Vegetables from A to Z

By Hannah Marcotti

How was I to decide on a recipe to share with you using a vegetable that lends greatness to so many dishes? I adore kale. It would be safe to say kale has changed my life. It taught me to love dark greens and showed me how delicious they can be outside of a chicken soup. Most of the women I work with in my Health Counseling practice take to dark greens once they are given simple recipes and techniques for preparing them. Many find themselves craving greens and adding them to breakfast dishes. I call my morning greens a shot of energy. Full of beta carotene, vitamins A and K (which are fat soluble), calcium and  anti-inflammatory properties, I cannot get enough of this dark green. It has a slightly alluring and addictive quality; seeing it as a garnish can break the heart of a passionate foodie!

My daughter loves kale salad. One of the reasons is the preparation of the leaves, which involves “rubbing.” Get all the kids involved in this one. After washing the leaves and removing the stems, chop the leaves into bite-size pieces. Have the kids dip clean fingertips into some tasty olive oil and simply rub the leaves. Massaging them helps to break down their tough bite and replace it with a soft and bright green leaf.  After you rub the kale, or other dark greens, add whatever other remaining salad ingredients you choose and toss with dressing. Kale also loves to be sauted and combined with nuts and berries, making a seasonal looking and tasting dish. Sauté the kale in olive oil just until wilted, remove and add in sliced almonds and dried cranberries. A splash of balsamic vinegar is all you need to add a brightness to this kale sauté. Don’t worry if your child doesn’t like the greens. The involvement with touching, smelling and talking about greens will create exposure to this healthy food.

Kale chips have become quite popular. I may be one of the few who is not head over heels for these chips. It’s like when there is a movie you want to see and everybody tells you how good it is; then you see it with expectations that can never be fulfilled. That seems to be my trouble with kale chips. Compare them to a potato chip and I’m sorry, nothing tastes like a potato chip. I loved the idea of kale chips so I decided to come up with a fancy version using some staples that I always keep on hand. Although kale chips are typically made with curly kale, I used lacinato kale or dinosaur kale. Lacinato kale typically has tender stems that can be left in your recipes.

The result of this little experiment was better than I had hoped. With the crunch of the almonds and the tang of the lemon, I was back in kale bliss. Next time you are at the market, grab a couple bunches of dinosaur kale and give this one a shot. I predict you’ll find yourself coming back for more.

Baked Kale with Almonds, Garlic and Lemon

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Today meet local dad, Alex Taylor, another panelist from the upcoming Kidoinfo event, Parents Using Social Media. Please join us on February 9 at Bravo Brasserie. Click here for details.

Kidoinfo: What neighborhood do you live in?
Alex Taylor (AT): I live on the East Side, PVD, near Brown Stadium.

Kidoinfo: Where were you born?
AT: I was born on Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland but was only there for about 2 years. I usually say I’m from the Eastern Half of the United States.

Kidoinfo: How long have you been in Rhode Island?
AT: Valerie and I moved down here from Boston in August of 2001.

Kidoinfo: What is your current state of mind?
AT: Thirsty.

Kidoinfo: Who’s in your family?
AT: My wife Valerie and I have two boys who are 6.89 and 3.33 years old.

Kidoinfo: What trait do you most admire about your family?
AT: I think we’re pretty curious and flexible, at least most of the time.

Kidoinfo: What is your favorite thing to do?
AT: I really can’t ever answer favorite questions. I like a lot of different activities and try to be well rounded. I like learning new things and I appreciate the times that I get to pass that along by teaching others.

Kidoinfo: Where is your favorite place to hang out?
AT: See above, but I will say that one thing I really like about Providence is the high probability that you will run into a friend while out and about. We like to walk places (or ride) rather than drive whenever practical because we are likely to have some unplanned encounters along the way. Frequent destinations include: Kreatelier, Lippett Park, Ran Zan, The Red Fez, Sessions Street Park, Seven Stars, Three Sisters, Wayland Square.

Kidoinfo: Where would you most like to live?
AT: I love a lot of things about Providence, but Winter isn’t one of them. I really enjoyed living in both San Francisco and Australia.

Kidoinfo: What do you like to do when you are not with your kids?
AT: I like physical stuff like snowboarding (winter isn’t all bad) and scrambling around outside, though I’m looking forward to including both guys in this more when they are a bit older. I also do plenty of screen time stuff like video games and goofing around on the Internet. It’s nice to get some time alone with Valerie too.

Kidoinfo: What is the most overrated thing about parenthood?
AT: Infants.

But not yours, yours is totally awesome!

Kidoinfo: What is your most treasured possession?
AT: Mobility. I like things, but being able to move through the world is priceless.

Kidoinfo: What superpower would you most like to have?
AT: Flight, though invulnerability is a close second.

Kidoinfo: Who is your favorite fictional mother or father?
AT: Fictional parents, especially dads, that survive the opening scenes almost always suck in some significant way. But I like Marlin and Crush from Finding Nemo. Marlin is braver than he thinks he can be and learns to let his son be the same way. Crush doesn’t get a lot of screen time, but he’s got some good advice.

Kidoinfo: What are you going to do now that you have answered these questions?
AT: Get back to work.

Kidoinfo Presents: Parents Using Social Media on February 9, 2010. Please join us for an evening of conversation, food and cocktails.

Sponsored by:
• Cutler & Company
• Leslie Kellogg: Residential Properties
• Renaissance Gymnastics Academy
• Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH)
• Rag & Bone Bindery
• Ocean State Montessori
• Soul at Work
• St. Peter School
• The Bridge Montessori
• Amy Ro photography
• Hennessey PR Consulting
• Breathing Time Yoga: Yoga w/ childcare
• RI Families in Nature
• exhale. return to center

Social Media. Do you love it? Hate it? Are you obsessed with it? Don’t know anything about it? Or want to learn more?

Kidoinfo wants to hear what you have to say!
6:30 – 8:30pm. Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at Bravo Brasserie  123 Empire Street, Providence, RI
Tickets: $15. Pre-pay by Paypal here. Cash or check at the door only.

TOP 5 Reasons to attend Kidoinfo’s Parents Using Social Media event

1. Have Fun – unplug, get out of the house, meet interesting people in your community.

2. Learn Something – Four smart, parent-panelists, plus a professional moderator, and  of course wonderful participants, who all have something to share.  Learn about websites, tools and tricks.

3. Get MOO Discounts* – the perfect little business or playdate card.

4. Free Food (appetizers) – Great location at Bravo in downtown Providence.  And enjoy the cash bar too.

5. Win Stuff – raffle for cool prizes!

*MOO Discount code:  Get code at event.

Whether your children make valentines for their entire the class or a handful for their grandparents and best friend, giving (and receiving) a handmade valentine is super special no matter how big, small, simple, or detailed the heart is.

Making a large number of valentines for your child’s class can seem daunting, but choosing a project that is simple to oversee and appropriate for your child’s skill and age level can be fun and rewarding. When my boys were toddlers, I precut hearts out of paper or used heart-shaped doilies and let them paint or put stickers on each one.

If you need to make a large number of valentines for your child’s class, try to prep as much as possible or break down the task over several days to make it a little easier and less stressful. Depending on the size of my boys’ preschool or kindergarten class, we have had to make 40 to 60 valentines! That’s a lot of hearts!

Here’s a roundup of previous projects I’ve done with my children:

• Make a Love Box

• Colorful Hearts

• Make a Love Book

More crafty valentine project ideas and ways to celebrate:

• Make Candy cane hearts from Skip to My Lou

• Make heart-shaped potato stamps from Colorfool and use them to decorate paper for wrapping paper or a tablecloth or cut the paper into valentines. Heart-shaped cookie cutters also make great stencils for tracing hearts onto paper.

• Make a valentine garland from old cards, colored paper or felt, or sew one from fabric.

• Make heart suncatchers from kids craft weekly

The nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards were announced on February 2, 2010. A much anticipated event in our house. There are five nominees in the category of Best Animated Feature film.

How many have you seen? “Coraline” and “Up” are already available on DVD. You can still catch “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “The Princess and the Frog” at a commercial movie theater. And now thanks to the upcoming Providence Children’s Film Festival you have the opportunity to be the first in the area to see “The Secret of Kells” directed by Tomm Moore on Friday evening, February 12 or Monday afternoon, February 15.

Then you will be able to cast your virtual ballot the night of the Oscars on March 7, 2010 for your favorite animated film.

And the nominees for Best Animated Feature Film are:
•    “Coraline”  Director: Henry Selick
•    “Fantastic Mr. Fox”  Director: Wes Anderson
•    “The Secret of Kells”  Director: Tomm Moore
•    “Up”  Director: Pete Docter
•    “The Princess and the Frog”  Director: John Musker and Ron Clements

This feature length film will be shown at the Cable Car Cinema three times during the upcoming Providence Children’s Film Festival (PCFF).  Find complete details for all films including schedule, age level, tickets and workshops on the PCFF website.

STELLA AND THE STAR OF THE ORIENT (Germany, 2007)
In German with English subtitles

New Year’s Eve 2005: in her grandmother’s old villa, ten-year-old Stella is exploring the attic when she is suddenly catapulted 100 years back into the past on a fantastic time journey. She lands in the same villa, although naturally it is furnished in a completely different way. There she meets Clementine, who is her own age, and her younger brother Gustav. Stella is utterly amazed when she recognizes her great-grandmother in Clementine. But there is no time left for explaining things to one another: the family faces ruin, the villa is going to be sold, and now Clementine can surely forget about her dream of studying to become a doctor one day. Unless, of course, the children find the Star of the Orient… (Watch Trailer)

Director: Erna Schmidt
Runtime: 90 mins
Ages: 8 +
Showing at the Cable Car Cinema. Tickets required. (Details)

Kidoinfo Take Away: Have kids locate Germany on a map. Have your children create a story where they travel back in time. How long ago? Where do they go? Who do they meet? What happens?

By Jill Davidson

Rhode Island families with elementary school children—especially kindergarteners—are already deep into school-shopping mode. Providence Public Schools is inviting families into its elementary schools next week for Open Schools Week ahead of kindergarten registration, which starts on February 22 and runs through April 1 (a similar process for first grade registration runs from March 1 to April 1). I’ll be back next week with a post offering tips and suggestions for Providence families.

Many parents—from Providence and beyond—found Kidoinfo’s 2008 post “How to Visit Elementary Schools”  helpful; check it out if you’re in the process of visiting schools as you weigh the options and decide what’s best for your child. Even if you don’t check it out, visit schools! There’s no substitute for evaluating a school based on your own experience. For many working families with young kids, it can be hard to make the elementary school rounds, but if you can, the information you’ll get is invaluable.

For this year, here are some additional suggestions about how to talk with other parents about their experience as members of a particular school community—and how to assess whether their experience might (or might not) apply to your child and family.

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Long films, short films, fantasy, documentaries, animation and real people, the upcoming Providence Children’s Film Festival (PCFF) has it all. Kids of all ages will find something that will delight, inspire and transport them to another time and place. Seeing it all on the big screen and not on the computer or at home on the TV is the icing on the cake!

To give you a taste of what will be shown at PCFF, February 12-15, 2010, I am highlighting a few of the films on Kidoinfo leading up to the festival. Many will play at least twice throughout the weekend. Find complete details for all films including schedule, age level, tickets and workshops on the PCFF website.

There will be a number of short films shown throughout the festival before feature length films or as part of a group of shorts; Your Shorts Are Showin’, 50 Years of Polish Animation For Children (1958-2008 from ALE KINO!) and Best of New York International Film Festival: Kid Flix Mix 2009.

Davy Crockett in Outer Space (USA, 2008)

Who needs computer animation when we have chalk boards?  This song driven short film is the updated Crockett as a “buckskin astronaut”.  They Might Be Giants recreates the music from the classic 70’s television show to this 21st century, chalk line hero (pictured above).  (Watch short)

Directors: Max Porter, David Cowles, Ru Kuwahatawith
Animation production done by Tiny Inventions
Runtime: 4 mins
Ages: All Ages

Kidoinfo Take Away: Have kids make their own rocket or robot out of paper, buttons, sequins and fabric. Check out the Tiny Inventions‘ website and see how they turned a chalkboard, puppets and mobiles into this film short.

Today meet another panelist and parent from the upcoming Kidoinfo event, Parents Using Social Media. Please join us on February 9 at Bravo Brasserie. Click here for details.

Kidoinfo: What neighborhood do you live in?
EBG: We’re down “in the woods” in South County.

Kidoinfo: Where were you born?
EBG: Warwick, RI

Kidoinfo: How long have you been in Rhode Island?
EBG: With the exception of a couple of years when I was very young and one semester when I was in college, I’ve always lived in Rhode Island.

Kidoinfo: What is your current state of mind?
EBG: Groggy. (Darn head cold.)

Kidoinfo: Who’s in your family?
EBG: My husband of (almost) 10 years, John; our two kids, Lily (5) and Quinn (3); a small flock of laying hens; and various other critters.

Kidoinfo: What trait do you most admire about your family?
EBG: Persistence. We are far from perfect but we frequently take time to reflect on what we are doing and why and look for ways to tweak things and hopefully make it all run a little smoother.

Kidoinfo: What is your favorite thing to do?
EBG: Lately I’ve really been enjoying roller-skating with my kids.

Kidoinfo: Where is your favorite place to hang out?
EBG: The Coastal Growers Market in North Kingstown.

Kidoinfo: Where would you most like to live?
EBG: Within walking distance of a library and a coffee shop, in a house with a front porch on Main Street and 10 acres of farm land out back.

Kidoinfo: What do you like to do when you are not with your kid(s)?
EBG: I dance and tour with a Border Morris team called Ladies of the Rolling Pin. My kids often come to our performances, but mostly it is something I do for myself because I enjoy it so much.

Kidoinfo: What is the most overrated thing about parenthood?
EBG: Bedtime.

Kidoinfo: What is your most treasured possession?
EBG: My camera (a Cannon Rebel D-SLR).

Kidoinfo: What superpower would you most like to have?
EBG: I think I could really get into time-travel.

Kidoinfo: Who is your favorite fictional mother or father?
EBG: Caillou’s parents. I hope someday to have as much patience and energy as they do.

Kidoinfo: What are you going to do now that you have answered these questions?
EBG: Finish cleaning up the kitchen and go to bed.

Kidoinfo Presents: Parents Using Social Media on February 9, 2010. Please join us for an evening of conversation, food and cocktails.

Sponsored by:
• Cutler & Company
• Leslie Kellogg: Residential Properties
• Renaissance Gymnastics Academy
• Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH)
• Rag & Bone Bindery
• Ocean State Montessori
• Soul at Work
• St. Peter School
• The Bridge Montessori
• Amy Ro photography
• Hennessey PR Consulting
• Breathing Time Yoga: Yoga w/ childcare
• RI Families in Nature
• exhale. return to center

By Michelle Meek

Remember when there were only three television channels (four if you counted Fox, although back then no one did), no cable, no DVD, no Internet?  When I talk to kids now, they think I grew up in the Dark Ages.

But seriously, if your kids are fascinated by film, television, or animation, why not turn that into constructive action? This February, the first-ever Providence Children’s Film Festival will offer a selection of independent and international children’s films, making our city one of the few to present a film festival targeted specifically to children. This and the Rhode Island International Film Festival’s KidsEye program give families an opportunity to watch unusual films made by and for children and often provide the chance to meet and talk with directors.

For even more behind-the-scenes action, encourage your child to sign up for one of the area’s hands-on filmmaking classes, which range from a one-day workshop to a semester-long course. These educate kids on the power of images and empower them to create their own media messages. And who knows, maybe next year instead of just watching, your child will be presenting his or her film in a festival.

Local Children’s Film Festivals

Providence Children’s Film Festival
February 12-15, 2010
In its inaugural year, this festival plans to bring independent and international children’s films, animation, and documentaries over Presidents’ Day Weekend to the Cable Car Cinema and RISD Museum.
website: http://www.providencechildrensfilmfestival.org/

Rhode Island International Film Festival
August 10-15, 2010
The annual KidsEye International Film Festival, under the umbrella of RIIFF, features films made by and for children.
website: http://www.film-festival.org/

Apparently, rumor has it that the Newport International Film Festival, a longtime festival including programs for both kids and film students, has collapsed.

Hands-On Filmmaking Workshops

SHOOT Teen Film Program
Starts February 10, 2010, Wednesdays at 4PM (runs for 8 weeks)
Ages: 12-19
Newport, RI
Cost: Free for Boys & Girls Club Members ($25/year to become a member)
The SHOOT Teen Film Program guides teens through the collaborative process of making a film from scriptwriting, location scouting, and casting through shooting and editing. Watch some of the former students’ films on their website.
website: http://www.shootnewport.com/

Kid Filmmakers
April 4, 2010
Ages: 8-15
Providence, RI
Cost: $15 (last year’s cost)
Kid Filmmakers, a traveling year-round filmmaking academy for children, returns to Rhode Island for the SENE Film, Music, and Arts Festival in April to present a special one-day children’s film workshop.
website: http://www.senefilm.org; http://www.kidfilmmakers.com/

KidsEye Camp
July 12-16, 2010
Ages: 8-16
North Kingstown, RI
Cost: $345
Presented by the Rhode Island International Film Festival, KidsEye offers an intensive five-day filmmaking camp where children ages 8 to 16 step into the roles of screenwriters, actors, directors, and crew.
website: http://www.film-festival.org/kidseye.php

Rhode Island School of Design
Ongoing
Ages: Teens, as well as programs for 12 and under
Providence, RI
Cost: $300-$465
The RISD Young Artist Prgram has a unique roster of classes for children and teens. They recently ran a VideoLab: Experimenting With the Camera for ages 12 and under where kids learn experimental video techniques. They also have a series of Movie Masterworks courses that help teens learn to analyze films as well as create them, in addition to several courses in cartooning and computer animation.  A few of their upcoming courses include Lights, Camera Action (Vacation Camp) over the February break in which students ages 10 to 13 make their own short films, and Cartoon Carousel: Computer Animation Camp on April 19-23 in which students ages 9 to 13 combine traditional hand-drawing techniques with digital image processing to collaborate on an original short animated film.
website: http://www.risd.edu/kids_teens.cfm

Big Hope Films
Ongoing
Ages: under 18
Throughout Rhode Island
Cost: none
This unique organization aims to fulfill creative visions made by children and young adults under age 18 who have been diagnosed with a chronic illness.
website: http://www.bighopefilms.org

Michele Meek is a writer and filmmaker. For more information, visit her site at www.michelemeek.com or her blog at www.therhodelesstraveled.com.