February - 2012 - KV

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Dear Kids, Happy Valentine’s Day! Candy hearts, chocolates, flowers and valentines are probably what you associate with Valentine’s Day. In this issue, read about the origins of this fun holiday and some interesting trivia, too! You’ll also learn about Presidents’ Day. Speaking of valentines, this month I spoke with America’s sweetheart, Miss America 2011! Teresa Scanlan has had a great year representing the United States as Miss America, and she tells Kidsville News! what her whirlwind year was like.

There’s also a yummy recipe in this issue to make your Valentine’s Day extra sweet. And, I’ve included some ideas in Conservation Corner to have a green Valentine’s Day! I hope you have a fabulous February.

Keep reading Kidsville News, and visit us online for fun and games at www.kidsvillenews.com.

Your friend,

February Is National African-American History Month!

February has been proclaimed National African-American History Month, more commonly known as Black History Month. This month is set aside to recognize the achievements and contributions by African Americans. The observance of this special period dates from February 1926, when it was established as Negro History Week by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a noted African-American author and scholar. Dr. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of AfricanAmerican Life and History (ASALH) in 1915. He established the week during the period of February, which contains the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Negro History Week was inspiring to communities across the country. Many organized local celebrations and established historical clubs to study the history of black Americans while educating others as well. Negro History Week proved so popular that, by the late 1960s, it had evolved into Black History Week. In 1976, the month of February was established as Black History Month.

Throughout Black History Month, the country remembers and celebrates the accomplishments of notable black

FEBRUARY 2012

figures in American history.

For most elementary-school students, it might be hard to believe that there was once a time when African-American people did not have the same rights as other Americans. Now, we have President Barack Obama, the nation’s first African-American United States president, in office. However, there was a time when African-Americans were not even allowed to vote. Frederick Douglass fought to change that.

Frederick Douglass was one of the leaders of the abolitionist movement, which sought to end slavery in the United States decades before the Civil War. During the Civil War, Douglass served as an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln. He fought for the adoption of constitutional amendments that would guarantee voting rights and other civil liberties for African Americans.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford called upon the public to honor the history and accomplishments of black Americans by officially recognizing February as Black History Month. Since Ford’s official recognition more than 35 years ago, each President has designated February as Black History Month.

Image source: metrocreativeconnection.com.

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Kidsville News!

It’s February, and candy hearts, cards and boxes of candy are filling the shelves at the store. Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14.

Saint Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love and affection. It is a day when people exchange cards, candy, gifts, flowers, stuffed animals, jewelry and other items with loved ones, friends and family.

A lot of debate exists over what actually started Valentine’s Day. In the 1300s, English poet Geoffrey Chaucer spoke about how birds start choosing their mates on February 14, just like many people find romance on February 14. Another idea is the exchanging of cards, which came from a Frenchman, Charles the Duke of Orleans.

Charles wrote a love letter to his wife on February 14 from his jail cell, where he was imprisoned after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. From there, Valentine’s Day began in England as a day when people traded romantic and loving words between one another.

Some people think that Valentine’s Day came from saints — there were several named Valentine — in the early Christian church, who died for their love of Christianity. One legend has it that Valentine was a priest in medieval times.

Roman Emperor Claudius II allegedly ordered that young men in the military remain single. Valentine would secretly marry young couples, despite the Emperor’s orders, and was caught and thrown in jail.

A common figure representing Valentine’s Day is Cupid. Cupid was the god of love in Roman mythology. Prior to the mid-300s A.D., Cupid was seen as a strong, handsome young man. After the 350s, however, Cupid was depicted as a plump, naked baby with wings and a bow and arrows in his hands.

If someone was struck with one of Cupid’s golden arrows, then that person would instantly fall in love.

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Valentine’s Day Trivia by the Numbers million: The number of greeting cards exchanged for the holiday.

Valentine’s Day is second to Christmas for the most number of greeting cards sent. : The percentage of men who give flower bouquets as gifts. : The number of years the chocolate box has been around. The first Valentine’s Day box of chocolates was created and introduced by Richard Cadbury in 1868. : The year in which the first Valentine’s Day card was sent. : The percentage of Americans who celebrate Valentine’s Day. : The approximate number of letters mailed to Verona, Italy, and addressed to Juliet every February 14. : The percentage of pet owners who will buy a gift for their pet. : The ranking given to teachers in terms of most Valentine’s Day cards received.

Numbers 2 and 3 belong to children and mothers. : The number of years of shelf life for dark chocolate. Discard milk or white chocolate after a year.

190 73 144

1415 76 1000 3 1 5

Does Presidents’ Day Exist?

Each February, schools, banks and offices close for a holiday that technically doesn’t exist. Though the third Monday of every February is widely known as Presidents’ Day, the official name of the holiday is Washington’s Birthday. It was named after the first president of the United States, George Washington, whose birthday fell on February 22. It was first celebrated as a holiday in 1796, which was the last year of Washington’s presidency.

Many states began referring to the holiday as Presidents’ Day to honor another great president with a February birthday, Abraham Lincoln. In 1865, the year after President Abraham Lincoln (the 16th President) was assassinated, a holiday was observed to commemorate his birthday (February 12). Because states are allowed to follow their own holidays, many chose to honor Lincoln over Washington. However, some states still celebrate the day as “Washington’s Birthday.”

In 1968, Congress considered legally changing the holiday’s name to Presidents’ Day. While those efforts did not succeed, Congress did decide to move the holiday to fall between both Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays. In order to simplify the calendar of holidays and give employees three-day weekends, the observance of George Washington’s Birthday was moved to the third Monday in February. Although the holiday has come to be known as Presidents’ Day and to include Abraham Lincoln and all other presidents, the holiday that we celebrate is still officially known as George Washington’s Birthday.

February is the shortest month because it has only 28 days (usually!). One in every four years is a Leap Year! This means that the year has one more day than the 365 days that a common year has. The extra day is February 29.

And, it’s happening this year!

February 20 marks the 50th

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anniversary of the First American to orbit the Earth. On February 20, 1962, astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., became the first American to orbit the Earth as part of Project Mercury. In the space capsule “Friendship 7,” John Glenn orbited the Earth three times. He traveled 81,000 miles in 4 hours and 55 minutes! In 1998, Glenn made history yet again. At the age of 77, he went on another NASA mission and became the oldest person ever to fly in space.

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Mexico

UND THE W

February 24 is celebrated as Flag Day (El Dia de la Bandera) in Mexico. On this day in 1821, the Plan de Iguala document was signed, proclaiming Mexico as an independent country. On Flag Day, there are special festivities held at the monument to General Vicente Guerrero, the first Mexican soldier to swear allegiance to the flag. The flag of Mexico has three bands of colors: green, white in the middle and red. The white part in the center has the symbol of the eagle and the snake, which comes from Aztec history.

Japan

In Japan, February 8 is Ha-Ri-Ku-Yo or Needle Mass. On this day, women and girls gather up their old and broken sewing needles and dedicate them to the Awashima Shrine.

In a type of funeral service, they lay their broken needles to rest and thank them for the work they did. Also on this day, they pray that their needlework will be good. Their sewing is a symbol of love and marriage, so they hope participating in the Needle Mass will lead to a happy marriage.

RLD

Space

The full moon in February will be on February 7. This full moon is also known as the snow moon. The Native Americans of New England and the Great Lakes gave it this name because of the great amount of snow they receive at this time of year.

It is also called the Hunger Moon because the hunting is not good during this time of winter.

Badger

Did you know that Groundhog Day (February 2) actually has origins as “Candelmas Day” and began in Germany? When German settlers came to America, they brought the traditions of Candelmas Day with them. But in Germany, they didn’t use a groundhog for the predictions.

There a badger, or even a bear, was used for predicting the upcoming weather.

Kingdom: Animalia Badgers are short-legged omnivores (they eat plants and animals) in the weasel family. There are nine Phylum: Chordata species of badger and three subfamiles. The Melinae are badgers of Europe and Asia. Mellivorinae is also known as the honey badger and lives in Africa, the Arabian desert and India. The Taxideinae is the Class: Mammalia American badger.

Order: Carnivora Badgers’ behavior differs by what type they Family: Mustelidae are, but all of them live in underground burrows called setts. Some badgers live by themselves, Subfamily: Melinae and others form clans of two to 15 animals.

Badgers look cute, but can be very fierce and aggressive. In fact, they are even capable of fighting off bigger animals such as wolves and bears. They’ll do anything to protect their young, called cubs. Badgers have round, fat bodies and short legs for digging. They can have either a very short tail, or a very long tail — the ferret badger’s can be 20 inches long! Even though they have short little legs, the badger can run pretty fast — up to 19 miles per hour. Most badger species weigh around 20 pounds, but some larger species can be up to 40 pounds.

Here’s a strange fact: In North America, sometimes coyotes eat badgers, and badgers eat coyotes. But usually these two animals seem to get along. They have even been seen cooperating with each other and hunting together.

Image sources: metrocreativeconnection.com; Wikipedia photograph, user BadgerHero, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Badger-badger.jpg.

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MISS AMERICA? This month, America’s sweetheart, Miss America 2011, told us all about what it’s like to be Miss America! At age 17, Teresa Scanlan, from Gering, Nebraska, was the youngest Miss America in 90 years when she was crowned last year. She just turned over the crown to the new Miss America on January 14. Miss America logs approximately 20,000 miles a month, changing her location every 18 to 36 hours supporting charitable and community endeavors. She stayed super busy during the past year but took a few minutes to interview with Kidsville News! as her reign came to an end.

TRUMAN: Wow, Miss America! That is a big title. What does it take to become Miss America?

SCANLAN: There are four points on the crown, and they stand for four things: style, success, scholarship and service. To become Miss America, you must focus on each of these aspects of your life and become the most well-rounded and confident woman you can be. The competition itself includes five components: interview, evening gown, lifestyle and fitness, on-stage question and talent. Also, each contestant must have a platform, which is an issue you believe to be important, and focus your volunteer activities on addressing it.

and USO and so much more!

TRUMAN: What’s the hardest part of your job?

SCANLAN: A difficult part of my job is being away from family and friends for so long and setting aside my personal life for a year in order to focus on this responsibility.

TRUMAN: What’s the best part of your job?

SCANLAN: There are so many incredible parts of my job! I love meeting new people every day, being able to serve and help others and travel! I’m on a plane about every two days and have visited 36 states and five countries this year!

TRUMAN: What is your favorite hobby or thing to do when you are not working?

SCANLAN: I love singing, dancing, playing piano and guitar, and so many other things as well! I love trying new things every day, so my hobbies and interests never end!

TRUMAN: What was your favorite subject in school?

SCANLAN: I loved government and history classes, as I’d like to become an attorney, judge and politician in the future.

TRUMAN: When, and why, did you first become interested in competing in pageants?

SCANLAN: My interest began when I was 13 years old because I’m the middle of Above: Miss America 2011, seven children and wanted to Teresa Scanlan of Nebraska, go to law school, so I needed after receiving her crown. to find a way to earn Right, Scanlan wraps up her scholarships. I learned about year by crowning Miss the scholarships you could America 2012, Miss earn from competing, as well Wisconsin, Laura Kaeppeler. as the opportunities for public speaking and community involvement, which I knew would all benefit my future.

TRUMAN: What’s it like to be the youngest Miss America in 90 years, at only 17 years old?

SCANLAN: It is so incredible to represent an organization that has been a part of American tradition for 90 years! I’ve realized that age truly does not hold you back in anything if you don’t let it.

TRUMAN: Is this really a “job?” Do you get paid to be Miss America?

SCANLAN: Yes! The job includes a variety of different responsibilities and obligations, and you receive a salary for the year. When you become Miss America, you go on a year-long speaking tour, spending less than 30 days out of the year at home.

TRUMAN: What do you do? Describe a typical day on the job.

SCANLAN: There is definitely no “typical day” with this job! As Miss America, I serve as the National Goodwill Ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, work with my platform on eating disorders, represent Amway’s Artistry brand of skincare and cosmetics, serve as a brand ambassador for the designer Joseph Ribkoff, work with the military

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TRUMAN: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

SCANLAN: From the time I was about seven years old, I wanted to be a lawyer, then a judge, then President of the United States and a Supreme Court Justice. And I still do!

TRUMAN: What advice would you give to kids who are interested in this profession?

SCANLAN: For those who dream of becoming Miss America and are interested in getting involved, follow your passions! Focus on the four tenets of the crown in your own life and find ways to get involved in your community! Think of ways you can serve those around you and make a positive impact; that is what Miss America is all about— serving others and being an example to those around you.

TRUMAN: You’ve just crowned a new Miss America 2012. So now what?

What’s next for you?

SCANLAN: This next year, I’m recording an album before starting college at Patrick Henry College to study government, after which I’ll attend law school and follow my plans to become a criminal prosecution attorney!

TRUMAN: You’ve already done so much as Miss America 2011. And, it sounds like you are going to accomplish great things with your life. Thanks for talking to us about your terrific job, and good luck!

Photo credit: Miss America Organization.

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What’s the Difference?

There are four things difference between Picture A and Picture B. Can you find them all?

Heart Health Word Find

It’s American Heart Month! Find the hidden words in the puzzle that relate to the heart and heart health.

BEAT BLOOD BODY CHOLESTEROL

DISEASE DOCTOR HEALTH HEART

PRESSURE PUMPING STETHOSCOPE STRESS

Source: www.metrocreativeconnection.com

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FEBRUARY 2012

Image: www.metrocreativegraphics.com Truman Tru-

Truman’s Tricky Picture

Find these items! Be sure to find Truman’s hat! Look for more fun and games at www.kidsvillenews.com.

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Story Time with Truman Quetzalcoatl (Ketz-al-co-ah-Tel)

DAVY: Well, it’s obvious that someone doesn’t like us. And if we can’t join the cooperative and are forced to lose at least one day each week taking fish to market, then we are in for a rough go of it.

JAMES: Things will work out.

You have to have faith.

DAVY: Shortly after noon, Catherine took a large bucket and a shovel and went looking for clams for dinner. The sun was shining, and it was an exquisitely beautiful day. As Catherine was walking, she noticed a lovely home up on the bluffs. In the distance, she could see several more. The one above her she thought was especially lovely. She could see a woman working in her garden.

BONNIE PARKINSON: Hey! Come on up!

DAVY: Catherine started the climb, wondering what she was getting herself into.

CATHERINE: Oh my. What am I going to say? Hello, I’m your neighbor. I moved into the cave next door. What’s the worst that could happen? If she throws me down the cliff, I won’t have to fix dinner.

BONNIE PARKINSON: Hi. I’m Bonnie Parkinson. I’m so glad you came to visit. I was afraid you would pass on by without stopping.

CATHERINE: I’m Catherine Spencer.

BONNIE PARKINSON: It is so nice to meet you. It looks like

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you’ve been clamming?

CATHERINE: Trying to.

BONNIE PARKINSON: Here.

If you put these herbs and greens in with the clams for about a half an hour with a gallon of water, they’ll be delicious. It’s my mother’s recipe.

CATHERINE: Thank you.

BONNIE PARKINSON: Come on in and I’ll fix you some lunch. I don’t get many visitors up here. I’d love to hear about you and all your family.

DAVY: After Ronda’s visit, Garrett was not sure what to think about going back to school.

He was pretty sure she had told him the truth about everyone being afraid of Toby. But he wasn’t looking forward to facing Toby either. He was hoping he could avoid trouble by blending into the crowd. But unfortunately, he soon realized that was not going to happen.

KIMBERLY: Hi, Garrett, How are you?

JOHN: Hi, Garrett.

GARRETT: Hi. TOBY: Give me your lunch money, little Ronda snot face!

RONDA STEENECK: No! You already took three kids’ money. You don’t need mine.

TOBY: Gimme yours, too, ya three-legged duck.

RONDA STEENECK: Ow. Ow, stop it!

GARRETT: Leave her alone!

TOBY: What are you gonna do, duck boy?

RONDA STEENECK: He said he’d knock the wind out of your big fat sails if you ever crossed him.

Chapter Six GARRETT: (mumbles) I didn’t say that...You...

RONDA STEENECK: Garrett’s never been beaten up before in his whole life!

TODD SMITH: Did you hear that, Toby? He’s never been beat up, and he’s gonna whip you bad if you don’t leave little Ronda whiner alone.

TOBY: You’ve never been beat up? Well, I’d say it’s time you had yer chance to get beat up.

Don’t you, boys?

GARRETT: I’m not lookin’ for trouble, Toby.

TOBY: Well, you found it.

And I’ve got a ton.

TO BE CONTINUED...

To listen and read-along with the rest of this month’s episode of QUETZALCOATL, go to www.talesofdavyjones.com or www.kidsvillenews.com. A Teacher’s Guide to accompany this 12-chapter story is available at www.KidsvilleNews.com.

An audio version CD-set and workbook are also available online. Copyright 2011

by Carl F. Gundestrup. All rights reserved.

Now Available: Get the “Digital Download” audio adventure for $1.99 for Kidsville News kids, teachers and parents at www.talesofdavyjones.com.

Use the code word DAVY JONES.

Ship Shape Vocabulary

All sailors must know the names of the parts of a ship. Below are boxes that are pointing to parts of a ship. Fill in the boxes with the correct word.

Sails

Mast

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Rigging Crow’s Nest Colors (flag) Hull Deck Stern Prow

FEBRUARY 2012

Being a Friend

By Barbara Gilmour

“Welcome back, everyone. We have a guest today. This is my neighbor, Francie.” The kids all stood to meet Francie. Tanner, Nicole, Rudy, Carmen, Stephen and Truman the dragon all told Francie their names and welcomed her to today’s “Cool Kind Kid” class. “I invited Francie today because everyone thinks she is a ‘good friend.’ She has a lot of friends in school. Most kids call her ‘Fabulously Fun Friend Francie.’” The kids all laughed and asked how she got that name.

Francie smiled shyly and said, “I guess because I try very hard to be a good friend, and kids like that. Sometimes it‘s embarrassing.

But, I like that other kids think I’m fun and want to be my friend.”

“Do you think that you have to be a good friend to have good friends?” All the kids said, “Yes.” Tanner asked Francie, “What are some of the things you do to be a good friend?”

“I try to help and encourage my friends. I want them to feel they can talk to me and share things with me.”

“That’s good,” shared Nicole, “so when a friend tells you something, you don’t talk about it to anyone else.”

Stephen added, “And, you don’t post it on the Internet.” The kids agreed that wasn’t a cool thing to do.

Carmen wondered, “Do we need to be polite to our friends?”

Rudy said, “Kids won’t want to be our friends if we are rude and impolite. We shouldn’t use bad manners when we are with them.”

Truman added, “Treating our friends with kindness, respect and our best manners shows them that we really care about them.”

Francie smiled at Truman and reached up to high-five him. She then said, “I’m glad I came today. I can’t wait to tell everyone about my new friends here. They won’t believe I have a friend who’s a dragon.”

“Last time we talked about the ‘Cool Kind Kid’ Challenge. Who remembers what that is?”

Tanner was first to say, “Are you TOUGH enough to be KIND?” Nicole added, “Are you COOL enough to be KIND?” “How can the Challenge work for making and keeping friends?”

Francie shared, “We can be tough and kind to other kids when we stick up for them if they are being teased or bullied.”

Truman added, “When you do that, you are tough with the bullies and kind to the kid being bullied. We can all do that.”

Tanner said, “We’ll be cool when we follow the rule. I mean The Golden Rule.” Rudy added, “Let’s challenge kids to be cool and follow the rule, like Tanner said.”

Stephen asked, “What about sports? Sometimes it’s tough to be kind when your team is losing or someone is tackling you.”

“That’s where the challenge comes in; we have to try harder to be kind then. But if everyone is trying, we should all be able to get along better. We’ll talk more about friends and the Challenge next time.”

Barbara Gilmour, Tanner’s grandmom, is the creator and developer of the Tanner’s Manners: Be a “Cool Kind Kid” Social Skills, Character Values and Anti-Bullying educational materials and the award-winning “Cool Kind Kid” Audio CD. © Cool Kind Kid. 866-KID-KIND. www.CoolKindKid.com.

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Art Gallery William Henry Fox Talbot: Photography Pioneer paper to create photographic negatives. The chemicals made the paper sensitive to William Henry Fox Talbot was a British inventor, light. When it was exposed to light, the paper captured an image. It could be scientist and one of the earliest photographers in history. reproduced as photographic prints. Henry had great success with this process. He Experimenting with his “art of photogenic drawing,” he soon quit politics and spent the next several years working on different mathematics invented a new photographic process and made many problems and science experiments. He also continued working on his photography important contributions to photographic art. concept. By 1940, he set out to patent the idea of photographic negatives. He called William Henry Fox Talbot was born on February 11, his process calotype. Henry wrote a book about his 1800, in Dorset, England. Both of his parents photography. It was called “The Pencil of Nature” were from high-society families, and so Henry and was the very first book to contain photographs (he was called by his middle name) received the instead of drawings. His book was published in best education possible, even though his father several parts between 1844 and 1846. died when he was just a baby and left his As the years passed, Henry continued taking mother very poor. Henry was smart and curious as a child. He had many interests, photographs and inventing new things that made his including drawing and gardening. He attended process even better. He patented an engraving proboarding school and had a private tutor before cess that allowed photographs to be printed with ink entering Trinity College in Cambridge as a rather than chemicals. In 1862, he won a medal at teenager. Henry graduated from college in the International Exhibition in London for this work.

Henry died on September 17, 1877. He left 1821. However, he went on to get another behind many photographs, as well as stacks of degree in 1825. research notes and letters to friends and family After leaving school, Henry worked as a members about his inventions. researcher and inventor. He published several Written by Tamar Burris, a former elementary papers on math and science. Then, in 1832, he was elected to Parliament. school teacher who now works as a freelance writer Even as Henry started his political career, he still loved to draw and to and curriculum developer for PBS, the Discovery invent things. In 1833, he went on a vacation to Italy with his new wife.

Channel and other education-related companies.

There they spent time at a beautiful lake. Henry tried to draw a picture of Sources: The Correspondence of William Henry Fox the scenery. He was very frustrated that his drawing did not capture what Talbot: Biography, foxtalbot.dmu.ac.uk/talbot/bioghe saw in real life. It was then that he got the idea to figure out a way to raphy.html; William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877), Latticed window in Lacock Abbey is a print capture nature on paper. Photography was born! www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/fox_talbot_wilfrom the oldest photographic negative in At home, Henry began experimenting with different chemicals and liam_henry.shtml; Getty Museum, www.getty.edu. existence. Taken in 1835 by Talbot.

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FEBRUARY 2012

AT THE MOVIES Big Miracles (In Theaters: Feb. 3) John Krasinski plays Adam Carlson, a news reporter in Barrow, Alaska — a town at its northern tip. Just when it seems like there’s nothing much to report, a group of majestic gray whales appear trapped in ice forming from the Arctic Circle. As the local community tries to figure out a way to help the giant sea creatures, Adam’s past girlfriend, and Greenpeace volunteer, Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) takes up the whales’ cause as her own personal rescue mission. Big Miracle is based on a true story and gives audiences a rare opportunity to see some of the most amazing whales you could ever imagine. Kristen Bell, Dermot Mulroney, Tim Blake Nelson and Ted Danson also star in this family-friendly nature-adventure film.

Rated PG for language. 101 mins. (Universal Pictures) Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (In Theaters: Feb. 10) Since visiting the center of the earth back in 2008, Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) is now ready for an adventure to the “Mysterious Island” of Jules Verne fame. Sean’s grandpa (Michael Caine) has been sending coded distress signals from the mysterious island where strange creatures roam free. Along with his stepfather Hank (Dwayne Johnson), Sean takes helicopter pilot Gabato (Luis Guzman) and the pilot’s daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens) on the adventure of a lifetime. The Mysterious Island is the home of the lost city of Atlantis. It also has a mountain of gold and bees so big you can fly on them. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is going to be one very wild ride of a movie for kids and their parents to go on. Rated PG for some adventure action and brief mild language. 94 mins. (New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Pictures)

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The Secret World of Arrietty (In Theaters: Feb. 17) Inspired by Mary Norton’s celebrated children’s book series “The Borrowers,” The Secret World of Arrietty is an animated film from the same movie company that created Spirited Away and Ponyo. Arrietty (voiced by Bridgit Mendler) is a tiny 14-year-old girl who lives with her parents (voiced Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) hidden beneath a suburban garden home. The home’s housekeeper (voiced by Carol Burnett) has no idea about the tiny family that lives beneath her feet.

Daring Arrietty has great dreams for her future. She gets quite a surprise when a visiting 12-year-old human boy named Shawn discovers her and they become fast friends. The trouble is that if anyone else finds out, it could spell disaster for Arrietty and her parents.

MOVIES ON DVD

Johnny English Reborn (Available Feb. 28) This follow-up to Rowan Atkinson’s 2003 spy spoof is a worthy PGrated comedy for kids. Atkinson’s James Bond knock-off finds himself pulled back into the service of Britain’s MI7 after spending five soulsearching years in a Tibetan monastery. A nod to the Pink Panther films occurs whenever Mozambique comes up in conversation, sending Atkinson’s rubbery face into a fit of eye-twitching spasms. Gillian Anderson takes over as MI7’s leader, code-named Pegasus. A window ledge incident involving a kitty cat gives rise to one of the movie’s sillier moments when Jonny English mimes holding a kitty that may have met with a tragic end. A chemical weapon called Vortex is the stuff Johnny English must find. Vortex can only be enabled with the use of three keys, each held by a different person whom English must track down before the keys fall into the hands of a MI7 mole. There’s a mish-mash of spy movie gags for a funny comedy that children will appreciate.

Cole Smithey, also known as “the smartest film critic in the world,” has been a film critic for 11 years and writes for over 50 publications, in print and on-line. Truman loves to watch movies and has the highest appreciation for great popcorn.

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FEBRUARY 2012

From Few Colors, Many Shades You have six crayons: red, yellow, blue, green, black and white. Does this mean you cannot draw a pink flower or an orange sunset? Certainly not. A little white with your red will give you pink. And yellow with red gives you orange. The black and white together will give you every possible shade of gray. The possibilities are endless.

In a similar way, a few bits of information can be combined to create important new information. With the help of computers, scientists do this mixing quite a lot.

Conservation o r n e r Have a Green Valentine’s Day!

It’s February, and you might be gearing up to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your family and friends. How about making it a “green” Valentine’s Day this year? It’s easy — just remember the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. One of the best ways to do that is to reduce the amount of stuff that you buy. And, since you probably don’t have a job, you probably don’t have much money to buy things any way! Here are a few ideas to celebrate the holiday and give a little something sweet to the people you care about.

• Bake a present. With an adult, try your hand at making heart-shaped cookies or another sweet treat. Your friends will love it, and there won’t be any waste, except a few crumbs!

• Make a present. How about a heart-shaped bookmark for your mom or teacher? All you need is a scrap of pretty fabric, attached to a paper or cardboard heart. Decorate with stuff you have around the house, like lace, yarn, beads, buttons and paper scraps. (Helpful hint: Glitter might be pretty, but grown-ups don’t like it in their books!)

• Make your own cards out of recycled materials. Cut out your own hearts and decorate. You can use pictures cut out of old magazines to make a pretty collage heart. Or, try decorating your Valentine with things you have around the house, like lace, fabric, buttons — even macaroni! Here’s a fun idea: Take old crayon pieces, and using a sharpener (or a knife with a grown-up’s help), make crayon shavings. Fold your card or heart inside out. Sprinkle the crayon shavings inside. Then using a warm iron (again with a grown-up only!), gently iron the card so that the crayon pieces melt. Unfold, and you’ll have a pretty card with lots of colors. Write a special message inside, and you’re done!

These images are all of the same scene taken at the same time, but no two are alike. That’s because GOES-R’s imager separates the light into 16 slices (or frequency ranges), each one revealing something different.

A satellite being built now, called GOES-R, will produce many types of information that can be used to create lots of other information. (GOES-R stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, Series R.) One of six instruments on this new weather satellite is the Advanced Baseline Imager. This imager captures 16 different images at a time of the same scene. To do this, it separates the colors of light from the scene into 16 different slices. You can think of a “slice of light” as being like a crayon of a certain color. In this case, there are 16 crayons, not just six. (See the illustration.) Some of these slices of light are not even visible to us.

Why does the GOES-R imager slice up the light like this?

Different materials reflect more of certain slices of sunlight than others. (Scientists call these slices “wavelengths” or “ranges of wavelengths.”) For example, to our eyes, snow and clouds would look similar from space. But a sensitive imaging instrument can see a tiny difference. Using a special computer program, scientists look at images in only the first six slices of the 16 “slices of light.” In this case, these are the slices that best reveal what is snow and what is cloud. From the computer program’s output, the scientist can then report to someone, such as a water resource manager, exactly how much of the ground is actually covered with snow. The water manager will then know how much fresh, clean water to expect from the melting snow in the spring.

What other interesting “crayons” does GOES-R have? Play “Satellite Insight,” a fun game with colorful pretend data from GOES-R. Go to http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/satellite-insight/.

This article was written by Diane K. Fisher and provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

FEBRUARY 2012

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KIDSVILLE KITCHEN

Together Time — Ask an adult for help with projects!

Warm the Heart with a Sweet Treat!

As Valentine’s Day inches nearer, many are looking for a sweet treat to share. Incorporating raspberries adds a little nutrition to the year’s sweetest holiday; raspberries are considered a “heart-healthy” fruit that lowers cholesterol, but they can be easily obtained and eaten year round. Seek out frozen raspberries in your local store for a quick and easy way to obtain the same wholesome benefits fresh raspberries offer. Here’s a sweet treat recipe from the Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission.

Red Raspberry Cream Puffs 10 servings.

Puff Mixture: • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into half-inch pieces • 1 teaspoon sugar • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1 cup all-purpose flour • 4 large eggs Cream Puff Filling: • 2 cups heavy cream • 4 tablespoons granulated sugar • 1 teaspoon almond extract Raspberry Filling: • 2 (10 oz.) packages frozen red raspberries, thawed • 1 tablespoon corn starch • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 400ºF. 1. Bring butter, sugar, salt and 1 cup of water to a boil in a saucepan.

2. Stir in flour, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for three minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.

3. Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating after each egg until smooth.

4. Drop dough into 10 mounds, three inches apart on baking sheet, or to get fancy, spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe into rosettes on the baking sheet lined with wax paper.

5. Bake for 30 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

6. Whip cream and sugar until stiff peaks form and fold in almond extract.

7. Arrange one bag of red raspberries in a single layer on paper towels to defrost.

8. In a saucepan, heat one package of red raspberries and sugar until sugar is dissolved and berries are soft.

9. Place cornstarch in a small bowl. Remove a few spoonfuls of raspberry mixture and add to cornstarch and mix together until smooth. Add cornstarch mix back into saucepan, cook and stir on medium-low heat until thickened. Once cool, stir in reserved red raspberries.

10. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of red raspberries on cream puff shell. Pipe whipped cream filling on top of raspberries using pastry bag. Top with remaining portion of cream puff shell and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Recipe provided by NewsUSA and Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission.

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Heart Health Word Find

It’s American Heart Month! Find the hidden words in the puzzle that relate to the heart and heart health.

BEAT BLOOD BODY CHOLESTEROL

DISEASE DOCTOR HEALTH HEART

PRESSURE PUMPING STETHOSCOPE STRESS

What’s the Difference?

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FEBRUARY 2012

FEBRUARY 2012

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P ARENTOWN’S Tips for Saving Money on Taxes Who isn’t looking to save a little money these days?

Here are some easy ways you can save money on preparing your taxes, as well as ways you might be able to pay out a little less.

IRS Free File: More Savings, Less Taxing Looking for a fast, easy and free option to do your taxes? IRS Free File allows everyone to prepare and e-file their federal tax returns for free. And, the step-by-step, brand-name software offered by IRS’ commercial partners helps you find the tax breaks you are due.

Each of the approximately 20 private-sector partners tailors its offerings based on criteria such as income, age or state residency. If you need help finding a Free File match, just select the “get help finding a Free File company” as your option.

Simply enter a little information about yourself, and the matches will appear. Some also offer state returns for free or for a fee.

— While all the companies have different criteria, if you made $57,000 or less in 2011 — and that’s 70 percent of us — you will be eligible for at least one free tax software program.

— If your income was higher than $57,000, you can still prepare and e-file your return for free by using Free File Fillable Forms. This is the electronic version of IRS paper forms. It’s more basic and is probably best for people comfortable preparing their own paper tax returns. It does not support state tax returns.

Just go to www.irs.gov/freefile to get started.

Organize Records The IRS recommends keeping all tax-related documents for three years, in case of an audit. Keeping track of income-related documents can help you take full advantage of deductions available to you. If you don’t have the information, you might be losing out on money.

What should you have handy when it’s time to fill out this year’s returns?

Records such as — A copy of last year’s tax return — Valid Social Security numbers for yourself, spouse and children — All income statements, i.e., W-2 forms, from all employers — Interest/dividend statements, i.e., 1099 forms — Form 1099-G showing any state refunds — Unemployment compensation amount — Social Security benefits — Expense receipts for deductions — Daycare provider’s identifying number Find Out if You Are Eligible for the EITC No tax benefit offers a greater lifeline to working families than EITC. Yet, one out of every five eligible taxpayers fails to claim it, according to the IRS. Because of the economy, even more people may be eligible if they have had changes in their earned income.

If you need personal assistance to prepare your tax return, there are 12,000 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites nationwide. These sites offer free help to those earning around $50,000 or less. To locate the nearest VITA site, search for “VITA” on IRS.gov. Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), which is supported by AARP, offers free tax help to people who are age 60 and older. To locate the nearest AARP Tax-Aide site, call 1-888-227-7669 or visit AARP.org. Source: Family Features.

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K ID S MART Consejos para Ahorrar Dinero en sus Impuestos ¿Ahora en día quien no busca maneras de ahorrar un poco de dinero?

Aquí hay algunas maneras fáciles de ahorrar dinero al preparar sus impuestos, como también maneras de las cuales tenga que pagar un poco menos en sus impuestos.

Free File del IRS (Preparación Gratuita): Mas ahorro, menos impuestos ¿Esta buscando una manera rápida, fácil y gratuita para preparar el retorno de sus impuestos? La preparación gratuita que ofrece el IRS permite a todos preparar y someter sus retornos en línea gratuitamente y paso a paso el programa de marca que ofrecen los socios comerciales del IRS le ayudan a encontrar los recortes que usted se merece.

Cada uno de los aproximadamente 20 socios del sector privado adapta sus ofertas basadas en criterios como ingresos, edad o estado donde reside. Si necesita ayuda para encontrar el Free File que usted necesita, solo seleccione “obtener ayuda para encontrar mi compañía de preparación de impuestos gratuita” como su opción. Simplemente someta un poco de información sobre usted y le encontraran su compatibilidad.

También encontrara ofertas para su retorno estatal gratis o por una cuota.

Aunque todas las compañías tienen criterio diferente, si sus ingresos son de $57,000 o menos en el 2011- y eso es el 70% de las personas- seria elegible para por lo menos un programa para preparar sus impuestos gratis.

-Si sus ingresos fueron más de $57,000, todavía puede someter sus impuestos gratis usando las formas gratuitas fáciles de llenar que ofrece el IRS. Esto es una versión electrónica de las formas del IRS. Es mas básico y probablemente una mejor opción para las personas que se sienten cómodas preparando sus propios retornos. Esto no respalda los retornos estatales.

Solo visite el cito web www.irs.gov/freefile para comenzar.

Organice sus documentos El IRS recomienda guardar todos los documentos relacionados con los impuestos por tres años en caso de una auditoria. Mantener todos los documentos de sus ingresos le puede ayudar a tomar ventaja de todas las deducciones que están disponibles. Si no tiene la información, puede estar perdiendo dinero. ¿Qué debe tener a la mano cuando llegue la hora de preparar tus impuestos? Documentos como: Una copia del retorno del año anterior Seguro social valido de usted, su esposa e hijos Estados de ingresos, como las W-2 de todos los empleadores Estados de cuentas de sus dividendos e intereses, ejemplo Formas 1099 Forma 1099-G mostrando rembolso estatal Cantidad de compensación de desempleo Beneficios de Seguro Social Recibos de gastos deducibles El Numero de identificación del proveedor de cuidado infantil Investigue si es elegible para el EITC No hay mejor beneficio de impuestos que ofrezca una mejor línea de vida para las familias trabajadoras que el EITC. Aun así una de cada 5 contribuyentes que es elegible no la reclama, según el IRS. Por la economía, muchas personas pueden ser elegibles si han tenido cambios en sus ingresos.

Si necesita asistencia personal para preparar su retorno de impuestos, hay 12,000 sitos de asistentes de impuestos voluntarios (VITA por su nombre en ingles) nacionalmente.

Estos sitos ofrecen ayuda gratuita para los que tienen ingresos de $50,000 o menos. Para encontrar el sito de VITA mas cercano, busque “VITA” en IRS.gov. Asesoramiento Fiscal para personas mayores (TCE por su nombre en ingles), que es apoyado por AARP, ofrece ayuda gratuita a las personas mayores de 60 años. Para localizar el sito AARP-Ayuda Fiscal más cercano llame al 1-888-227-7669 o visite AARP.com

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P ARENTOWN’S K ID S HAPE The Latest Apps: How App-licable Are They for Your Child?

How many times have you worried about kids’ use of technology? These days, with technology permeating every facet of our lives, it’s something that parents of kids of all ages are concerned about. Jesper Lodahl, a father of young children, saw the iPad and wondered if it could be a tool to both entertain and educate his kiddies.

So, he created SmarTots (www.smartots.com) to provide a destination for parents to visit and find the right apps for their kids. (Have you tried to find a suitable app for a child? It’s a real challenge.) And then he designed “SmarTots Achievements” so that developers of apps can give parents a way to track and understand their kids’ use of educational games and apps.

SmarTots recently announced the winners of SmarTots’ first “Quest for Best Kids’ Apps” contest. A panel of teachers has selected three apps for their ability to deliver strong educational value while engaging children with playful and visually appealing content. All three winners include SmarTots Achievements, giving parents detailed reporting on their kids’ performance as they interact with the apps.

Gold Prize Winner: Space Math, by Lunchbox Apps. Space Math is a fun way for kids aged 4 and over to practice their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts.

The latest version of Space Math includes three math games that provide different ways of practicing basic arithmetic using flash cards, games and sliders as interactive teaching tools. Through SmarTots, the app offers unique insight into a child’s progress and provides parents and teachers detailed reports that show what the student has accomplished, and where a student is struggling.

Silver Prize Winner: Animal Preschool Games, by Bruce McLaren.

Animal Preschool Games is designed for preschool- and kindergarten-age children and incorporates several developmental skills for this age group. It can help a child learn to count, recognize different shapes and objects, learn the alphabet, teach rhyming, strengthen memory through matching, handeye coordination and much, much more.

Bronze Prize Winner: Kid’s Math, by GoldStar App. Kid’s Math comprises six educational apps (Counting, Basic Math with Choices, Basic Math with Calculation, Compare, Series and Clock), all combined into one app.

“Space Math stood out for various reasons. Not only was the context fun and interesting; from an educational standpoint, it is a really awesome app that gives the learner choices: the level of difficulty, the number of items

FEBRUARY 2012

to work on, the types of operations, the range of numbers to work on and so on. Not only can parents or teachers help set the appropriate level for the child, but it empowers the child as well by providing the opportunity for the individual learner to set his/her own pace and to set new challenges,” said Molly Lim, Ph.D. Ed., and a certified elementary school teacher. “SmarTots provides parents and educators a report of the apps the child has worked on, as well as a breakdown of how the child performed in the various apps and activities. The educational framework that SmarTots has developed provides a good guide for parents in selecting apps for the child that will help develop his/her essential skills, as determined by national organizations for early childhood education.”

“We’re delighted to announce the winners of our inaugural contest to find the best apps to help kids learn practical skills using the iPad,” said Jesper Lodahl, CEO and co-founder of SmarTots. “The judges were particularly impressed with Space Math, which combines clever and fun learning with 70 SmarTots Achievements so that parents and teachers can see a child’s individual performance via a detailed report card. Space Math has fully taken advantage of the SmarTots platform to enhance the value of the app significantly for both kids and parents.”

Photo credit: Metrocreativeconnection.com

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