Daylight Saving Time is March 9, 2008.

I find it helpful to set our clocks forward 1 hour before we go to bed tonight so when we wake up we know what time it is supposed to be. Read from our archives, Time to Spring Forward for helpful tips and activities about time.

My boys are currently into anything about space—from Star Wars to our Solar System. Since I had time on my mind while I was surfing the web for cool clocks I was drawn to this Out Of This World Clock from Olive Kids.

A quick list of my favorite finds on the web this week.

• I love the design sensibility of Janet Morales and Stu Eli, the husband and wife team behind the website, three potato four, an online shop devoted to housewares, accessories, and vintage finds. And thanks to Design Sponge, you can get a sneak peek into their home.

• Find clever ideas for storing your kids’ artwork at cookiemag.com.

• The Whip Up blog is all about handcrafting and recently reviewed the fab new book, Making Stuff for Kids.

• This week I learned about Lindsey Carr on the Rag and Bone blog. She lives in Glasgow, Scotland and creates wonderful paper-craft puppet theaters in the wee hours of the night. You can buy one of her DIY paper theaters on her etsy site.

• If you like making your own birthday cakes, you can pre-order Matthew Mead’s new book, Cakes for Kids. Check out his new website for design inspiration.

In this month’s Fit Tip, our contributor Jen reminds us how important it is to clear our mind of all the stuff that fills our days as parents—juggling kids, school, shopping, cooking, home, and work. Since my mind tends to wander more when I try to sit still and relax, I like the “Progressive Relaxation” technique she recommends because it forces me to concentrate on relaxing each part of my body one by one—which prevents me from thinking about what didn’t get done that day or what I am making for dinner.

Here is what Jen has to say: 
Taking a few moments to clear your mind does wonders for your overall health. Whether you choose to meditate or prefer a different method of relaxation, this time will allow you to think more clearly, sleep better, and be more productive throughout your day.

In addition, practicing relaxation techniques can improve how you respond physically to stress by slowing your heart rate, lowering blood pressure, slowing your breathing rate, reducing your body’s need for oxygen, increasing blood flow to major muscle groups, and reducing muscle tension.

In terms of overall health and lifestyle, relaxation techniques can reduce physical symptoms such as headaches and less back pain, as well as emotional responses such as anger and frustration. You stand to benefit from increased energy, improved concentration, a greater ability to handle problems, and more efficiency in daily activities. What parent doesn’t need this?

One relaxation technique that works for many people is called Progressive Relaxation (it’s helpful to tape the instructions before starting your practice). Read how this method works and about other techniques that help quiet the mind and relax the body on the University of Maryland’s website.

Contributed by Jen Morin, Pilates/Corporate Fitness Director at EVOLUTION bodywork & nutrition in Bristol.

By Liza Littenberg-Brown
Education Intern

I loved being in the kitchen with my father when I was little. The crackling of the frying pan and the hiss of the steam were exciting, and he made everything fun. We scrambled around catching run-away grapes and played basketball with overripe fruit and an open garbage can. Taking out the trash was not a tedious chore but rather a challenge to toss bags from our porch all the way to the garbage bins.

My father was an expert inventor; he also devised engaging games to encourage my brother and me to recycle. One of my favorite activities was stomping on empty cardboard boxes and juice containers to get them ready for recycling. It was satisfying to hear the crunch of the boxes and the whoosh of air escaping empty containers.

There are many ways parents can make reducing, recycling, and reusing fun for kids. Make grocery shopping a game. Have your children guess how many reusable bags you’ll need for your groceries. Encourage them to find products that use recycled material, such as cereal boxes made from recycled cardboard. At home, challenge kids to reduce the number of paper towels and napkins they use by substituting cloth for paper. Reuse empty paper towel and toilet paper tubes to make mesmerizing kaleidoscopes. Or cut the bottom part of an egg carton in half the long way and make dragons with brightly painted humps and wings.
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Signs of climate change are being seen worldwide. What effects do cars, trucks, and other methods of transportation have on global warming? Using cars that get many miles to a gallon of gasoline, walking or riding a bike instead of driving, and planning many errands on the same trip can reduce emissions that contribute to climate change.

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island (ASRI) encourages students, in grades 3 through 12, to participate in an essay contest celebrating Earth Day 2008. The topic, “How my Family’s Transportation Affects Global Warming”, encourages students to explore options and consider alternate methods of transportation. What choices could they and their families make to help the planet? Read about contest details here.

By Katy Killilea

We all know it is not good for them, but ah…the pleasures of being able to hypnotize children into silence with television! This morning, both of us parents having overslept, I came upon my children sitting goggle-eyed before the screen, watching ladies on a chat show discuss a brassiere that, as one boy summarized it, “makes your chests look bigger because you can fill it with wine, and then you can also drink the wine through a hidden straw when you want to get drunken.” These are not the sorts of wholesome good times I had planned. But, despite warnings from public health authorities, there are some shows I am happy to have my kids watch.

Just like their parents, our kids are cable TV deprived, and so they binge on multiple episodes courtesy of the DVD-rich statewide Ocean State Library (OSLRI) system. We use the library’s internet reservation system to order the DVDs (and books too, in case you were worried) we are interested in. Sometimes there is a long wait, and other times our selections arrive faster through the library than through Netfilx.

These are our favorites, and all are readily available through the OSLRI system (anyone with a Rhode Island Public Library card is eligible to partake).

Charlie & Lola: An English import. Charlie and his little sister, Lola, live in a world that is a pleasure to look at (beautiful colors and patterns). They confront real-life obstacles like bedtime, eating vegetables, going to school, and taking care of a dog.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Stylized battles, beautiful animation, and the triumph of good over evil. This is a good one for school-age kids who think they’re tough, like fighting bad guys and have parents who don’t like even slightly realistic violence.

Jacob Two Two: A funny, animated show about a Jewish family in Canada whose youngest son, Jacob, is tired of being the youngest. He takes adventures such as going to get sesame seed bagels on his own.

Swallows and Amazons: You’ll have to fire up your VCR to watch these films. Released in the 1970s, the stories take place in the 1930s. English children sail from their vacation home to a seemingly deserted island. The adventures take off from there.

Please share your kid’s favorites and your recommendations with Kidoinfo.

By Jill Davidson

It’s Elementary Open Schools Week in Providence! Many parents are taking time to visit schools this week, either for the first time or for a repeat visit to confirm their choices for Providence Public Schools’ registration process, which is happening now.

Whether you’re still in the process of figuring out your school choices for an incoming kindergartener, have younger kids and are starting to plan for the future, or have older kids for whom you’re looking for a new school, there is no substitute for spending a significant amount of time at prospective schools. There are lots of other ways to gather information about schools, some of which I’ll be writing about in future Kidoinfo posts. But today, we’re going to focus on using your time effectively when you visit schools.

The tips here come from parents who have recently been through the process of choosing schools for their kids (and I’m one of them, with a student in second grade at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary and another child who will enter King in the fall as a kindergartener). While these ideas apply most meaningfully to the process of visiting public and charter schools, it’s likely that a lot of the ideas here will work well for visits to independent and parochial schools.

First of all, try to put your own experience of elementary school aside. One of the trickiest things about being a parent is the temptation to over-rely on your own experience as a child to guide you to do what’s best for your own kids. That experience is significant, of course, but even more useful is knowing your kids well and what’s best for them now, in this place and time, and looking clearly and without nostalgia at the options available to you.

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By Maura Keating

Bags and shoes. They are a girl’s real best friends. Whether it’s a bad hair day or a bad hair year, if your pre-pregnancy jeans still don’t fit or if Baby just spat up, a fabulous bag or a spectacular shoe can turn your mood around and leave you feeling divine. Most diaper bags insult a Mom’s sense of style, but Dante Beatrix is the ultimate cure for all that ails you and your inevitable need to pack it all in.

Dante Beatrix makes a fantastic cadre of designer diaper bags that will leave you swooning. Their line of diaper bags (prices start at $36) includes graphic stroller totes that make a statement, luxe messenger bags, a baby tote with handles that can extend over the shoulder, and even an envelope for traveling light or to use inside another bag. I had the opportunity to test-drive the Baby Pouf, a large diaper bag.

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