2) There are only a few days left if you're trying to think of a creative end-of-the-year gift for your child's teacher or bus driver. We had a lot of recommendations, and one is sure to be just the thing! Here is the compiled list: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/main-articles/TeacherGifts.html

3) Our big Summer article has been updated thoroughly. At least, I THINK I have updated it thoroughly. This has been one of those weeks where my mind was scattered in so many directions that I left wet laundry in the washer for days, not once but twice. If you find any broken links or obsolete information, please email me at ross@kidsoutandabout.com. The article is located at: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/places/summer.html

4) Congratulations to this week's giveaway winners!

Glenda from Pittsford won the Kung Fu Panda Wii game
Jill from Fairport won the Kung Fu Panda stuffed toys
Kayleigh from Rochester won the senior portrait session and prints from Rhodagraphs.com custom portraits

There is one giveaway still up on the site; it is from Ballet Theatre in Greece, for their "Free to be Me" dance camp to be held July 7-11, 2008, for children ages 8-12 yrs old. There will probably be more giveaways up by the end of the day, it usually works that way. For the Giveaways page, go to
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/city-articles/giveaways.html

5) The second-most-popular page from this past week was our new column reviewing unique family board games, by Laura Davis. We have a new review up this week, of the game Carcassonne. See the page at http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/main-columns/games/index.html.

Adrienne Furness, the children's librarian at Webster Public Library, saw the review and told me: "Friends of mine own this game, and I LOVE playing it. It's one of those that seems fairly simple on the surface but is always different depending on how many people are playing and who is playing." Adrienne is amazingly able to bend her mind from that of the analytical adult to a child of any age, and I always trust her opinion.

6) Last Saturday, we went on one of the monthly hikes sponsored by the Penfield Trails Committee. We'd been wanting to for a while, but they are on Saturday mornings when we are usually busy. Part of last Saturday's hike was in the Thousand Acre Swamp, where I'd never been (!) despite living in the Rochester area since 1995. Bug spray was an absolute requirement there, especially as it had just rained. But it was marvelous, just marvelous. Our main trail guide was Dick Adamus, a retired RCSD science teacher. Dick knows so much about all of the flora and fauna, and talks about it so clearly, that I almost felt as though I were on a hike with our other favorite naturalists, the folks out at the Genesee Country Nature Center in Mumford. I'm going to try to get the Penfield folks to post their hikes on the KOA calendar, but in the meantime, you can see the upcoming schedule of hikes by going to http://www.penfield.org/index.php?pr=Trails and clicking on "Public Hike Schedule" in the upper left-hand corner. The next one is July 12th, at Bay Park East.

7) The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children since 1877. They are looking for a few more families in the greater Rochester area to provide that opportunity to a child for two weeks this summer, from either July 21-August 4 OR August 7-August 18. As their note to me this week said, "Fresh Air children aren’t the only benefactors. The bonds between host families and their Fresh Air children often last a lifetime. Over 65 percent of Fresh Air children are invited on return visits with the same host families. 'For my children, it’s an opportunity to share what they have around them on a daily basis. It makes them more appreciative,' says a Fresh Air host mother."

Families that are interested in hosting should contact the Fresh Air Fund's local representative, Patricia Kaleta, at 585-338-7272.

8) Can someone tell me why it is that certain children (i.e., mine) develop the screechy-screechies whenever some adult (e.g., me) approaches them with a hairbrush?--And this is when there's a bottle of spray detangler in my other hand! Even the mild suggestion that they brush their own hair sends them scattering like chickens with a fox in their henhouse. I'd have thought that as they got older (they're 7 and 8) this would have gotten easier, but it hasn't. Maybe it's because there's a lot more hair there to get knotty, I don't know. I don't remember doing this to my parents. I'm sure it's some parenting flaw of mine that has made them think it's okay to complain so vociferously at the prospect of a little personal hygiene. I'm so often tempted to just cut their hair, but it looks too nice long--when it's brushed, that is. So...anyone have any suggestions? Some product, maybe, that would help? Or a strategy that doesn't involve scissors? I'm probably not alone, here. So if people send in helpful suggestions I'll post them for all to benefit.

9) The Monroe County Fair is July 9-13 this year, at the Monroe County Fairgrounds (Calkins Road, Henrietta). Did you know that there are a number of Talent Shows at the Fair? There is one for contestants 12 and under, one for teens, and one for adults. If your child is interested in participating, go to the Talent Show page on the Monroe County Fair site at http://www.mcfair.com/talentshow.html

Those who rank high enough at this competition may be eligible for State Fair competition. Deadline for registration is July 2.

Local director and theater arts educator Cara D'Emanuele says that this can be "a great opportunity to perform and to understand the differences in performing venues (i.e. cabaret vs a stage musical vs recital, etc.)." Cara offers assistance with those who want a little extra help in preparing for the competition. Email her at cdemanuele@yahoo.com if you have questions about her services.

By the way, Cara has just submitted to me a terrific article about how to plan a NYC family Broadway vacation--so look for that to be announced in a week or two.

10) Speaking of the performing arts: The New Conservatory, a music and language education resource that opened last year in Pittsford across from Pittsford Plaza (in what my kids call the "Blockbuster Building") has just expanded, with a new name and new offerings. It is now called "Gil Coterie." From its new web site:

Gil Coterie was founded in 2005 with a mission to create a conservatory focused on developing complete musicians, cultured linguists, and refined artists allowing them to fully explore their artistic potential.

Gil Coterie offers music and language immersion classes and an array of summer camps. (I believe the language immersion camps are in Spanish and Chinese.) Their main web site, www.gilcoterie.com, has an easy link to their summer camp details.

11) Special summer links:

Pick-your-own berry locations in greater Rochester:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/places/summerpick.html

The kids are on vacation and you're the Tour Guide! Here is an article I wrote a few years ago on how to run Camp Mom!
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/main-articles/CampMom.html

Our big summer what-to-do page:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/places/summer.html

Amusement parks:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/places/amusement.html

Day trips close to Rochester from travel writer Jackie Perrin:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/main-vacations/SpringBreakClosetoRochester.html

Indoor Recreation and Play Places
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/places/IndoorRecreation.html

12) Starting July 1, Regal Cinemas is having its free summer movie festival again. On Tuesday and Wednesday (and, in Henrietta, Thursday) mornings, Regal Cinemas will show a free movie at 10am.

Some enterprising soul has put in the listings for the free movies at the Henrietta Stadium 18 movie theater:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/organization-display.php?Org=1118.

There is usually one G-rated movie and one PG-rated movie available. You can see the two movies in the title on the listing page (they're separated by a "/").

If no one from Regal does it for Eastview or for Greece, I may break one of my cardinal rules about putting up events and do it myself, because I know how people have come to rely on it. There are different movies for the different theaters.

13) Speaking of which: For those who are interested in having their events appear on the KOA calendar, it's very easy. You just click on "Rochester Events" on the left side of any KOA page and then "Post Upcoming Events." Or you can use this handy shortcut:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/event-announce.php

Events that are posted go to an administrative page for my review. I usually get them reviewed and up pretty fast, within a day or two, depending on how much wet laundry is languishing in my washer.

Please, only post events or ONE-DAY classes on the calendar, not camps or class series. Those hosting camps and class series can post an up-to-5-day registration period on the calendar in advance of the camp or class, but don't post any more than 5 days or it will clutter up the calendar.

14) A heads-up: NEXT Saturday, June 28, there will be a special FREE family event, "Gideon Cobb Days," sponsored by Historic Brighton at the location of the "Lost City of Tryon" in Ellison Park (Blossom Road & Landing Road North). From 10am-3pm, you and your family can see History Reenactments, take wagon rides with history commentary, tour historic homes, learn about American Indian history, and (although I fail to see how this plays into the history aspect of it) play "disk golf." There will also be food vendors. For more information about Gideon Cobb Days and Gideon Cobb himself, go to
http://www.historicbrighton.org/gideoncobbdays.html

15) Did you know it is Adopt A Cat Month at Lollypop Farm? Yes indeedy.

16) Now...for KOA Calendar highlights:

The Red Wings are NOT in town this weekend.

TODAY, Friday, June 20

The Rhinos have a game tonight at 7:35 at PAETEC Park.

This evening at 7pm there will be a free concert in the Port of Pittsford Park, the RPO Marimba Band.

There will be a Summer Solstice Walk tonight at 7:30 at Genesee Country Village, on their Oatka Creek property across the road. I love this walk. Pre-registration is required at 585-538-6822.

It is Hawaiian Culture Night for the weekly Friday-night Cool Kids in Sagawa Park in Brockport. Free, as usual.

There will be a Teen Jam this evening at the Penfield Amphitheater at 6pm.

Frozen Ropes has a Kids Fun Night tonight in East Rochester from 6:30-10pm, and your kids needn't even be baseball savvy to have a wonderful time.

SATURDAY:

Saturday (and Thursday) mornings in the summer and fall, bring your preschooler for a FREE "ABC Preschool Club" program at Long Acre Farms in Macedon.

There is a Rochester Rhinos Women's Soccer Game on Saturday night at 7:35 at PAETEC Park.

Families throughout the area are invited to a free Family Fun Night Magic Show at Browncroft Baptist Church from 6pm-8pm.

Saturday nights when the weather cooperates, there is free telescope viewing at Strasenburgh Planetarium. (Before going, phone the Planetarium box office to confirm the telescope is open at 585-271-4552 x411.)

SUNDAY:

Trolley and Track Car Rides are available Sundays only from 11am-5pm at the New York Museum of Transportation in Rush.

The 2pm hike at Genesee Country Nature Center has a Summer Wildflowers theme.

The Kids Miracle Making Club is hosting a special, FREE Photography for Kids with Walter Colley event at Penfield Public Library from 2:30pm-4:30pm. You MUST pre-register, though. Send an email to photoseminar@kidsmiraclemakingclub.com with the number of kids and parents attending. Seating is limited.

To view all of these events and many more, please SEE THE FULL CALENDAR AT:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-search-display.php?dr=tw&EventCity=1

For those of you with school-age kids: Congratulations on getting through another school year! We'll help you get through the summer!

Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com

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