Reposted with permission from Providence City News.

Mayor David N. Cicilline today urged parents of Providence school children to take an important step towards protecting their children against H1N1: sign parental consent forms for the H1N1 vaccination immediately. The Rhode Island Health Department will begin vaccinating students against H1N1 at school-based clinics beginning November 2.

“It’s critically important that parents take this important step to protect their children against the potentially dangerous H1N1,” said Mayor Cicilline. “Without a signed consent form, the Health Department will not be able to administer the vaccination to your child. I’m urging parents to return vaccination consent forms to their children’s schools immediately.”

The Health Department mailed the consent forms to parents two weeks ago urging parents to return the completed forms to their child’s school as soon as possible. Parents and guardians may also obtain consent forms in English and Spanish on the Health Department’s website along with a complete schedule of school-based H1N1 vaccination clinics. The forms and schedules are also available at all Providence schools.

Mayor Cicilline also reminded parents to encourage their children to take the following precautions:

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By Hannah Marcotti

It starts in October and goes until we sit down to write our New Year’s Resolutions…the sugar binge. For some of us it’s the traditions and for others it’s the emotions that Holidays bring up that cause us to turn to the sweet stuff.

I’ve been rather go with the flow when it comes to Halloween trick-or-treating and the inevitable binging on candy that comes with it. I’ve even watched adults turn off their otherwise sensible restraints towards junk food and dig in with the children. I haven’t been sure how I would reconcile the side of me that cringes at the thought of the obscene amount of candy being funneled into my children, and the mom who really wants them to have a great time without nagging from their parents.

The fact is this, sugar lowers the immune system. We are all worried about the various sicknesses going around. Walk into Target and see the table with bottles of hand sanitizer and wipes to kill the germs and then push your cart right into the Halloween candy aisle. I have worked hard to help my children strengthen their immune systems and so that includes keeping them from binging on Halloween candy. The trick is to do so without taking away the fun of the ritual of trick-or-treating. I’ve heard many wonderful ideas over the years and I have settled on a candy exchange.

Here’s how we are doing it. The kids and I talked a bit about how fun it is to eat candy and how yucky the belly ache is when you eat too much. I told them about the candy exchange idea. They get to pick out a toy they have been wanting, I will wrap it up and keep it hidden until Halloween. After the trick-or-treating (or during it) they get the keep/eat 10 pieces of candy. They can then exchange the rest for their gift. So far they are excited about it, we’ll see how the reality of it is when time to turn in the candy. I am hoping it will place more value on the 10 pieces and take away from the binging that usually comes.

I’d love to hear other creative ideas for diminishing the sugar binges. Remember, have a nice filling meal before the kids collect the candy and you’ll be less likely to dip into the buckets!

Hannah Marcotti is a holistic health counselor who loves creating exciting recipes and inspiring others to get into their kitchens and cook with whole foods. Through her counseling business, Hannah’s Harvest, she hopes to create a ripple effect of health and happiness in Providence and beyond. She shares her musings on life with three children and searching for that next perfect meal on her blog, Hannah’s Harvest Thoughts.

Reviewed by Katy Killilea

Gastrokid.com has been hoisting families out of chicken nugget ruts since 2006. On the site, two professional foodie dads offer recipes and meal ideas for family members of all ages to enjoy together. The Gastrokid ethos is that every person is born with hunger, curiosity, and taste buds, and that every kid can be an adventuresome eater. The site is now available in book form.

The Gastrokid Cookbook has the chalkboards and melty cheese aesthetic of the site, but the chit-chat, archive and blog lists, and ads have of course been pared away, so what we’re left with is, ahhh—how refreshing: useful recipe after useful recipe. Although this is a snug little volume, it covers a lot of territory. At one end, the Get Your Kids to Eat Their Vegetables Dressing, at the other, Littleneck Clams with Guanciale (guanciale being cured pig cheeks, which readers are encouraged to replace with pancetta or prosciutto if they’ve run out.)

The thing about Gastrokid’s kid-friendly food is that it’s never dumbed-down. No cookie-cutter shapes are employed to make foods more enticing to the wee ones. Instead, the Gastrokid seduction tool kit includes browned butter, smartly-aimed squeezes of lemon, and bacon. And not just bacon, but also the revelation of a magical ingredient that makes everything taste like bacon: smoked Spanish paprika. Mmm. The foundation for these recipes is that there should be no “kid food,” only good food for all to enjoy together. And yet there is much sympathy here, as well as a list of ways to doctor up your Annie’s Mac and Cheese.

Torn in its entirety from the pages of The Gastrokid Cookbook, this recipe is quick, yummy, nutritious an inexpensive. And if you’ve gone to the trouble of heating up your oven and getting out your can opener, you might as well make it a double. Any leftovers are scrumptious cold or at room temperature.

ROASTED CHICKPEA BRUSCHETTA

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By Megan Fischer,
Providence Children’s Museum

Not long ago, I heard a story on the radio about kids spending their time playing Wii soccer. And I thought, what about real soccer? Outdoors, with real balls? And real kids? And then I thought about kids playing Guitar Hero instead of real instruments. And the fact that, according to the Alliance for Childhood, the average elementary-age child in the United States spends four to six hours per day in front of screens, in the form of television, computers, video games and other virtual realities – and less than half an hour outdoors.

Which led me to a moment from the PBS documentary Where Do the Children Play? in which Last Child in the Woods author Richard Louv explains that many children today “see nature as an abstraction” and that they’ve grown accustomed to “life wrapped in plastic” – removed from what’s real. He gives an example of kids seeing meat packaged in cellophane and styrofoam but not understanding that it has a real source, that it originates from somewhere other than supermarket shelves.

There are many concerns about screen-time impacting kids’ physical activity and opportunities for social development. But I also wonder about the implications of the distance from authenticity. What are they losing by not having real, tangible, even messy experiences?

As a kid, I loved climbing my favorite tree – stretching, reaching, pulling myself up, feeling the scratchiness of the bark against my skin and the patchy light filtering through the leaves to warm my face. My sister and I took off on adventures around our neighborhood, digging holes, building forts, picking flowers – things that were important to us because they were real, and because we were connecting with the world around us in the process.

Digging in, getting physical, getting messy – it’s important for all of us, kids and adults alike, to have real, hands-on experiences that connect us to our surroundings, both indoors and outdoors, in a deeper, more meaningful way. Not to mention the developmental benefits to kids of physically navigating their world – building motor skills, coordination, problem solving, and a sense of space and relationships.

Places like museums and nature centers, parks and zoos are valuable spaces for real, authentic experiences. One of our favorite stories at the Children’s Museum is of a 6-year-old girl actively playing in Water Ways, pumping hard to raise the water to spill over the top of a fountain, and then looking up in wonder: “I didn’t know water was heavy!” This type of real-world, hands-on tinkering in childhood fosters curiosity, helps kids make connections, and leads to adults who are more creative and more innovative and better problem-solvers. What a loss for our society if we don’t make space for exploring what’s real.

Let’s all make room for a reality check. This fall, get your kids outside, go for a hike or nature walk and examine leaves, turn over stones, and splash in streams. Take your family apple picking to encourage a deeper connection to one of our food sources – and have your kids join you in the kitchen to discover the fun of making real apple pie. Turn off the TV and video games and take in a live musical performance – let the joy and wonder of real people playing real instruments wash over you. Simple things like this can help all of us develop or rediscover a sense of wonder and appreciation for our world. For real!

This fall, Providence Children’s Museum is hosting community conversations to bring people together to talk about issues affecting children’s opportunities for play. Join conversations about “Making Places for Play” on Thursday, November 5, from 7:00 – 8:30 pm and about “Building Community” on Wednesday, December 2, from  7:00 – 8:30 pm. The conversations are free and open to the public. Click here to learn more. For more information or to RSVP, contact Megan Fischer at fischer@childrenmuseum.org.

Image Credit: Providence Children’s Museum
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By Erin Barrette Goodman

We’ve been talking about potential costumes for Halloween for several weeks around here.

Being the thrifty, creative mama that I like to think I am, I really love making homemade costumes. Or more accurately, I love coming up with ideas for homemade costumes and then sending the kids and my creative ideas to my mom’s house where she works her magic at the sewing machine.

Two years ago they were Emily and Clifford. Last year it was Max and Ruby. What magic could we create this year? I was giddy just thinking about all the possibilities. Until my sweet three-year-old hit me with something I wasn’t expecting.

“I want to pick my costume out of a catalog.”

Huh? A catalog?

“I want to look through all the pictures and circle the one I want, Mama.”

I mustered a smile, letting go of my cute cardboard-box-tractor idea.

“Okay, Sweetie. I’ll be on the lookout for a costume catalog.”

Sure enough, later that day I checked the mail and what was on the top of the pile – a catalog of kids’ Halloween costumes. I passed it into the back seat and within a couple of minutes my son zeroed in on the costume he wanted – Spiderman.

I promised him I’d see what I could do and spent the next several days secretly sulking and then eventually coming to terms with my homemade Halloween issues.

I like when my kids have costumes that are unique and personal and homemade. I like the oooos and ahhhs we get when we visit houses. I like sharing the photos with friends and family via e-mail.

But what I really like is how I feel when I walk alongside them in their cute, creative costumes. It makes me feel like a good mother. You know the kind of mother who bakes cookies and does projects and who makes homemade Halloween costumes. (Ahem…or commissions her mother to do so.)

But my boy was insistent. He wanted to be Spiderman.

And so I put the word out to my husband and my mother to be on the lookout for a Spiderman costume. I popped into consignment shops and thrift stores with no luck. Late last week, however, I got the call. My mom was in Walgreens and she had found a Spiderman costume in my son’s size. It had built in muscles and a mask.

“Perfect,” I said. “Buy it.”

I turned my attention to my five-year-old. Surely she would let me get creative with her costume. We perused our dress-up clothes. We made a list of ideas. We were well on track until two days later when she laid eyes on her brother’s costume.

“I want to be Spiderman too, Mama,” she declared.

Walgreens coupon in hand, my mom, the kids and I headed back out. It took three stops before a decision was finally made. Spiderman was nice but this year she would be a Snow Princess.

Later both kids tried on their first-ever store-bought costumes and proudly paraded around the house. My son even slept in his Spiderman costume that night.

Sometimes it’s really hard for me to let go of my picture-perfect Martha Stewart-inspired mothering ideas. Luckily I have two patient but persistent teachers who continue to show me what being a “good mother” is really all about.

Erin Barrette Goodman is a writer and yoga teacher in Charlestown. She is the founder of the Rhode Island Birth Network, which promotes empowered decision-making during the childbearing years and the host of monthly circles and retreats for mothers.  She blogs at exhale. return to center.

By Kristen Swanberg, Senior Director of Education
Illustrations by Mary Lamb Greene

Each fall a transformation takes place across our state in forests, in parks, and even in your own backyard. Trees turn from green to yellow, orange, red, and even purple – all in just a few weeks. Why does this happen? And more importantly, how does it happen?

Just as we pull out our winter coats and wooly mittens, trees also need to get ready for the freezing winter temperatures. As the fall air gets cooler and there is less daylight, trees begin to shut down their systems for winter. They do this by moving nutrients out of the leaves and into their branches, trunk, and roots.

Green leaves contain yellow and orange colors in the spring and summer. You just can’t see them because they are covered up by green chlorophyll (chlo•ro•phyll). Chlorophyll uses the sun’s energy to make sugars that feed the tree in the warmer months. As sunlight hours decrease and the tree’s internal system begins to slow down, the leaves are sealed off from the tree’s moisture and nutrients. This causes the green chlorophyll to disappear, allowing the yellows, reds, oranges, scarlets, and purples to come alive!

Did you know the weather plays a big role in how colorful the fall will be? If we have bright, cool fall days with chilly but not freezing nights, there will be brilliant leaf colors.  The yellow, orange, and brown colors are called carotenoids (ca•rot•en•oid).  Red and purple colors are called anthosyanins (an•tho•cy•a•nin). Different tree species will show off specific colors in the autumn.

Fun Fall Activities…

Leaf Rubbings. Place a leaf vein-side-up on a table. Position a piece of paper over the leaf and secure the edges of the paper with tape. Using the side of a crayon, color over the surface of the paper. A leaf impression magically appears!

Go on a leaf scavenger hunt!
Search for different leaf shapes and colors then try to identify what kind of tree they came from. Avoid poison ivy – if you find “leaves of three, let them be!” A good reference for kids is the Peterson First Guide to Trees.

Situated on a 28-acre wildlife refuge in Bristol, Rhode Island, Audubon’s Environmental Education Center is open year-round providing walking trails, nature programs, and exhibits for the whole family to discover.  For more information and a complete calendar of events, visit www.asri.org or call (401) 245-7500.

Kidoinfo Giveaway: Win two tickets to see Hayes Greenfield perform in concert at the Ocean State Montessori School in East Providence on November 7, 2009. See details below.

Kids are never too young to be introduced to music—of all kinds. Music has the power to transform us—both kids and adults—change our moods, soothe us to sleep, get us to move and wake our consciousness. Hayes Greenfield has been making music for years as a saxophonist, recording artist, and composer, and he believes in this power of music.

Founder of Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz, an interactive music education program serving schools and community groups around the country, Greenfield recently produced “Music For A Green Planet.” This CD celebrates environmental stewardship in music and song, reminding us that the choices we make have long-term consequences for the planet.

Hayes Greenfield, called “the true Pied Piper of jazz” by Phillip Glass, will be in Providence for two performances on Saturday, November 7, playing  songs from his “Music For A Green Planet” CD. Families can groove to favorite folksongs with a jazzy twist while singing about saving the Earth in one way or another. The concert, which is open to the public, is also a benefit for the the Ocean State Montessori School in East Providence. In addition to music, there will be a room with environmentally safe products that kids at the Montessori school have made, sold, grown, created etc. Food samples will provided by Trader Joe’s, Munroe Dairy, and Whole Foods.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Hayes. Read the interview below:

Kidoinfo: Why did you start working with children?

Hayes: Because I love sharing the magic and joys of jazz with kids.  Plus, for the most part, jazz is not a popular music anymore, and one of my missions is to inspire as many people as I can with it and show them how they can play jazz for themselves.  One person once said to me that the kids that come to see my program see how they can make jazz their own.  Usually I ask in the beginning of a performance, What is jazz?  It is amazing how many kids say it’s “old-style music” or “music from back in the day.” Before they leave a performance, I ask again what jazz is and if it is alive and well, and they all say “Yes!”

Kidoinfo: How old were you when you started playing an instrument/making music?

Hayes: I started on the saxophone when I was 15 but knew that I wanted to be involved with improvising when I was 11 or 12. When I was in elementary school, an improvisational theater company did an assembly program at my school, where they asked for a topic from the audience and then improvised a whole theater piece. I knew right then that improvising was for me.

Kidoinfo: What is your favorite instrument?

Hayes: Sax, drums, and piano

Kidoinfo: What musician would like to play with or collaborate with in the future?

Hayes: Just excellent sensitive ones who know how to listen. I have a couple of projects that I am involved with now that I would like to see grow into bigger ones. One is a trio where we are playing with electronics as well. Extremely creative.

Kidoinfo: Any tips for parents on how they can teach their kids to love music of all kinds?

Hayes: Expose them to live music in all forms, especially music that is played with acoustic instruments. Extremely important! In today’s world, most of the music is electronically produced and kids don’t get any kind of personal experience hearing and seeing music that is played live on acoustic instruments. Listen to all kinds of music. Parents should sit and actively listen to music with their kids.

Concert Details:

Music for a Green Planet concert
Where: Ocean State Montessori School – 100 Grove Street, East Providence, RI
Saturday November 7, 2009. Two concerts at 1:00pm and 3:00pm
Please bring picnic blanket to sit on
Ages: All ages
Cost: $12.00 for adults over 16. $7.00 for kids. Cash and checks only at the door.
Reservations: 401-246-2439
Ages: All ages

Want to win tickets to the concert?

Email info@kidoinfo.com and tell me one of the songs from Hayes Greenfield’s CD, “Music For A Green Planet.” One winner will be randomly selected to win two tickets to attend the concert.

Deadline for entries: October 30, 2009

While perusing the blogosphere for easy Halloween craft projects for kids, I found these:

Halloween Egg Carton Spiders from Kiddley

Although Claire Robertson stopped adding new posts to her Kiddley blog awhile ago it still exists full of creative ideas. Make a whole gang of spiders from egg cartons and black paper. Find complete instructions here.

Here’s another simple spider, made with pipe cleaners from Nick Jr.

Paper Ghost Garland from Skip to My Lou

Cut these simple ghosts from butcher paper or freezer paper. Find complete instructions here.

Bat Mobile from the Long Thread

This recycled project is made from sticks and thin cardboard (like a cereal box). Find complete instructions here.

Halloween Ghost Walkers from A Steno Pad for my Thoughts

This adorable ghost is made from fabric and a pipe cleaner! Find complete instructions here.