Bring your family to celebrate Appalachia! Traipse along the Appalachian Trail to vibrant sounds of bluegrass musicians, eloquent storytellers, skilled mountain crafters and traditional arts demonstrators!

All culture fest activities are free!

Organized in part by:

Passport to the World media sponsors:

The Appalachian Community Development Association

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ENROLL TODAY!

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(513) 287-7000 • www.cincymuseum.org 6 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

www.goddardschool.com

Smucker’s® Stars on Ice® Coming to Cincinnati America’s premier figure skating production, Smucker’s Stars on Ice, expands its boundaries as it returns for the 23rd season. The all-new production “On the Edge” promises to keep fans on the edge of their seats as the best skaters in the world show their amazing moves on the ice. Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen will return for her second season with Olympic, World and National Champions to show fans what it takes.

Smucker’s Stars on Ice will visit U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 for a 7:00 PM performance.

Founded and produced by Olympic Champion and beloved figure skating icon Scott Hamilton, the Emmy Award-winning Smucker’s Stars on Ice Tour is the only family entertainment event show of its kind in America. In the year leading up to the 2010 Winter Games, skating fans will not find a better preview of America’s favorite Olympic sport. This year Cincinnati skating fans are in for a real treat: Smucker’s Stars on Ice is proud to welcome 2008 World Champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist Jeffrey Buttle as a very special guest for this performance.

Sasha Cohen and Jeffrey Buttle will be joined by an outstanding cast of Olympic, World and National Champions, including World Champion and six-time U.S. Champion Todd Eldredge; two-time World Bronze Medalist and three-time U.S. Champion Michael Weiss; 1998 Olympic Gold Medalist Ilia Kulik (Russia); World Champion and two-time Japanese Ladies Champion Yuka Sato; World Bronze Medalist and three-time U.S. Pair Champion John Zimmerman; six-time Canadian Ladies Champion Jennifer Robinson; two-time Olympic Medalists and three-time World Pair Champions Xue Shen & Hongbo Zhao (China); twotime World Silver Medalists and five-time Canadian Dance Champions Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon; and more.

Tickets for the Smucker’s Stars on Ice performance in Cincinnati are on sale now

FEbruary 24 is Pancake Tuesday at IHOPs Across the U.S. Due to a tradition dating back to the 1500s, the English have “flipped” for pancakes in celebration of Shrove Tuesday, which heralds the beginning of fasting during Lent. Long ago, strict rules prohibited eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products —hence the name Pancake Tuesday. This celebration will take place at IHOPs across the nation. On this day, they will be giving out free short stacks of buttermilk pancakes in exchange for a donation of the cost of the pancakes. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be given to local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

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Local Inventor Makes Chicago Tribune’s “10 Coolest New Board Games”

Dwight Porter, a Mason resident and local board and card game aficionado, has been playing games since he was a kid. He often loaded his apartment to play with friends every weekend, so it’s no surprise that the love of the game inspired Porter to create his own fun-for-all-ages game called LoYo! A mix of strategy, risk, memorization and pure luck, the object is to have the lowest score at the end of six rounds. Try to get LoYo! cards and steer clear of the OH NO! cards. When you think you have the lowest score shout “LoYo!” But be careful — someone may catch you and double your score. No matter what age, it’s anybody’s guess who will be the winner. For more information or to purchase this familyfriendly game, visit www.loyogame.com. It costs $12.99 and is fun for the whole family.

“ I feel the Group Health doctors really go out of their way to make you feel comfortable.”

– Jessica and Kollin M., Mason patients

I trust the Group

While Jessica was still pregnant, she started looking for a pediatrician. She turned to a friend who recommended the Group Health Associates pediatric group in Mason, near her home. She met with the doctor before Kollin was born and he immediately put her at ease. “He never makes me feel rushed and he puts everything in layman’s terms,” she said. That’s Call today for an appointment important to a new mother and it’s the kind 513-229-6000 of family-friendly feeling that makes Jessica 7423 Mason-Montgomery Road trust Group Health Associates.

Stephen G. Bird MD

Robert Krzeski MD

Morissa Ladinsky MD

John Robinson Jr. MD

Kira Ann Zimmerly MD

Group Health’s pediatricians are board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. They are affiliated with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Bethesda North Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital.

www.trustthegroup.com CINCINNATIPARENT.COM 7

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There’s good news for families with small babies that are seeking big savings: By law, less expensive store-brand infant formula must meet the same strict nutritional and packaging regulations determined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as more expensive national brands. Experts agree mother’s milk is best for babies — and the least expensive — but many parents choose to supplement breast-feeding with formula or to formula-feed exclusively.

“New parents today are met with a dizzying array of marketing messages when it comes to doing what is best for their babies,” said Dr. Barbara Levine, Associate Professor of Nutrition in Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University. “Nowhere is this truer than in the area of infant formulas.

Thanks to strict government regulation, the fact is that there is very little, if any, differentiation in the nutritional values touted by the various national brands on the market, which means it’s OK to switch your baby to a store-brand formula.”

For more information, visit parentschoiceformula.com or membersmarkformula.com.

You say she’ll be fine at any high school...but since when is fine good enough?

“La Lumiere teachers took my idea of ‘my best’ and made it better.”

White House Speechwriter, Alumnus ‘77

Independent Day and Boarding School La Porte, Indiana

Award-winning Science & Fine Arts programs Student to teacher ratio 7:1 Average class size: 15 Proud alma mater of Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.

www.lalumiere.org

Open House February 16, Presidents Day

admissions@lalumiere.org

8 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

219.326.7450

fo r r Tot nt o nf a rI

The FDA and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Nutrition establish strict guidelines concerning ingredients and their levels in infant formula; all U.S. manufacturers have to conform to these rules. In addition, all infant formulas must demonstrate the ability to assist “La growth, development and mineral absorption equal to mother’s milk before they may be sold in the United States. According to a study by teachers took“La ACNielsen, sales ofLumiere store-brand — otherwise known as private label — infant formulas have grown by over 30 percent in the last year.

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Other ways to save include getting help from service and religious organizations, state WIC agencies and food banks, cutting out the coupons or visiting www. babyformulaquiz.com and looking into different formulas. Store brands (those found at drugstores, supermarkets and bulk-sales stores) must offer the same safe, high-quality, affordable infant nutrition, yet may cost up to 50 percent less than national brands.

years Parents know how difficult it is to lug around a playpen and how uncomfortable it is to play outside on the grass. This new four-foot round baby mat provides a soft, clean and safe place for your little ones to sit and play. Thanks to its 1” thick foam and completely portability, it can be used in the bathroom while mom gets dressed, in the kitchen while dinner is being made, on hardwood or carpeted floors, while staying in a hotels or visiting friends and relatives, and when attending sporting events. It’s great for tummy time, diaper changes, naptime and more. Moms and pets love it too — plus you can even pick out a CoziCover to match your décor or personal style. For more information, visit softspotbywozzy.com.

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A A new DVD to the market is an educational breakthrough that is meant to encourage children on the autism spectrum, including Asperger’s Syndrome, to recognize and understand emotions.

The idea behind “The Transporters” is to help them learn about emotions in a way that they will enjoy. It includes toy trains and cable cars, as children with autism tend to take an interest in mechanical objects that have a highly predictable movement. Because these children typically shy away from people’s faces because they are unpredictable, the creators have grafted real actors’ faces onto vehicles. The DVD attracts children with autism to look more at human faces and makes it fun and enjoyable in a way they can understand and recognize.

A study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders from Cambridge University has found that watching the DVD for just 15 minutes a day for four weeks allowed children with autism to learn to recognize emotions as other non-autistic children do. For more information and where to purchase, visit thetransporters. com.

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There are lots of ways to learn about your culture, and one that is getting a warm welcome from parents is an animated DVD series called “Global Wonders.” One of the first titles is designed to help children identify new places, people and customs from the AfricanAmerican culture and from around the world by joining with main characters Trey and Alisha in a playdate of dreams and imagination.

In “Global Wonders: African-American,” viewers discover the famous art of Horace Pippin, the groundbreaking music of Louis Armstrong and the monumental contributions of Jackie Robinson. The series was created with support from developmental experts and cultural advisers Lori Lakin Hutcherson and Warren Hutcherson (“Everybody Hates Chris”).

According to J. Kevin Nugent, Ph.D., Brazelton Institute, “The Global Wonders DVD titles encourage cooperative friendships and promote the values of curiosity, concern, generosity, loyalty and commitment in children’s relationships with each other.”

Each DVD includes interactive features leading to deeper facts and discoveries, and participation-based musical segments introducing a culturally rich vocabulary. For more information, visit GlobalWonders.com.

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PROOF Passionate teachers.

Happy children.

Our teachers love Primrose as much as our children do.

Our proprietary, accredited curriculum assures that children are nurtured emotionally, physically and intellectually.

Experience the Primrose Difference Today!

Primrose School of Symmes __school_name_1__ __school_name__ 513.697.6970 School Name Call 1.800.PRIMROSE or visit www.primroseschools.com to find __address__ | __city__, __school_name_2__ __state__ __zip__ | __phone__ __school_amount__ schools in the __city_1__ area!

Address | City, State Zip | Mason Phone your neighborhood Primrose School.

Primrose School of __school_name_3__ __website__ 513.336.6756

Educational Child Care For Infants through Private Kindergarten and After School Each Primrose School is privately owned and operated. Primrose Schools and The Leader in Educational Child Care are trademarks of Primrose School Franchising Company. ©2008 PSFC. All rights reserved.

CINCINNATIPARENT.COM 9

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Birthda yA lte r

Getting a sick child to take his liquid medicine can be daunting – that’s why KidKupz™ was created by Jill Adeao and Jo-Ann Malkin. Armed with Jill’s stepfather’s vision in hand they cooked up a solution. Together these women developed a kid-friendly formula to help parents battle the miserable resistance that they face when administering liquid medicine. Flavors include Sour Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Watermelon and Green Apple.

Six-pack of the cups is only $6.99.

For more information, visit kidkupz.com or call 888-5435879.

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r Green Livin g

For the “green living” parent, there is a great alternative to traditional loading up on presents. Instead of bringing wrapped and packaged presents, guests simply R.S.V.P. to echoage.com and make secure online contributions that are pooled for the purchase of ONE memorable gift and to support ONE meaningful cause of the birthday child’s choice (hence the company’s motto “One Gift, One Cause”). Less fuel and less wrapping paper, plastic and waste at the end of the day. Visit echoage. com to find out more information.

Open House is on Sunday, February 15 at 2:00 PM. To RSVP please visit www.covingtonlatin.org or call 859.291.7044.

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Can’t keep up with all of the recalls that are flooded your way day in and day out from television, radio and yes, magazines? Sign up for the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s daily email on recalls, updates and more. Why? Because just as this article is going to print, we’ve received nearly a dozen recall notices on everything from children’s bedding to pacifiers. Visit cpsc.gov to register.

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teens & tweens

Understanding Your Teen’s Newfound Self-Awareness Striking a Liveable Balance of both fear and excitement—fear about the loss of childhood, and excitement at the glimpse of adolescence. As a result, young teens need time and privacy to do some self-exploration: What is happening to my body? Why do I feel so stupid sometimes? Who do I want to be?

Does this sound familiar? “Mommmmmmm! Get her out of my room! She’s touching my things!” How about this: “I want to paint the ceiling black and put those glow-in-the-dark stars on it.” Or this: “Let’s go into my room so they can’t keep bugging us.”

If you’ve heard any of these comments in your house, chances are you have a tween-age child.

During this stage, your child’s developing sense of self often manifests itself in a need for his or her own physical space—a sanctuary from intrusive others. The young teen’s room is more than just a place to store belongings. It offers privacy and a sense of control, as well as a safe haven for exploring and practicing his or her identity.

When a child reaches the teen years, her body, mind and emotions all begin to expand in scope and complexity. This maturation becomes a source

This new sense of selfawareness often brings with it an increase in self-doubt, as well as some discomfort due to all the changes and uncertainties. Having a private place to ponder her transforming body and emotions, or to “hide” when she is feeling uncertain, can help your child wrestle with her doubts, practice the feeling of being alone and independent, and discover herself as a person separate from anyone else. It gives her the opportunity to work on making the transition from child to teen.

It also gives your young teen a rare opportunity to escape all the rules set for her by her parents, teachers, coaches, school bus drivers and even older kids.

Often her room is the only place where she may be “queen of the castle,” and enjoy talking on the phone, doing homework or just daydreaming alone.

Of course, not every family can give each child her own room. But you can do the next best thing

by finding a way to give her a space of her own— whether that is one side of a shared bedroom, a corner of the basement, or a card table in the family room. The important thing is to make sure that this area belongs to that child alone, and is respected by all family members.

Or, try “space scheduling”—allowing each child to have the bedroom (or other private place) alone for at least one hour a week. When the space is theirs, no one may intrude. (Ideally, there will be a door that can be closed for privacy; a large walk-in closet might even suffice.)

Whenever possible, let your child make her own decisions in finding a way to personalize her space.

Choosing her own colors, fabrics, and posters gives her a healthy way to try out his emerging identity and can ultimately help her find himself.

“Fine,” you might say, “but does my child’s room have to be such a mess?” While most adults can handle letting a child make a few decorating choices, they are much less willing to give up their own standards of cleanliness just so their 13-year old can feel like a queen or king.

Try to strike a livable balance between your limits and your child’s need to make decisions about her own space.

In a preteen’s world, there are rules everywhere.

Dropping clothes on the floor is a way to reject the adult rules and make her own; it is one small way of asserting her independence. (To the younger brain

it also just seems so much easier, saving precious time and energy for more important activities like television, hockey, or nuzzling the dog.)

Try to relax your ideals while holding firm to your bottom line. Nudging your expectations down a notch may make it possible to keep out the things that are completely intolerable, such as food or drinks in the room or laundry piled up for weeks, while still enabling your young teen to have some control.

Also, consider the big picture: Does your child pick up after herself in the rest of the house, hang up her coat, and put pop cans in the recycling bin? This can make it easier to tolerate clothes on her floor or an occasional unmade bed.

Some parents find that as long as their child’s room doesn’t become a fire hazard or begin to give off an odor, they can put up with dust or clutter. Some also find that given a little flexibility, their child eventually gets tired of the mess herself and cleans it up without being asked.

Lisa Schab is a licensed clinical social worker in Libertyville, Illinois, and the stepmother of two, ages 25 and 29. She can be reached at 847-7821722.

ON THE WEB As a parent of a tween or teen, what self-awareness support tips do you have for others? What questions do you have? Visit www.cincinnatiparent.com and click on this column to leave your feedback.

Celebrating 10 years of Catholic Montessori Excellence Now accepting applications for the 2009-2010 school year • Offering pre-school through 8th grade • Student to teacher ratio (12:1) • Spanish beginning at pre-school 3x per week

(513) 271-4171 www.qams.org 4460 Berwick Avenue 1/2 mile north of Mariemont Square CINCINNATIPARENT.COM 11

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this just in

Second Child Syndrome Insight on Those Fits As I’m writing this my 19-month-old son is in the other room, crying on the floor while throwing his fifth temper tantrum of the morning. I wish I was exaggerating, but I’m not.

Aside from the first few weeks when we brought Cameron home from the hospital he’s just been a little fussier, a little busier, a little more work than our older son. Actually, a lot more work. I hate even saying that because Cameron is adorable. He can be such a sweet heart — at times. More often than not, though, he’s giving us fits and staring us down waiting to see who will give in so he can have his way.

I wish I were blowing this out of proportion, but I’m not. And I wish I were more patient, but I’m not. A lot of times my older son, Connor, who will be five this month, will correct me and say, “Mom, he’s just a baby.” Don’t you love when your own words come back to haunt you? I know Connor is right. We all should be more patient. But when you’re trying to get out of the grocery and Cameron is fussing, trying to escape the cart and slapping away anything I try to give him to calm him down, it’s hard to be rational.

Recently, I was trying to let the boys paint. Connor got a birdhouse from my sister that he wanted to paint and I had an old wooden train, so I thought this would be great — they each had something to paint. I had 10 different colors so no one would fight over the paints. Cameron had his own brushes. Everything was going fine — for about 10 minutes. Then Cameron starts to paint himself. I’m thinking, “No big deal; its water-based paint.”

But then one thing leads to another and Cameron’s knocking over the paint, spilling his cup of water (that he’s supposed to use to rinse his brush) and trying to eat the paint. I should have known better. I wanted to wait until Cameron was down for his nap but instead I gave in and Cameron is in full meltdown mode because I’m not letting him eat the paint. I end up throwing him in the bathtub. Of course then there’s paint on the tub and paint on the floor because I didn’t realize he had painted some of his toes too. By the end of the ordeal my house has more primary

red, blue and green on it than the birdhouse and train do.

Please tell me you’ve been here before? I hope I’m not alone. I talk with my girlfriends that have kids and they share the same frustrations. But it frustrates me that I get frustrated. Does that make sense?

I hate that I’m not more patient.

I don’t like getting irritated, especially when I’m trying to be a good mom and do a fun activity.

Am I control freak? Why wasn’t I this way with Connor? Soon, the realization hit me: with Connor, it was just him. Not only did I only have one child to give all of my love and attention to but Connor didn’t have someone doing things he was too young to do.

A lot of times my older son, Connor, who will be five this month, will correct me and say, “Mom, he’s just a baby.”

Connor is three and a half years older than Cameron. He’s playing with Transformers, Nerf Guns, and games with little balls. All of the things Connor likes, Cameron is too young for. When Connor was a year and a half old I didn’t have crayons out because I knew he’d eat them. I never would have dreamed of letting him paint at this young of an age because I knew he’d have more on himself than the paper or wooden train. Back then it was just Connor, so we did age appropriate things. Now when Connor is doing something it just frustrates Cameron (and us) because he either can’t or shouldn’t be playing with the same thing. And the same goes for nearly everything else we do, say or eat. Cameron isn’t wining when he wants a Juice Box. He just sees his big brother has one and doesn’t understand why he can’t too.

So, almost two years into our second child, the light bulb has come on. Finally, I get it! Now I know what the Second Child

Syndrome really is all about. As simple as it is, it hasn’t made sense until now. Instead of feeling frustrated with Cameron I realize what the problem is. Instead of labeling our kids as “the good one and the bad one,” I see that Cameron is just trying to figure things out. He just wants to be a big boy and feel included too. I guess it’s like high school — only without the acne.

Sheree Paollelo anchors the evening news at News-5. Behind the scenes, she’s a wife and mother of two boys.

ON THE WEB

Do you have second child syndrome stories?

Visit www.CincinnatiParent.com and click on this column to share your thoughts.

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Lollipop Family Concerts Offer Fun, Interactive Entertainment for the Whole Family Two of Cincinnati’s treasured traditions join forces 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 7 at historic Music Hall for “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” the latest Lollipop Family Concert offered by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Assistant Conductor Vince Lee and the CSO will be joined by Cincinnati Reds mascots Mr. Red, Rosie Red and Gapper for a musical celebration of all things baseball, designed specifically for kids ages 3 to 10. The concert will also feature Casey at the Bat narrated by none other than Reds’ public address announcer Joe Zerhusen, a very familiar voice at Great American Ballpark.”Joe has loads of experience announcing the players at Reds games, not to mention a big, dynamic voice — perfect for delivering this fun, edge-ofyour seat classic,” said Anne Cushing-Reid, the CSO’s manager of educational activities.

Casey at the Bat is a timeless poem about a fictional “Mudville” baseball team that finds itself down two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, hoping they can last long enough into the inning for their star player Casey to come up to bat. It was set to music by Cincinnati Pops Associate Conductor Steven Reineke.

The program also includes music from Damn Yankees, the popular Disney movie Angels in the Outfield and that perennial sing-along favorite, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” “This is the kind of concert where kids can be kids,” says Ms. Cushing-Reid. “Parents and grandparents will find a very welcoming environment at Music Hall for kids to be themselves. Our Lollipop Family Concerts are fun and interactive — a great way to introduce children to the sounds of the orchestra.”

Pre-concert activities begin at 9:30 a.m. that morning in the lobby.Tickets are $7 for children and $12 for adults, and can be purchased at the Music Hall Box Office, by calling (513) 3813300, or online at cincinnatisymphony.org.

The Lollipop Family Concerts are part of the CSO’s extensive educational programming that also includes Sound Discoveries Young People’s Concerts designed for elementary and middle school classes. On February 18 and March 10, Mr. Lee conducts a concert designed for grades 1-4 called “A Family of Strings; A World of Music.” The program shows how stringed instruments are popular around the world and includes everything from Mozart to bluegrass.

Another Young People’s Concert conducted

by Mr. Lee on February 25 and 26 is designed for students in grades 5-8. Dubbed “An American Mosaic,” the program looks at how music in the U.S. has been shaped by the rich cultural diversity of its people, and explores the impact of jazz, popular song, folk tunes and hymns on orchestral music in America. “Our Sound Discoveries Young People’s Concerts are geared for specific age groups, and challenge the students in different ways,” said Ms. Cushing-Reid. “We provide Teacher’s Guides to help educators prepare their classes for the concerts, and also links to additional web content for the students on the Classics for Kids and CET Connect websites.”

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to get a school involved with the programs, contact Anne Cushing-Reid at (513) 7443208.

.

Each season more than 20,000 students from over 150 schools and groups from Southeast Indiana, Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio attend these exciting Young People’s Concerts at Music Hall.

For more information about the CSO’s many educational outreach initiatives or to inquire about how

Thaddeus Rex Concert & Open House 10:30AM to 1:00PM Saturday February 28th Please Join Us!

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mommy makeover

Brighten Your Smile With Cosmetic Dentistry A smile can brighten your face, light up a room and express feelings of happiness, love and understanding. But if you are unhappy with your teeth, smiles are often dimmed or avoided altogether. This should not be the case any longer. With a variety of

cosmetic dentistry options, you don’t have to settle for stained, chipped or misshapen teeth—you now have choices that can help you smile with confidence.

Even a subtle change in your smile can make a dramatic difference in the way you look and feel about yourself.

A protective gel or rubber shield is used to protect the gums. More than one visit may be required.

Another option is an at-home bleaching agent dispensed by your dentist. These whiteners contain peroxide, which actually bleaches the tooth enamel. They usually come in a gel, placed in a mouthguard, and are used daily or overnight for a week or two.

A smile can brighten your face, light up a room and express feelings of happiness, love and understanding.

Cosmetic dentistry options include: • Tooth whitening, or bleaching, which brightens teeth that are discolored or stained. Bleaching may be done completely in the dental office, or the dentist may dispense a system for you to use at home.

For in-office whitening, a bleaching agent is applied to the teeth, and a special light or laser is often used to enhance the whitening action.

14 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

• Braces – they’re not just for kids. Orthodontics can correct problems such as crooked or crowded teeth, overbites and under bites. The biological process of moving teeth is the same at any age, although adult treatments may take a little longer.

Braces today don’t have to be as noticeable as those shiny silver smiles we remember from junior high.

Brackets—the part of the braces that attach to each tooth—are smaller and can sometimes be attached to the back of the tooth.They can be made of metal, ceramic, plastic or a combination of materials; some are even clear or tooth-colored.

If you want to impress your kids—or support your favorite team—you can even get brackets shaped like hearts or footballs and elastics (rubber bands) in your favorite colors.

• Bonding, which can improve the appearance of teeth that are chipped, broken, cracked, stained or have spaces between them. With bonding, tooth-colored materials are applied, or bonded, to the tooth surface.

• Enamel shaping – this involves modifying teeth to improve their appearance by removing or contouring enamel. The process, which often is combined with bonding, usually is quick and comfortable, and the results can be seen immediately.

• Veneers, which are thin custom-made shells designed to cover the front side of teeth. Made of tooth-colored materials, veneers are used to treat spaces between teeth and teeth that are chipped or worn, permanently stained, poorly shaped or slightly crooked.

To learn more about cosmetic dental options that might be right for you and your smile, talk to your dentist or visit the American Dental Association Web site at www.ada.org.

Lisa Young Stiers is Senior Staff Writer for Indy’s Child and Cincinnati Parent. She lives in Brownsburg, Indiana with her two sons and husband.

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beyond the baby GO I NG

Signs, Symptoms and Treatments for All I wanted to do was sleep,” says Lisa Beasley, mother of three. Beasley suffered from postpartum depression after delivering her oldest child, Noah, nine weeks early. “The simplest tasks like taking a shower took every ounce of energy I had in my body,” she said.

“I wasn’t hungry. I didn’t want to be around anyone. I didn’t want to talk to anyone on the phone. I wanted to be left alone in my bed so I could get some rest, but no amount of rest energized me. When I did try to rest, it was only for short periods of time. Having a baby was more of a chore than a joy.”

Pregnant women are bombarded with messages and images of happiness following the birth of a baby. No one talks about the sheer and utter exhaustion. No one talks about how difficult recovery, breastfeeding or the seemingly simple act of giving a bath can be. No one admits to feelings of frustration, anxiety and sadness. No one tells you about the middle-of-the-night moment when’ll you panic, wondering if you’ve made a mistake.

“In our society, women are told that becoming a mother is the most wonderful thing; that, even though you’ll be sleep deprived, there is nothing as beautiful as holding your baby and the emotions that come with it,” says Teresa Phillips, mother of two who suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her oldest child, Oscar, in 2002. “Well, through no fault of their own, not all women feel those ‘wonderful and beautiful’ emotions. For some women, there are no feelings at all. For others, the emotions are negative and frightening.”

POSTPARTUM

What To Do “Do not let anyone tell you it’s all in your head or that you are just doing it to get attention,” Phillips says. “Postpartum depression is real.

It is a function of hormones and brain chemistry imbalances. You could no more treat yourself for it than you could treat yourself for cancer or diabetes. Get help.”

Help means going to your OB/GYN or primary-care physician for an initial diagnosis, says Ann Henry, A Lighter Shade of Blue meeting facilitator. Ideally, Henry says, you’ll get a referral to a psychiatrist or therapist.

Many women are embarrassed to seek help or feel like they can handle it on their own, says Dr. David B. Schwartz, an OB/GYN at The Christ Hospital (www.cincinnati-obgyn.com). But by not getting help, you’re damaging relationships, Dr. Schwartz says. For most women, Dr. Schwartz suggests counseling first. If the symptoms don’t lessen, he often prescribes a low-dose serotonin reuptake inhibitor, such as Lexapro.

Mellanie Kemphaus, mother of seven and patient of Dr. Schwartz, suffered from postpartum depression a month after the birth of her youngest child, Annabelle Gracie.

“Anything would make me cry,” she said. Dr. Schwartz prescribed her medicine and in a matter of days she felt better.

“Do not let anyone tell you it’s all in your head or that you are just doing it to get attention,”

According to the support group A Lighter Shade of Blue (www. alightershadeofblue.com), the Cincinnati Chapter of Depression After Delivery, 80 percent of women suffer from baby blues, a time of weepiness due to a sudden drop in hormone levels after delivery. But some women experience a more severe form of baby blues, called postpartum depression. According to the support group, common symptoms include anxiety, sadness, poor concentration, uncontrollable crying, irritability, guilt, inadequacy, worthlessness, exaggerated highs and lows, exhaustion, appetite and sleep disturbances, over concern for baby, lack of interest in baby and fear of harming the baby and/or yourself.

16 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

In addition to counseling and medication, support groups such as A Lighter Shade of Blue can help moms suffering from postpartum depression feel less alone. “Being in a room full of other moms who feel the way you do is incredibly reassuring, especially when they assure you that you are not a bad person or a failure as a mother and that these feelings will eventually go away,” Phillips says.

For many women, activities such as meditation — in addition to counseling and prescribed medication — can help relieve the stresses of motherhood. “Meditation can benefit your life in many ways, but it is not a substitute for regular medical attention,” says Erin Schnack, owner and instructor of Practice the Flow Studio (www.practicetheflow.com), which offers a yoga and meditation class once a month especially for moms. “That being said, I do believe that meditation

blues D E P R E S S ION can be a valuable addition to treatment. It provides the dearly needed rest and rejuvenation your mind needs to handle such a large change in lifestyle.”

You’re Not a Bad Mom Often, with postpartum depression comes guilt. “We tell our moms to give themselves a break,” Henry says. “They are not bad moms; they are sick and need to get better. They can’t help feeling like a ‘bad’ mom because that is what postpartum depression makes them think.”

Postpartum depression is still a wildly misunderstood mental health issue, Phillips says.

“Even some OB/GYNs and midwives do not understand it,” she says. “We’ve had moms whose doctors told them it wasn’t real. It is very real, it is a mental health issue and those who suffer from it need to know they are not alone.”

Through counseling and medication, Beasley battled her postpartum depression and is now recovered. “No one wants to think they are depressed,” she says. “It was a very hard thing for me to admit.” Beasley says it’s important to have an open mind about all options available to you. “Don’t try to go about everything alone and don’t be ashamed if you think you are depressed,” she says. “I think I am a better and more compassionate person having gone through what I did.”

Kara Gebhart Uhl is a Fort Thomas, Ky.-based freelance writer and editor. To read more of her work visit www.karagebhartuhl. com. To learn more about her family visit www.uhlblog.blogspot.com

For extended coverage on this story, tune into Lisa Cooney on News 5 Today on February 3rd.

Working Together For You

CINCINNATIPARENT.COM 17

H E A LT H & W E LLN E SS

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women’s health

Vitamins and Minerals During your pregnancy, you will need to follow a diet rich in certain vitamins and minerals. Here are some foods you may want to try to enrich your diet:

Healthy Eating During Pregnancy: Tips and Tricks for Moms-To-Be If you’re expecting, it’s important that you pay careful attention to the food you eat. Good nutrition is linked to healthy babies, more energy, a better pattern of weight gain and more rapid healing after you give birth.

At The Christ Hospital, we like to provide our expectant mothers with helpful information about their diet and weight that will be useful to them during this very special time in their child’s development. Here’s some information that you might find helpful during your pregnancy.

Weight Gain During Pregnancy Most women should gain between 25 and 35 pounds during their pregnancy. If you are underweight, you may need to gain more. If you are overweight, you may need to gain less. The weight typically goes to:

• Breasts: 1 – 2 pounds • Blood volume: 4 – 5 pounds • Body fluid: 1- 2 pounds • Fat: 5 – 7 pounds • Baby: 7 – 8 pounds

Hot Topics Nausea Nausea is often a problem during the early months of pregnancy. Below are some tips to help you decrease nausea. (Be sure to consult your health care provider if you experience severe nausea and are unable to eat or hold down fluids.)

• Avoid large meals. Eat several small meals five or six times a day.

• Eat crackers or dry cereal before getting out of bed in the morning • Drink fluids between meals, rather than with them • Avoid spicy or fatty foods if you feel ill after eating them • Eat an evening snack that has protein in it • Avoid smells of cooking food.

Heartburn Heartburn is a frequent complaint during the last three months of pregnancy. At this time, the baby is growing rapidly and tends to push on the surrounding digestive organs. To help reduce heartburn:

• Placenta: 2 – 3 pounds

• Eat smaller, more frequent meals

• Amniotic fluid: 2 – 3 pounds

• Drink fluids between meals

• Uterus: 2 - 5 pounds

• Limit spicy and fatty foods

Gradual weight loss of no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week during the first six months after delivery is normal.

• Eat slowly

• Vitamin C: For healthy blood and skin

• Remain in a sitting position for at least half an hour after each meal

• Oranges

• Consult your health care provider about the use of antacids.

• Broccoli • Cabbage

Fluid Consumption You will need to drink eight or more cups of fluid every day. Beverages such as milk, fruit and vegetable juices and soups provide valuable nutrients and may help you meet your fluid needs. Also drink plenty of water. If you drink soft drinks, do not let them replace nutritious beverages.

Food Safety There are a number of foods that need to be avoided during pregnancy due to the risk of food-borne illness. Avoid any raw meats or raw fish such as sushi; soft cheeses like feta, Brie and blue cheese; and mercury fish such as shark, swordfish and king mackerel. Herbal supplements should be cleared with your health care provider.

We hope these tips are helpful for meal-planning throughout your pregnancy. For additional information about healthy eating during pregnancy, consult your health care provider or registered dietitian. You may also contact The Christ Hospital at 513-585-1000 to request a complete guide to Healthy Eating During Pregnancy.

Tepu Juula-Potticary is a childbirth educator at The Christ Hospital.

• Wear comfortable clothes

• Greens • Sweet potatoes • Peppers • Tomatoes • Cantaloupe • Iron: For healthy blood

• Asparagus • Greens • Carrots • Spinach • Winter squash • Folate: For healthy blood and to prevent birth defects • Cantaloupe • Broccoli • Dried beans • Greens

• Lean meats, fish and poultry

• Liver

• Dark green leafy vegetables • Eggs

• Calcium: For strong bones and teeth

• Molasses

• Milk

• Cream of Wheat

• Yogurt

• Whole grain breads fortified with iron

• Cheese

• Vitamin A: For bone growth, healthy skin and eyes

• Dry breakfast cereals (fortified with calcium) with milk

• Apricots • Broccoli

• Orange juice

• Low-fat ice cream

• Orange juice (fortified with calcium)

Medicine may be our livelihood. But people are our passion. You can feel it the minute you walk through our doors. See it in the eyes of Dr. Stephens as he introduces a young couple to their new little miracle. Sure, we’re practicing advanced, award-winning medicine every day.

Nationally-ranked medicine, in fact. But we have bigger things in mind.

Like making the most important moment in a parent’s life…extraordinary.

The Christ Hospital. Caring Above All.

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18 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

www.caringaboveall.com

H E A LT H & W E LLN E SS

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Smile, Kids —It’s Dental Health Month Teaching Your Kids Healthy Habits

Do not forget to brush at bedtime and if your child wants a drink afterwards, give him water. “Putting your child to bed with a bottle of milk or juice is a very bad situation because the liquid stays in his mouth and provides a media for bacteria to proliferate rapidly and unencumbered, so it does a lot of damage to primary tooth enamel,� tells Dr. Marvin Kaplan, DMD. This is called nursing bottle caries syndrome and has detrimental consequences like tooth restorations.

This is avoidable by being an avid teeth-brusher and going to the dentist.

Make the commitment to raise awareness of Dental Health month at home. Establish a healthy routine and schedule dental visits at an early age. Lead by example and praise your child for his cooperation.

Jamie Lober’s passion is for health promotion and disease prevention. As a speaker and author of Pink Power (getpinkpower.com), she has empowered others to modify health behavior through knowledge. She enjoys swimming, playing the piano and watching football.

When you take your child to the dentist, Angela Martin, dental assistant, recommends “making it a special visit. Don’t bring his siblings, especially if one of them will throw a fit. Try to come early in the morning so your child is not tired and fussy; the end of the day is usually worse.â€? Dr. Marvin Kaplan, DMD advises to bring your 2 or 2 ½ year-old to your 6-month recall appointment so he sees the experience is non-threatening and easy. If your child cooperates, he can have his appointment afterwards or come back another time.

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Dr. Cindy Pong, DDS makes some recommendations. “Brush your child’s teeth and tongue with a soft-bristled toothbrush twice a day,� she says. “For an infant, a washcloth or finger brush can be used. Floss as soon as teeth are in contact with each other. Establish a preventative program that is appropriate for your child’s needs.� Your child may be eager to take responsibility to brush his own teeth but “you should brush his teeth until he can tie his own shoes because he will

A balanced diet is important to avoid cavities.

You may want to avoid too many carbohydrates, fruit juices or sodas and replace them with fruits, vegetables and items low in cholesterol and fat.

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Since February is Children’s Dental Health month, it is the perfect time for you, as a parent, to get educated.

Do not forget to brush at bedtime and if You should not wait your child wants a drink afterwards, give him for the dentist to you the areas water. Putting your child to bed with a bottle show you or your child of milk or juice is a very bad situation because may not be brushthe liquid stays in his mouth and provides a ing well when there are so many ways media for bacteria to proliferate rapidly... you can act preventatively. To put it simply, make sure you pay attention to your teeth by brushing, maintain a balanced diet and modify your bedtime routine.

not have the dexterity to hold his toothbrush properly,� explains Sandra Carroll, dental assistant, or at least go over his work.

Plainfield Rd.

Is your child fearful of the dentist? He is not alone. “It is age-appropriate for someone 1 ½ - 2 to be concerned about anything new to them, so you want to be sure to start a preventative program, but it is not realistic to expect your child to be a happy participant in dental care,â€? says Dr. Sullivan, DDS.

pediatric health

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The Gardner School of Blue Ash 9920 Carver Road Cincinnati, OH 45242 Phone: (513) 985-9444

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s an expectant mom, I went to all of my prenatal visits with a list of questions to ask my doctor about the labor and delivery process. When the big day came, however, I actually spent more time with the labor and delivery nurses than with my physician. These nurses gave me pain management advice, communicated what was happening when an alarm sounded on my fetal monitor, let me know when they would call in my obstetrician and even warned me about the chances of their work shift ending before I delivered my baby. Because they were so helpful to me with each of my deliveries, I decided to ask several of them how other moms-to-be could have the best childbirth experience possible.

Here are their top four tips.

...the patients who seem to have the best experiences are those who are “excited, but have a relaxed attitude, and are teachable,” meaning they trust their medical professionals and act on the experts’ advice.

Be a work-at-home mom.

For full-term women, the initial jolt of labor pain is exciting and scary. Many are tempted to go to the hospital right after the first contraction. However, first-time moms will probably need to spend the first part of labor at home. Odds are there are several hours between that contraction and baby’s arrival. Delivery can sometimes be as long as “two to three days away,” says Margie Snider, RN, a labor and delivery nurse.

“One contraction isn’t labor,” agrees Tia Dorsey, RN, a mother of two. “When patients called to see if they should come to the hospital, I always advised them to wait until contractions were 3-5 minutes apart,” she says of her years working in labor and delivery. “It could take several hours until that happened.”

Jill Leonard, a nursing student and mom of three, says many first-time mothers are in labor for 36 hours or more. “Healthcare professionals often advise laboring women to walk to help move labor along, and this is much more pleasant to do in a familiar surrounding than in a hospital.” That is not to say that you should not call your doctor at all. In fact, the nurses strongly emphasize that you should always call if you have any concerns.

Stay calm through alarms.

Once admitted to the hospital, you may be hooked up to a fetal monitor and other medical devices. Let the nurses explain what these machines are for, and what might happen if an alarm goes off.

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E n s uri n g t h e B e s t

C h i l dbir t h E x per i e n ce

Sometimes it will cause a flurry of activity between nurses and doctors. It is understandable for laboring women to become anxious when this happens, and the anxiety level is usually heightened if additional family members are present. However, even if the circumstance surrounding the alarm requires quick attention, it is probably not a grave situation.

Get educated During each of her pregnancies, Sia Sutton, a mother of three, enrolled in childbirth preparation classes, asked her doctor questions during her prenatal visits and researched her delivery options several weeks before checking in to the hospital. As a result, she says that each childbirth experience was great.

The experts’ advice is to relax and take the assurances from nurses as they explain what is happening and why. In some situations, nurses “may need the family to leave the room,” says Sherylene Patterson, a labor and delivery nurse. It will help if everyone knows upfront that this is a possibility, so they are not surprised if it happens.

Many nurses agree that moms-to-be should educate themselves by doing the things that Sutton did. “Take classes instead of just watching television,” cautions Snider. “Sometimes women don’t ask their physicians questions because they are making wrong assumptions [about how easy their delivery may be].”

Be flexible with expectations.

Every delivery is different, so nurses warn new moms not to expect their childbirth stories to be exactly like those featured on television programs.”The shows often edit out things that can happen to the baby, and how nurses respond,” says Snider. If complications occur in their own situations, new moms are often disappointed that what happened to them was not what they were expecting. Or, they may feel let down if their childbirth experience is not the same as that of a family member or friend.

Instead, the experts encourage you to take preparation courses, and then ask your doctor about specific concerns. And when the time comes, you will then hopefully worry less about the birthing process and focus more on the miracle of delivering a wonderful new baby.

Margarette Burnette is a parenting writer and author of the Chipper Kids™ children’s book series. She welcomes your comments on her blog at www.ChipperKids.com.

On the contrary, those who are flexible about what may happen in the birthing process are often the most satisfied.

Dorsey says the patients who seem to have the best experiences are those who are “excited, but have a relaxed attitude, and are teachable,” meaning they trust their medical professionals and act on the experts’ advice. But regardless of what happens in the process, everyone should agree on the ultimate goal: having a healthy baby and a healthy mother.

ON THE WEB

What are your suggestions for new moms-tobe? Visit www.cincinnatiparent.com and click on this feature to share your comments.

CINCINNATIPARENT.COM 21

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arts & enrichment

How to Get Your Child Involved in Theatre Help Her Develop Skills — And Have Some Fun No one would ever mistake me for an actor (I can’t even impress my two year old with my pig imitation), yet live performance ignites my imagination like nothing else. I have my grandmother to thank for this — she took me to more musicals than I can recall. One show roused me so much that I kicked my shoe into a poor woman’s lap while trying to prove that I too could dance like the actress on stage.

Fortunately the woman was the forgiving kind.

Unfortunately, though, somewhere between being that young girl and being the mother of two children I have put theater on the backburner. But now my sons are the very reason I need to reprioritize it back into my and my family’s life. Not to mention, it’s simply enjoyable.

“A play is alive. Theater is so human and so tangible for a child that it’s really a sort of sensory experience,” says Ernie Nolan, Associate Artistic Director of Emerald City Theater in Chicago, Professor of Theater of Indiana University South Bend and board member of Theatre for Young Audiences/USA. He adds that because theater allows children to experience color, sound and light first hand, it creates a sort of magic.

“There is a sense of imagination that happens in theater that makes it special.”

Mark Lutwak, education director of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, agrees that theater provides children an experience unlike any other and feels it to be an extremely important activity for young people. He says theater “is powerful because of how it uses human empathy. The very art form requires us, as both performers and audience, to walk in the shoes of others. We share intellectual, emotional and active experiences that may never otherwise be available to us. Young people, in particular, use theater to find out about the world, to experiment with ways of being in a safe environment, and, as a theologian once told me, to understand the infinite possibilities. It is the most human and social of the arts; it brings us together.”

Moreover, theater arts help to develop literacy, critical thinking, social skills and imagination. Even when young people participate in informal role-playing, be it as a character or pretending that their living room rug is a magic carpet, they are building imagination that is needed throughout life.

So, how do you get your child involved in theater?

Follow the leader. Lutwak suggests parents should simply get to the theater if they want their kids to get involved. “Children follow their parents’ lead. If the parents enjoy going to the theater, then children will want to do the same. The best thing is when families find plays that they can attend together. Some of that is ‘children’s theater’ — work created specifically for young people. But much of that is professional theater that can be enjoyed by the entire family: musicals, classics and appropriate contemporary plays.”

Play, play and play some more. Parents should encourage imaginative play. They should also actively participate in play with their child. I recently read that children step up their game of play when parents join the fun by taking the child’s lead. For instance, if you are playing grocery shopping, ask “Do you want to buy fish or a hot dog?” or “Do you think teddy bear knows where the pickles are?” As the child develops a rich imagination, an interest in theater may come naturally.

Act out bedtime stories. TYA/USA’s Nolan suggests that parents read bedtime stories and even try acting them out. He also believes that playacting can help children as they deal with different situations. “Say to your child ‘I will be the teacher and you be yourself and we can solve this problem.’ It’s an easy situational drama practice that children and parents can do at home.”

Explore the arts early. If a child has a desire to be part of musical theater it is critical they have early exposure to music. It’s important that they hear a variety of music from varied cultures so they develop an aptitude for it. So get out the pots and pans, turn up your radio, dig out your mother’s golden oldies and download your brother’s eclectic iTunes collection — and make them part of your child’s life.

Act out memory lane. Nolan has a fun idea when he suggests that families take well-known family legends and dramatize them. I know my family could make some new memories by re-enacting Uncle Dale and Aunt Florence’s date at the movies in the 1930s, when Dale inadvertently tucked Florence’s skirt into his trousers.

22 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

Enroll in theater classes. Local theaters, schools, community and churches around Cincinnati all offer various levels of acting classes, so finding one is an attainable goal. “I urge parents not to push their kids to be performers — those who are interested will find their own way to it. Non-performance creative dramatics classes, which have no pressure to perform, are a great place to start,” says Lutwak.

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Getting your kids involved in the Cincinnati theater scene is attainable and possibly as simple as child’s play. Even I can do that, and so can you.

Carrie Bishop is a freelance writer and mother of two young sons, whose daily antics inspire her work and her life.

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Fine Arts & Enrichment Directory Music

The Music Factory 8005 Pfeiffer Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45242 513)545-7125 www.themusicfactoryonline.com The Music Factory offers fun and educational group music classes that build musical foundations for children ages 9 months through 5 years. The Music Factory offers a specialized, age-specific, curriculum that is designed to encourage learning through music. Classes are now available onsite for your Preschool and Daycare!

MusikGarten Wyoming – Musik Kids Program 513-771-7675 www.theCenter4TheArts.org Clifton – Miss Amanda’s Music Garden 513-221-SING www.MissAmandasMusic.com Northern Kentucky - Music for Us Studio 859-344-9445 www.musicforusstudio.com Northern Kentucky – Little Songbird Music Studio 859-547-8765 www.littlesongbirdmusic.com Dance! Move! Sing! Play instruments! MusikGarten is a holistic, cross-cultural music curriculum for

children from birth to age 9. Bathe your child’s ears with the language of music, while the absorbent mind is active! Come for the fun, stay for the education! Influence your child’s musicianship… for life!

Peanut Butter & Jam Sessions - Linton Music, Inc. 1241 Elm St. (Music Hall), Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513)381-6868; www.lintonmusic.org PB&J concerts combine classical chamber music, dancing, puppets, education, and fun for preschoolers and their families! Tickets are only $4.00 at the door, and the 40 minute concerts (10:00 & 11:30 am on Saturday mornings) are held in venues throughout the Greater Cincinnati area.Visit the website for concert dates!

Piano Lessons in Your Home

Children, a group keyboard curriculum for ages 5 and up, and Music Pups, a music and movement class for birth to 4. Call for FREE trial class.

Theatre

Artreach: A Division of the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati 2106 Florence Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45206 (513) 569-8080 ext. 17 www.thechildrenstheatre.com/artreach Founded in 1976, ArtReach is Cincinnati’s oldest in-school touring theater. Touring to schools, libraries and other facilities throughout the Tri-state with fairy tales, history shows and stories based on classic literature. Education and entertainment for all age levels. Show titles and WorkShops available online.

See our ad in the Classifieds!

Ballet Theatre Midwest at The Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum

West Chester Academy of Music 8374 Princeton Glendale Rd, West Chester, OH 45069 (513)829-2345 www.wcaom.com

3738 Eastern Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45226 (513)520-2334 www.ballettheatremidwest.com Grace, beauty, creativity, movement! Experience the joy of dance at Ballet Theatre Midwest. Our Nurturing environment, professional faculty and lovely facility offer the finest in classical dance training for ages 3 to adult. Age appropriate training and performance opportunities for all students.

Quality private lessons in piano, voice, guitar, violin, cello, clarinet, saxophone, flute, drums and harp.

Also offers nationally acclaimed Music for Young

fine arts directory

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The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati 2106 Florence Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45206 (513)569-8080 www.thechildrenstheatre.com All shows are performed at the Taft Theatre Professional stage productions. Shows run approximately one hour. Individual tickets are $7 per student; one free chaperone per 15 students.

Subscriptions available. FREE study guides available on website. Upcoming shows include: Disney’s High School Musical 2 On Stage! and Charlotte’s Web.

Advertise your fine arts services with us! Contact Rachel@CincinnatiParent.com The Musical Arts Center is a community-based music school offering the highest quality musical education programs for all ages and ability levels, including traditional study of voice, piano, strings, guitar, winds, brass and percussion instruments, as well as Suzuki programs in violin and piano.

Musical Arts Center 1987 Madison Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45208 (513) 321-2766 (513) 979-5382 fax www.musartscenter.com info@musartscenter.com

The MAC also offers private and group study in drama, music theory and sight singing, seminars and hundreds of hours of master classes and performance opportunities.

Where imagination takes center stage.

Bash the Trash

Feb. 7 • Ages 4 & up Instruments made from recycled materials make up an interactive symphony.

Spilling Ink Project - A Journey to India

Feb. 28 • Ages 4 & up • Featuring Odds Bodkin A rich combination of traditional South Indian dance forms and Indian folklore.

My Brother, My Sister and Other Problems Spilling Ink

Mar. 7 • Ages 4 and up • A Family Concert by Billl Harley A smash-hit performer brings humor and insight to growing up and parenting.

All shows performed in the Playhouse’s Rosenthal Plaza at 10:30am & 1:00pm*.

Ages 4-18: $5; Adults: $6. Please do not bring children younger than the ages indicated for each production. *1:00pm performance is signed for the hearing impaired courtesy of Cincinnati State.

For tickets and information call 513/421-3888 or visit www.cincyplay.com CINCINNATIPARENT.COM 23

The Montessori philosophy was developed

by Dr. Maria Montessori, the first Italian woman to graduate from medical school in Rome in 1896. Her philosophy supports the fundamental tenet that a child learns best within a social environment that supports each individual’s unique development.

Montessori Schools: Providing Another Option A Different Approach to Education

A soft buzz of activity fills fills a Montessori elementary classroom. Tucked in a corner, two girls quiz each other on math facts. At a table nearby, another girl proudly declares that she has found a book on Indiana and begins researching the state. Sitting in the middle of the floor, a boy fills his mat with French, matching words and pictures in a language activity.

Personalized Instruction

In a Montessori classroom, each child’s academic goals are individualized, based on his strengths, weaknesses and interests. This allows each child to master a skill without the pressure of keeping up with—or waiting for—other students in the class.

The walls are lined with low shelves, neatly holding educational supplies and tools, and small child-sized tables are scattered throughout the room. There are no rows of desks, and no distracting clutter filling the walls.

“Our teachers are masters at individualization,” Normile says. “We get to know our students because we work with them for three years at a time. We learn their interests, strengths and weaknesses and are able to help them develop their skills.”

Montessori classrooms like this one are drawing interest on all sides of the city for their child-centered philosophy, based largely on the developmental needs of each child, a non-competitive environment, hands-on education, and independent and individualized learning plans.

Individualization attracted former teacher Mary Rieke to the Montessori philosophy when she was searching for educational options for her two children, who are now both student at Queen of Angels Montessori.

The Montessori philosophy was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, the f irst Italian woman to graduate from medical school in Rome in 1896. Her philosophy supports the fundamental tenet that a child learns best within a social environment that supports each individual’s unique development.

“The Montessori philosophy is one that is rich with respect—respect of the child, respect of the family unit, respect of the learning environment and respect of the materials used,” says Patty Normile, principal of Mercy Montessori, a Catholic Montessori school serving students in preschool through junior high. “In order for children to learn their best, time and energy need to be paid to understanding the child developmentally f irst. Once the adults understand these patterns of growth, they can better honor the child’s development.”

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“I was a teacher in a traditional classroom before my children were born, and I know I had children who I could not move ahead fast enough for their speed of retention, just as I had students who struggled to keep up. It seemed that my pace of moving on was dictated by the calendar and the mid-range students rather than when each student was ready,” Rieke says. “The way the Montessori classroom is organized, the lessons are taught and the students’ work plans are organized, it is not only possible but highly likely that the same classroom will contain students who are zooming ahead based on their ability and students who are getting extra help with something that they are struggling with.”

Rieke, who now works as a part-time aide at Queen of Angels Montessori.

Students are given a choice of academic activities, but it is a misconception that Montessori students are allowed to do whatever they want, educators say.

“There is a degree of freedom — children are free to move about and choose some of their own work — but there are limits,” says Dan Teller, principal of Queen of Angels Montessori, a Catholic Montessori school serving students in preschool through middle school. “There is not a license to do whatever they want.”

Teachers work closely with students to ensure all academic areas are included within their choices. “Children are not left to explore only what they want,” Teller explains. Older students often meet with the teacher to develop a plan outlining academic goals for the next week. Then, students are free to select which subjects and activities they work on each day, as long as they work their way through the entire list during the week.

Tim Bronsil values the sense of responsibility his son, a second grader at Mercy Montessori, has gained by taking control of his own education. “Each week, Will has a list of works and projects in the classroom which he is required to complete. It is his responsibility to plan the week accordingly in order to accomplish the work,” Bronsil says. “It’s a wonderful life lesson on prioritization, and he has caught on quickly.”

Mastery—not grades—is key.

Much of the learning is hands-on, using the approximately 500 specially designed materials that fill a Montessori classroom.

“Students move to new work based on their abilit y, thus setting them up for success since so much new material relies on understanding what came before it,” says

“Whether it is junior high students writing their own Christmas play, my four year old juicing tomatoes for a snack or my fifth grader lighting up his model of the Carew

Tower with tons of wires and little bulbs, the children’s hands are on everything. It is how they learn,� says Heidi Mechley-Felton, whose four children—a seventh grader, fifth grader, third grader and preschooler—all attend Mercy Montessori.

When Damian Billy and his wife Margaret began researching preschools for his daughter Allison, then 3, he was intrigued by a conversation with Montessori students. “I was overwhelmed by that they were doing.

We toured a 4/5/6 level classroom and I was talking to some of the students about science. I was amazed by their depth of understanding— not ‘rote’ memorization of facts, but a clear understanding about the subjects we were talking about,� Billy remembers. “Plus the classroom setting was inspiring. The children were active, engaged, enjoying themselves and were working on numerous tasks without direct line-by-line instructions by a teacher. The students were self-motivated with the support of very understanding teachers. We walked out of that classroom, and I turned to Margaret and said, ‘I want to go back to school, and I want to go here.’�

Instead, Billy enrolled his 3-year-old daughter and later his two younger children. All three are Mercy Montessori graduates and have excelled in high school and college.

raphy, botany, history, zoology, science, art and music • Sensorial, which helps students discover the world through their senses. • Practical life Mixed-age Classes

Maria Montessori discovered that putting older and younger children together helps them learn from and teach each other. So, classrooms group students in multi-age groups: typically ages 3 to 6 (preschool and kindergarten), 6 to 9 (first to third grades), 9 to 12 (fourth to sixth grades), and 12 to 13 (seventh and eighth grades). “In her writings, Montessori shared that there is no other place in the world that you only work with 35 year olds or only 22 year olds,�

Normile explains. “The world is a community of young and old working together, so why impose an age leveled system? �

Bronsil’s sons—Will, a second grader, and Jack a 3-year-old preschooler—both enjoy attending a multi-age classroom. “Like his older brother, Jack enjoys the social elements of the 3 to 6 year old class. We often hear about a five year old giving him a lesson on a work in the classroom,� Bronsil says. “In a couple of years, Jack will be the one giving those lessons—as he often reminds us.�

Classroom Design

A Montessori classroom is a very carefully designed learning environment, one that is stimulating, interesting and developmentally appropriate. Materials are neatly organized on low shelves, contained in small color-coordinated baskets, and child-size furnishings encourage independence.

An important aspect of Montessori materials is that they are beautiful, simple, appealing and interesting. The child wants to handle them—to touch them, manipulate them and hold them. That means form the beginning they are drawn to the materials and start to use them instinctively.

For ages 3 to 6, activities are neatly arranged on the shelves in sequential order, from top to bottom and left to right. Once one activity is mastered, children can advance independently to the next, building on skills they have learned. Only one set of each material is included in a classroom. This prevents clutter and also teaches students social skills, such as working together or patience and self-restraint as they wait their turn.

Specialized Teachers

To be a Montessori teacher, called a directress, professionals must receive specialized training in addition to a traditional college degree. The specialized training includes learning to become a scientific observer and a guide through the Montessori materials. The educator provides an environment that is developmentally appropriate to help students grow in all areas: social, cognitive, emotional and physical.

Certification is available through organizations like the American Montessori Society (www.amshq.org) or the International Montessori Society (www.imsmontessori.org). A special Montessori degree program is offered locally at Xavier University.

Lisa Young Stiers is Senior Staff Writer for Indy’s Child and Cincinnati Parent. She lives in Brownsburg, Indiana with her two boys and husband.

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“There’s always a sense of order to the classroom, so children know where to find things and where to put things away,� Teller says. “They take responsibility.�

Montessori classrooms are divided into subject areas, each with specific activities and learning materials.

Areas are: • Language arts, both spoken and written components • Math • Culture, which includes geogCINCINNATIPARENT.COM 25

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hot spots

Krohn Conservatory Cultivates Wonder and Intrigue Shelia Rollinson developed an appreciation for flowers and greenery early on as she grew up on Cincinnati’s West side, watching her grandmother tend to “a house full of plants.”

A bonsai collection, citrus trees and the conservatory’s very popular orchid room also draw guests, many of them photographers looking to shoot the perfect still-life.

“She loved them and we kids were always being sent outside to bring in dirt or something for her plants,” recalls Rollinson, who now works as the administrative technician at the Krohn Conservatory at Eden Park, home to more than 5,000 species of plant life. “But the conservatory here is not just for plant lovers.

It’s a beautiful surrounding, period.”

“We get everyone,” says Rollinson. “Senior citizen groups, school groups, clubs, scouts and lots of volunteers. We have a very strong volunteer base of people who come in and donate time and money.”

The family-friendly exhibition space is open daily and with the exception of the annual Butterfly Show, admission is always free, although donations are accepted anytime. Parents often bring children to wander around the gigantic Palm House where rubber trees and banana trees—among others—rise 45 feet into the air. A 20-foot waterfall provides the perfect backdrop for family photos and kids love frolicking along a path that winds through palms, vines and other tropical offerings.

The Krohn Conservatory, which is open every day of the year, is host to the annual Butterfly Show. The exhibition this year is slated for April 18 through June 21 at the conservatory in Eden Park.

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The rainforest area is one of several features at Krohn, which opened its doors to the public in 1933. Other cool sights include a floral display, which houses seasonal flowers, a desert garden full of cacti and other desert plants—the venus flytrap always grabs kids’ attention—and the highly humid tropical house with exotic (but economically important) plants which produce pomegranates, vanilla vine and ferns.

Many parents from Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati grew up touring the Krohn and continue to make it part of their family traditions.

But even as the Krohn continues to attract visitors who have a sentimental attachment to the facility, plenty more turn out for offerings like the Butterfly Show, planned this year for April 18-June 21. Last year’s theme was pegged to China; this year it’s “Flowers with Wings— Butterflies from India.”

Each year, thousands of butterflies are housed at Krohn and families and kids just love it, according to park officials. While staff generally discourage people from outright touching the colorful creatures, the butterflies often are drawn to youngsters dressed in bright colors. And in years past, Krohn officials have offered kids a chance to dip their fingers in sugar-laced water; butterlies then land on the kids’ fingers.

munity to acknowledge a range of cultural contributions from the southeast Asian country.

Krohn officials also expect to attract more visitors in 2009 with other new actitivities, including wine tastings, Oktoberfest, a monthly Girls Night Out with Amy Tobin of the PartySource in Covington and Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory’s year-long series on “Living the Green Life.”

“It’s not just about looking at the flowers,” says Robinson.

What: The Krohn Conservatory Where: 1501 Eden Park Drive Phone: 513-421-5707 Online: Butterflyshow.com for the April 18-June 21 exhibit or cincinnatiparks.com/ krohn-conservatory The conservatory is open every day of the year.

Gail Towns is a wife, writer, journalism teacher and mother of three, not necessarily in that order. Her work has appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Kalamazoo Gazette, Cincinnati Enquirer and on her blog at TheMotherLoad. tumblr.com.

Beyond the butterflies and flowers, show organizers are working with the area’s Indian com-

special needs

Special Needs Kids and the Challenges With Driving Parents Learn to Loosen the Reigns I was secretly hoping the day would never come, but just last week, it did. I reluctantly handed the car keys over to my 16-yearold son and uttered, “Please be careful.” Sure, he has had his driving permit for many months and has driven many times with me coaching him from the passenger seat. Still, the idea of him maneuvering tons of steel with his bare hands and without my constant prompting and coaching scares me. Mastering the level of coordination and decision-making necessary for driving is difficult for any young motorist. The confidence and skills necessary for safe driving can be especially challenging for young people with special learning and/or developmental needs.

Parents of teenagers and young adults with special needs face unique challenges when considering driving privileges for their children.

While all parents should be concerned with the statistics on teen drivers, those of teens with special needs may face greater challenges and risks.Young people with learning, cognitive and behavioral/emotional disabilities may have increased difficulty paying attention, controlling impulses, responding in a timely manner and making immediate decisions. When combined with a lack of driving experience and immature judgment, the risk of accident and injury for special needs drivers may be two to four times the rate for young drivers.

26 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

While many teens and young adults with special needs can master safe driving skills, some may not be ready to drive in the near future— or ever. Teens with severe impulsivity, angry outbursts, delayed maturity, severe inattention or distractibility, or limited cognitive functioning should not be permitted to drive. If you are unsure of the level of functioning of your child, consult your physician or behavioral health professional for advice.

However, for many special needs youth and young adults, driving can become a reality. Obtaining a driver’s license can increase self-esteem, enhance social networks, improve the probability of obtaining employment and boost independence. Driving can assist youth and young adults with special needs to more fully integrate into mainstream society. For those parents of special needs children who are considering driving privileges, the following hints may be helpful.

Address your child’s special needs that may impact his/her ability to drive safety. When special needs may increase driving risks, teens and parents must make an effort to understand these complications and work to minimize the risks involved. Special considerations and circumstances should be openly discussed (i.e. need to pay special attention, need to call home before starting the car, etc.)

Address medical concerns that may impact his/her ability to drive safety Teens and young adults with special medical conditions such as seizure disorder, fainting spells, panic attacks, etc. should only drive with the approval of their physician. In addition, many medications can influence attentiveness, alertness, and reaction time.

Some prescribed medications may influence driving in a positive way. For example, several studies have indicated that teens prescribed psychostimulant medications to help improve their behaviors (i.e. Ritalin, Concerta) carried over to improve driving skills. Parents should consult with their prescribing physician regarding the effects of medication on driving.

Model safe driving behaviors. Your child observes you regularly behind the wheel.

Encourage your child to watch how you handle starts, stops and turns. Talk out loud when making driving decisions so you child can see how you handle yourself behind the wheel.

Determine your child’s maturity and driving readiness. Turning 16 or even 18 does not mean that your child is emotionally or functionally ready to drive. Be realistic regarding the readiness of your child to assume driving responsibilities.

Openly discuss safe driving expec-

tations. Be very clear about safe driving behavior. Consider creating a driving contract for your teen and the consequences for not living up to the agreement. Failure to adhere to the driving contract may be a sign of immaturity and evidence that your teen is not ready for the responsibility of driving a vehicle.

Prepare for driving emergencies.

Role play and practice emergency situations.

Special needs teen drivers should practice what to do when a fire truck or ambulance approaches, what to do if involved in an accident, what to do if stopped by a police officer, etc.

Supervised behind the wheel driving experience is the key to developing safe driving habits.

Parents need to work with their special needs teens to help them gain the needed experience and judgment. When safety and special risks are appropriately evaluated and managed, many special needs youth can become safe and effective drivers.

Dr. Jim Dalton, Psy.D., HSPP, is a licensed child psychologist and the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Damar Services, Inc. Visit Damar online at www.damar.org

•Pre-Primary Program •Full Day Kindergarten

open house Sunday Feb. 8, 2009 1pm-3pm

•Enrichment Program Available 8:00am5:30pm •Tuition Assistance Offered •AMS Affiliated

Enrolling for January 2009 and the 2009-2010 school year.

2505 RIVERSIDE DR. - CINCINNATI, OH 45202 513-321-3282 - www.montessoricenterroom.com

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The Seven Hills School

Admissions Testing for Grades 5-12 Saturday, January 10

PK-Grade 5 Informational Coffees Tue., Jan. 13 & Wed., Jan. 14, 9:00 a.m. on both campuses

Admissions Testing for PK-Grade 4 Saturday, January 24 & 31

Pre-registration required for all testing To register, schedule a visit or for more information, please call

513-271-9027

www.7hills.org Admissions Office 5400 Red Bank Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45227 CINCINNATIPARENT.COM 27

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summer camp guide

S* U* M* M* E* R C* A* M* P G* U* I* D* E

R E SO U RC E S

DAY CAMP: CO-ED Art Academy Of Cincinnati 1212 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513)562-8748 CAMP ART ACADEMY Clifton Cultural Art Center, 3711 Clifton Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45220 www.artacademy.edu Ages: 5-12 (K-6th grade) Dates: June 8 to July 24 Visual art day camp. Professional instruction.

Two and three-dimensional skill building

activities. Choose by week, full or half day. Before and after care available. Cost is $245/$220 for Full-day, $155/$140 forHalf-day. Camp brochure is on our

website, or call (513)562-8748 to receive one in the mail.

Camp at the J 8485 Ridge Road (at Ronald Reagan Highway), Amberley Village, OH 45236 513-722-7226 www.jointhej.org Dates: June 15 – August 14, 2009 Ages/Grades: 18 months – grade 10

Multi-faceted camp programs.The broad variety of age-appropriate activities includes: arts and crafts, horseback riding, cheerleading, sports, hiking, nature, drama, dance, outdoor cooking, field trips, music, archery, and indoor/outdoor swimming. Full-day and half-day camps; teen travel camps. 6 week, 3 week & 1 week sessions.

Children’s Technology Workshop icamp

Several Locations in Northeast Cincinnati (513)673-3322 www.ctworkshop.com/cne Basic Category: Academic/Pre-college Dates: Varies by location Ages/Grades: 8-14 Full day or half day options Ages 7 half day only!

Each camper selects their own technology adventure with exposure to game making, animation, robotics, digital art, music & video production. One laptop per student at camp. Individualized help. 7:1 student to staff ratio. Limit 21

Cincinnati Country Day School 6905 Given Road, Cincinnati, OH 45243 (513)979-0365 www.countryday.net/go/summer Ages: 18 months – Adult Dates: June 15 – August 7 Academic, arts, athletic, and adult programs are offered weekly. Day camps are offered weekly and monthly for students 18 months through entering grade 6 with either a traditional or Montessori focus.

Prices vary per program and camp session selected.

28 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

Circus Camp Various locations in the Greater Cincinnati area (859)581-7100 www.mynoseturnsred.org Dates: Camp #1 June 6-10, Camp #2 July 6-17, Camp #3 July 20-24 Ages/Grades: Camp #1 ages 7-13, Camp #2 ages 7-18, Camp #3 Ages 4-7 Let your child run away and join the circus in this unique camp that blends theatre, movemement, performance and adventure! Circus Camp #1, beginners and intermediate circus students ages 7-13. $200, siblings $150. Circus Camp #2, Intermediate and advanced students, 7- 18. $350. siblings $200. Circus Camp #3, Ages 4-7. $100, Siblings $80.

CCM Preparatory Department College-Conservatory of Music at UC, Cincinnati, OH 45221 (513)556-2595 www.ccm.uc.edu/prep Gender of Campers: Day: Co-ed www.ccm.uc.edu/prep The University of Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music Preparatory Department offers arts camps for students of all ages, including a camp for special needs children. Students can participate in music, ballet and drama camps and classes.

Many camps include public performances.

Call (513)556-2595 for a flyer or www. ccm.uc.edu/prep.

Drake Science Center 2020 Sherman Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45212 (513)396-5578 www.drakeplanetarium.org Ages: 4 – 13 Dates: June 15– August 7 Come let your imagination soar in our hands-on Lego Mindstorm Robotics, Architeccture, Crazy Contraptions, Young Builders and Animal Robots Camps.

Popular Space Camp is back! Innovative Learner’s Edge: skill-building math, reading and science. Discounts for multiple weeks and siblings.

Goddard School Ages: Up to age 12 4430 Red Bank Expressway, Cincinnati, OH 45227 (513) 271-6311 3669 Appomatox Drive, Amelia, OH 45102 (513) 753-1777 1280 Nagel Road, Anderson Twp., OH 45255 (513) 474-5292 11151 Kenwood Road, Blue Ash, OH 45242 (513) 489-4484 2613 Legends Way, Crestview Hills, KY 41017 (859 )578-9855 6124 Ambassador Drive, Fairfield, OH 45014 (513) 939-2100 1501 Cavalry Drive, Florence, KY 41042

(859) 525-0555 205 Grandview Drive, Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017 (859) 331-8400 6407 Branch Hill Guinea Road, Loveland, OH 45140 (513) 697-9663 Corner of Socialville-Foster & Columbia Roads, Mason/Landen, OH 45040 (513) 573-9132 754 Reading Road (Route 42), Mason, OH 45040 (513) 398-2777 59 Vista Ridge Drive, South Lebanon, OH 45065 (513) 494-1228 7739 Princeton-Glendale Road, West Chester/Hamilton, OH 45011 (513) 860-1500 The Goddard School® is the place for summer fun and exploration! An energetic team of teachers plans summer days filled with developmentally appropriate activities that nurture each child’s self-confidence and instill a lifelong love of learning.

Lochmoor Stables Summer Horsemanship Camp 1834 Oregonia Rd., Lebanon, OH 45036 (513)932-7332 www.lochmoorstables.com Dates: : 6/9-6/12 beginner 6/166/19 intermediate 6/23-6/26 beginner 7/14-7/17 intermediate 7/217/24 beginner 7/28-7/31 beginner Ages/Grades: 6-15 Students will have 2 riding lesson/day, and learn aspects of handling, feeding, grooming, barn maintenance, care of tack and equipment, basic first aid, and safety skills through games, videos, crafts, worksheets, and hands-on experience. Six 4-day sessions (T-F / 9a-2p) $375/session.

Mercy HealthPlex Kids Camp 2009 (513)942-PLEX 7495 State Road (Anderson) 3050 Mack Road (Fairfield) 3131 Queen City Ave. (Western Hills) www.mercyhealthplex.com Dates: June 8 - August 14, 2009 Ages/Grades: 3-12 years Includes a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities. Learn to be a scientist, an artist, a chef, a sports hero or a princess.

Have fun in a safe, nurturing environment.

Rosebrook Summer Art Camps 221 Main St., Florence, KY 41042 (859)371-6345 www.rosebrookartcenter.org Dates: June 8th (weekly) to Aug 7th Ages/Grades: 6+ Afternoon camps will be offered for children with behavioral and/or cognitive disabilities. See web site for more info. www.rosebrookartcenter.org

Springer School and Center 2121 Madison Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45208 (513)871-9174 www.springer-ld.org Ages: 1st – 8th grade Dates: June 23 – July 18 “Adventures in Summer Learning” is designed for students of at least average potential who are not making expected progress. The morning program helps children become confident in the basic skills through small group instruction. The afternoon program consists of specialized courses in math, writing, social skills, and creative expression.

Zoo Summer Camp 3400 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45220 513-559-7767 option 4 www.cincinnatizoo.org Dates: Weekly, June 1- August 21, 2009 Ages/Grades: 4-14 year olds Explore the world of wonder through the Zoo’s Full or Half Day Summer Camps!

Designed specifically to meet the needs of children 4- 14 year olds as they continue to discover the excitement and wonder of animals, your child will enjoy visits from animals, hikes, games, crafts, and more.

Register online at www.cincinnatizoo.org.

RESIDENTIAL CAMP: CO-ED Camp Ernst - YMCA 7615 Camp Ernst Rd. Burlington, KY 41005 859-586-6181 www.ymcacampernst.org Dates: June 7 - August 15 One week boys and girls (ages 6-15) overnight camp, plus Western Ranch camp (ages 9-15). featuring the Climbing Wall, Giant Swing, Zipline and Burma Bridge.

Also included are swimming, horseback riding, boating, challenge course and hikes. Boy/girl camps $390 per week; Western Ranch $450 per week.

OVERNIGHT CAMP: CO-ED Falcon Camp 4251 Delta Rd. SW, Carrolton, OH 44615 (800)837-CAMP www.falconcamp.com Dates: June 21 - August 15 2, 4, 6, 8 week sessions 1 week Horse Lover sessions Ages/Grades: Traditional camp: coed ages 6 - 16. Horse Lover camp: girls ages 11 - 15 Ohio’s premier summer camp since 1959.

Campers choose activities within framework separated by age and gender. Outstanding staff and instruction. “Fun for Now, Skills for Life” is motto and environment created at Falcon.

In special Horse Lover Camp, girls eat, sleep and breathe horses all day, every day.

The Right

C * A * M * P For Your Child

Because One Size Might Not Fit All

Choosing a sleep-away camp experience can be scary for parents—especially for first-time campers. It’s important to remember that there is a camp ideally suited for every child. The benefits of camp—independence, self-confidence, leadership and social skills, a chance to unplug and interact with nature, and an opportunity to take healthy risks in a safe environment—last a lifetime.

When making the decision to send your child to sleep-away camp, it’s important to determine if your child is ready. Children are ready for new experiences at different stages. Parents know their children best and these questions can help gauge whether this is the summer your child will start camp.

• What is your child’s age? Children under age 7 may not adjust easily to being away from home. Consider the day camp experience to prepare them for future overnight camp.

• How did your child become interested in camp? Does your child talk about camp on a sustained basis? How much persuasion is necessary from you?

Li Spa m c ite e d

• Has your child had positive overnight experiences away from home? Visiting

relatives or friends? Were these separations easy or difficult?

• What does your child expect to do at camp? Learning about the camp experience ahead of time allows you to create positive expectations.

• Are you able to share consistent and positive messages about camp?

Your confidence in a positive experience will be contagious.

Camps offer widely varying options to help parents and children reach their goals for summer fun and exploration. Talking with your child about the goals you both share helps determine which choice is right for you, and the choices are many. Camp can last for just a few days or stretch to all summer long. It’s well worth the trouble to investigate the variety of choices offered by camps before your child packs a backpack.

Day camp can be the perfect fit if your child is ready for camp, but not overnight away from home. Day camp can also be the perfect first camp experience for a younger child—pr paring him or her for an overnight camp in

the future.

If your family decides on a resident camp, the next question is where do you want your child to go to camp? Locally or far away? A local camp is easier to evaluate and visit; friends and family are likely to be familiar with the camp; there are minimal travel costs; and your child will likely have contact with classmates or children from the same region.

A far away camp opens up more possibilities and more choices; offers the opportunity for different experiences, different geography, and even different languages; promotes independence— particularly for early and late adolescent campers—and provides your child with the chance to interact with a diversity of campers.

There are other things to consider as a family— short or long sessions that run from one week to all summer. Does your child prefer a singlegender camp or a co-ed camp? Choices also abound when it comes to camp programs. One may highlight a wide variety of activities geared to campers of all ages and skill levels; others, because of their setting and expertise, may con-

Summer Day Camps –2009–

June 15 – July 31 Six individually themed weeks of fun, including Harry Potter I & II, Dinos, Space, Detective and Robots!

Register for one or as many weeks as you like.* Save $75 with the Super Saver Trio! *Camps suitable for ages 7-12.

Enroll Now!

Parents of children with special needs are pleased to learn about the range of camp activities that help kids be kids first.And, of course, look for a camp that has been accredited by the American Camp Association® (ACA). ACA accreditation is a parent’s best evidence that the camp they choose is committed to safety.

What happens when you make the decision to choose camp? You open up a world of discovery and learning for your child, a world that values children for who they are and who they will become. Camp gives each child a world of good.

The American Camp Association® (ACA) works to preserve, promote and enhance the camp experience for children and adults. ACAAccredited® camp programs ensure that children are provided with a diversity of educational and developmentally challenging learning opportunities. There are over 2,400 ACA-accredited camps that meet up to 300 health and safety standards. For more information, visit www.

ACAcamps.org.

BETTER

GRADES

With One-On-One In-Home Tutoring!

Piano & Electronic Keyboard Composition, Theory, Sight Reading Practice Incentive Program Recitals

Reasonable Rates & Family Discounts For details call (513) 287-7021 or visit www.cincymuseum.org

centrate on one or two activities while providing traditional activities as well.

(513)459-3069 www.playtimepiano.com

• All Subjects • Pre-K - Adult • Writing • Math • Reading • Foreign Languages • ACT/SAT Prep • Study Skills • No Long-Term Contracts • Affordable Rates • Qualified Teachers

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859-689-7777 513-891-6000 1 Week FREE www.clubztutoring.com

Call for details.

Does your child have horse fever?

Lochmoor Stables has the cure!

Enroll now for our Summer Horsemanship CamP Call for details 513-932-7332 • Grooming and horse care skills

• Care of tack and equipment • Two riding lessons per day • Top instruction • Reliable horses • New state-of-the-art facility

CINCINNATIPARENT.COM 29

R E SO U RC E S

*

education directory

E d u c at i o n Academically Gifted Covington Latin School

21 E. 11th Street, Covington, KY 41011 (859)291-7044 www.covingtonlatin.org Grades: 8-12 Enrollment: 219

Covington Latin School is a classical, co-educational, Catholic, accelerated, college preparatory high school. The School’s commitment to acceleration allows advanced fifth, sixth and seventh grade students the opportunity to begin a more challenging and rewarding secondary educational experience. CLS is ranked the #1 Northern Kentucky private school in Cincinnati Magazine.

Montessori

Central Montessori Academy 1904 Springdale Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45231 (513)742-5800 www.centralmontessoriacademy.com Grades: Infant - 6th grade Enrollment: 100

AT CMA, children (infants through sixthgraders) learn at their pace, building selfesteem while being taught as individuals.

Our program is strong in language, mathematics, art and humanities, while stressing life skills (i.e. critical-thinking & courteous behavior). The result: happy, confident and independent children.

Montessori Academy of Cincinnati 8293 Duke Blvd., Mason, OH 45040 (513)398-7773 www.montacademy.org Grades: 3 years – 8th grade Enrollment: 300

Now in our 20th year offering Montessori curriculum with an individualized nurturing approach. Experienced, degreed teachers foster a love of learning, promote independence and develop the necessary skills for success.

New 7.5-acre campus! State Chartered. AMS Affiliated. Extended Care available on-site.

The New School Montessori 3 Burton Woods Lane, Cincinnati, OH 45229 (513)281-7999 www.thenewschool.cc Grades: 3 year-olds through 6th Grade Enrollment: 150

Stimulating and nurturing learning environment since 1970. Wooded playground and home-cooked lunch. Montessori principles interwoven w/ problem solving. Three year olds to sixth graders. Half and full day available. Accredited: American Montessori 30 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

Society and Independent Schools Association. Open House Dates: Sunday, February 8 2pm-4pm

Queen of Angels Montessori 4460 Berwick Street, Cincinnati, OH 45227 (513)271-4171 www.qams.org Grades: preschool through 8th grade Enrollment: 200

Uniquely merges Montessori principles with faith formation through Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Spanish beginning in preschool. 12:1 student/teacher ratio. 1/2 day and full day pre-school options.

Director y

Chai Tots Early Childhood Center

7587 Central Parke Blvd., Mason, OH 45040 (513)234-0600 www.chaitots.com Grades: 6 weeks - 6 years Enrollment: 40

Academic excellence via unique blend of Montessori method and traditional Jewish education. Chai Tots teaches children the culture and traditions of Judaism, while developing their creativity skills and promoting independence. Flexible schedule. Before and Aftercare.

The Child’s Place Renaissance Montessori School 9994 Zig Zag Road, Montgomery, OH 45242 513-234-5821 www.renaissancemontessori.org Grades: Ages 2-6 PreK and kindergarten

Wonderful international Montessori School set in the heart of Montgomery. Fine Arts program included in addition to the daily classes. Offer both full day and half day programs.

Morning and afternoon extended care also available.

Summit Country Day School 2161 Grandin Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208 (513)871-4700 www.summitcds.org Grades: Age 2 - Grade 12 Enrollment: 1100

The state-of-the-art Lower School is home to the Montessori Program where children ages 2 to 6 receive a world-class academic and enrichment curriculum. Multiple programs include a new Montessori Toddler Program for 2 yr. olds and full and half-day programs for ages 3-6. Before- and aftercare, and holiday care available. Open House Dates: February 5 and 26 8:45am RSVP

Childcare/Preschool

Central Montessori Academy 1904 Springdale Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45231 (513)742-5800 www.centralmontessoriacademy.com Grades: Infant - 6th grade Enrollment: 100

AT CMA, children (infants through sixthgraders) learn at their pace, building self-esteem while being taught as individuals. Our program is strong in language, mathematics, art and humanities, while stressing life skills (i.e. critical-thinking & courteous behavior). The result: happy, confident and independent children.

4936 Old Irwin Simpson Rd, Mason, OH 45040 (513)398-6928 www.montacademy.org Grades: 9 months – 5 years Enrollment: 150

Montessori Early Childhood Program! Exceptionally low ratios in a nurturing environment! Our 2-acre campus provides bike and cart paths. Separate play areas for toddlers and preschoolers. Spanish and Music classes offered! Full-time and Part-time available.

AMS Affiliate.

Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church Preschool 1345 Grace Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208 (513)979-8191 www.hydeparkchurch.com Grades: Ages 2 1/2 to 5 years Enrollment: 200

Hyde Park Community United Methodist Preschool has added new classes and currently has openings for children 2 1/2 – 5 years of age for the 2008-2009 school year. We offer 2, 3, 4, and 5 day a week options. Please call for more info or to schedule a tour at (513)9798191 or email us at scristancho@hpcumc.org.

JCC Early Childhood School At the Mayerson JCC: 8485 Ridge Road, Amberley Village, OH 45236 513-793-2122 www.jointhej.org Grades: Full-day program for ages 6 weeks - 5 years old. Half-day program for ages 18 months - 5 years old Enrollment: 160 At Cedar Village: 5467 Cedar Village Drive, Mason, OH 513-229-7572

Full-day and half-day preschool at the Mayerson JCC; half-day at the Mason branch. Optional extended day enrichment at both sites.

Modern new facilities and multi-faceted playgrounds. Innovative curriculum rich in sensory and language activities, math, dramatics play, music, art, and science. Recognized by the state of Ohio for excellence.

Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Nursery School 5950 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45213 (513)631-0170 www.prpc.org Grades: 2 1/2 - 5 years, Parent/ Child classes birth to 32 months Enrollment: 65

Professionally qualified teachers provide active, expressive, child-centered learning experiences at this 3-star award-winning program.

Choose 2, 3, 4, or 5 day AM or PM sessions. Excellent ratios, degreed teachers and spacious, sunny, classrooms await your preschooler.

Parent and child classes also available for babies and toddlers.

Primrose School of Mason 5888 Snider Road Mason, Ohio 45040 513.336.6756 Primrose School of Symmes 9175 Governors Way Cincinnati, Ohio 45249 513.697.6970 www.primrosemason.com Grades: 6 weeks to 5 years in our child care programs and up to 12 in our afterschool program Enrollment: Up to 85

As the Leader in Educational Childcare, Primrose Schools has been successfully meeting parents needs through its Accredited Balanced Learning Curriculum enabling each child to thrive and grow through learning,play,selfesteem,and character development. Programs include, infants, toddlers, early preschool, preschool, private pre-kindergarten, private kindergarten and afterschool programing.

CITA/NCS Accredited.

Redeemer Preschool 2944 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208 (513)533-5980 www.redeemer-cincy.org Grades: 2 1/2 - 5 years Enrollment: 90

Redeemer Preschool offers a part-day preschool experience for children in a Christian setting. Toddlers through pre-kindergarten classes are available. Special activities include Spanish, Music and Chapel. Registration for new families begins January 26th.

Non-public

Calvary Christian School 5955 Taylor Mill Rd., Covington, KY 41015 (859)356-9201 www.calvarychristianky.org Grades: PreK - 12th grade Enrollment: 585

Pre-K to Grade 12 Christian, non-profit school celebrating 35 years. Offers quality academics, spiritual emphasis, fine arts and athletic programs taught by excellent, degreed faculty. Accredited by ACSI and SACS. Full-day Kindergarten available.

Cincinnati Christian Schools www.cincinnatichristian.org Grades: 7th – 12th Enrollment: 655 Elementary Campus: 7350 Dixie Hwy., Fairfield, OH 45014 (513) 874-8500 Grades: Preschool – 6th grade Jr. & Sr. High Campus: 7474 Morris Rd., Fairfield, OH 45011 (513) 892-8500

We offer a Preschool through 12 non-denominational, Christian, college preparatory education that is affordable. Your student can participate in a blend of Fine Arts classes, Honors classes, Athletics and organizations.

Public school bus transportation available.

Accredited by the state of Ohio and the Association of Christian Schools International.

Cincinnati Country Day School 6905 Given Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45243 (513)979-0220 www.countryday.net Grades: Early Childhood (18 months) – 12th grade Enrollment: 800

www.7hills.org Grades: PreK – 12th grade Enrollment: 1,060

Located on two campuses, Seven Hills provides an education of superior quality in a college preparatory program which emphasizes academic excellence, individual expression and development, and service to school and community.

Summit Country Day School 2161 Grandin Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208 (513)871-4700 www.summitcds.org Grades: Age 2 - Grade 12 Enrollment: 1100

Founded in 1890, the area’s only independent, Catholic, co-ed, college-prep school serving students age 2 - Grade 12 is recognized as a leader in formalized Character Education, Credo. A diverse community of students benefit from a rich, classical and challenging curriculum within three contiguous divisions. Extensive athletic and visual arts programs campus-wide. Preview Day:

Grades 1-8 February 24 8:45am

Villa Madonna Academy

A Catholic, private, co-ed K-12 school offering a full day kindergarten program, foreign language, music, art and computer classes for K-8, and a college-prep high school curriculum with 14 AP courses and an outstanding fine arts program.

Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy

Virtual / Distance

CHCA’s vision is to unleash each student’s God given gifts through Christ-centered academic excellence. We are devoted to developing the whole person, and instilling a life-long passion for learning, leading, and serving.

Linden Grove School 4122 Myrtle Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45236 (513)984-2215 www.lindengroveschool.org Grades: Kindergarten – 8th grade Enrollment: 40

Mission: To work in partnership with families to create an integrated K-8 learning environment that combines academics, social skills and therapies in order to help the whole child achieve his or her greatest potential.

Seven Hills School

1977 Section Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45237 513-772-5437 www.envisionlearningcenter.org Grades: ages 4 - 1st year college

Envision Learning Center is dedicated to providing enrichment and tutoring for children of all academic levels to make certain that they meet and exceed daily academic standards in math, science, reading, and writing. We also offer Power Saturday classes which are intensive and interactive activities in math, science and critical thinking.

Clermont County Public Library 326 Broadway St., Batavia, OH 45103 513-732-9138 www.clermontlibrary.org Grades: All

¿Cómo está usted? The library is excited to offer Mango Languages Online Learning. You can now learn several different foreign languages without sitting through Miss Smith’s fourth period Spanish class after lunch. Learn at home or the library – simply access Mango via www.clermontlibrary.org and login

2500 Amsterdam Rd., Villa Hills, KY 41017 (859)331-6333 www.villamadonna.net Grades: K-12 Enrollment: 310 in K-8, 200 in 9-12

CCDS is an independent, co-educational school dedicated to educational excellence serving students 18 months through Grade 12. The School is nationally recognized for its innovative, integrated laptop computer program. Extended day and tuition assistance is available.

11525 Snider Road, Cincinnati, OH 45249 (513)247-0900 www.chca-oh.org Grades: K-12th North Campus, PK-7 Otto Armleder Enrollment: 1400

Envision Learning Center

Ohio Virtual Academy

Best performing eSchool in Ohio (866)339-9072 www.ohva.org Grades: Kindergarten – 10th grade Enrollment: 3,300

Ohio Virtual Academy helps your K-10 children obtain an excellent public school education, tuition free! Under the guidance of licensed teachers, parents help their children learn at home using K12’s comprehensive curriculum and educational materials.

Tutoring

Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Northern Kentucky (859) 689-7777 Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, & Warren Counties (513) 891-6000 www.clubztutoring.com

To have your school listed

in our monthly

directory, Please

call (513) 375-7164 or e-mail rachel@

cincinnatiparent.com

Club Z! serves all ages, Pre-K through adult in all subjects – reading, math, science, history, and more – as well as study skills, foreign languages, and ACT/SAT prep. Individualized instruction is available in the comfort of your own home with qualified tutors, flexible schedules and affordable rates.

5400 Red Bank Road, Cincinnati, OH 45227 (513)271-9027 CINCINNATIPARENT.COM 31

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ongoing events Best Paw Forward

Pet safety for infants & kids. This one-hour tips and guidance to make your child’s pet pet ownership less stressful. To register, visit 2332. 2-3pm. Cincinnati Family Enrichment www.theplaceforfamilies.com. (513)591-CFEC.

presentation by 2 local dog trainers will offer relationships smooth and enjoyable, and your www.theplaceforfamilies.com or call 513-591Center. 4244 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati OH.

Das Puppenspiel Puppet Theater

Sergei Prokfiev’s classic is brought to life with beautifully crafted life-sized “banraku”“ style puppets. Told through narration and musical themes, audiences experience the story of adventurous young Peter, who wanders off into the meadow where he encounters a cat, bird, duck, and of course, the dangerous wolf. . 11 and 1pm. $10 general admission/$5.00 children and students. Raymond Walters College. 9555 Plainfield Rd, Blue Ash OH. www.rwc.uc.edu. (513)745-5705.

Messy Art

Ages 3-6.Wear your best paint clothes and get the creative juices flowing as we make some art projects that might get a little messy. Call to register. 2pm. Walton Branch. 21 S. Main St. www.bcpl.org.

(859)342-BOOK. www.bcpl.org.

Don’t miss Wee Wednesdays at the

32 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

Mr. Lincoln’s Favorite Songs

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday with local musician and composer Greg Jowaisas as he performs some of Lincoln’s favorite songs. 1pm. Mary Ann Mongan Branch. 502 Scott Blvd, Covington KY. www.kentonlibrary.org. (859)962-4071.

The Wizard of Oz

Grab your free popcorn in the lobby and hear the Oscar-winning score performed live by full orchestra while watching the completely remastered film The Wizard of Oz on the big screen. You’ll be completely swept away...over the rainbow. 8pm. Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. www.cincinnatipops.org. 513-381-3300.

Town Mouse Country Mouse

Presented by ArtReach: A division of the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. Originally created by Aesop, history’s greatest fable maker, Town Mouse and Country Mouse are two of the world’s most beloved characters. Join our mice friends as they explore each other’s lives and decide once and for all if the grass is truly greener on the other side! . 11 and 1pm. $10 general admission/$5.00 children and students. Raymond Walters College. 9555 Plainfield Rd, Blue Ash OH. www.rwc.uc.edu.

(513)745-5705.

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february events R E SO U rC E S

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati presents Disney’s High School Musical 2 On Stage!

Show is ideal for family with children ages 5+. It will be presented for the public on Friday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 PM; Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2 PM and 5 PM; Sunday, Feb. 22 at 2 PM and 5 PM; Friday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 PM; Saturday, Feb. 28 at 2 PM and 5 PM and Sunday, March 1 at 2 PM. Tickets available by calling 513-562-4949 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. $20, $18, and $7. Taft Theatre. 5th & Sycamore Streets. www.thechildrenstheatre.com. (513)569-8080. www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

Frost/Nixon

When British talk-show host David Frost nabbed a televised interview with former US President Richard Nixon, both men thought they had the upper hand. But neither Tricky Dick nor his young opponent knew what they were in for. Be there as Dick runs out of tricks…in the face-off of the

Instill the love of reading within your child from infancy upward by participating in our multi-sensory story time. Weekly themes incorporate story telling, singing, and a simple take-home craft, if desired. Come with your “listening ears”“ on! 10:30am. Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center. 4244 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati OH. www.theplaceforfamilies.com. (513)591-CFEC.

Whale of a Tale - interactive story time

century, live on stage! Don’t miss Broadway Across America’s Frost/Nixon. . Aronoff Center for the Arts - Proctor & Gamble Hall. 650 Walnut St, Cincinnati OH. www.cincinnatiarts.org.

(513)621-ARTS.

Maple Sugar Days

See how the maple trees are tapped, take a guided hike through the sugar bush, see a model Native American sugar camp. A pioneer sugar camp and several backyard evaporators will be steaming away all weekend.You can taste maple ice cream sundaes and other maple goodies for a small fee.

12-5pm. Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve. 3445 Poole Rd, Cincinnati OH. www.greatparks.org.

(513)521-7275.

Nick Jr. at The Movies

Nickelodeon introduces “Nick Jr. at the Movies”, a 50-minute program featuring episodes and music videos of Nick Jr.’s most popular shows, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go!, The Backyardigans, and The Wonder Pets. The program provides preschoolers and their parents a fun and comfortable introduction to the movie-going experience with the characters they know and love. Exclusively at National Amusements Theatres. Share the experience together! Showcasecinemas.com. $6. showcasecinemas.com. 781-461-1600, x321.

Wednesday, February 25, 10-11:30 a.m.

Presenting Sponsor

Media Sponsor

Masterpiece Meals Preschoolers (age 2-5) and their parents learn about food in art from the Art Museum’s permanent collection with hands-on activities and engaging story telling. alWays free.

Moms groups welcome, school groups cannot be accommodated.

Major funding for family programs provided by The Alpaugh Family Trust with additional support from The Charles H. Dater Foundation, the William A. and Martha H. Hillenbrand Foundation, and Mackowski Family Foundation.

Operating Support The Cincinnati Art Museum gratefully acknowledges the generous operating support provided by the Fine Arts Fund, Ohio Arts Council, City of Cincinnati, and Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, as well as our members.

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calendar

ongoing events A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum

Occurring Daily Beginning Thursday, February 19, 2009 Through Wednesday, March 18, 2009.

The Covedale Center for the PerformingArts presents“Tragedy tomorrow,comedy tonight!”Broadway’s greatest farce is light, fast-paced, witty, irreverent and one of the funniest musicals ever written &#8211; A crafty slave struggles to win the hand of a beautiful but slow-witted courtesan for his young master in exchange for freedom. . $21.00 for Adults, $19.00 for Seniors and Students. Covedale Center for the Performing Arts. 4990 Glenway Ave., Cincinnati OH. www.cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com. ( 513)241-6550.

Everything Thomas At EnterTRAINment Junction

Occurring Daily Beginning Monday, February 02, 2009 Through Sunday, March 01, 2009.

Indoor celebration of kids’ favorite Thomas the Train, with several Thomas train layouts, videos, scavenger hunt, crafts, and weekends-only meet Sir Topham Hatt, Thomas storytelling and fun Thomas Sing-A-Longs. Special discounts on Thomas merchandise; more information: visit www. entertrainmentjunction.com or call (513) 898-8000. Mon.-Sat 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sundays noon-6. $12.99, includes FREE parking. EnterTRAINment Junction. 7379 Squire Court, West Chester OH. www.entertrainmentjunction.com. 513-898-8000.

Sunday 01 Families Create: Caped Creations

See genuine movie costumes in the special exhibition Fashion in Film and then create a costume for your favorite character, real or imaginary, and you’ll be the model! See web site for details and pricing. 10am12pm. Taft Museum of Art. 316 Pike St. www.taftmuseum.org.

(513)684-4524. www.taftmuseum.org.

Making Sense of Contemporary Art

Curator’sView. Jessica Flores and Dennis Harrington.

Artists, critics, curators and educations address selected topics followed by questions, discussion and reception. 2-4pm. Lecture Hall. Art Academy of Cincinnati 1212 Jackson St. Cincinnati, OH 45202.

513-562-6262. www.artacademy.edu.

Monday 02 Adventure Club: Come Meet Twister!

Meet Cincinnati Cyclones’ mascot Twister!

Children ages 2-12 may read three books and win a child’s ticket to a 2009 home Cyclones game! Entry forms are at the Library. Please register. . 4pm. Carrico/Fort Thomas Branch.

1000 Highland Ave., Fort Thomas KY. www.cc-pl.org. 859-572-5033.

Captain Underpants

Ages 6-11. Tra-la-la! Get ready to laugh with the world’s funniest superhero! Call to register! . 6:30pm. Scheben Branch. 8899 US

Highway 42, Florence KY. www.bcpl.org.

(859)342-BOOK.

Occurring Daily Through Thursday, March 05, 2009.

Set in New York City, this musical comedy follows Austin Bennet, a young greeting card writer, whose life is turned upside down when he finds his girlfriend with another man. It’s a comedy that reminds us that true romance is learning how to love someone, not in spite of their differences, but because of them. See web site for details. Know Theatre of Cincinnati. 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati OH. www.knowtheatre.com. 513-300-KNOW.

Math Tutoring

Occurring Every Mon, Tue, Wed & Thu Through Thursday, February 12, 2009.

After school program for students that need additional help with math skills. Our program uses a nationally recognized and identifies each child’s learning style to design a program to fit individual needs. Success in math promotes a child’s problem solving abilities as well as greater self-confidence in performing basic math skills. 4-5pm. Drake Planetarium. 2020 Sherman Ave., Cincinnati OH. www.drakeplanetarium.org. (513)396-5578.

Nick Jr. at The Movies

Ongoing Every Thursday & Saturday.

Nickelodeon introduces “Nick Jr. at the Movies”, a 50-minute program featuring episodes and music videos of Nick Jr.’s most popular shows, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go!, The Backyardigans,

presents Oh Freedom!

Celebrate African American History Month with read-alouds from African-American Children’s writers. All ages. 12-3pm. Corryville Branch Library 2802 Vine St. Cincinnati, OH 45219. 513369-6034. www.cincinnatilibrary.org,

In honor of Black History Month the Cincinnati Opera will present Oh Freedom!, a piece that addres. ses the struggles of African-American people from the time of slavery through the civil rights movement. Ages 3 and up. Please register. . 4pm. Cold Spring Branch. 3920 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring KY. www.cc-pl.org.

(859)781-6166.

Old Groundhog

Computer Basics

African-American Read-In

Join us in the Ellenwood Nature Barn. Learn about the rodent and his special day. Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve 3455 Poole Road Cincinnati, OH 45251. 513-521-7275. www.greatparks.org.

Tuesday 03 Adventure Club: Suess-a-Palooza

Join us for a “butter battle,” a “Yertle the Turtle stacking contest” and more fun activities based on your favorite Dr. Seuss books! Ages 6-11.

Please register. . 4pm. Carrico/Fort Thomas Branch. 1000 Highland Ave., Fort Thomas KY. www.cc-pl.org. 859-572-5033.

Teen Valentine’s Day Cooking Contest!

Prepare a Valentine’s Day-inspired dish and have it judged by the staff of the Library. Afterwards, contestants share the food. Winner will take home a prize! Ages 12-18. Please register. . 6pm.

Cold Spring Branch. 3920 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring KY. www.cc-pl.org. (859)781-6166.

Wednesday 04 ONE

Party for young professionals. Gallery tours or discussions, art making for adults, food and beverage samplings. See web site for more details. 5:30-9pm. Cincinnati Art Museum. 953 Eden Park Dr., Cincinnati OH. www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org. (513)721-ARTS.

Herpetology Program

For a list of dates, speakers and topics visit the Greater Cincinnati Herpetological Society website at www.cincyherps.com. Members free, nonmembers pay daily admission of $3 adult, $1 children. 7-9 p.m. Cincinnati Nature Center Rowe Woods auditorium. 4949 Tealtown Road Milford, OH 45150. (513)831-1711. www.cincynature.org.

Thursday 05 Adventure Club: Cincinnati Opera 34 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

I Love You Because

This class offers training in the basic skills beginners need to utilize the computer. . 10am.

Cold Spring Branch. 3920 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring KY. www.cc-pl.org. (859)781-6166.

Echoes in Time Theatre presents “Courage in the Skies: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen”

Hear a young airman from this famous squadron tell the story of pilots who overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II and pave the way for full integration of the U.S. military.

See web site for details. 7 and 8 p.m. $8/adults, $7/senior, $4/child (ages 6-12) and FREE for Ohio His. Ohio Historical Society. 1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus OH. www.ohiohistory.org.

614-297-2300.

Friday 06 I Want to be a Librarian!

Ages 3-6. Learning comes from play! Children play “library” with their adults in our make believe library with hands-on activities.

Call to register. . 1pm. Boone Co. Main Library. 1786 Burlington Pike,, Burlington KY. www.bcpl.org.

(859)342-BOOK.

Shabbat Family Experience

The monthly Shabbat dinners at The Jewish Discovery Center provides Jewish families and singles with an intimate and elegant setting to eat, meet new friends from our community, and celebrate Shabbat in a warm and enjoyable manner. “User-Friendly” Service at the Jewish Discovery Center, 6:00pm, followed by dinner. Simultaneous children’s program.

6pm. Jewish Discovery Center. 7587 Central Parke Blvd, Mason OH. www.JDiscovery.com.

513-234-0777.

An Evening With Lily Tomlin

Join one of the best-loved women in America for a nostalgic evening of smart comedy, personal

reminiscences and social commentary, plus hilarious insights from more than a dozen of her famous characters, including the precocious 6-yearold Edith Ann; the irascible telephone operator Ernestine; prim Judith Beasley from Calumet City, Indiana; and Lily’s most profound character, Trudy, the schizophrenic street lady who starred in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.

8pm. Aronoff Center ~ Procter & Gamble Hall.

650 Walnut Street Cincinnati, OH 45202. (513)621ARTS. www.cincinnatiarts.org,

Saturday 07 Bi-Okoto African Drum Group

In celebration of Black History Month, a drum group from the Bi-Okoto Cultural Institute of Cincinnati will give a performance of song, music, and dance for everyone to enjoy and participate in. No registration required. . 2pm.

Newport Branch. 901 E. Sixth St.. www.cc-pl. org. (859)572-5035. www.cc-pl.org.

Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Players family concert

Voted Top 10 Kids CD 2009 by Amazon. com. The New School Montessori presents a hip concert for the whole family featuring old favorites and new hits from Justin’s latest album, Pop Fly. 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. $15 ages 2 and up; tickets online. Mayerson JCC, Amberley Village. 8485 Ridge Road, Cincinnati. mycommunitytickets.com/organization_info. asp?orgid=930. 513-924-0873.

Fifth Annual Early Childhood Fair

Local businesses, childcare centers, preschools, organizations and agencies will be present with lots of information for families with preschoolers!

Tales, the Library dragon, will be here to meet your children and pose for photos. Join us for door prizes, games, fun activities and storytimes for age’s birth to six. . 10am-1pm. Boone Co. Main Library. 1786 Burlington Pike,, Burlington KY. www.bcpl.org. (859)342-BOOK.

Polar Bear Plunge

Plungers raise a minimum of $50 and take the leap into a pool that will be set up on the Riverwalk Plaza between the Newport Aquarium and Mitchell’s Fish Market. All money raised at the event will benefit Special Olympics Kentucky and Special Olympics Ohio. See web site for details. 11am. Newport on the Levee. 1 Levee Way # 1113, Newport KY. w w w. n e w p o r t o n t h e l e v e e . c o m .

(859) 291-0550.

R E SO U rC E S

and The Wonder Pets. The program provides preschoolers and their parents a fun and comfortable introduction to the movie-going experience with the characters they know and love. Exclusively at National Amusements Theatres. Share the experience together! Showcasecinemas.com . $6. showcasecinemas.com. 781-461-1600, x321.

Penguin Days at the CIncinnati Zoo

Occurring Daily Through Saturday, February 28, 2009.

March to the Cincinnati Zoo and save a waddle of cash! Experience cooler prices and even cooler animals during Penguin Days, with half-price Zoo admission every day and special animal encounters every weekend. Plus, enjoy more than 12 heated indoor animal exhibits throughout the park. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. 3400 Vine Street, Cincinnati OH. www.cincinnatizoo. org. (513)281-4700.

Reading Tutoring

Occurring Every Mon, Tue, Wed & Thu Through Thursday, February 12, 2009.

Our excellent reading program equips students with the skills to learn to read well, easily and quickly, achieve at a remarkable rate, and increase their comprehension and vocabulary - all in five short weeks! Student must attend a minimum of 2 sessions each week. 4-5pm. Drake Planetarium. 2020 Sherman Ave., Cincinnati OH. www.drakeplanetarium.org. (513)396-5578.

Resume Preparation & Interview Techniques

Join certified personal consultant Mike Nadler of Milona Personnel for a two-hour workshop.

One program attendee will win a Milona Personnel Gift Certificate that includes a one hour resume prep consultation, a professionally prepared resume and twenty-five copies and a one hour interview prep consultation. Adults.

Please register. . 10am. Cold Spring Branch.

3920 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring KY. www.cc-pl.org. (859)781-6166.

Sunday 08 Cincinnati Opera presents nine free community productions of Oh Freedom!

Tuesday 10

Monday 09

Celebrate Black History in the Making

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Learn about the life and times of abolitionist and author, Harriet Beecher Stowe during a talk from Barbara Furr, volunteer coordinator from Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati.

No registration required.

Adults. . 7pm. Newport Branch. 901 E. Sixth St.. www.cc-pl.org. (859)572-5035. www.cc-pl.org.

Cincinnati Opera presents nine free community productions of Oh Freedom!

A musical tribute to African-American history. Through story-telling and song, Oh Freedom! chronicles the African-American struggle from the slavery era through the Civil Rights Movement. Free public performances include: February 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 21.

See www.cincinnatiopera.org for details. www.cincinnatiopera.org. (513) 768-5562.

Occurring Daily Beginning Saturday, January 24, 2009 Through Sunday, March 15, 2009.

An Enchanted Oasis, full of beauty and fun for the whole family.The exhibit room is crowded with colorful tulips, daffodils, violas, and hyacinths. In addition to the impresive floral display, areas around the room will have fun and educational activities to encourage interaction with plants and nature. 10-5pm. Krohn Conservatory. 1501 Eden Park Dr, Cincinnati OH. www.greatparks.org. (513)421-5707.

Travels of Angelica

Occurring Daily Through Friday, February 20, 2009.

A time-traveling tale exploring history, hope, heart and the possibility of a remarkable future. As the play twists and turns between the past and present, this time-traveling tale explores history, hope, heart and

Whale of a Tale - interactive story time

Wednesday 11

Make your special person everlasting flowers and a vase to match. Ages 6-11. Please register. . 4pm. Carrico/Fort Thomas Branch. 1000 Highland Ave., Fort Thomas KY. www.cc-pl.org.

859-572-5033.

The Early Spring Floral Show

Echoes in Time Theatre presents “Courage in the Skies: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen”

A musical tribute to African-American history. Through story-telling and song, Oh Freedom! chronicles the African-American struggle from the slavery era through the Civil Rights Movement. Free public performances include: February 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 21. See www.cincinnatiopera.org for details. www. cincinnatiopera.org. (513) 768-5562.

Adventure Club: Valentine’s Day Craft

Occurring Daily Beginning Sunday, February 01, 2009 Through Saturday, February 28, 2009.

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County is encouraging kids to get out their colored pencils, markers, and crayons to celebrate the Library’s new and improved Kidspace website. Now through February 28, kids ages 5-to-12 are invited to create a costume for Rufus! Winning entries in the Rufus the Reading Dog Coloring Contest will be featured on Kidspace, and each winner will get their very own miniature, plush Rufus Runt. Get started by going online to Kidspace.

CincinnatiLibrary.org. www.cincinnatilibrary.org. (513)369-6900.

Adventure Club: Mad Hatter Valentine Party!

Instill the love of reading within your child from infancy upward by participating in our multisensory story time. Weekly themes incorporate story telling, singing, and a simple take-home craft, if desired. Come with your “listening ears” on! . 10:30am. Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center. 4244 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati OH. www.theplaceforfamilies.com. (513)591-CFEC.

Candy Making

Teens ages 12+. Join Nancy from Fantasy in Frosting for a demonstration on simple candy making. All participants will go home with candy! Call to register. . 6:30pm. Boone Co. Main Library. 1786 Burlington Pike,, Burlington KY. www.bcpl.org. (859)342-BOOK. Obama’s Inauguration: Learn more about Barack Obama & create a picture of what you hope he will accomplish as President. Ages 6-10 4pm. Norwood Branch. 4325 Montgomery Rd. www.cincinnatilibrary.org. (513)369-6037. www.cincinnatilibrary.org.

Internet Basics

This class provides basic skills and understanding the concepts needed to utilize the Internet. .

10am. Cold Spring Branch. 3920 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring KY. www.cc-pl.org.

(859)781-6166.

Wiggle & Giggle: Baby & You Playdate

Move, groove and sing along! Join us for storytelling, fun crafts & interactive play...while you meet other moms and share a few giggles along the way! 4999 Houston Rd, Florence 41042. 859-282-8921. 925 Cincinnati Mills Dr., Forest Park 45240. 513-671-2430. Babies R Us. Babiesrus.com.

Thursday 12 Adventure Club: The Amazing Portable Circus!

The Amazing Portable Circus is coming to

calendar

Rufus the Reading Dog Coloring Contest

the Library! The balloon animal story hour gets everyone involved, smiling and laughing.

Come prepared for a great time! Ages 6-11.

Please register. . 4pm. Cold Spring Branch. 3920 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring KY. www.cc-pl. org. (859)781-6166.

Make a balloon hat and other fun activities! Ages 6-11.

Please register. . 4pm. Newport Branch. 901 E. Sixth St.. www.cc-pl.org. (859)572-5035. www.cc-pl.org.

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Hear a young airman from this famous squadron tell the story of pilots who overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II and pave the way for full integration of the U.S. military.

See web site for details. 7 and 8 p.m. $8/adults, $7/senior, $4/child (ages 6-12) and FREE for Ohio His. Ohio Historical Society. 1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus OH. www.ohiohistory.org.

614-297-2300.

Nick Jr. at The Movies

Nickelodeon introduces “Nick Jr. at the Movies”, a 50-minute program featuring episodes and music videos of Nick Jr.’s most popular shows, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go!, The Backyardigans, and The Wonder Pets. The program provides preschoolers and their parents a fun and comfortable introduction to the moviegoing experience with the characters they know and love. Exclusively at National Amusements Theatres. Share the experience together!

Showcasecinemas.com . $6. showcasecinemas. com. 781-461-1600, x321.

Friday 13 Cincinnati Opera presents nine free community productions of Oh Freedom!

A musical tribute to African-American history. Through story-telling and song, Oh Freedom! chronicles the African-American struggle from the slavery era through the Civil Rights Movement. Free public performances include: February 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 21. See www.cincinnatiopera.org for details. www. cincinnatiopera.org. (513) 768-5562.

The Cincinnati Ballet presents Peter Pan

Bring the whole family and fly along with Peter Pan, Tinkerbelle and Wendy Darling to Never Never Land, as we celebrate the sweeping melodies of Music Director Carmon DeLeone during his 40th Anniversary with Cincinnati Ballet. See www.cincinnatiballet.

com for details and to purchase tickets. .

Aronoff Center for the Arts - Proctor & Gamble Hall. 650 Walnut St, Cincinnati OH. www.cincinnatiarts.org. (513)621-ARTS.

Saturday 14 Candlelight Dinner Concerts at Ohio Village

Couples can enjoy a romantic dinner for two at Valentines by Candlelight. Guests will be greeted at the American House Hotel by costumed interpreters, romantic melodies performed on the violin and hammered dulcimer and a cup of “Sweetheart Punch.” After an elegant meal, the Ohio Village Singers will present an entertaining concert of period love ballads and comic songs interspersed with romantic verse, poetry and readings. Each guest will receive a handmade valentine created for the occasion. For reservations, call 800.686.1541 or 614.297.2266. . Ohio Historical Society.

1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus OH. www.ohiohistory.org. 614-297-2300.

Crazy 4 Chocolate

Teens ages 12+. Are you a chocoholic? Sample a variety of decadent chocolaty treats from around the world. Call to register. . 2pm. Scheben Branch. 8899 US Highway 42, Florence KY. www.bcpl.org. (859)342-BOOK.

Families Create: Light Up Your Artwork

Weston Art Gallery. Tom Bacher’s colorful paintings appear to glow in the dark. Ask him about his technique and create your own neon artwork. See web site for details and pricing.

10am-12pm. Taft Museum of Art. 316 Pike St. www.taftmuseum.org.

(513)684-4524. www.taftmuseum.org.

Harry Pickens Plays Your Love Songs

This internationally known pianist returns to lead his piano trio and share the standards. Harry Pickens doesn’t simply perform; he entices the listener into the music, enveloping them in the complexity of notes and his intertwining of harmonies. For this concert, we encourage people to send in love stories from their own lives, and Pickens will choose his set list based on the contributions of our audience. 8pm. $10 general admission/$5.00 children and students. Raymond Walters College. 9555 Plainfield Rd, Blue Ash OH. www.rwc.uc.edu.

(513)745-5705.

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ongoing events the possibility of a remarkable future. See web site for pricing and details. Suitable for an adult audience.

Playhouse in the Park. 962 Mount Adams Circle, Cincinnati OH. www.cincyplay.com. 513-421-3888.

Whale of a Tale - interactive story time

and fossils—all augmented by enlightening displays, multimedia and live action. This exhibit is based on accurate science and incorporates the latest in paleaontological learning. For more information visit, www. cincymuseum.org.

Occurring Every Tue, Thu & Sat Beginning Tuesday, February 03, 2009 Through Saturday, February 28, 2009.

Instill the love of reading within your child from infancy upward by participating in our multi-sensory story time. Weekly themes incorporate story telling, singing, and a simple take-home craft, if desired. Come with your “listening ears”“ on! . 10:30am. Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center. 4244 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati OH. http://www.theplaceforfamilies.com. (513)591-CFEC.through February 28, kids ages 5-to-12 are invited to create a costume for Rufus! Winning entries in the Rufus the Reading Dog Coloring Contest will be featured on Kidspace, and each winner will get their very own miniature, plush Rufus Runt. Get started by going online to Kidspace.CincinnatiLibrary.org. www.cincinnatilibrary.org. (513)369-6900.

Race: Are we so Different at the Cincinnati Museum Center

Dinosaurs Unearthed at the Cincinnati Museum Center

Smart Talk Connected Conversations: Real Women. Real Inspiration. Real Conversation.

Opens February 13, 2009 Dinosaurs Unearthed is multi-sensory, dynamic and interactive—that’s the experiential environment students will find in this, one of the largest and most advanced animatronic dinosaur exhibits in the world.

More than just a visual spectacle, Dinosaurs Unearthed produces an entertaining, story-driven educational experience that features an unrivaled collection of life-sized, animatronic dinosaurs, dinosaur skeletons

Puppet Show - The Wizard of Oz!

Frisch Marionettes to Perform Follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Reading Garden Lounge for a musical adventure with the Frisch Marionette Company as they present “The Wizard of Oz.” Don’t miss “Making Magic: Cincinnati’s Frisch Marionette” a fascinating exhibit on view in the Main Library’s Atrium until March 18. .

Main Library. 800 Vine St, Cincinnati OH. www.cincinnatilibrary.org. (513)369-6900.

Valentine’s Day Party

Enjoy entertainment, crafts, and a sweet treat. . Erlanger Branch. 401 Kenton Lands Rd, Erlanger KY. www. kentonlibrary.org. (859)962-4002.

Nick Jr. at The Movies

Nickelodeon introduces “Nick Jr. at the Movies”, a 50-minute program featuring episodes and music videos of Nick Jr.’s most popular shows, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go!, The Backyardigans, and The Wonder Pets. The program provides preschoolers and their parents a fun and comfortable introduction to the movie-going experience with the characters they know and love. Exclusively at National Amusements Theatres. Share the experience together!

Showcasecinemas.com . $6. 781-461-1600, x321.

36 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

Whale of a Tale - interactive story time

Instill the love of reading within your child from infancy upward by participating in our multisensory story time. Weekly themes incorporate story telling, singing, and a simple take-home craft, if desired. Come with your “listening ears” on! . 10:30am. Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center. 4244 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati OH. www.theplaceforfamilies.com. (513)591-CFEC.

Cincinnati Opera presents nine free community productions of Oh Freedom!

A musical tribute to African-American history.

Through story-telling and song, Oh Freedom! chronicles the African-American struggle from the slavery era through the Civil Rights Movement. Free public performances include: February 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 21. See www.cincinnatiopera.org for details. www.cincinnatiopera.org.

(513) 768-5562.

The Cincinnati Ballet presents Peter Pan

Bring the whole family and fly along with Peter Pan, Tinkerbelle and Wendy Darling to Never Never Land, as we celebrate the sweeping melodies of Music Director Carmon DeLeone during his 40th Anniversary with Cincinnati Ballet. See www.cincinnatiballet. com for details and to purchase tickets. .

Aronoff Center for the Arts - Proctor & Gamble Hall. 650 Walnut St, Cincinnati OH. www.cincinnatiarts.org. (513)621-ARTS.

Now open through April 26, 2009 This award-winning exhibition challenges perceptions about race. It explores how race differs from human biological make up, when and why the idea of race was invented, and how race and racism affect everyday life. RACE: Are We So Different? is designed to be accessible and engaging for visitors of all ages. It promotes hands-on learning with its numerous interactive kiosks, and above all else, it encourages dialogue.

Visit the companion website, www.understandingrace.org, to see youth-produced video, interactive games and quizzes and an open blog!

February 18 - May 19, 2009 Five evenings filled with growth, inspiration and laughter. The 2008-09 season includes Jane Pauley, Liz Gilbert, Billie Jean King,Victoria Rowell and Diane Keaton. SMART TALK Connected Conversations is a subscription-only speaker series providing audiences with inspirational, connected conversations -- from

Appalachian Culture Fest

Bring your family to celebrate Appalachia! Traipse along the Appalachian Trail to vibrant sounds of bluegrass musicians, eloquent storytellers, skilled mountain crafters and traditional arts demonstrators! All culture fest activities are free! . 12pm-5pm. Cincinnati Museum Center. 1301 Western Ave, Cincinnati OH. www.cincymuseum.com. (513)287-7000.

Sunday 15 Candlelight Dinner Concerts at Ohio Village

Couples can enjoy a romantic dinner for two at Valentines by Candlelight. Guests will be greeted at the American House Hotel by costumed interpreters, romantic melodies performed on the violin and hammered dulcimer and a cup of “Sweetheart Punch.” After an elegant meal, the Ohio Village Singers will present an entertaining concert of period love ballads and comic songs interspersed with romantic verse, poetry and readings. Each guest will receive a handmade valentine created for the occasion. For reservations, call 800.686.1541 or 614.297.2266. . Ohio Historical Society.

1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus OH. www.ohiohistory.org. 614-297-2300.

Rock Climbing

Keep warm while “hanging out” with a few friends and enjoy the group discount.We’ll meet at Winton Woods and drive to Rock Quest for a climbing and belaying lesson. Children must be

accompanied by an adult. All equipment will be provided. Cost is $15 and the deadline to register is February 12. Register online. 1:30pm. Winton Woods. 10245 Winton Rd, Cincinnati OH. www.greatparks.org. (513)521-7275.

The Cincinnati Ballet presents Peter Pan

Bring the whole family and fly along with Peter Pan, Tinkerbelle and Wendy Darling to Never Never Land, as we celebrate the sweeping melodies of Music Director Carmon DeLeone during his 40th Anniversary with Cincinnati Ballet. See www.cincinnatiballet. com for details and to purchase tickets. .

Aronoff Center for the Arts - Proctor & Gamble Hall. 650 Walnut St, Cincinnati OH. www.cincinnatiarts.org. (513)621-ARTS.

Appalachian Culture Fest

Bring your family to celebrate Appalachia! Traipse along the Appalachian Trail to vibrant sounds of bluegrass musicians, eloquent storytellers, skilled mountain crafters and traditional arts demonstrators! All culture fest activities are free! . 12pm-5pm. Cincinnati Museum Center. 1301 Western Ave, Cincinnati OH. www.cincymuseum.com. (513)287-7000.

Monday 16 Adventure Club: Culture Quest to Ghana

We are off on another Culture Quest! This month we are going to Ghana, home of

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renowned entertainers, authors and other accomplished individuals. The charismatic, courageous, wellknown female speakers share their widely varied, yet always authentic personal stories and views on timely topics in a way that is intimate, empowering and, above all, connected to the lives of women everywhere.

Each SMART TALK event closes with a Question and Answer period during which time the speaker answers audience questions. For more information visit, www.cincinnatiarts.org.

Wee Wednesdays at the Cincinnati Art Museum: Masterpiece Meals

Fashion in Film at the Taft Museum of Art

Home & Remodeling Showcase

Now open through April 26, 2009 Oscar season will be in full swing at the Taft Museum of Art this year when Fashion in Film: Period Costumes for the Screen opens. This will be the only regional showing of this exhibition, which has been setting records and charming visitors around the country. The sumptuous costumes span four centuries of clothing design and four decades of filmmaking, with the represented films, including Titanic, Evita, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Ever After.This exhibition, organized by the Trust for Museum Exhibitions, Washington, D.C., in cooperation with Cosprop, Ltd., London, England, features costumes worn by Cate Blanchett, Julie Christie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, and many others.

For more information visit, www.taftmuseum.org.

Anansi, one of the most important characters of West African teachings. Ages 6-11. Please register. . 4pm. Carrico/Fort Thomas Branch.

1000 Highland Ave., Fort Thomas KY. www.cc-pl.org. 859-572-5033.

Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln

Join John E. Kleber, emeritus professor of history at Morehead State University and the editor of the Kentucky Encyclopedia, as well as The Encyclopedia of Louisville, for a presentation about Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln. Ages 10 and up. Please register. . 6:30pm. Cold Spring Branch. 3920 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring KY. www.cc-pl.org. (859)781-6166.

Cincinnati Opera presents nine free community productions of Oh Freedom!

A musical tribute to African-American history. Through story-telling and song, Oh Freedom! chronicles the African-American struggle from the slavery era through the Civil Rights Movement. Free public performances include: February 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 21.

See www.cincinnatiopera.org for details. www.cincinnatiopera.org. (513) 768-5562.

Tuesday 17 Adventure Club: Come Meet Twister!

Meet Cincinnati Cyclones’ mascot Twister!

Children ages 2-12 may read three books and win a child’s ticket to a 2009 home Cyclones game! Pick up entry forms at the Library. Please

register. . 4pm. Newport Branch. 901 E. Sixth St., Newport KY. www.cc-pl.org. (859)572-5035. www.cc-pl.org.

Cincinnati Opera presents nine free community productions of Oh Freedom!

A musical tribute to African-American history. Through story-telling and song, Oh Freedom! chronicles the African-American struggle from the slavery era through the Civil Rights Movement. Free public performances include: February 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 21.

See www.cincinnatiopera.org for details. www.cincinnatiopera.org. (513) 768-5562.

Wednesday 18 Cincinnati Opera presents nine free community productions of Oh Freedom!

A musical tribute to African-American history. Through story-telling and song, Oh Freedom! chronicles the African-American struggle from the slavery era through the Civil Rights Movement. Free public performances include: February 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 21.

See www.cincinnatiopera.org for details. www.cincinnatiopera.org. (513) 768-5562.

SMART TALK Connected Conversations: Liz Gilbert

The premiere producer of women’s live programming through experiential events featuring notable, successful women is returning to

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Preschoolers (age 2-5) and their parents learn about food in art from the Art Museum’s permanent collection with hands-on activities and engaging story telling. ALWAYS FREE. Moms groups welcome, school groups cannot be accommodated. Fore more information visit, www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

February 6th Noon-9pm, February 7th 11am-9pm, February 8th 11am-5pm.

Come to the Home & Remodeling Showcase to find everything you need to build, remodel and update your home all in one place. You’ll find everything from kitchens, bathrooms, sunrooms and custom remodeling to windows, siding, roofing and doors. Meet expert contractors at the home shows. Explore hundreds of exhibits featuring cabinets, countertops, carpet and hardwood flooring, security systems, hot tubs, saunas and spas. Get great ideas and see the newest products to make your dream home a reality. From the front yard to the back yard, from the attic to the basement, you’ll find everything you need to improve your home at the 2009 Home & Remodeling Showcase. Northern Kentucky Convention Center. For more information visit, www.homeproductexpo.com.

Cincinnati! This year’s lineup includes inspirational conversations with Jane Pauley, Liz Gilbert, Billie Jean King, Victoria Rowell, and Diane Keaton.

For more series information visit http://www.

SmartTalkWomen.com. Aranoff Center. 650 Walnut St. Cincinnati, OH 45202. (513)621-ARTS . www.SmartTalkWomen.com.

Thursday 19 College Financial Aid

Financial assistance coordinator from NKU will give an overview and answer questions. Bring your completed 2008 federal income taxes with you in case you have specific questions concerning the FAFSA. Teens and their parents are both welcome! . 6pm. Durr Branch. 1992 Walton-Nicholson Road, Independence KY. www.kentonlibrary.org. 859-962-4030.

Nick Jr. at The Movies

Nickelodeon introduces “Nick Jr. at the Movies”, a 50-minute program featuring episodes and music videos of Nick Jr.’s most popular shows, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go!, The Backyardigans, and The Wonder Pets.

The program provides preschoolers and their parents a fun and comfortable introduction to the movie-going experience with the

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characters they know and love. Exclusively at National Amusements Theatres. Share the experience together! Showcasecinemas.com . $6. showcasecinemas.com. 781-461-1600, x321.

Cincinnati Opera presents nine free community productions of Oh Freedom!

A musical tribute to African-American history. Through story-telling and song, Oh Freedom! chronicles the African-American struggle from the slavery era through the Civil Rights Movement. Free public performances include: February 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 21.

See www.cincinnatiopera.org for details. www.cincinnatiopera.org. (513) 768-5562.

Friday 20 Family Movie Night - Enchanted

A classic Disney fairytale mixed with modern-day America in a story about a princess sent to our world by an evil queen.

Come and see how Giselle finds her true prince. Call to register. All ages. . 6:30pm.

Florence Branch. 7425 US 42, Florence KY. www.bcpl.org. (859)342-BOOK.

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Cincinnati Opera presents nine free community productions of Oh Freedom!

A musical tribute to African-American history. Through story-telling and song, Oh Freedom! chronicles the African-American struggle from the slavery era through the Civil Rights Movement. Free public performances include: February 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 21.

See www.cincinnatiopera.org for details. www.cincinnatiopera.org. (513) 768-5562.

Disney’s High School Musical 2 Additional performances for students!

Presented byThe Children’sTheatre of Cincinnati School performances are during the daytime hours February 20, 24-27. Call Pam Young at 513-569-8080 ext. 13 for details. Free proficiency test-focused Study Guides are available online at www.thechildrenstheatre.com. $7 per student with one free adult admission for every 15 studen. Taft Theatre. 5th & Sycamore Streets. www.thechildrenstheatre.com. (513)569-8080. www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

North Central Branch Book Sale!

During these trying economic times, what better place to look for and find a bargain than buying a gently used book or video whose purchase also benefits two great causes? The Friends of the Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County have hosted book sales that benefit the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County for more than 35 years. . North Central Branch.

11109 Hamilton Avenue (Pleasant Run). friends.cincinnatilibrary.org. 513-369-6035.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati presents Disney’s High School Musical 2 On Stage!

Show is ideal for family with children ages 5+.

It will be presented for the public on Friday, February 20 at 7:30 PM; Saturday, February 21 at 2 PM and 5 PM; Sunday, February 22 at 2 PM and 5 PM; Friday, February 27 at 7:30 PM; Saturday, February 28 at 2 PM and 5 PM and Sunday, March 1 at 2 PM. Tickets available by calling 513-5624949 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. $20, $18, and $7.Taft Theatre. 5th & Sycamore Streets. www.thechildrenstheatre.com. (513)569-8080. www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

Saturday 21 Calling All Puppeteers

Grades K-6. GIGGLEBOX Time Theatre will present a puppet-making workshop.

Materials are provided for creating puppets, along with instructions to make your puppet come “alive!” . 11am-1pm. Mary Ann Mongan Branch. 502 Scott Blvd, Covington KY. www.kentonlibrary.org. (859)962-4071.

Nick Jr. at The Movies

Nickelodeon introduces “Nick Jr. at the Movies”, a 50-minute program featuring episodes and music videos of Nick Jr.’s most popular shows, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go!, The Backyardigans, and The Wonder Pets.

The program provides preschoolers and their parents a fun and comfortable introduction to the movie-going experience with the characters they know and love. Exclusively at National Amusements Theatres. Share the experience together! Showcasecinemas.com . $6. showcasecinemas.com. 781-461-1600, x321.

North Central Branch Book Sale!

During these trying economic times, what better place to look for and find a bargain than buying a gently used book or video whose purchase also benefits two great causes? The Friends of the Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County have hosted book sales that benefit the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County for more than 35 years. . North Central Branch.

38 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009

11109 Hamilton Avenue (Pleasant Run). friends.cincinnatilibrary.org. 513-369-6035.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati presents Disney’s High School Musical 2 On Stage!

Show is ideal for family with children ages 5+.

It will be presented for the public on Friday, February 20 at 7:30 PM; Saturday, February 21 at 2 PM and 5 PM; Sunday, February 22 at 2 PM and 5 PM; Friday, February 27 at 7:30 PM; Saturday, February 28 at 2 PM and 5 PM and Sunday, March 1 at 2 PM. Tickets available by calling 513-562-4949 or by visiting www.ticketmaster. com. $20, $18, and $7. Taft Theatre. 5th & Sycamore Streets. www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

(513)569-8080. www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

2009 Fine Arts Fund Sampler Weekend sponsored by Macy’s

Some 130 free performances showcasing a variety of diverse performances, exhibitions, tours and hands-on activities throughout greater Cincinnati will be offered at more than 40 venues this weekend. The events are free and open to the public. Performances are subject to change, please visit www.fineartsfund.org for more information. . www.fineartsfund.org.

Sunday 22 MUSE concert and Quilt Display

With a Song and a Prayer, a benefit concert celebrating 65 years of the Grail at Grailville.The suggested donation is $15-$30. The concert is followed at 4:00 pm by a free opening reception for Necessary Beauty:The Art of Women, Grailville’s Annual Quilt and Textile Show. Grailville.

932 O’Bannonville Road, Loveland OH. www.grailville.org. 513-683-2340.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati presents Disney’s High School Musical 2 On Stage!

Show is ideal for family with children ages 5+.

It will be presented for the public on Friday, February 20 at 7:30 PM; Saturday, February 21 at 2 PM and 5 PM; Sunday, February 22 at 2 PM and 5 PM; Friday, February 27 at 7:30 PM; Saturday, February 28 at 2 PM and 5 PM and Sunday, March 1 at 2 PM. Tickets available by calling 513-562-4949 or by visiting www.ticketmaster. com. $20, $18, and $7. Taft Theatre. 5th & Sycamore Streets. www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

(513)569-8080. www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

Tuesday 24 Adventure Club: Culture Quest to Ghana!

Join us for an afternoon of adventure and exploration as we jump into the fantastic culture of Ghana! Ages 6-11. Please register. . 4pm.

Newport Branch. 901 E. Sixth St., Newport KY. www.cc-pl.org. (859)572-5035. www.cc-pl.org.

Buckle Up & Boogie: Car seat safety workshop

Click it. And go! Learn all about the safe selection and use of car seats during our hands-on workshop...with a few wise safety tips by Safe Kids Worldwide. 4999 Houston Rd, Florence 41042. 859-282-8921. 925 Cincinnati Mills Dr., Forest Park 45240. 513-6712430. 7pm. Babies R Us. Babiesrus.com.

Out & About: Baby Gear 101 Workshop

Get in gear with ease! Join us and learn how to choose & use the perfect baby gear for your individual lifestyle. 4999 Houston Rd, Florence 41042. 859-2828921. 925 Cincinnati Mills Dr., Forest Park 45240.

513-671-2430. 8pm. Babies R Us. Babiesrus.com.

Restoring Old Photos

Bob Ihrig, member of the Tri-State Photographic Society, will give instructions on how to use Photoshop Elements to restore crumbling, torn, discolored and weathered photos. Adults.

Please register. . 7pm. Cold Spring Branch.

3920 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring KY. www.cc-pl.org. (859)781-6166.

Wednesday 25 Disney’s High School Musical 2 Additional performances for students!

Presented byThe Children’sTheatre of Cincinnati School performances are during the daytime hours February 20, 24-27. Call Pam Young at 513-569-8080 ext. 13 for details. Free proficiency test-focused Study Guides are available online at www.thechildrenstheatre.com. $7 per student with one free adult admission for every 15 studen. Taft Theatre. 5th & Sycamore Streets. www.thechildrenstheatre.com. (513)569-8080. www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

Frost/Nixon

When British talk-show host David Frost nabbed a televised interview with former US

President Richard Nixon, both men thought they had the upper hand. But neither Tricky Dick nor his young opponent knew what they were in for. Be there as Dick runs out of tricks… in the face-off of the century, live on stage!

Don’t miss Broadway Across America’s Frost/ Nixon. . Aronoff Center for the Arts - Proctor & Gamble Hall. 650 Walnut St, Cincinnati OH. www.cincinnatiarts.org. (513)621-ARTS.

Thursday 26 Adventure Club: Culture Quest to Kenya

Listen to a folktale, experience African music and take home a very unique craft! Ages 6-11.

Please register. . 4pm. Cold Spring Branch.

3920 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring KY. www.cc-pl.org. (859)781-6166.

Echoes in Time Theatre presents “Courage in the Skies: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen”

Hear a young airman from this famous squadron tell the story of pilots who overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II and pave the way for full integration of the U.S. military. See web site for details. 7 and 8 p.m. $8/adults, $7/senior, $4/child (ages 6-12) and FREE for Ohio His. Ohio Historical Society. 1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus OH. www.ohiohistory.org. 614-297-2300.

So You Think You Can Write a Children’s Book

Join us as we explore the writing and publishing world for children and adolescents. Bring your manuscript for sharing! . 7-8:30pm. Mary Ann Mongan Branch. 502 Scott Blvd, Covington KY. www.kentonlibrary.org. (859)962-4071.

Friday 27 Winter Fishing at Lake Isabella Opens!

Some of the best trout fishing of the year takes place during winter. Lake Isabella is open daily during the winter months for fishing from dawn to dusk. Daily off-season ticket prices are $4.00 for ages 13 to 59.

Children and seniors fish free every day. A winter season pass is also available for $31.00. . FarbachWerner Nature Preserve. 3445 Poole Rd, Cincinnati OH. www.greatparks.org. (513)521-7275.

2009 Fine Arts Fund Sampler Weekend sponsored by Macy’s

Some 130 free performances showcasing a variety of diverse performances, exhibitions, tours and hands-on activities throughout greater Cincinnati will be offered at more than 40 venues this weekend.The events are free and open to the public. Performances are subject to change, please visit www. fineartsfund.org for more information. www.fineartsfund.org.

Monday 23 Candy Sushi

Teens ages 12 +. Just because it looks like sushi, doesn’t mean it has to taste that way!

Come and put together some treats that look like sushi, but taste so much sweeter! Call to register. . 4:30pm. Lents Branch. 3215 Cougar Path, Hebron KY. www.bcpl.org.

(859)342-BOOK.

Best Paw Forward Saturday, February 28

R E SO U RC E S The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati presents Disney’s High School Musical 2 On Stage!

Show is ideal for family with children ages 5+. It will be presented for the public on Friday, February 20 at 7:30 PM; Saturday, February 21 at 2 PM and 5 PM; Sunday, February 22 at 2 PM and 5 PM; Friday, February 27 at 7:30 PM; Saturday, February 28 at 2 PM and 5 PM and Sunday, March 1 at 2 PM. Tickets available by calling 513-562-4949 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. $20, $18, and $7. Taft Theatre. 5th & Sycamore Streets. www.thechildrenstheatre.com. (513)569-8080. www.thechildrenstheatre.com.

THIS COULD BE YOUR AD! Call (513) 375.7164 or email rachel@ cincinnatiparent.com

Be a Foster Parent.

Best Paw Forward

The Wizard of Oz

Grab your free popcorn in the lobby and hear the Oscar-winning score performed live by full orchestra while watching the completely remastered film The Wizard of Oz on the big screen.You’ll be completely swept away...over the rainbow. 8pm. Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. www.cincinnatipops.org. 513-381-3300.

Town Mouse Country Mouse

For a complete list of events, please visitcincinnatiparent.com

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Specialty Camps Getting Your Child Involved in

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Nick Jr. at The Movies Nickelodeon introduces “Nick Jr. at the Movies”, a 50-minute program featuring episodes and music videos of Nick Jr.’s most popular shows, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go!, The Backyardigans, and The Wonder Pets. The program provides preschoolers and their parents a fun and comfortable

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Presented by ArtReach: A division of the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. Originally created by Aesop, history’s greatest fable maker, Town Mouse and Country Mouse are two of the world’s most beloved characters. Join our mice friends as they explore each other’s lives and decide once and for all if the grass is truly greener on the other side! . 11 and 1pm. $10 general admission/$5.00 children and students.

Raymond Walters College. 9555 Plainfield Rd, Blue Ash OH. www.rwc.uc.edu. (513)745-5705.

Fertility Options

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Celebrate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday with local musician and composer Greg Jowaisas as he performs some of Lincoln’s favorite songs. . 1pm. Mary Ann Mongan Branch. 502 Scott Blvd, Covington KY. www.kentonlibrary.org. (859)962-4071.

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Sergei Prokfiev’s classic is brought to life with beautifully crafted lifesized “banraku” style puppets.Told through narration and musical themes, audiences experience the story of adventurous young Peter, who wanders off into the meadow where he encounters a cat, bird, duck, and of course, the dangerous wolf. . 11 and 1pm. $10 general admission/$5.00 children and students. Raymond Walters College. 9555 Plainfield Rd, Blue Ash OH. www.rwc.uc.edu. (513)745-5705.

Family Preservation Community Services 4055 Executive Park Dr., Suite 220 Cincinnati, OH 45241 513-769-5400

Coming next month

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Das Puppenspiel Puppet Theater

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Open the Door to a Child’s Future.

Saturday 28 Pet safety for infants & kids. This one-hour presentation by 2 local dog trainers will offer tips and guidance to make your child’s pet relationships smooth and enjoyable, and your pet ownership less stressful.To register, visit www.theplaceforfamilies.com or call 513-591-2332. . 2-3pm. Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center. 4244 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati OH. www.theplaceforfamilies.com. (513)591-CFEC.

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The Exhibition

February 13 through September 7

Dinosaurs Unearthed will take you back in time with more than 20 life-sized roaring, moving dinosaurs, full skeletons and newly discovered fossils.

See it with the OMNIMAX® film, Dinosaurs Alive !

The OMNIMAX® film

1301 Western Aveune • Cincinnati, OH 45203 (513) 287-7000 • www.cincymuseum.org 40 CINCINNATI PARENT * FEBRUARY 2009