KidsOutAndAbout.com newsletter

Sent April 25, 2008

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Dear KOA readers:

I hope everyone had a good break week -- we sure did, we were in Boston. Look for an upcoming article from me on what it's like to be in Lexington & Concord on April 19, which is the anniversary of the first battle of the American Revolution. We saw a battle re-enactment, which was great, and the kids loved it. I found out that the key to having the kids enjoy these historic sites is twofold:

a) Enjoy it yourself. Something is always interesting, or can be made interesting. Make sure you root out what is interesting *to you* and communicate this enthusiasm to your kids...before, during, and after the trip. In general, when I'm out and about, I believe my job is regularly to draw connections for my kids, between this new thing, and what I know they already know. I'm constantly drawing those connections for myself, too, filling in gaps between what I know and don't know. My strategy is to show the kids that this is a normal, natural, everyday process. There's no excuse for boredom, but kids don't engage automatically; we have to show them how and why to engage in any particular thing.

b) Prepare the kids well. We read up on Paul Revere's Ride and the Battle of Lexington & Concord before we went, and it made all the difference. The girls learned early in the week before we left that the colonials didn't really engage the British successfully until they were on their way back to Boston after trying to find stored weapons in Concord...and so the battle re-enactment in the late afternoon in Lexington really *meant* something to them. (And then, this week, "Fetch with Ruff Ruffman" obliged me by airing its two-part episode where the kids trace Paul Revere's Ride. We saw them at all of these places we had actually been only five days before. Ella was so excited! Way to go, PBS.)

c) Bring snacks.

2) This week marks the seventh anniversary of getting KidsOutAndAbout.com started! We realized right before Ella was born that we were always missing out on opportunities for Madison (who was then 20 months old) because we didn't know about them far enough in advance. So I took my maternity leave with Ella to create KOA. Ella was born on April 29, 2001 and we launched in late June. It's really fun to see what it has become -- there are about 7000 people on this email list, and we get about 80,000 user sessions each month. And it's all because of community suggestions and involvement and willingness for all of the organizations to log their events to the calendar. And then, of course, it's also thanks to Excellus BCBS who in 2004 took over paying the bills so that this community resource could continue and grow. So thank you for your support, everyone! We grow by word of mouth, so please tell your friends. As you can tell, I have a lot of fun running KOA.

3) By the way, those who want to log events (those that are open to the public) to the KidsOutAndAbout.com calendar need only go to "Rochester Events" and then click on "Log Upcoming Events" (or Post Upcoming Events) and complete the form there. It goes to an administrative page where I approve it to be visible on the web.

By the way, I am often asked how all of these events and articles get highlighted in my newsletter. It's not complicated: People email me and...ask. If it's appropriate and not too long and fits in with the KOA mission, I do my best to include it.

4) Patti Ronsvalle, the organizer of last weekend's Mommy and Me expo at the Hyatt reports that it was a roaring success, with over 2500 people, and that she'll be moving the event to the Dome Arena in future years. She thanks everyone who attended and helped make the event so successful. Congratulations, Patti!

5) Congratulations to Corrie from Rochester, winner of the Daffodil Meadow photography sessions with Honey DeLapa. Those sessions will be Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3 in Durand Eastman Park. You can see photos that were done last year of my girls at http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/city-articles/DaffodilDays.html. To make an appointment for a daffodil photo session, call Honey at (585) 392-3886.

6) Congratulations also to Vicky from Rochester, the winner of four tickets to Some Enchanted Evening, from our local Broadway revue group A Magical Journey Thru Stages. Some Enchanted Evening opens tonight at the Upstage3 Theater at the Auditorium Theater, and runs four shows per weekend through May 10. I reviewed their Revue show last spring, Times Square Revue. You can see the review here:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/main-reviews/StagesTimesSquare.html
Next weekend, the May 2 performance benefits Cobblestone School. Since the group’s inception nearly a decade ago, Stages has helped raise over $100,000 for non-profit organizations in our community.

7) Lollypop Farm invites the Rochester community to a FREE educational and fun family event: The 7th Annual Farm Day on Saturday, April 26th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 99 Victor Road in Fairport. This event is open to the public. The event features: Opportunities to visit with and learn about farm animals at the shelter; A variety of children's crafts, activities and face painting; Wool spinning and horse training demonstrations; A used tack sale; Wagon rides around the Farm; A special appearance from Mercy the painting mini-horse.

8) The Bach Children's Chorus is for kids age 8-16 and is run out of Nazareth College, under the direction of Karla Krogstad. If your child might be interested in auditioning in May, you can attend an information session tomorrow, Saturday, April 26, from 10:30 to 11:45 at Nazareth College (see the KOA calendar for details). You can pre-register with June Santini, Chorus Manager, at 582-3082 or email her at JuneSantini@rochester.rr.com. Audition materials will be available for $5. If you can't make this information session, there will be another one on May 17 from 9:30 to 10:45.

9) If you're a mom of a preschooler, it's easy and normal to feel overwhelmed, especially if you have multiple children in your care. Karly Pitman of First Ourselves provides five tips to help you when you're knee-deep in Mommy fatigue: http://www.firstourselves.com/first_ourselves/2008/04/mothers-of-pres.html
I like Karly's blog.

10) What's going on this weekend? Plenty!

Tonight there will be an evening hike at the Genesee Country Nature Center in Mumford: Night Songs of Spring. That's at 7pm, and you should call them at 585-538-6522 to pre-register.

Tonight from 6:30-10pm there is a special autism benefit at ARTISANWorks, 565 Blossom Road in Rochester. Events will include wine tasting, silent auction, raffles, hors d’oeuvres, pasta stations, dessert, acknowledgements and music. Proceeds from the event are used to fund Upstate New York Families for Effective Autism Treatment's education programs and to provide continued training, workshops, and support to those affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders. For more information about the event, go to
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=15263

As those of you who have Webkinz-obsessed children like mine already know, this is Webkinz Extravaganza Weekend. I have noticed several stores in our area hosting the various events, including this one at the Enchanted Rose Garden on Penfield Road:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=15407
That's the place where my kids buy their Webkinz, as it happens; they have pretty good prices. There will be a free Webkinz to the first 500 customers purchasing $10 or more. See the link for more details.

There is a Multi-family Garage Sale to benefit the Ellwanger Barry Nursery School, at the South Presbyterian Church at 4 E. Henrietta Road, on Saturday from 8:30am-1pm.

And, in that same vein, there is a Mothertime Marketplace Semi annual Children's Consignment Sale Event at the fairgrounds in Hamburg, NY, this weekend, April 26th & 27th, from 10am-5pm.

AND there is a Babies And Toddlers Stuff Sale at the Ogden Recreation Center, 269 Ogden Center Road, starting at 9am on Saturday.

Tomorrow, Saturday, is also the Annual Sheepshearing Day at Springdale Farm in Spencerport. It's from 10am-3pm. Every year we keep meaning to go but there is always something we're committed to on the day it happens, and darned if that hasn't happened again.

This weekend is the Opening Weekend of our eagerly-anticipated new permanent exhibit at Strong Museum: The Berenstain Bears: Down a Sunny Dirt Road. Enjoy!

Looking ahead: On Sunday, May 4, there will be a special benefit for the Rochester Children's Theatre: A Princess and Pirates Party and show that has your kids interacting directly with the characters. I decided to combine this with Ella's birthday party (which also solves my how-does-one-combine-a-princess-themed-party-with-the-two-boys-attending dilemma). So we'll have cake, and then head the festivities over to the 1:30 show in the Nazareth College Arts Center. A little birthday party fundraiser for a great Rochester-area children's organization, I love it. Anyway, the show information is at http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=15385

Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com

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