September 2012 Our Kids Magazine

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The Go-To Resource for San Antonio Parents

September 2012

PETS are a Big Responsibility

EDUCATION The Child Left Behind

BIRTH ORDER Significant or Not?

FIELD TRIP GUIDE

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OUR CHILDREN WILL ALWAYS BE FIRST. We are becoming the new Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, 800,000 square feet and 100 percent dedicated to caring for our children. Where we will take children’s care to the highest level.

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contents september 2012

volume 29 • number 9

12

departments 6 On the Web September Featured Web Content

8 Editor’s Note Responsibility, Education and More

10 FYI • Wooping Cough on Rise; Vaccine Troubles • Local Students Win National Volunteerism Scholarships

22 Health Sense Teen Diabetes on the Rise – What to Know and Do

24 b.a.b.y.

features 12 The Child Left Behind

Birth Order: Significant or Not

39 Your Kids in Our Kids

The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, and its mission to bring American education up to par with other industrialized countries, is struggling – just like many of the students the law is supposed to serve.

16

Teaching Responsible Pet Ownership

calendar 29 Highlight 34 Family Theater

Belt Tightening Does Not Stop Field Trips

36 Ongoing Exhibits

San Antonio area school children will not have to go without field trips despite tight budgets.

26

Hot Fun in the Summertime

advertising 17 Field Trips Guide

Besides modeling responsible pet ownership traits, parents should teach kids basic compassion for animals.

PHOTO BY APRIL NEWELL

on the cover

4

26 Pets are a Big Responsibility 12 Education: The Child Left Behind 24 Birth Order: Significant or Not?

coming next month!

STAAR Results Are In

Five-year-old Sean enjoys spending time with his dog Spot.

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Our Kids | September 2012

theMcNay Family Activity Sunday, September 30 1:00 & 3:00 pm Look closely at Popular with a McNay docent. Following the gallery discussion, artist Heather Ferguson conducts a printmaking project.

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on the web

OurKidsSanAntonio.com

Your Go-To Source for Parenting Information on the Web September Contests

Spotlight

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Getting Grandparents More Involved National Grandparents Day is Sept. 9.

Mark it this year by setting up more ways for your children and your parents and in-laws to connect, especially if you live far away from each other. Learn how some grandparents are helping their adult children while strengthening the bonds they have with their grandchildren at the same time.

PLUS: ■ An easy-to-use Digital Edition of this month’s issue ■ Calendar of Family Events ■ Family Friendly Business Directory ■ Subscribe to our Weekly Update Newsletter

3 More Ways to Stay Connected

• “Like us on Facebook – facebook.com/OurKidsSanAntonio • Follow us on Twitter @ourkidsmagazine • Subscribe to our FREE e-newsletter at OurKidsSanAntonio.com

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editor’s note

By Cynthia Ladson 8400 Blanco Road, Ste. 300 San Antonio, TX 78216 SanAntonio.Parenting@parenthood.com

Visit us online at OurKidsSanAntonio.com

Responsibility, Education and More

W

ith the start of school just a few days ago, many parents probably talked to their kids about being a responsible student and doing their best. Teaching responsibility to our kids is important. Responsible kids tend to grow into responsible adults. In this issue of Our Kids we look at teaching kids what it means to be a responsible pet owner. Read what you as parents can do to instill this trait in your kids.

Pet responsibility is a big issue with me these days. Just a couple of months ago I pulled into my driveway late one evening and stepped out of my car to the cries of kittens. I don’t own a cat, so you can imagine how surprised I was to hear those sounds coming from my yard. Somehow four kittens that looked to be less than one week old had found their way (I am sure with the help of their mama) into the coolest area of my back yard.

I was shocked to discover that a lot of people in San Antonio were finding kittens during this same period. Seems it was that time of year in San Antonio when the cat population goes through the roof. Early the next morning, I drove from shelter to shelter in and around San Antonio trying to find someone to take them, only to be told: “we are at capacity level and can’t take in any more at this time.” Almost instantaneously I became the unwilling owner of four cute kittens.

Through this experience I quickly discovered that finding kittens in my back yard makes them my responsibility. Then it hit me, if whoever owned the mama cat had had her spayed, then I would not be stressing over finding homes for the kittens. Up to this point, it was my belief that an owner had a right not to spay or neuter his or her pet if they so chose, however that belief quickly changed. I now think that it is a responsible pet owner who has his or her pet spayed or neutered. I did eventually find someone to take the kittens and in the process welcomed a new four-legged family member into my home – a white Labrador retriever by the name of Dodge.

Education and Blogging The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law of 2001, and its mission to bring education in the United States up to par with other industrialized countries, is struggling – just like many of the students the law is supposed to serve. Read local freelance writer Ashley Festa’s article “The Child Left Behind” and find out what is being done nationally to help schools and students struggling the most to succeed.

Local parent bloggers interested in contributing a weekly blog post to the Our Kids website exclusively, check out the ad on page 35 of this month’s magazine.

Publisher Gary Hibert EDITORIAL Editor: Cynthia Ladson, 855-232-1685 Copy Editor: Emilie Jordan-Michael Proofreader: April Newell ADVERTISING SALES Account Executives: Mary Anne Moffett, 855-232-1684 Dan Greenhouse, 855-232-1686 NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Cate Sanderson 7 Purdy St., Ste. 201, Harrison NY 10528 914-381-7474 PRODUCTION Production & Design Manager: Amanda Hawkins Senior Graphic Designer: Angela Rosa Graphic Designers: Arianna Azevedo, Wagner Chiang, Arianna Fernandez, Joshua Gonzales, Susan O, Brendon Peters, Staci Stedman-Morris DISTRIBUTION DDS, TASPAS and Distributech DOMINION PARENTING MEDIA A Division of Dominion Enterprises Vice President: Gary Hibert Senior Editor: Deirdre Wilson Parenthood.com General Manager: Tom Gonzales Content & Community Manager: Amy McCarthy NAPPA Manager: Julie Kertes NAPPA Coordinator: Annette Covarrubias

OUR KIDS SAN ANTONIO is published monthly by Dominion Media, a division of Dominion Enterprises.

Advertisements in this magazine are paid for by the advertisers, which allows this magazine to be free to the consumer. Limit of one free copy per reader. Call 210-349-6667 to request additional copies. Unless specifically noted, no advertisers, products or services are endorsed by the publisher. All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertising are available on an equal opportunity basis.

OUR KIDS SAN ANTONIO copyright 2012 Dominion Enterprises. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

Happy reading!

8

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Our Kids | September 2012

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family f.y.i.

Health Note

Whooping Cough Vaccine May Leave Some Unprotected Keep an eye out for whooping cough (a.k.a. pertussis) as your kids start the new school year. A new study has revealed that the switch to a pertussis vaccine with fewer side effects more than a decade ago may have left children slightly more vulnerable to the illness – a highly contagious respiratory infection where thick mucus in the windpipe can make it difficult to eat, drink and breathe.

Australian researchers looked at data on 40,000 Queensland children born in 1998 who had been vaccinated against whooping cough. Those receiving the newer vaccine – made with just a few pieces of killed pertussis bacteria – were three times more likely to develop whooping cough than those treated with the older vaccine made from whole, killed pertussis cells.

In the mid-1990s, the vaccine, then known as DTwP (diphtheria-tetanus–whole-cell pertussis), was changed to the DTaP (diphtheriatetanus-acellular pertussis) vaccine currently available. The newer vaccine was found to cause far fewer side effects – including pain and swelling at the injection site, fever and prolonged crying – than the DTwP vaccine.

While the study found the newer vaccine to be less effective, researchers are stressing the following: ■ Vaccination still offers the best protection against whooping cough.

■ The increased risk of developing whooping cough is small, leading to just one extra case per year for every 500 vaccinated children.

■ Doctors need to consider whooping cough as a diagnosis, even in children who have been vaccinated.

Whooping cough cases in the United States are on track to reach record highs this year, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There have been approximately 18,000 cases reported as of this summer, more than twice the number reported up to this time last year.

CDC attributes the upward trend primarily to the fact that potency of the DTaP vaccine begins to fade after about 10 years, and the agency is urging booster shots for teens and adults. While whooping cough isn’t generally fatal in teens and adults, it can be deadly in infants. The CDC reports that nine babies in the United States have already died from the disease this year.

The vaccine study was published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

– Christina Elston

Two Receive Scholarships for Volunteerism Two San Antonio area youngsters were recently awarded scholarships for volunteerism.

Ten-year-old Jayson Sumner of Converse and Michelle Tedrowe, 17, of San Antonio received $1,000 scholarships as deserving volunteers by Kohl’s Department Stores’ Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program. The two were selected from more than 35,000 nominees nationwide for making positive impacts in their local communities.

Raised by a mom with congestive heart failure motivated Jayson to not only participate in the national fundraiser for the American Heart Association and

10

Jump Rope for Heart, but to raise the most money in his school. Jayson succeeded by raising $1,000 more than anyone else in his district.

Michelle partnered with Any Baby Can to create an exercise program for children with autism to prevent obesity. Any Baby Can used Michelle’s project to apply for and received a grant for almost $1 million over a fiveyear period, giving the organization funding to support a health and wellness department that teaches fitness to families in the San Antonio area.

Winners are chosen based on initiative, leadership, generosity and project benefits and outcomes.

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Our Kids | September 2012

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September 2012 | OurKidsSanAntonio.com 11 For reprints please contact the Publisher.

The

Left

Behind Who Helps the Schools and Students Struggling the Most to Succeed?

By Ashley Festa

L

ate last year, President Obama told an audience at a Virginia middle school that four out of five schools in this country would soon be labeled as failing. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told Congress the same thing.

While some observers have since called those figures overstated, the underlying message is clear: The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, and its mission to bring education in the United States up to par with other industrialized countries, is struggling – just like many of the students the law is supposed to serve.

Since NCLB was enacted in 2001, the number of schools identified as failing has been on the rise.

Frustrated educators blame the law’s reliance on constantly improving standardized test scores as the primary measure of a school’s success.

Here’s why: NCLB’s goal is to have all students reach 12

“proficient” levels of reading and math skills by 2014 – a goal measured by standardized test scores in individual states. The law requires that students be tested yearly in grades 3-8 and at least once during high school. Each year’s test scores are then compared with the previous year’s scores to determine whether students are making “Adequate Yearly Progress.”

While each state is allowed to determine what defines Adequate Yearly Progress, the law requires that 95 percent of students at any school meet this objective. Failing to meet it lands a school on the “needs improvement” list, and continued failure could result in more drastic measures, such as restructuring or, in some states, even a state takeover.

It’s a challenging goal, even for comparatively successful schools. And some observers complain that NCLB focuses more on negative sanctions on a school as a whole than on solutions for helping the individual students there.

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Our Kids | September 2012

Other Efforts to Help Failing Schools Beyond the NEA’s Priority Schools Campaign, other programs and organizations are addressing the needs of failing schools. Below is a sampling: ■ Race to the Top Race to the Top is an annual competition, created by the Obama administration in 2009, to spur reform in public schools. This year, school districts are challenged to show the federal Department of Education how they can improve student success through criteria like adding and enhancing charter schools, linking teacher evaluations with students’ standardized test scores, and more.

This year’s competition makes $400 million in grant funding available to school districts that win.

Similar to the Priority Schools Campaign described in the main article, Race to the Top is ”aimed squarely at the classroom level and the all-important relationship among teachers and students,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has said. Learn more at www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/ fact-sheet-race-top.

■ Gates Foundation To ensure a “college-ready education,” one goal of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (founded by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and his wife) is to help all students be prepared for life after grade school, especially those from minority and low-income families. Through multi-million-dollar grants to public schools and organizations working to improve education, the foundation invests in the research and reform of teacher effectiveness, consistent

Help from the Nation’s Teachers Fortunately, some big educational players have stepped in to support the schools, developing campaigns and programs to help them improve – among them the nation’s largest teachers’ union.

The National Education Association (NEA) (www.nea.org) has been targeting schools most in need of assistance with its Priority Schools Campaign (http://neapriorityschools.org) since 2009, dedicating time and resources to help them turn around. It’s a good option for struggling schools that can’t afford the alternative of paying a private consulting company to come in and recommend improvements.

NEA spokesperson Stacey Grissom says the union provides hundreds of thousands of dollars

standards for student achievement, new technology, and innovative approaches to learning. The foundation supports the development of better ways to measure student progress and use the data to help improve student success. The goal of its investments is to make sure all students are ready for college and to remove any barriers to top-quality education. Learn more at www.gatesfoundation.org.

■ Competency-Based Learning Systems New Hampshire implemented competency-based learning systems in its schools in 2008, earning the state the Education Commission of the States’ 2012 Frank Newman Award for State Innovation.

Under the new systems, students earn credits toward graduation based on their ability to master academic skills, not simply the amount of time they spend in a classroom each year. The idea is to allow students to learn at their own pace, regardless of how little or how much time they need to grasp the concepts.

New Hampshire’s teachers, counselors and high school students work together to develop customized plans for students’ education, which include in-school classes, online classes and mentorships.

– Ashley Festa

in resources to failing schools at no cost. It’s not direct financial support – “you can’t buy your way out of problems that you’re in,” notes Ellen Holmes of the NEA-affiliate Maine Education Association and a senior policy analyst for the Priority Schools Campaign.

Instead, the campaign seeks input from educators, communities and state and national policymakers to develop new ways to measure student success and teacher quality. It works to attract and retain exceptional teachers and resources for struggling schools. And it links these schools with programs and resources that can help.

But its most effective work involves relying on the low-performing school itself – and specifically, the teachers there – to identify the problems its

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September 2012 | OurKidsSanAntonio.com 13 For reprints please contact the Publisher.

students are having and find solutions. The teachers know their students, and they know what’s going on in their classrooms, the NEA reasons. Instead of waiting for an outside expert to tell them how to fix a problem, teachers lead the effort and work together to address students’ struggles.

“We believe that every single student deserves a great public school,” says Holmes, who taught third and fourth grade and alternative education before going to work for the association.

Accentuate the Positive The campaign also encourages teachers at a struggling school to emphasize their students’ strengths rather than weaknesses.

“If a teacher or school is focused on what a student doesn’t have, you’re going to lose that student,” Holmes says.

At a school in Marysville, Wash., with a high Native American population, for example, teachers used the students’ cultural strengths to help them learn better. Because Native American culture relies heavily on hands-on teaching between elders and youth, teachers harnessed the knowledge of older students to help instruct the younger ones.

“They began leveraging what the older students know and harvesting the resiliency of the native culture to improve,” Holmes says. If a young student had trouble understanding proper behavior in a library, for instance, an older student would accompany the younger one and provide the model for appropriate behavior. As teachers identify their students’ weaknesses in the classroom, the campaign encourages them to adjust their instruction methods daily to make sure everyone is up to speed –rather than waiting until the end of the year to evaluate what they’ve done and discover that not all children learned the same material.

They also align the curriculum from grade to grade, working together so that when kids move to the next grade level the curriculum is more similar and familiar, Holmes says. It creates a sense of community among teachers that ultimately helps their students.

“When they think ‘our students’ rather than ‘my students,’ it makes a huge difference for struggling students,” Holmes says.

14

Is It Working?

Currently, the NEA Priority Schools Campaign is working with 39 troubled schools. They were identified among more than 1,200 that applied for an Obama administration grant to help the country’s lowest-performing 5 percent of schools.

The NEA picked 39 that needed the most help but that were also already working to find good teacherled improvements.

The chosen schools represent a wide range – from the smallest rural, most isolated school in Maine to one of the largest schools in Nevada, Holmes says. They have one big thing in common: All are poor.

As a senior policy analyst for the campaign, Holmes visits the priority schools as often as they request her assistance and has seen marked improvement.

Attendance and graduation rates are up. Test scores in math and reading are up. And teacher retention has improved, she says.

The campaign’s efforts to improve struggling schools have relied on several researchbased programs. One of them, called Response to Intervention (RTI), focuses heavily on students in grade school to help them catch up to their grade level. Studies have found that students are more likely to drop out of school if they struggled from kindergarten through third grade, Holmes says.

At a school in Dayton, Ohio, teachers have had success using the method to cultivate a culture of hard work so that students feel motivated to succeed. “The teachers focused on what it means to be a successful student,” Holmes says. Instead of allowing struggling students to carry the belief that some are “born smart” and others are not, teachers focused attention on the effort required to succeed. As a result, the school has seen dramatic increases in math and reading scores and its graduation rates, Holmes says, a good example of just how much a school’s own teachers can really make a difference.

“It’s relying on the teachers’ expertise” to understand what students need, Holmes notes.

“What they did is not complex, but it is powerful.” ■ Ashley Festa is a San Antonio freelance writer. Contact her at ashley@ashleyfesta.com.

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Our Kids | September 2012

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Belt Tightening

WON’T STOP

School Field Trips S

an Antonio school children will not go without field trips despite local belt-tightening following last year’s state budget cuts to education.

Area school officials responding to a recent Our Kids survey on field trips say they will continue to use field trips to augment academic or extracurricular activities for area youngsters. Education experts have long touted field trips as valuable learning experiences. To be approved by school leaders, field trips must be curriculum based or associated with some extracurricular activities such as band, choir and UIL competitions.

San Antonio offers a variety of options for field trips. Some are listed here.

Buckhorn Museum displays more than 500 species of wildlife and exhibits that include wax figures.

Geology novices and experts have been viewing Canyon Lake Gorge to get a look at the Earth’s inner workings since a massive flood carved out the gorge a few years ago leaving behind an amazing natural outdoor classroom.

Casa Navarro State Historic Site was the last home of Tejano patriot José Antonio Navarro, including his adobe house, furnished with period antiques, dating to about 1848.

Cascade Caverns’ 100-foot waterfall is the grand finale of the caverns formed with millions of drops of pure water falling on rock formations.

Cave Without a Name is a natural living cavern filled with stalactites, stalagmites and soda straws, cave drapery, flowstones, rim stone dams and more.

The cave is about 12 miles from Boerne.

Devine Acres, the Christmas tree farm in Devine, offers field trips to fit the season. October theme is pumpkins; December, Christmas trees; and spring, flowers. Each field trip includes hayrides and feeding farm animals.

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Institute of Texan Cultures features exhibits, programs and special events showcasing the cultural history of more than 20 different ethnic groups who settled in Texas.

Japanese Tea Garden features a 60-foot waterfall, stone Japanese-style gazebo, stone bridges over ponds filled with Koi and flowering shrubs and perennials.

The garden is a registered Texas Historic Landmark, a Texas Civil Engineering Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Love Creek Orchards in Medina features 11 varieties of apples.

Marburger Orchard near Fredericksburg has peaches, blackberries, strawberries and vegetables available for picking during the spring and summer.

McNay Art Museum focuses primarily on 19th- and 20th-century European and American art, including works by Cezanne, Picasso, Gauguin, Matisse, O’Keeffe and Hopper. Also, print and drawings and theater arts. Contemporary art and modern sculpture are housed in the Jade and Arthur Stieren Center for Exhibitions.

Mitchell Lake Audubon Center is a bird haven situated on wetlands, ponds and upland habitat. Field trips are led by volunteers from the San Antonio Audubon Society.

Museo Alameda, located in historic Market Square, celebrates the Hispanic culture through art, history and cultural education, in partnership with the nation’s Smithsonian Museum. The Alameda presents exhibits, educational programs and performances telling the story of the Latino experience in America.

Natural Bridge Caverns features caves and ancient formations 180 feet below ground. Also, adventure tours, a mining sluice and an outdoor

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FIELD TRIP GUIDE ANIMALS ANIMAL DEFENSE LEAGUE

climbing tower. Natural Bridge Caverns recently opened the Canopy Challenge Adventure Course and Zip Lines.

The course, situated high above the Texas Hill Country, features four obstacle levels.

Ripley’s Believe it Or Not and Plaza Wax Museum displays unusual oddities and curiosities at Ripley’s and more than 250 wax figures in the Wax Museum.

San Antonio Botanical Garden’s 33 acres include a Rose Garden, Old Fashioned Garden, Garden for the Blind, conservatories and a Native Texas Trail.

San Antonio Children’s Museum provides three floors of kid-friendly exhibits and activities, a different art activity each week, twice-weekly science experiments and special events for ages 2-10 years.

San Antonio Museum of Art docents provide 50-minute tours designed to meet school curriculum needs.

San Antonio Zoo features one of the largest animal collections in the country, with more than 3,500 animals representing 600 species on 56 acres.

SeaWorld San Antonio offers guided behind-thescene tours of the world’s largest marine life park.

Dating to 1722, the Spanish Governor’s Palace, a National Historic Landmark, is the only remaining example of an 18th-century Spanish aristocratic house in Texas. Built as the home of the presidio captain who protected the Alamo, it later became the seat of government for the Spanish Province of Texas.

Sweet Berry Farms offers seasonal field trips at two locations – Marble Falls and Lexington, just east of Austin. Hayrides and mazes are available at the Marble Falls farm.

Texas Ranger Museum portrays the history and lore of the famed law enforcement agency through documents and memorabilia.

Texas Transportation Museum includes a working passenger railroad, automobiles, railroad layouts of various gauges, carriages and a fire engine.

Witte Museum features history and natural science exhibits, national traveling exhibits and live gallery theater. Its four-level H-E-B Science Treehouse includes hands-on science activities for all ages, a Dinosaur Dig and Small World Science. The museum’s Robert J. and Helen C. Kleberg South Texas Heritage Center serves as a permanent home to a collection of artifacts that tell the story of San Antonio’s founding.

Wonder World Park in San Marcos features an earthquake-formed cave, along with the Tejas Observation Tower, an anti-gravity house, and Texas wildlife-petting park. ■ Compiled from Our Kids staff reports.

11300 Nacogdoches Rd. San Antonio, TX 78217 655-1481 adminassist@animaldefenseleague.org www.animaldefenseleague.org No-kill, non-profit organization dedicated to providing shelter, medical care, food and safety to abandoned and abused dogs and cats while searching for loving homes for them.

FIESTA FARM 8497 FM 1560 N (Close to 1604 and Culebra) San Antonio, TX 78254 210-316-3166 See our website for directions @ www.FiestaFarmLC.com Our field trips focus on farm education for school; daycare and scouting groups.

We have a curriculum developed for each age level and can also emphasize specific science topics at your request. Visiting our petting zoo and other farm animals is part of the fun. Our hands-on curriculum covers at least 18 of the science TEKS for Kindergarten through 3rd grade. For your convenience we provide worksheets to be copied and used in the classroom.

We provide the animals and plants, great photo opportunities, educational entertainment, and hand-washing supplies. You provide box lunches or snacks and drinks. Insured and USDA inspected.

NATURAL BRIDGE WILDLIFE RANCH 26515 Natural Bridge Cavern Rd. San Antonio, TX 78266 830-438-7400 groupsales@WildlifeRanchTexas.com www.WildlifeRanchTexas.com Cost: call for rates. Hours: call for schedule. Visit Africa – in the picturesque Texas Hill Country. View our 50 different species, from addax antelope to zebras, llamas to ostriches. With the animal feed provided at the entrance you may entice many of these animals to come near for a morsel. See, feed and photograph many of our animals, including the friendly Sicilian donkey, the majestic greater kudu, the inquisitive Oryx, and the always hungry buffalo.

SEAWORLD SAN ANTONIO FIELD EXPERIENCES 10500 SeaWorld Drive San Antonio, TX 78251 800-700-7786 www.seaworld.org Cost: Call for rates. Ages: Call for rates and scheduling. Bring your school group to SeaWorld for our special groupsonly hours. Visit with our dolphins, sharks, seals and sea lions. You’ll also attend special animal presentations designed specifically for education groups. Bring your own lunch and your group can enjoy a picnic right here in the park.

ANIMAL WORLD & SNAKE FARM ZOO

event for any size group. We can provide catering, guided tours and more to make any event a special occasion. Visit our website for more information.

COMMERCIAL FIRE DEPARTMENT Most stations offer tours for any ages.

Call your local station for specifics.

WHOLE FOODS MARKET 255 East Basse, #130 San Antonio, TX 78209 826-4676 www.wholefoodsmarket.com Whole Foods Market offers tours to the community to teach children about important concepts including organic and natural food, fruits, vegetables, no growth hormones, no food coloring, no preservative, no additives and no hydrogenated oils. Whole people, Whole planet and Whole Earth. Call for more information.

ENTERTAINMENT FUNTASTIC PLAYLAND 7142 San Pedro Ave. Suite 112 San Antonio, TX 78216 210-979-7529 www.funtasticplayland.com Come see the indoor playplace that has San Antonio saying “WOW”. Over 13,000 sq. ft. of FUN! Kids LOVE our HUGE Monster Truck, Castle, Pirate Ship, trains, snack bar and so much more!

Parents love the price. Space is limited so book your field trip or event today

IMAX THEATRE RIVERCENTER Rivercenter Mall, Downtown San Antonio 247-4629 www.imax-sa.com Cost: call for rates. Hours: call for schedule.

Where “Education and Adventure Meet.”

Playing: Alamo, Price of Freedom, Sea Monsters 3D A Prehistoric Adventure, The Human Body, Wild Ocean 3D and Hubble 3D. Ideal field trip for all ages with discounts for groups, advance reservations and assigned seating.

THE MAGIK THEATRE 420 South Alamo San Antonio, TX 78205 Call 210-227-2751 Magiktheatre.org/tickets/ grouptickets Find out what over half a million children representing more than 400 schools throughout central and South Texas have experienced! All of our productions are based on books children are reading in school, and are accompanied by a comprehensive study guide packed with standards-based activities. Group rates available. Call 210-227-2751 for reservations.

MORGAN’S WONDERLAND

210-637-3434 5223 David Edwards Drive San Antonio, TX (formerly Snake Farm) program@morganswonderland.com 830-608-9270 www.morganswonderland.com 5640 IH 35 South, New Braunfels, TX Explore Morgan’s Wonderland using it as www.Exoticanimalworld.com your classroom to enhance your program Are you looking for the perfect outing activities corresponding to TEKS in Math for your group or family? Animal World and Snakeuse Farmonly can create thefor perfect and Scienceor willretransmission. be provided to educators personal - not reproduction

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| OurKidsSanAntonio.com

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FIELD TRIP GUIDE USE THIS COUPON TO RECEIVE ONE

FREE CHILD’S ADMISSION WHEN YOU PURCHASE ONE ADULT ADMISSION CAN NOT BE USED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER. NO CASH VALUE.

OVER 500 ANIMALS ON DISPLAY!

ANIMAL WORLD SNAKE FARM ZOO 5640 IH 35 South (directly off Exit 182) New Braunfels, Texas 78132 www.exoticanimalworld.com

(830)608-9270

per grade level. Two activities per subject and grade level, PreK – 5th. Two tickets available for teacher to preview park before visit. Prizes award for Top Participants in each class. Participation Certificate & Prize for each student.

Special School ONLY Days.

PLANET PARTY 12403 Nacogdoches Rd., Suite 104 San Antonio, TX 78217 535-7096 www.planetpartysa.com Planet Party is the only facility in San Antonio which specializes in Private Indoor Birthday Parties. We are not open to the public, and we do not offer open play. We offer private tours of our facility by appointment. Please call for more information.

THE ROYAL CANVAS PAINTING PARLOR

Calling All Schools ... We Love Field Trips! Our facility or yours.

Book your child’s next

Painting Birthday Party

210.826.7246

Located in Alamo Heights @ 5005 Broadway Street

Look for the following Camps coming soon ...

Columbus Day One Day Camp: October 8th Thanksgiving Break Camp: Week of November 19th Winter Break Camp: Weeks of December 24 & 31

www.theroyalcanvas.com ǀ cassie@theroyalcanvas.com

SAN ANTONIO MISSIONS

5005 Broadway Alamo Heights, TX 78209 826-7246 www.theroyalcanvas.com cassie@theroyalcanvas.com At The Royal Canvas, where you come to us or we go to you, children love exploring their creative talents! Learn different painting techniques with non-toxic acrylic paints and have fun with mixed media selections too! Regardless of your skill or motivation, The Royal Canvas Painting Parlor has just the right class for you. We strive to offer diversity, and hope that we are achieving that goal. We always welcome your ideas. And most of all, we want to assist you in “Fulfilling your arts desire”! Group rates are available. Call or visit our website for more information.

THE TOWER OF AMERICAS 210-223-3101 600 Hemisfair Plaza Way San Antonio, TX 78205 www.toweroftheamericas.com For more than 35 years, the 750-foot-tall Tower of the Americas has offered the most breathtaking views of the Alamo City.

Bring your school group or scout group to the Tower of the Americas and learn about the history of Texas. Also experience our Skies Over Texas 4D Theater ride! Special group packages available.

School Field Trips

New!

Special Home School Days

Sept.25 -Nov. 21

We invite you to bring your students to get lost in our classroom in the maze!

Visit us online for special times, dates and activities we have planned for Home School groups.

• Online curriculum materials • 7-acre maze with age appropriate “passports” • A hayride, where the day-to-day operations of our farm and ranch are described • Mind boggling mini maze

• Ride on the South Texas MAiZE barrel train • Feed and pet our precious Boer goats • Hay bale jump!

See more details on our website

Reservations are required for all field trips.

See our website for more information.

www.southtexasmaize.com 911 US Highway 90 East, Hondo, TX 78861 830.741.3968 18

HISTORICAL SITES THE ALAMO 300 Alamo Plaza San Antonio, TX 78205 210- 225-1391 www.thealamo.org Cost: Free, donations are always accepted. On February 23, 1836 the arrival of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s army outside San Antonio nearly caught the Texians and Tejanos, who defended the Old Spanish Mission turned fort, by surprise. See where the defenders held out for 13 days against Santa Anna’s Army. Walk along the same paths that were walked by Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, Col. Travis, Juan Seguin. History talks, for children 4th grade & up, are given every 30 minutes. Please check our website for more details.

CASA NAVARRO STATE HISTORIC SITE 228 S. Laredo San Antonio, TX 78207 personal use226-4801 only - not for

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Our Kids | September 2012

http://www.thc.state.tx.us/hsites/ hs_casa_navarro.shtml Cost: Adults, $4; Ages 6-18/Students with I.D, $3 per person; Group rates are available. Hours: Tues. – Sunday, 10 a.m.

– 4 p.m. Casa Navarro State Historic Site, in downtown San Antonio, is the restored home of Tejano patriot José Antonio Navarro. Navarro was an influential figure in Texas during the momentous fifty-five year period (1810-1865) when the state’s destiny was forged. A leading advocate of Tejano rights, he is best known as “The Strongest Defender of the Rights of His People.” Today, visitors tour Navarro’s adobe home furnished with period antiques, read copies of his writing and discuss questions of history with informed park interpreters.

National Historical Park Exit IH-10 at Probrandt, follow signs 534-8833 www.nps.gov/saan Cost: Free. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Reservations are not required for entry or activities. Education groups and youth groups are required to make a reservation even if planning to self-guide. In 1718 Franciscans and Spanish representatives established the first mission. Within 13 years San Jose, Espada, and San Juan Capistrano were located along the San Antonio River. Today visitors can retrace the footsteps of the mission Indians and friars. Run by the National Park Service.

Handicap accessible.

SOUTHWEST SCHOOL OF ART 300 Augusta San Antonio, TX 78201 224-1848 www.swschool.org We invite you to visit our campus to learn the story of the Southwest School of Art & Craft and its historic site in the Visitors Center Museum. Docent tours of the historic main building, old copper kitchen and grounds are available Monday Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., free parking. Arrangements for other times or for groups larger than 15, can be made by calling ahead. Come learn about the history of early San Antonio as well as contemporary art.

SPANISH GOVERNOR’S PALACE

105 Plaza De Armas San Antonio, TX 78205 224-0601 www.sanantonio.gov/dtops/parks_ plazas/governorspalace.aspx Cost: Adults: $4; children 7-13, $2, under 7 free. Hours: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tues. to Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sun. Originally built in 1722 to protect the mission (Alamo) and its surrounding colony, this ten-room aristocratic Spanish House was home to 32 Spanish governors and is complete with furnishing from the early 18th century. The Governor’s Palace is the only remaining example in Texas of an aristocratic early Spanish house. For an added educational experience at the Palace, visitors are encouraged to visit on the last Sunday of the month when La Compania de Cavalleria del Real Presidio de Bexar visits. Mostly handicap accessible. or retransmission. reproduction

FIELD TRIP GUIDE STEVES HOMESTEAD 509 King William St. San Antonio, TX 78204 225-5924 http://www.saconservation.org/ tours/steves.htm Cost: $6 adults, children under age 12 free. Group rates are available. Hours: 10 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. (last tour stating at 3:30) This elegant three-story mansion, located in the King William Historic District on the east bank of the San Antonio River was built in 1876 for Edward Steves. In 1952 the homestead was donated to the San Antonio Conservation Society and has been maintained since 1954 as a historic house museum. The property once boasted about having San Antonio’s first indoor pool, now a meeting facility, also included on the grounds are The Carriage House, River House and the Servant’s Quarters which is now the visitor’s center.

YTURRI-EDMUNDS HOUSE AND MILL Historic Site 128 Mission Road 534-8237 http://www.saconservation.org/ tours/yturri.htm Cost: $5 adults, children under age 12 free. Group rates are available. Hours: By appointment only. Built in circa 1840–1860 this beautiful adobe home and working historic mill is one of the few remaining in San Antonio. The mill, originally powered by the waters of Concepcion Acequia, was built in 1820 and restored in 1972.

MUSEUMS INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES 801 S. Bowie Street San Antonio, TX 78205 458-2291 wwww.texancultures.utsa.edu Call for cost and schedule. School tours and field trips are available at the Institute of Texan Cultures.

LOUIS TUSSAUD’S PLAZA WAX MUSEUM & RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! 301 Alamo Plaza San Antonio, TX 78205 224-9299 www.plazawaxmuseum.com Two museums under one roof. Fun for all ages! 250 wax figures – Ripley’s contains over 500 unique exhibits. Fun, historical, educational, discounted group rates available for 12 or more.

MCNAY ART MUSEUM

docent-led student tours are free. Cost for adults exceeding the required number is $5 per person; an added charge may be required during select exhibitions. The McNay receives funding from the George W. Brackenridge Foundation to cover the cost of school buses for San Antonio area schools that come for docent-led tours.

Planet Party San Antonio’s #1 Party Place!

THE BUCKHORN MUSEUM 318 E. Houston Street San Antonio, TX . 78205 210-247-4000 www.thebuckhornmuseum.com More than just a normal museum, we’re five museums in one! We have Horns, Fins, Feathers, The Hall of Texas History Wax Museum, and regular special exhibits unlike anything seen in any other museums in the w o r l d . We don’t like the idea that museums have to be stuffy, quiet places. How are you going to get excited about that! Ooh and ahh at the sites, get close to our world record holding trophy mounts, see our collection of oddities!

SAN ANTONIO ART LEAGUE AND MUSEUM 130 King William Street San Antonio, TX 78204 223-1140 www.saalm.org The mission of the SAAL&M is to maintain an art museum in order to preserve and exhibit our collection of local and regional art, and to promote art by means of exhibitions, lectures and other related activities.

THE SAN ANTONIO CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

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305 E. Houston Street San Antonio, TX 78205 212-4453 www.sakids.org New and Improved Focused Field Trips at the San Antonio Children’s Museum.

Book Yours TODAY! Focus Field Trips are $4.50 per child and include an orientation, 90 minutes to explore the Museum’s three floors of interactive exhibits and a 30 minute educational program of your choice. Educational programs are aligned with the TEKS. To schedule a Field Trip, contact the School & Groups Coordinator at fieldtrips@sakids. org or 210.212.4453 ext. 1310. www. sakids.org/beyondtheclassroom.

US ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT MUSEUM Ft. Sam Houston 226-0265 www.ameddmuseumfoundation.org History of Army Medicine from 1775 to the present including uniforms, equipment, vehicles, and aircraft used by the army medical department. Goals of the Foundation are to sustain the legacy and heritage of the Army Medical Dept.; to educating the civilian and military communities on the significant contributors of the Army Medical Dept. to the nation’s health care.

6000 N New Braunfels Ave San Antonio, TX 78209-4618 (210) 824-5368 www.mcnayart.org Bring your students for McNay tours at 9:30 am, 10:45 am, or noon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Fridays. On Thursdays, come at 10:15 and 11:30 am (October through May; students may visit after 10 WITTE MUSEUM a.m. between June and September). Ask 3801 Broadway about other times if these do not work San Antonio, TX 78209 for your group. Review the Student Tour 357-1910 Playlist for a listing of current exhibition, www.wittemuseum.org curriculum-related tours, and other A field trip to the Witte Museum is options for your student tour. Student available to groups from schools groups under age 18 must bring one (1) adult for everyContent ten (10) students.

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FIELD TRIP GUIDE

DISNEY’S ALADDIN

centers, or professional groups and organizations. Self- guided visits must be scheduled at least eight days in advance. Group rates are available with fifteen people per groups. At least one adult chaperone must accompany every 10 students. Call Witte Museum guest reservations to schedule a self-guided group visit.

Thru September 22

NATURE

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Purchase your 2012-2013 Season Pass for only $99 for 32 tickets - that’s less than $3.50 a ticket, a 65% savings off the general admission price! But hurry, this price is only good through September 30! Visit magiktheatre.org for more information!

Bring this ad and receive one free soda with the purchase of a popcorn. Limit one per family.

Valid only at Friday 7PM and Saturday 2PM performances. Expires 9/22/12 210.227.2751 | magiktheatre.org 420 S. Alamo in Hemisfair Park OK9.12

325 Kreutzberg Rd. Boerne, TX 78006 830-537-4212 or 888-TEX-CAVE www.cavewithoutaname.com Well-informed guides lead you through a onehour educational tour of this masterpiece of natures’ art. The Cave is filled with spectacular formations of Stalactites, Stalagmites, delicate Soda Straws, Cave Drapery, magnificent Flowstones, Rimstone Dams, and more.

Enjoy a tour of the six major rooms in comfort; 66º year-round, easy walkways, brilliant lighting Gift shop and hiking trails on the surface. To protect the beauty of the cave and the safety of our visitors, the size of each tour is limited to 25 people.

CIBOLO NATURE CENTER 140 City Park Rd. Boerne, TX 78006 830-249-4616 education@cibolo.org www.cibolo.org Cost: call for rates. Hours: call for scheduling. Outdoor classroom in 100acre park with woodland, marsh, prairie and Cibolo Creek. Offers TEKS aligned programs for K-6 school groups. Come have fun while you learn!

COSA PARKS & RECREATION– NATURAL AREAS 21395 Milsa San Antonio, TX 78256 698-1057 www.sanaturalareas.org Meet the plants, animals and rocks of the San Antonio Natural Areas! Guided trips last 1 to1-1/2 hours. Appropriate for all ages.

NATURAL BRIDGE CAVERNS 26495 Natural Bridge Caverns Road San Antonio, TX 78266 210-651-6101 tickets@naturalbridgecaverns.com www.naturalbridgecaverns.com Experience an incredible underground world of natural beauty. An exciting and educational 75-minute guided tour takes you 180 feet underground. Lesson plans available. Group rates available with reservation (please call for availability and pricing). Located between San Antonio and New Braunfels, 8 miles west of I-35 at exit #175.

SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDEN

PERFORMING ARTS CARVER COMMUNITY CULTURAL CENTER 226 N. Hackberry St. San Antonio, TX 78202 207-7211 www.thecarver.org The Carver Community Cultural Center is composed of two historic theaters. We offer African American and multicultural presentations in music, dance, theater and visual arts as well as student performances, docent led gallery tours, workshops and classes in the visual and performing arts.

JENSEN’S YAMAHA MUSIC SCHOOL 2241 NW Military Hwy. San Antonio, TX 78213 366-5048 www.jensensyamahamusic.com Music appreciation, introduction to instruments, keyboard playing, large motor muscle developmental skills at your school or our studio. Handicapped accessible. Limit 15 students.

THE SAN ANTONIO SYMPHONY 222 E. Houston San Antonio, TX 78205 554-1010 www.sasymphony.org The San Antonio Symphony’s Interactive Family Concerts on Sunday afternoon’s make family field trips fun. The family fun and education of actually touching and playing real musical instruments with symphony musicians gives everyone insight into the joy of playing a musical instrument. Children experience the wonder and the art of making music one hour prior to each concert. Call 210- 5541010 for ticket information or visit www. sasymphony.org

ROAD TRIPS AQUARENA CENTER 921 Aquarena Springs Dr. San Marcos, TX 78666 512-245-7570 www.aquarena.txstate.edu Cost: call for rates. Hours: open daily, call for scheduling. Aquarena Center’s educational mission is to provide people of all ages with the ability to recognize Spring Lake as an unique freshwater ecosystem through interpretative interactive experiences that engages the audience in an exploration of interconnections between all living things and water. Glass bottom boats view the amazing San Marcos Springs.

Wetlands walk, public aquariums and native trails provide the perfect outdoor adventure for all ages.

AUSTIN STEAM TRAIN ASSOCIATION

401 E. Whitestone Blvd. Ste. A-103 Cedar Park, TX 78613 555 Funston @ N. New Braunfels austinsteamtrain.org San Antonio, TX 78209 The Austin Steam Train Association 207-3255 runs excursion train trips through the www.sabot.org hill country and downtown Austin year Groups of 15 students (pre-K-High school; round. Special storybook specials for public/private/home school) are eligible children every 6-8 weeks. Day out with for a school group rate. Call 207-3255 for Thomas in October. more information and reservations. personal use only - not for reproduction or retransmission.

20

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FIELD TRIP GUIDE DEVINE ACRES 944 FM 2200 W Devine, TX 78016 830-665-9730 www.devineacresfarm.com Field trips are science oriented, hands-on learning, and geared for Pre-K through 4th grade students. Each field trip includes an informative talk about parts of a plant and the plant growth cycle as it pertains to pumpkins, Christmas trees and flowers. Each field trip is unique and customized to fit the season as well as your group: October: Learn how pumpkins grow and paint your own minipumpkin to take home. December: Learn how we grow trees and make a Christmas craft to take home. Spring: Learn about the parts of a plant and the lifecycle of the chicken. Each field trip, no matter which season, includes the following: a scenic hayride through the Christmas tree fields, feed and visit our farm animals, navigate your way through our rope and hay bale mazes, play on our oak shaded playground, pump water the oldfashioned way at our duck races, enjoy various game stations: golf, horseshoes, washers, etc., eat your picnic lunch at our picnic tables under our pavilion.

SEBASTOPOL HOUSE STATE HISTORIC SITE 704 Zorn St. Seguin, TX 78155 830-379-4833 http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/ spdest/findadest/parks/sebastopol Sebastopol House State Historic Site, located in Seguin, is an 1856 Greek Revival-style house sitting on 2.2 acres of its original 4-acre site. Sebastopol House is listed as a Registered Texas Historic Landmark and is in the National Register of Historic Places as a result of its unusual limecrete construction and its architectural style. Offers various programming opportunities perfect for a field trip. Call or email for more information.

SOUTH TEXAS MAIZE Hondo, TX 830-741-3968 fun@southtexasmaize.com www.southtexasmaze.com Your maize admission includes our 7-acre maze, the barrel train, children’s play area, a hayride, the hay jump and the mini “mind” maze. Field trips are available by RESERVATION ONLY Tuesday - Friday from 9-2 p.m. Allow 2-4 hours.

One chaperone/Teacher is required per 3-5 students. The South Texas Maize has picnic areas, porta-potties with hand washing facilities. Field trips can be scheduled from September 27 November 23, 2011 .

TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION & HERITAGE CENTER 390 Cordova Rd. Seguin, TX 78155 830-379-1122 or 830-379-0933 www.texagedu.org Visit our center, a working farm, to learn about food, fiber, animals and the heritage of farming and ranching. A great learning experience.

Plan/Tours.htm The Capitol Complex makes a perfect complement to a visit to the city. Our various facilities are designed to serve visitors to the Capitol, whether observing the legislative process, strolling the grounds, buying a unique gift, learning about Texas history, or simply enjoying the magnificent architecture of the complex buildings. Groups of 10 or more should make advanced reservations.

Munchkin’s 21 Day Out Aug. 0 T/TH 9-12:0 National Gymnastics Day on September 22nd, 8:30am-10am FREE Open Gym • Face Painting • Balloon Artist • Lots of Fun!

THE BOB BULLOCK TEXAS STATE HISTORY MUSEUM 1800 N. Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 512-936-4949 or 866-369-7108 ext. 4649 contactus@TheStoryofTexas.com www.TheStoryofTexas.com The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in downtown Austin, Texas, tells the “Story of Texas”, with three floors of interactive exhibits, the special effect show, The Star of Destiny and in Austin’s only IMAX Theater featuring the signature large format film, Texas: The Big Picture.

LITERATURE CENTRAL LIBRARY CHILDREN’S DEPARTMENT 600 Soledad Street San Antonio, TX 78205 207-2500 ask for Children’s Department www.mysapl.org The “Enchilada Experience” tour highlights the Central Library’s architecture and art. Browse our extensive collection and settle in for stories. Groups may make advance reservations.

Fall Registration in Progress

Chec • 9-Week Sessions on Fa k us out • Wide variety of Morning, ceboo k Afternoon and Evening Classes • Cheer / Tumble Classes • Tumbling & Advanced Tumbling Classes • T/TH Munchkin's Day Out 9-12:00 • M & W Open Gym for play 10:30AM starting Aug. 27 • Sat. Open Gym for play 9 & 10AM starting Aug. 25 - Competition Gymnastics and Cheer Teams www.olympiakids.com ympia aki kids.c com

826-4296 6 6--4296 6-4296 429 4 29 96 6925 East Sunbelt Dr.

Family Owned & Operated

TRANSPORTATION TEXAS TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM 11731 Wetmore Rd. San Antonio, TX 78217 490-3554 www.txtransportationmuseum.org Hours: Thurs. & Fri., 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Thursday is group day, reservations must be made in advance. Train rides start at noon and end at 4:30, every 45 minutes. For many youngsters, this will be their very first train ride. Reading about railroads in books or on the internet cannot compare with the real live experience of riding the rails or seeing a genuine traditional depot and walking through old fashioned passenger cars that became sleepers at night as even what we consider to be relatively short journeys today sometimes took days in days gone by.

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health sense

Teen Diabetes Rates Are Way Up

By Christina Elston

D

iabetes and prediabetes have more than doubled among teenagers in the United States, an alarming trend that has health experts urging parents to pay more attention to their adolescents’ eating and exercise habits.

Among adolescents ages 12-19 in the United States, 23 percent now have diabetes or prediabetes, up 9 percent from a decade ago, according to a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics.

People with prediabetes have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. They could go on to develop diabetes or they could prevent it by lowering blood glucose levels with healthier diet and more physical activity.

In the study, researchers at the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looked at risk factors for heart disease and stroke in adolescents, examining data on more than 3,300 adolescents participating in a national survey from 1999 to 2008. Along with the increase in diabetes, they found that: ■ 61 percent of obese teens in the survey had one risk factor for cardiovascular disease With diabetes on the rise in teens, parents need to help their adolescents eat better and exercise more. Get your whole – such as high LDL cholesterol, high blood family, including you, outside and moving! pressure, physical inactivity or diabetes – in addition to being significantly overweight.

■ 49 percent of overweight teens had one study. “Parents really need to think about what their additional cardiovascular risk factor. kids are eating and what their activity level is. Parents ■ 37 percent of normal-weight teens had at least have to step up and help prevent these devastating one cardiovascular risk factor. diseases that last a lifetime.”

One of every three children with diabetes now The study has caught the attention of health has type 2 (which used to be called “adult-onset providers researching obesity’s dangerous effects. “I diabetes,” but is now far too common in children think this is an eye opener,” Steven Mittelman, M.D., to merit that name), and Mittelman points out that of the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Center for the disease is not easily managed in kids. Adults Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, says of the with type 2 diabetes can improve their health with

22

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Our Kids | September 2012

lifestyle changes and medications, but 50 percent of kids diagnosed with type 2 will end up on insulin within five years – and need it for the rest of their lives.

“Over time, that number will get worse, so eventually most teenagers diagnosed with type 2 diabetes will need insulin,” he says.

The prevalence of obesity among teens did not increase during the study period, and actually “plateaued” over the last decade, says Mittelman, who credits public education about the obesity epidemic with spurring some progress. There are still far too many overweight kids, “but at least it’s not going up like it was 10 years ago,” he says.

Here are his suggestions for parents looking to improve their kids’ health:

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Mittelman is quick to point out that heart disease and diabetes are just two of the many life-threatening conditions caused by obesity. He specializes in studying the connections between obesity and cancer (and says that 20 percent of cancers in the United States are now caused by obesity).

Studies show that many kids carry their weight problems into adulthood, but Mittelman and other experts consider adolescence a key window for change.

And much of that change is up to moms and dads.

“Parents do have the power,” he says. ■ Christina Elston is a senior editor and health writer for Dominion Parenting Media. Read Health-e, her family health blog, at www.parenthood.com/healthe.php.

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■ Pay attention during checkups. Doctors

should be checking children’s height, weight and blood pressure at every visit, and taking the time to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI, a measure of height related to weight) for patients. Under some circumstances, they should also test kids’ cholesterol levels and test for diabetes.

■ Know your family history. Let your pediatrician know if your child’s parents or grandparents have high cholesterol, diabetes or heart disease. Find out what medications your child’s grandparents take, and share that information as well. “That helps us know what might run in the family,” Mittelman says.

■ Check out resources that get kids moving.

Mittelman recommends the CDC childhood obesity page (cdc.gov/obesity/childhood), Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign (LetsMove.gov) and your local YMCA (YMCA.org) as great places to start.

“I often send my parents who say they have a tough time getting their kids to exercise [to the YMCA],” he says. “They really are focused on healthy weight.”

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b.a.b.y.

Taking Stock of Birth-Order Studies

By Salwa Choucair

T

he oldest child is born to be a leader; the middle or second-born, a negotiator; and the youngest, a comedian.

Such stereotypes are typical when it comes to birth order in pop culture, and every sibling has probably considered his place in life in accordance with his place in his family. Of course, it’s not quite that simple. The study of birth order is constantly being questioned by researchers, psychologists and therapists. In fact, experts seem to fall into one of two camps when it comes to the subject; they either agree with birth-order summations or completely disagree pointing to other factors that cause siblings to act the way they do.

For parents who may be searching for answers or just curious about the subject, here’s a look at both sides of the birth-order issue.

Opposing Views With more than 30 years of research on the subject of only children and one-child families, Toni Falbo, Ph.D., professor in educational psychology and sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, is considered the myth-buster when it comes to birth-order characteristics and how they pertain to a child’s outcome as an adult.

“People continue to think that birth order is important,” Falbo explains, “but other issues are far 24

more important, including parenting styles,” when it comes to child development.

Often quoted in birth-order articles including the LA Times, Time magazine and Psychology Today, Falbo has claimed reading birth-order studies is like reading horoscopes.

“We do not talk about the cookie-cutter birthorder identities anymore,” she says. “We know that these stereotypes are not as important as they were years ago.”

Not according to child and family therapist Meri Wallace, MSW, LCSW, however, who is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of New York and author of Birth Order Blues.

Throughout her 20plus years as a therapist, Wallace has seen and continues to see how birth order affects both children and adults within her practice.

“It became clear to me that there were patterns to how children behaved within their spot in the family,” she says, observing these same patterns in her adult practice as well. “These patterns kept appearing; patterns which powerfully affected a person’s life and really shaped how a person felt about themselves.”

Wallace decided to conduct an empirical study on birth order, which is the basis for her book. Setting out to interview siblings of every age, different

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Our Kids | September 2012

genders, only children and twins, she wanted to establish that there are in fact emotional expectations evident in each birth-order type and provide parents with a guide to help them understand birth order better.

With her experience in working with families, she makes the point that birth order cannot be ignored.

“It’s so clear how important it is,” Wallace says.

Parental Advice For parents who are looking to birth order for parenting tips or to help with family-planning decisions, both sides can be beneficial.

Falbo advises parents to look at each child individually instead of focusing on their birth order.

“Effective parenting is parenting that takes into account each child’s unique characteristics,” she says.

“Sometimes you will have a firstborn who is very shy and may not be a leader, for instance.”

Parents should not assume that the youngest will always act like a baby, Falbo adds; further explaining how so many of the birth-order ideas are based on stereotypes.

“A parent must try to teach each child to exercise their own strengths,” she continues, and hold back on making comparisons among siblings such as ‘Oh, I wish you were like your brother.’ A parent should promote a positive respect of caring for each other.

When it comes to competition among siblings, Falbo warns parents against it. Competition invariably sets up one child to be the “good one” and another, the “bad one,” creating a negative environment that affects a child in many ways.

Wallace, on the other hand, regards birth order to be a great tool for parents to use and encourages parents to intervene when they see a birth-order discrepancy play out. For example, a second-born child may be really upset when an older child is riding a two-wheel bicycle, but he cannot. A parent who understands birth order can address the child’s feelings of inadequacy based on his age, growth and safety instead of ignoring or negating his feelings.

“You must work with them [children],” Wallace says. “I don’t think you gloss over the issues but talk directly to the challenges of each birth order.”

Parents should realize that every child wants to be the best in their family, she explains, and while children don’t understand why they feel the way they do, a parent should acknowledge those feelings. For instance, the oldest child may feel that it isn’t fair that the youngest gets a lot of attention.

“Get the feelings out in the open and acknowledge them,” Wallace urges. “It’s a humane approach to family life.”

Significant Studies Birth order research can be traced to the late 19th century with Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler who first theorized that birth order influences personality.

He claimed that firstborns become “dethroned” when a second child is born, while the youngest or only child is often spoiled. Both scenarios leave lasting effects on children.

Contemporary studies include psychologist Frank Sulloway’s 1997 book, Born to Rebel, which took an evolutionary, or Darwinian, view of the effects of birth order. Sulloway looked to competition among siblings for both parental attention and resources, and while his theory points to a different motivator than Adler’s, his conclusion on birth-order identities are similar.

Like Falbo, however, many psychologists today strongly disagree with these assumptions and sociologist Dalton Conley, author of the 2004 book, The Pecking Order: Which Siblings Succeed and Why, argues that birth order alone does not determine a person’s success in life. He proposes that parental expectations, financial issues, death, divorce and other factors affect a person’s success more than birth order.

More than likely, the debate over birth order will continue for generations to come, and parents will be waiting for the results, just as many wait to read their daily horoscopes. ■ Salwa Choucair is a San Antonio freelance writer, the mother of two and the youngest of four.

Resources ■ Adler, Alfred. Translated by Colin Brett.

Understanding Human Nature. Hazelden Foundation. 1998.

■ Conley, Dalton. The Pecking Order: Which Siblings Succeed and Why. Pantheon. 2004.

■ Falbo, Toni. The Single-Child Family. Guilford Press. 1984.

■ Sulloway, Frank. Born to Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics and Creative Lives. Pantheon.

1997.

■ Wallace, Meri. Birth Order Blues: How Parents Can Help Their Children Meet the Challenges of Birth Order. Owl Books. 1999.

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Pet Resources Responsible Pet Ownership Offers Many Rewards

By Yvonne Vasquez

Owning a pet is an experience that brings many rewards in exchange for a lifetime commitment to an animal. However, the benefits of pet ownership come with serious obligations.

In reality, responsible pet ownership means much more than just furnishing food, water and shelter for your pet. The additional requirements of pet ownership range from providing proper veterinary care and exercising to spending enough time with the animal and making sure your home is “pet safe.”

Remember that an impulsive decision to acquire a pet without seriously thinking of the consequences could result in frustration and disappointment.

To ensure a happy outcome for all, several factors should be carefully considered.

Many prospective dog and cat owners underestimate how much time, effort and money is needed to own them.

A pet can provide comfort, offer emotional healing and enliven the spirit of a home. Children can also learn the benefits of responsibility by taking care of a dog, cat, fish or other animal.

Typically, cats call for less care and are more self-sufficient, but they are also less social than dogs. Dogs demand significantly more care, such as grooming, training, exercise and physical time to keep them healthy and stress-free. Larger dogs call for more of everything to properly maintain them.

If you have children or plan to have children, consider their needs carefully when choosing a pet. Do plenty of research, assess your home and then decide which pet would best fit your family’s lifestyle. Above all, make sure your children meet the pet you are planning to adopt to make sure they are compatible.

Apartment living may be more ideal for smaller pets, while a home with a yard is well suited for larger or more active animals. Some breeds shed more hair, and frequent grooming is necessary.

Other breeds get bored quickly if left alone for long periods and can wreck havoc on the furnishings in a house or apartment. Consult with a veterinarian, trainer or other animal expert before making your final selection.

To read more of this article go to OurKidsSanAntonio.com

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Our Kids | September 2012

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Pet Resources Pets Can Promote Good Health

By April Lynn Newell

Man’s best friend may be able to offer more than mere companionship, as studies show that pets can promote good health for owners such as lowering blood pressure.

Hospitals, schools and other facilities around San Antonio use a variety of animals to help patients and students emotionally, mentally and physically through animal therapy.

According to the British Medical Journal (McNicholas, 2005), research has shown that benefits in owning a pet include fewer medical visits, less possibility of asthma and other allergen-related problems in children who were introduced to animal dander within their first year, as well as fewer absences because of illness for children in school.

Pets have also been known to reduce stress and anxiety and “enhance recovery from serious illness such as stroke, myocardial infarction and cancer.”

Both Delta Pet Partners® and Therapy Animals of San Antonio have taken this research to heart and use a variety of animals in their therapeutic outreach such as dogs, cats, birds and guinea pigs

(cavies).

University Hospital’s Child Life Coordinator Rebecca Charlton has 25 years of experience with animal therapy and uses the local Delta Pet Partners® organization for children who have experienced physical trauma.

“We had one boy who was in a car accident and was hurt pretty badly, when we brought the dog in he started talking and the mother just started to cry and she said to me, ‘That is the first thing he has said in three days.’ So animal therapy can be very powerful,” says Charlton.

There are two ways animals can help therapeutically: Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) and Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). According to the Veterinary Journal (Endenburg, 2010), AAA focus on recreation such as petting the animal or the animal doing tricks for patients, whereas AAT uses an animal in treatment practices.

“Just the presence of an animal that gives unconditional love can be enough,” says Dottie Harrison, board member of local Delta Pet Partners.®

To read more of this article go to OurKidsSanAntonio.com

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e n i l On Visit OurKidsSanAntonio.com this fall and explore our comprehensive resource on all the schools in your area!

Discover public and private schools and research test scores, special programs, enrollment and more!

Browse Public School Scores

Learn About Private Schools

Schools – Call us at 855-232-1684 for more information on how to showcase your programs to parents.

Coming Soon to OurKidsSanAntonio.com!

Parents – Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and bookmark our site for complete education resources! Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly eNewsletter for ongoing resources, events and open houses. sanantonio.parenthood.com/content/subscribe.html

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Our Kids | September 2012

calendar

september

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDEN

By Cynthia Ladson

Model of baby raptor is one of several featured at Dinosaur Stampede.

Dino Fun At The Botanical Garden Dinosaur Stampede opens 9 a.m. Saturday at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. The exhibit features naturalistic settings inhabited by several lifesized dinosaur models created by fossil preparation expert Guy Darrough.

Opening day activities include a fossil dig, obstacle course, plant and fern rubbings, dino masks, face painting, dino bingo and other fun family exercises. Admission is $8 for adults; $6 seniors, students and active-duty military with ID; $5 ages 3-13; and free for 2 and younger. San Antonio Public Library cardholders receive $1 off general admission. The San Antonio Botanical Garden is at 555 Funston Place.

what’s inside 29 34 36

Highlight Family Theater Ongoing Exhibits

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calendar 1 Saturday Darwin – How One Man’s Theory Turned the World on its Head: Exhibit explores the famed naturalist’s life and discoveries that led to his ideas on the theory of evolution. The exhibit includes specimens, fossils, film, computer interactive, replicas of Darwin’s personal effects and a reconstruction of his study. Exhibit runs through Sept. 3. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday-Saturday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. $5 exhibit surcharge in addition to general admission. General admission is $10 ages 12-64, $9 ages 65-plus and activeduty military with ID, $8 ages 4-11, free for ages 3 and younger. 3801 Broadway. www.wittemuseum.org.

210-357-1900.

Lego KidsFest Texas: The LEGO KidsFest national tour continues through Sunday at the Austin Convention Center, 500 Cesar Chavez. LEGO brings its hands-on, minds-on fun and building experiences in an entertainment-packed family event for children of all ages and builders of all skills and interests. A few planned attractions include 40 life-sized models made entirely from LEGO bricks; live demonstrations and activities from LEGO staff members; and numerous creative free build, play and display areas. Younger visitors can create their own masterpieces with LEGO DUPLO. 9 a.m.1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday sessions 1; and 3-7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday sessions 2. Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for children, and can be purchased online at www.LEGOKidsFest.com. www.lego.com.

Labor Day Celebration: Three-day event filled with local entertainment, arts and crafts, children’s activities, food and more. Noon-11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; and noon-8 p.m. Monday. Free. El Mercado, Market Square.

210-289-7744.

2 Sunday Dinosaur Stampede: New exhibit, Dinosaur Stampede features naturalistic settings inhabited by several lifesized dinosaur models created by fossil preparation expert Guy Darrough. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. $8, adults; $6 seniors, students and active-duty military with ID; $5 ages 3-13; and free for 2 and younger. San Antonio Public Library cardholders receive $1 off general admission. San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place. www.sabot.org. 210-207-3250.

Mays Family Foundation Free Sundays: Enjoy a variety of free museum programs. 10 a.m.-noon. San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave. www.samuseum.org.

210-978-8107.

First Sundays for Families: Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month: Become inspired by the art of flamenco and groove to the sounds of live music during this special celebration of performing art in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Take part in a theatrical performance, or write poetry inspired by the museum’s collection.

Children and families will also enjoy creating molas, milagros and much more. 1-5 p.m. Free for children 12 and younger. San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave. www.samuseum.org. 210-978-8107.

4 Tuesday H-E-B Free Tuesdays: Families can enjoy a variety of programs including films, sketching and tours during free admission Tuesdays. 4-9 p.m. San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave. www.samuseum.org.

210-978-8183.

6 Thursday Alzafar Shrine Circus: Event features lions, tigers, clowns, acrobat maneuvers of Marinof Duo, high-wire aerialists and Mighty Bo, the elephant. The circus is orchestrated by Ringmistress Michelle Audrey. Show times are 7:15 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. and 8:15 p.m.

Friday; 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 8:15 p.m. Saturday and 7:15 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $20 for adult general admission, $14 for children general admission. Freeman Coliseum, 3201 E. Houston St. www.sanantoniocircus.com. 210-496-1625.

7 Friday Investigation Station: Kids put critical thinking skills to the test while working with interactive stations designed to encourage them to investigate the world around them. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays; 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. San Antonio Children’s Museum, 305 E. Houston St. www.sakids.org.

210-212-4453.

8 Saturday Sensational Solar System: Youngsters ages 6-10 years learn about the wonders of our solar system. Class meets once a month for 10 months. In-depth discussions on one planet will be offered each month. Students create a planet each month to form a solar system mobile that can be hung in their rooms. Register at

get listed Items to be considered for the calendar XXXXX must be received at least six weeks prior to publication. The deadline for the November 2012 issue is September 15.

Mail calendar items and photographs to: Calendar Editor, Our Kids San Antonio,

30

8400 Blanco Road, Suite 300, San Antonio, TX 78216, or e-mail to ourkidssacalendar@gmail.com.

Information cannot be accepted by phone.

If you miss the print deadline, you

may submit your event directly to our searchable online calendar at OurKidsSanAntonio.com. Just click on the “Submit Your Event” link below the Calendar on the home page. Online postings will appear on the Web only.

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Our Kids | September 2012

PHOTO COURTESY OF TRANSPLANTSFOR CHILDREN.ORG

Cyclists gather for Tours for Children benefit. This year’s event is Sept. 8.

www.sreitonline.org. Noon-2 p.m. $100. Classes held at Bexar County Agricultural Extension, 3355 Cherry Ridge St., Ste. 212. www.sreitonline.org.

Beginners’ Bird Walk: Join members of the San Antonio Audubon Society on a walk for families, ages 6 and older, the second Saturday of each month. Binoculars with instructions are available. 8 a.m. Free. Judson Nature Trail, 246 Viesca St., next to the Alamo Heights swimming pool. www.saaudubon.org. 210-308-6788.

Tours for Children: Cyclists can select from four different routes when participating in this event to help raise money for young organ and tissue transplant recipients and their families. Ride routes include a 10-mile family friendly, 31-mile intermediate Hill Country, 45-mile difficult Hill Country and a 62-mile competitive Hill Country. Cyclists should pick up packets from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 1 at Ride Away Bicycle, 2838 N. Loop 1604 East or Sept. 6 at Ride Away Bicycle, 11075 West Interstate 10. Packets may also be picked up beginning at 6:30 a.m. the day of the event at El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant, 15103 Bandera Road. Rides depart from the restaurant at 8 a.m. Race route ends at the restaurant. $35 for adults in advance or $50 the day of event; $10, children up to 12 years in advance or $25 day of event; $75, family in advance (no limit of size) or $90 day of event; no fee for babies on back of bikes; $50 in advance for tandem bikes or $60 day of event. www.transplantsforchildren.org. 210-949-1212.

Secondary Saturday Program: Local educators and amateur paleontologists will introduce participants to fossils found throughout Texas and the local area. Participants learn how fossils are formed and will have an opportunity to examine numerous specimens. There will be fossils to take home. 10 a.m.-noon. Reservations are recommended. Donation: $3 per individual or $5 per family. Eisenhower Park, 19399 N.W. Military Highway. www.sanaturalareas.org. 210-207-5320.

Turn Off That TV: For the third year, The Twig Book Shop presents a “Twiglet TV Turn Off Party.” During this time kids are invited to join the staff and plug into

books. Story time to feature local writer Chauntel Simmon, author of If I Were a Coconut. Kids will create battery-free 3D craft projects and enjoy snacks and more. 10:30 a.m. Free. The Twig Book Shop at Pearl in the Full Goods Building, 200 E. Grayson St., Ste. 124. www.thetwig.com.

Artificial Intelligence ROBOTICS: A 10-month class where kids ages 11-17 learn to create a programmable Humanoid Robot. At the end of the class youngsters are given a LEGO Robotics Kit to create a programmable humanoid as part of a competition.

2:30-4:30 p.m. $100. Classes held at the Bexar County Agricultural Extension, 3355 Cherry Ridge St., Suite #212. www.sreitonline.org.

10 Monday Little Sprout Mondays: Take little ones ages 3-4 years to the garden for kid-friendly fun. Little Sprout Mondays includes storytelling, kids’ crafts and hands-on explorations at your child’s pace. No registration is necessary. $3 per child and garden admission. San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place. www.sabot.org.

210-207-3250.

14 Friday Zoo Run Relay: Four-member teams run 8 miles or 2 miles per individual to raise funds for the zoo. Check in time is from 5-6 p.m. the day of the race at Koehler Pavilion. Packets can be picked up from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sept. 11-13 at the Zoo’s main office. Race begins at 6:30 p.m. For information or sponsorship call Gabrielle Gonzales at 210-734-7184 ext. 1049 or e-mail ggonzales@sazoo.org. San Antonio Zoo, 3903 N. St. Mary’s St. www.sazoo.org.

15 Saturday Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit: The Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit, IndiVisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas, explores historical and contemporary stories of people and communities, whose shared histories are woven into the fabric of American identity.

The exhibition sheds light on the dynamics of race, community, culture and creativity, and addresses the human desire to belong. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. $8 for ages 12-64; $7 for 65+; $6 children 3-11; free with membership, UTSA or Alamo Colleges ID. Institute of Texan Cultures, 801 E. César Chávez Blvd. www.texancultures.com.

210-458-2300.

16 de Septiembre Parade and Festival: Event marking Mexico’s independence from Spain celebrates Diez y Seis

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calendar

Kids Zoo Run: Kids ages 11 and younger can run a 1/4- to 1/2-mile lap through the San Antonio Zoo. 8:30 a.m. $15 per child. Contact Gabrielle Gonzales at 210-734-7184 ext. 1049 or e-mail at ggonzales@sazoo. org for information about donations, sponsorship and volunteer opportunities. San Antonio Zoo, 3903 N. St. Mary’s St. www.sazoo.org.

Fiestas Patrias: Diez y Seis event commemorating Mexico’s independence features live entertainment by mariachis, folklorico dance groups, regional Conjunto groups and more. Also, food booths and face painting.

Free. 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. today and Sept. 16. Market Square, 514 W. Commerce St. 210-260-1621.

17 Monday Health Families Network: Meeting for people in the community interested in reducing infant mortality in

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AVENIDA GUADALUPE ASSOCIATION

with a street parade and festival. Drill team competition, 8 a.m. Parade along Guadalupe Street begins at 10 a.m. Free parade seating or take your own chair.

Festival runs from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. in Plaza Guadalupe with entertainment. Family and kids’ area from 1-4 p.m. featuring face painting, games and more. Free. www.avenidaguadalupe.org/diezyseis/default.asp.

210-223-3151.

San Antonio’s 16 de Septiembre parade. This year’s parade and festivities begin Sept. 15.

San Antonio and Bexar County. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch provided. Reservations required. Texas Diabetes Institute, 701 S. Zarzamora St. 210-207-4725.

18 Tuesday Family Music Time: Free music class every third Tuesday. Kids ages 3 and younger and their gown ups sing songs, play instruments, read stories and make music together. 10:30 a.m. Jensen’s Yamaha Music School, 2241 N.E. Military Highway, Ste. 202-B. www.jensensyamahamusic.com. 210-366-5048.

Check Out Our New Site Today! www.OurKidsSanAntonio.com 32

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Our Kids | September 2012

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AVENIDA GUADALUPE ASSOCIATION

Flower to Fruit Series – Fabulous Fruit: Homeschool students ages 5-7 can go on a hunt for fruit in the garden as they explore the tasty, colorful, strange and very diverse world of fruit. Among other things, participants learn what a fruit is and is not, understand why plants grow fruit and why some fruits are hairy or prickly. Participants will do fruit printing and create a model of their own super fruit. 1-3 p.m. $30. San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place. www.sabot.org. 210-207-3250.

21 Friday Fall Vegetable Gardening for Homeschoolers: Students learn about starting a home garden or making theirs more productive when they join David Rodriguez, extension horticulturist, for this class designed especially for them. Vegetable gardening is a good way to teach science concepts such as the parts of plants, pollination and plant/animal interrelationships. It is also a good approach to teaching stewardship, responsibility and healthy eating. Participants will have the chance to tour the Children’s Vegetable Garden. Limited to 30 people. 9 a.m.-noon. $20 for one adult and two children. San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place. www.sabot.org. 210-207-3250.

Starlight Movies in the Garden: Stroll through 38-acres

22 Saturday Jazz’SAlive: Weekend jazz festival features national recording artists along with regional and local jazz favorites performing outdoors in Travis Park downtown, 300 Travis St. Noon-11 p.m. today; noon-10 p.m. Sunday.

Children’s activities from noon-6 p.m. both days. No coolers allowed. Free. www.saparksfoundation.org.

210-212-8423.

Jazz’SAlive Children’s Symposium: Jazz’SAlive event in which kids are introduced to various aspects of music.

This year symposium participants learn about four areas of music: percussion (congas/timabales/shakers); vocals; high brass (trumpet/flugel horn); and woodwinds (saxopone/flute/clarinet). 10-11 a.m. in front of the Jefferson Street Stage near Travis Park. Kids must be accompanied by a parent. T-shirts provided to each participant while supplies last. Free. Travis Park, 300 Travis St. www.saparksfoundation.org. 210-212-8423.

Thousands Oaks Auto Zone

Twinkle World

Jones - Malts Berger

SAN ANTONIO ACADEMY

of natural beauty before enjoying the movie classic Rebel Without a Cause starring James Dean. Free admission beginning at 7:30 p.m., movie begins at 8:30 p.m.

Take picnics and blankets or lawn chairs. Light concessions will be available. San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place. www.sabot.org. 210-207-3250.

Open 10:00 am - 7:30 pm Mon - Sat

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For most students, the elementary years make up about half of their school lives, the foundation for the years to come.

Study habits are established and life-long attitudes are developed. Values are formed. Since 1886 The Academy has prepared young men to succeed in life.

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www.sa-academy.org sa academ San Antonio Academy admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin.

733-7331 117 East French Place San Antonio, Texas 78212-5899

Accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest Member of the National Association of Independent Schools

Be honest. Be kind. Be the best you can be.®

Educating Boys for Life

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September 2012 | OurKidsSanAntonio.com 33 For reprints please contact the Publisher.

calendar

Family Theater

2012 Run & Walk for AIDS: Run or walk to help raise funds for AIDS community awareness. 5K-run begins at 8 a.m. and 2-mile walk at 9 a.m. Both begin and end at the Blue Star Complex Mission Reach River Extension. $30 for runners registering early, $20 for walkers registering early. Late registrants pay an additional $5. Online registration. Fun continues with food booths, entertainment and games and more in the south end parking lot of the Blue Star Complex. www.RunWalkAIDS.org. 210-225-4715.

Animal Botanical Special Needs: Children ages 7-19 with special needs are invited to explore the plants and animals of the Botanical Garden with hands-on activities, crafts and games. Special education instructors will lead the kids on their garden adventures. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. $25 with garden admission included. San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place. www.sabot.org.

210-207-3250.

26 Wednesday Water Side Plants Series – Water Wisdom in the Desert: Even desert plants need water! Homeschool students ages 8-11 examine the dry and rocky world of desert plants. 1-3 p.m. $30. San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place. www.sabot.org. 210-207-3250.

■ Disney’s Aladdin (Dual Language Edition) – Bienvenidos a Agrabah, City of Enchantment! Disney’s Aladdin Dual Language Edition is a combination of English and Spanish, completely understandable whether you speak English, Spanish or both. The story begins centuries ago, when the royalty of Agrabah spoke one language and the citizens another. Communication is impossible without translation – which is controlled by the evil vizier Jafar. When the rebellious princess and a delinquent street rat meet in the marketplace, they find something special in one another, work to transcend the barriers between them, and with a little magic help create a better future for themselves and for Agrabah. The production is based on the book by Jim Luigs and José Cruz González. 10:30 a.m.

Wednesdays, 7 p.m. Fridays and 2 p.m. Saturdays. Show runs through Sept. 22. Cost is $10 for adults and children 2-17, children 2 years and younger are free. Discounts are offered to military and seniors with valid identification.

Magik Theatre, 420 S. Alamo St. www.magiktheatre.org.

210-227-2751.

■ The Princess and the Please – Princess Suzy is the most spoiled princess you have ever met! Her manners are terrible! Princes from all over the world come to the palace to meet the princess, but her attitude has each one running.

When Prince Rodney arrives, he is determined to teach Suzy a thing or two about manners, but is it too late? $6, children under 1 year are free. 10 a.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Show runs from Sept. 11-29. Stone Oak Young Theater and Dance Company, 21518 Blanco Road. www.stoneoakyouththeatre.com. 210-481-2400.

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After School Care • Birthday Parties • Weekly Classes

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State-of-the-art facilities Highly trained staff Warm water and air year round Child-centered curriculum Awesome preschool programs

Year-Round Special Education For children ages 7-16 with medium-high functioning skills. As low as $350-$750/m* for General ‘Special’ Education program. One-on-One for low-medium also available (visit online for rates).

Choose Love!

Lessons • Preschool • Parties • Gifts

Enrolling Always

210-690-4800 www.clowvazar.com *Tuition costs arc all based on income and available seats in each tuition bracket

34

www.love-to-swim.com

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Our Kids | September 2012

Youngsters enjoy Family Day at the San Antonio Museum of Art.

SAY SÍ Youth Theatre Company: The group presents Conejode Campos. Conejode Campos, a new play by Elijiah Rios, follows a family of Jack Rabbits across the Rio Grande through cactus and brush as they reunite a family divided by hard times. The play is told with puppets, animation and traditional conjunto music. It is performed by ALAS Youth Theatre Company. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m.

Sunday. $5 adults, free to children and students. SAY SÍ Black Box Theatre, 1518 S. Alamo St. www.saysi. org. 210-212-8666.

Starlight Movies in the Garden: Stroll through 38-acres of natural beauty before enjoying the movie classic Roman Holiday. Free admission beginning at 7:30 p.m., movie begins at 8:30 p.m. Take picnics and blankets or lawn chairs. Light concessions will be available.

San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place. www.sabot.org. 210-207-3250.

29 Saturday Museum Day Live! Museums nationwide are offering free admission today, courtesy of Smithsonian magazine. The Institute of Texan Cultures, 801 E. Cesar Chavez Boulevard; Museo Alameda, 101 S.

for

BLOG US! W

NE

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SAN ANTONIO MUSEUM OF ART

28 Friday

Santa Rosa St.; and Spanish Governor’s Palace, 105 Military Plaza are participating in the Smithsonian’s eighth annual Museum Day Live. Visitors must present the Museum Day admission card for free entry. Visit www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/ to download your card. Each card admits two people.

SNIPSA 5K Race: Spay-Neuter-Inject-Protect of San Antonio 5K Run/Walk benefits homeless and abandoned animals in the San Antonio area needing specialized medical care, as well as spay and neuter services.

Register online at www.snipsa.org and iaapweb.com.

Walk-in registration at Fleet Feet Sports 6408 N. New Braunfels Ave. 8 a.m. $25. Alamo Heights Swimming Pool, 250 Viesca. www.snipsa.org/SNI/Registration.

210-867-7647.

iParent SA Program iParent SA is a program of The Children’ s Shelter and funded in part

by Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Become a contributor to the

Our Kids Blog

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Are you a parent with something to say? Perhaps you're raising an only child, a special needs child, multiples or a gifted kid and want to share your knowledge. Maybe you're a mom- or dad-about-town with tips on events and activities for families in your neck of the woods. Or maybe you have a professional specialty - like cooking for kids, crafting, organizing, or health and safety.

Who is eligible?

If you're interested in contributing a weekly blog post exclusively to OurKidsSanAntonio.com, email us at cynthia.ladson@parenthood.com with your idea for a blog focus and a 3-paragraph sample blog post.

Learn more at OurKidsSanAntonio.com!

The Go-To Resource for San Antonio Parents

Enhance your parenting skills by working with a Parent Educator who will support you in learning positive discipline, build a network of support, get referrals for support services, prenatal development, stress management, healthy development for infants, children and teens, plus much more!

Parents with children ages 0 to 17

iParent offers you: • Parenting Training (Individual or Group-Based) • Family Enrichment Activities • Case Management • Crisis Intervention • Emergency Day/ Night Respite (Temporary Relief During Stressful Times)

Where and when are services provided?

Our program offers both in-home visits and group-based education.

The iParent program duration is 1-2 hours per week for 7-10 weeks.

Long-Term services are also available.

Contact: (210) 212-2576 Crisis Line: (210) 383-3239 Crisis Line is open 24/7 www.childrensshelter.org

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September 2012 | OurKidsSanAntonio.com 35 For reprints please contact the Publisher.

calendar Ongoing Exhibits INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES ■ “Made in Texas” explores the ideas and everyday items that have their origins right here in Texas. The new exhibit showcases the Lone Star State’s impact on the world – everything from cowboy boots, computers, salsa, Jalapeño jelly, prickly pear wine, ancient stone tools and artificial hearts. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Through Sept. 29, 2013.

■ “Timeless Texas Toys” explores life and culture through handmade folk toys. Designed like a toymaker’s shop, the new exhibit features Texas toymakers, a paper doll illustrator and the proprietor of San Antonio’s first known doll hospital. Young visitors can try their hand at making a toy and play with large-scale versions of folk toys.

Through Dec. 31.

Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday.

Admission: $8 ages 12-64, $7 seniors 65-plus, $6 ages 3-11, free for ages 2 and younger. 801 E. César E. Chávez Blvd. www.texancultures.com. 210-458-2300.

MCNAY ART MUSEUM ■ Radcliff Bailey: Memory as Medicine celebrates the greater African American story and the artist’s personal discoveries about his family origins. The exhibition title takes its name from sets of “medicine cabinet” sculptures. These containers, along with other objects significant to the culture of the South, allude to Bailey’s ancestors and function as medicine as he reaches for memory to restore himself.

Runs through Sept. 2.

Hours: Noon-5 p.m. Sundays; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursdays; and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays. Admission: $8 for adults, $5 for students with ID and 65+, free for 12 years and younger. 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave. www.mcnay.org. 210-805-1756.

SAN ANTONIO CHILDREN’S MUSEUM ■ “Science City” invites kids to think like scientists in six interactive zones. Hands-on activities that encourage creative and innovative thinking include designing structures that withstand the forces of nature, investigating the science of circuits and experimenting with aerodynamics and momentum on a racetrack.

Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $8; free for children younger than 2. Free kids’ night is every third Tuesday of each month. 305 E. Houston St. www.sakids.org. 210-212-4453.

SAN ANTONIO ZOO ■ “Africa Live!” features up-close views of hippopotamus, Nile crocodiles, giant bullfrogs, Egyptian cobras, giant elephant shrews and more. Visitors experience the plants and animals of Africa three months after the seasonal rains, including animals from Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi that can be seen through underwater windows.

Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission: $12 for ages 12 and older, $9.50 children ages 3-11 and seniors over 62, free for ages 2 and under. 3903 N. St. Mary’s St. in Brackenridge Park. www.sazoo.org. 210-734-7184.

WITTE MUSEUM ■ Robert J. and Helen C. Kleberg South Texas Heritage Center allows visitors to experience more than 150 years of change and growth in San Antonio and South Texas. The new 20,000 squarefoot, two-story building situated on the Witte Museum grounds provides a permanent home to a collection of artifacts that tell the story of San Antonio’s founding and of other key events that shaped South Texas from the early 1800s to the 1950s.

■ “Darwin: How One Man’s Theory Turned the World on its Head” explores the famed naturalist’s life and discoveries that led to his ideas on the theory of evolution. The exhibit includes specimens, fossils, film, computer interactive, replicas of Darwin’s personal effects and a reconstruction of his study. $5 exhibit surcharge in addition to general museum admission. Through Sept. 3.

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday-Saturday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $10 ages 12-64, $9 ages 65-plus and active-duty military with ID, $8 ages 4-11, free for ages 3 and younger. 3801 Broadway. www.wittemuseum.org. 210-357-1900.

looking ahead to october Octoberfest in Fredericksburg Oct. 5-7; Kids Triathlon at Lifetime Fitness Center, Oct. 7; and Zoo Boo at the San Antonio Zoo on Oct. 30.

DANCE CLASSES Classical Ballet • Pointe • Pas de deux • Adult Ballet • Jazz, Modern • Tap • Flamenco • Folklorico• Scottish Highland • Zumba

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Give your child the chance to become Bilingual at any age

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Our Kids | September 2012

Brooks Academy An Integrated K-12 Instructional Program

Now Enrolling for 2012-13 • Emphasis on Science and Math Skills Development • Limited Enrollment • Participate in UIL academic and athletic activities • College Readiness Program

Apply online at www.brooksacademy.org or Call 210-633-9006

Bexar County Academy Public Charter School Teaching Leadership & Entrepreneurship For Pre-K Through 8th Grades

Middle School

RANKED #1 Charter School In San Antonio By Children At-Risk Foundation

• Free Tuition • Highly Qualified Teachers • Daily Physical Education • Pre-K School-Ready Certified • Free Field Trips (All Levels) • After School Programs • Math + Music Program • CScope State Curriculum • Reading, Computer, and Music Labs • School Reach Parent Notification System • Free Breakfast And Lunch For All Students (No Income Disclosure Required) • Free Middle School Trip To Atlanta For Camp Exposure Entrepreneurship Lab

1485 Hillcrest • San Antonio, TX • (210) 432-8600

www.BexarCountyAcademy.org

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September 2012 | OurKidsSanAntonio.com 37 For reprints please contact the Publisher.

OUR KIDS To place a classified ad call 210-349-6667

CLASSIFIEDS

Publisher does not endorse nor recommend the following business and we encourage our readers to look carefully into any business before making personal or financial commitments.

MUSIC

PIANO & DRUM LESSONS Stone Oak Area Contact: Lyn @ (210) 843-0632

• One-on-one private lessons • Certified Instructors • Sibling Discounts allegropiano.net • allegropiano@yahoo.com

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Phonics - Reading - L. Arts Math - Handwriting - STAAR Prep.

ADD - ADHD - Dyslexia - ESL Exp. 1:1 Pre-school - High school “Inspiring students to do and be their best”

Gail Saunders, B.S. Ed. C.I. 25+ Years Exp.(210) 509-7951

DANCE KINDERDANCE OF ALAMO CITY CHILDREN’S DANCE CLASSES Ages 2yrs-10yrs • 4 Locations Free Trial Class • Sibling Discounts

210-680-5964

www.KinderdanceAlamoCity.com kinderdancealamocity@gmail.com

2012

Childcare & Preschool Finder Look for it in WalMart • H-E-B Jim's Restaurant Medical Facilities Libraries • Book Stores Other Retail Locations Call for location nearest you.

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NOW AVAILABLE AT: At ALL area Walmarts around San Antonio Also available 24 hours, 7 days a week at www.OurKidsSanAntonio.com

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aircastlemoonwalks.com

38

• Birthday Parties • Family Gatherings • Holiday Events

Our Kids San Antonio the region’s premier monthly magazine dedicated to serving and empowering, YOU, San Antonio Parents is not only available at: HEB and All Jim’s Coffee Shops.

Our Kids | September 2012

1.

Y

KIDS

in

Hot Fun in the Summertime 1. Bubba stays cool while playing in the fountains at an area theme park.

2. Victoria has “hot fun in the summertime” at Sea World San Antonio’s kiddie pool area. This is her favorite place!

2.

3.

4.

3. Samuel and Ryan enjoy summer at Cub Scout Camp Akela.

4. Cousins Isabella and Olivia beat the heat with a swim in Mimi and Poppy’s pool.

5. Crystal is all smiles in the summer sun!

6. Frankie spends the day tubing on Lake LBJ to beat the Texas heat.

7. Ethan finds a shady spot for fishing at Cub Scout Camp Akela.

5.

8. Robert and Aaron observe Saturn and its rings while at Guadalupe River State Park.

6.

Submit Your Photos for November and December Issues using It’s now easier than ever to submit your kids’ photos for publication in Our Kids magazine. Join our Flickr group today and submit your kids’ photos.

Here is how it’s done: Login www.flickr.com using your Google, Yahoo or Facebook account and join the Your Kids in Our Kids group and submit your photos to the group by clicking on the upload button at the top of the page. By submitting photos to the Your Kids in Our Kids Flickr group page you give us permission to publish your photos in Our Kids San Antonio magazine.

Theme for Our Kids November and December issues is “Fall Holidays.” The deadline to submit photos for November is Oct. 1 and the December deadline is Nov. 1.

7.

8.

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Sandy wants to share with your family the calendar for lots of fun activities and observances

SUNDAY

MONDAY

WEDNESDAY

TUESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

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September 2

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World Physi Physicall Therapy Day

15 International Eat a Apple Day

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22 Dear Diary Day

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Talk Like a Pirate Day

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the mu y Sha ale Da h W

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29 National Coffee Day

World Ataxia Awareness Day

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Video Games Day

Grandparents Day

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7 ay mi D Sala

Responsible Dog Ownership Day

SATURDAY

To keep her balance the child with ataxia walks bent forward with feet wide apart.

She takes irregular steps, like a sailor on a rough sea

Speech, Occupational & Physical Therapy Home Health and Clinic Settings abilitypediatrictherapy.com 344-KIDS(5437) Content is copyright protected and provided for personal use only - not for reproduction or retransmission.

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