KidsOutAndAbout.com newsletter

Sent March 28, 2008

Click here to sign up for the newsletter.

Dear KOA readers:

This week, my cousins and their kids came up for the Easter holiday, and I had the fascinating experience of meeting my 14-year-old cousin for the first time (he's the tall, handsome guy in the photo). Why fascinating? To my surprise, he hopped out of the car, and gave me a big smile and a nice, if a little shy, hug. What particularly surprised me was the way he looked me right in the eye, right away. What a beautiful first impression it made. And, I thought, how unusual this is in our society, not just among 14-year-old boys, but among people in general.

So I started paying attention, this week: In daily interactions with people...with colleagues, with salespeople, with acquaintances...how often do people look each other right in the eye as they're talking? It's really not that often. In our society, at least, smiling and looking someone in the eye says: "I am confident that you and I can make a connection; we're both worthy of it." It's such a simple concept, but is definitely a learned skill, and not that easy for kids to make a natural habit. But I think now that it is even more important than I had realized before I met my young cousin. So I've been making mental notes to find opportunities to help my girls practice looking people in the eye when they're talking with them. I'd love to think that by the time they're in their early teens they will do it as naturally as Glenn does. Is this something you have focused on with your own kids? Feedback and suggestions are always welcome.

2) On Wednesday night, I took the girls to the dress rehearsal of the Greece Athena Middle School Theatre's performance of Peter Pan. Some dress rehearsal...the audience was packed, and you would have thought it was the last night of the performance, the kids were so letter-perfect (or so it seemed to me). Particular standouts were 8th grader Michael Leadbetter who played Peter Pan, and Ben Mariano, a 7th grader who played Smee, Captain Hook's sidekick. Tickets are still available at Wegmans ($9 at Wegmans, $10 at the door) for all performances -- March 27, 28, 29 at 7:30 p.m. and March 29 & 30 at 2 p.m. at the Athena Performing Arts Center, 800 Long Pond Road in Greece. The show is perfect for young children, but it is a full 2 1/2 hour performance (with two intermissions), and the evening shows will end after 10pm. I believe that the matinees are starting to sell out, though, so get your tickets immediately if you want to take the littler ones. For more information, see http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=15104

By the way, congratulations to Heidi from Rochester who won four Director's Row tickets to the performance last night. I forgot to mention this in my March 21 email, sorry about that!

3) Congratulations to some of the winners of recent giveaways offered through KidsOutAndAbout.com:

Katie, of Penfield, won tickets to the Bach Children's Chorus Concert Gala on April 5 at 6:30pm. After the concert at 6:30, kids go to some adjoining rooms and have a pizza party and other entertainment (all well supervised) while parents enjoy a more elegant evening: food, entertainment by the Bow Ties, and a silent AND live auction. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for kids, and may be ordered by calling 585-582-3082.

Sharon and Amy, both of Rochester, won the drawing for tickets to tonight's opening night show of Rapunzel from TYKEs Theatre (Theatre Young Kids Enjoy). This is part of the Rochester TheatreFest being held at Geva Theatre Center. The show is recommended for ages four and up; it runs from March 28-April 6. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased through Geva directly at 232-Geva or at www.GevaTheatre.org.

4) As of press time, our current giveways are for:

A family four-pack set of tickets to the 2pm, April 6 show of The Harley School's final Bebop to Bach concert of the year. These shows are specially designed for children ages 2-8, and my kids have enjoyed these in previous years; the music, the commentary, and the comfortable setting are perfect for introducing young kids to great music.

Rochester Children's Theatre is holding a drawing for two pairs of tickets to its Saturday, April 5th 2 p.m. performance of Quilters at Nazareth College. The show opens tomorrow and runs weekends through April 6. It is appropriate for ages 12 and up.

Tammy DeMarle, Independant Consultant with Mary Kay, is giving away a Botanical Body Care Collection valued at $55.

For all of these drawings, please see our Giveaway page at http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/city-articles/giveaways.html for directions on how to enter.

Check back frequently, as I'm adding drawings all the time. (And email me if your business or organization would like to offer one.)

5) The Scouting for Food and Clothing Drive is returning to your neighborhood on the weekends of Saturday, March 29th and Saturday, April 5th. This massive effort will involve over 12,000 volunteers from all over Monroe County, my own two girls among them! The Girl Scouts of Genesee Valley and Otetiana Council of Boy Scouts hope to collect 110 tons each of food and clothing, enough to stock 81 food cupboards for four months and provide programs and services to people who are blind and visually impaired throughout Monroe County. Girl and Boy Scouts will be in your neighborhoods on Saturday March 29th dropping off empty bags for the annual Scouting for Food and Clothing Drive. Please take the time to fill the green bags with non-perishable foods and blue bags with gently worn clothing. Leave the full bags on your porch, door handle, etc. for the scouts to pick up on Saturday, April 5th before 10am. Thank you!

6) RIT’s Center for Bioscience Education and Technology will continue its successful bioscience summer camps in 2008. Experienced science educators will use RIT’s expansive natural environment and high-tech labs to provide an extraordinary learning experience for your child. Programs for middle school students and high school students are available. It practically makes me want to be that age again (although to be frank, no amount of money would make me want to repeat the middle school years). You can check out KOA's Science Summer Camps page at
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/classesandcamps/camps/science.html

There are lots more science camps listed, and we have 20 other camp subjects listed on our main summer camp index page at
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/classesandcamps/camps/index.html

7) Speaking of camps, I've been getting loads of emails about whether people have missed the annual Genesee Valley Parent Camp Fair, which is usually in March at Eastview Mall. But no, this year it is on April 6, from 11am-5pm. Click here for more information:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=14836

I'll be on Fickle 93.3 again next Friday morning April 4, this time to talk about summer camps. If you're near a radio, listen for me in the 7:50 segment!

8) Bill Fortino, of BowlARoll in Henrietta, asked me to announce that Spring sessions of Homeschool Bowling are just starting up, and there are still spots available. The first session started yesterday, March 27th @ 1:00 and will run ten (10) weeks on Thursday afternoons. Second Session will begin on Monday, April 28th @ 1:00 PM. It will run five (5) weeks.

9) What's going on this weekend? Oh, lots and lots.

Saturday afternoon (tomorrow, March 29), don't miss a special 2-hour storytelling performance by renowned children's author and storyteller Rafe Martin from 2-4pm. You've heard of him for years...and now is the time to meet him in person! This event is at the Asbury First United Methodist Church at 1050 East Ave in Rochester. Tickets are $5 per person or $15 MAX per family. All proceeds benefit Cobblestone School. Rafe's books will be available for purchase with a book signing to follow performance. There will be a raffle to win a basket filled with Rafe's books! Rafe is the author of over 20 books and the recipient of numerous awards including three ALA Notable Book Awards and four Parent Choice Gold Awards.

The Sound of Music from Cobblestone Arts Center is at The Morgan School on East Street in East Rochester this weekend. (And, they're presenting The Lion King there from NEXT Thursday through Saturday.)

As mentioned above, Peter Pan is this weekend at Greece Athena Middle School Arts Center and Quilters, from the Rochester Children's Theatre, opens in the Shults Center Forum at Nazareth College. Also, as mentioned Rapunzel opens this weekend at Geva Theatre Center; their Saturday 2pm show is interpreted for the hearing impaired.

There is an Amadeus and Friends concert for kids and families from the Amadeus Chorale, a great group composed of local young singers. That is at Pearce Memorial Church, 4322 Buffalo Rd in North Chili, on Saturday at 7pm.

This will be the LAST weekend of Genesee Country Village's Sap, Syrup, and Sugar weekends and the FIRST weekend of the RMSC Cumming Nature Center's Maple Sugaring Weekends. And Schoff/Gillis Maple Syrup in Victor will be holding an Open House Maple Syrup Farm both days this weekend from 10-5.

And it's the beginning of RIT's Nano Week Celebrations, with events that bring nanotechnology to the public. There will be interactive exhibits, experimental demos, movies on nanomaterials, and conducted tours of the laboratories. See the KOA Calendar for more information, or email Dr. Santhanam at ksssch@rit.edu.

Speaking of science and computers, the Kids Miracle Making Club is hosting a session for kids through age 6-12 on How To Build Your Own Web Page on Saturday from 2pm-3pm at EMA Design Automation, 225 Tech Park Dr., Henrietta. Registration is a must, see the calendar for details.

Remember, there is always much more on the calendar than I highlight in the newsletter! To see the Rochester Event Calendar for the next 10 days, go to
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-search-display.php?dr=tw&EventCity=1

Enjoy the weekend, everyone! Keep your fingers crossed, it has to warm up someday...sometime...

Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com

Click here to sign up for the newsletter if you are not yet subscribed.