Security at Kids's Camps

We love sports at our house and both of my kids are playing outdoor soccer this summer through CYSA. What a great assocation! My son recently attended their soccer camp and had a blast playing all sorts of soccer games. His skill level noticeably improved and, as a 6 year old, he left with a better understanding of the game . However, what impressed me the most was the camp’s security.

Security at kids camps is a serious issue. We leave our kids in the hands of people we do not know and basically trust that they will be well taken care of – trust can be a scary thing. My kids have attended a lot of camps over the years, some have good security and some, I am sad to say, don't. The initial week that my daughter attended her first year at Winding Trails Girl Scout camp was a bit scary. I almost pulled her. While she was having a great time at the camp which is located in the middle of Russian Jack Park, I was having a hard time with the drop off and pickups. It was very haphazard. Because of the tight parking, parents were not supposed to park and drop kids off, but rather were to let the kids out of their cars and drive off. The kids ended up wandering around until a camp counselor got them. There was not sign in and the 2nd day they let my sister pick her up without checking to her id or the pickup list to see if she was allowed to. I was not the only parent concerned and the GS office got quite a few calls about the it. Needless to say the security drastically improved and we stayed in the camp. We have gone back over the years and I have recommended the camp to others with the caveat to watch the security.

Mentos Geyser

I had a play day for my son with another little boy and we tried the Mentos Geyser Tube. I had picked up a Mentos Geyser Tube at Classic Toys in Anchorage and wanted to try it out. I gathered the required supplies - A roll or box of Mentos and a 2-liter bottle of soda. According to the instructions, diet cola is less sticky. We took all out of our loot outside and loaded the tube up. I was a bit skeptical that we would get a geyser and was pleasantly surprised when the soda shot up into the air. Needless to say, the boys that it was really cool and were jumping all over the place looking for mentos. The outer layer of the mentos were eaten away by the soda and we were able to talk about why and how that happened - so I got to sneak a little science in along with the soda explosion.

Tween/Teen Book Review Site

My kids love reading and I try to read or find out about the book my kids are reading. As my daughter enters her tweens this is becoming a bit more challenging. She is branching out of series that I am familiar with such as Harry Potter, American Girl, Nancy Drew and such and into books of which I have never heard. It is summer, she is an extremely fast reader and I was running out of books I felt comfortable having her read without my pursuing them first and I had already hit up my mom friends for their recommendations.

Enter TeensReadToo.com. This site has hundreds of book reviews for current tween/teen books. The reviewer include teacher, parents, college students sprinkled with a few high school student reviewers. Each review has a biography listed so that you can get a feel of their background. There is a link within each review to that reviewers biography.

The review is quick and easy to read - following is a sample.

THE VAMPIRE'S PHOTOGRAPH by Kevin Emerson
Category: Paranormal
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+
Release Date: 8/1/08
Publisher: Scholastic
Reviewed by: Jaglvr
Rating: 4 Stars

Navigation is cumbersome as there is no search mechanism and the site reviews on alphabetical listings of books by title, author, rating.

I read through some of the book reviews of books that I had read. I got a good feel for the overall philosophy of the site and its contributors and would recommend it.

Up - 3d version

We went to UP yesterday. Here is a quick review without a synopsis as most parents will have an idea of the storyline already.

I really thought this movie was great. All the parents were laughing when Carl, Ed Asner's character, wanted to play the "quiet game" with his stowaway Russell. Apparently the quiet game is a parent favorite even in the cartoon world. Normally, I don't like 3d movies, the scenes seem contrived, the glasses are uncomfortable and one can only take so many snakes popping out at you. However, I would recommend seeing this moving in 3d the graphics are wonderful and they way they have integrated the 3d is seemless.

Up Reviews

GeoCaching - Cooper Landing

I took the kids geocaching for the 1st time. We had a blast. We found a cache, unfortunately it was not the one that we were looking for - but at least we found one. publishing more on this today

It's Not Just My Kids

While in Michael's the other day, my son was being a bit rambunctious. He was suffering from toomuchenergyitius and was running around not listening to me and I started the counting routine with the requisite if I get to 3 … On the next aisle over, I heard another mother laugh and say, “I glad it isn’t just my kids” and we both started laughing. As embarrassing as it is to admit, sometimes, I am glad that other kids act up.

The notion of perfect parenting & perfect kids is just not real: Kids get tired and stubborn, parents get cranky. My kids don’t always obey everything I ask and I am glad that they don’t. My tween is starting to question what I think – which while sometimes is not appropriate gives me a glimpse into how her mind works. It is irritating, sad and comforting all at once to know that she is thinking independently. I am not sure about my son’s hearing capabilities, but I am still trying to bottle his energy, I figure if I can do that he will be set for college.

I am posting this entry but am also going to ensure my tween doesn’t read it until she is 30, which with the way she is growing, my very well be next week.

Children's Health

If you are looking for a children's health book for yourself or for a new mom as a shower gift, I highly recommend Your Child's Health: The Parents' One-Stop Reference Guide to: Symptoms, Emergencies, Common Illnesses, Behavior Problems, and Healthy Development by Barton D. Schmitt, M.D., F.A.A.P. I received this book as a shower gift for my 1st child, who is now 10, and it is wonderful. I still reference it periodically today and it is so worn that it no longer has a cover. I also give this book to the all new mothers that I know as a shower gift and they love it as well!

The book pretty much everything you can think. The reason I like this book so much is how the information. Th entries are concise, easy to read and well indexed. This book is also used by Providence Hospital's 24-Hour Nurse Advice hotlind.

Here is the basic outline for illnesses.
Name / Symption / Similar Condition / Causes / Expected Course / Call your child's physician 1) Immediately if 2) Within 24 hours if 3) During office hours if / Home care options / Common mistakes / Prevention.

At Barnes and Noble online you can take look inside the book.

About Barton Schmitt
Barton D. Schmitt, MD, FAAP, is Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Director of the Sleep Disorder Clinic and Encopresis-Enuresis clinic at The Children's Hospital of Denver. He has written more than one-hundred articles for fellow pediatricians, as well as the book Pediatric Telephone Protocols and the computer software program The Pediatric Advisor, used by over four-hundred-and-fifty hospitals nationwide.

Ugh - Sometimes Technology ...

Just found out that my html newsletter did not make it out so I am resending as the text to all ... ugh ugh ugh

A little Science Gem in the Woods

Anchorage's little gem in the woods. If you get a chance this summer, head out to the Campbell Creek Science Center, take a tour of the facility and meander through the grounds. The center is part of the Campbell Tract which boosts 12 miles of trails. My kids have gone on multiple field trips to the center over the year and my daughter Darby just completed the Earth Ranger series. It was a three outdoor blast running around the woods building ant circuses, investigating wildlife and investigating cause and effect of environmental what ifs!

Over the summer, check out a Science-in-a-Backpack! These packs designed to introduce basic field techniques. Explore the health and inhabitants of Campbell Creek using the Water Quality Pack. Search for and investigate insects and their relatives with the Invertebrate Pack.

Science-in-a-Backpack packs can be checked out for up to a week at a time and must be reserved ahead of time by calling (907) 267-1247.

Girl Scout - Camp Togowoods

Girl Scouts Rock!

My daughter and I went out to Girl Scout Camp Togowoods in Wasilla this weekend. Our troup put in some community service time and we started to help set the camp up for the summer. We built mosquito net frames, hauled mattresses, stack wood and cleaned, cleaned, cleaned. What a fun place and what a great group of girls!

She had been involved since 1st grade and I have really enjoyed watching her and the other girls grow. What fabulous activities they experience as they earn their badges - we even went down to the Challenger Center in Kenai a couple of months ago for a workshop. I especially love the annual Women In Science Fair that exposes the girls to women in our community who work in the sciences. The girls get to see the various careers out there as well as meet people in those fields. This is a great event and you don't have to be a girl scout to attend!

Want more information on Girl Scouts in Alaska - check out their website.

Settlers of Catan

Yesterday we had most of the family up for a Mother's Day BBQ. After the food was eaten and the table cleared, my niece's boyfriend grab our Settlers of Catan game. I was reminded of what a fun family game this is. We have a Friday Family night where we alternate weekly between movies and games and have played Settlers often. It is has been a favorite with my 10 year old daughter for a couple of years. While the game is rated 10 and up my kindergarten son plays with a little help - he loves building roads.

Game Synopsis
Settlers comes with board pieces that represent resources that were valuable to early settlers (like wheat, sheep, iron, brick and forests). To start the game, the board pieces are shuffled and laid out in a preset pattern. Because the pieces are in random order inside the preset pattern, you never know which resources will end up where and the game is never the same twice. Every resource piece gets a number from 2-12 (corresponding with the possible numbers from rolling two dice).

Each player starts out with two settlements at different places on the board. They take turn rolling the dice and getting resources if they have a settlement on a board piece when the number comes up. It's not as complicated as it sounds. If you have a settlement beside the forest piece with a number six on it, and the dice roll is a 2 and a 4, then you get a card with the forest symbol. Players can use the cards to build up their settlements. If you want to build a road, you need to trade in a forest and a brick card.

Don't be intimidated by the thick instruction booklet. Once you read through it and start playing, it becomes addictive. My daughter loves teasing me with trade offers of what I need only to say nope in the end. My son, the little builder, will pretty much trade anything for bricks and wood to get the longest road card.

It is fun game where kids learn negotiation skills through the trades they need to make in order to build up their settlements. Strategy and randomness are also learned. During the initial settlement selection stage you want the best resources by the numbers with the highest probability of being rolled, for example selecting resources near 6's and 8's. However, kids learns that just because your resource is on a 6 or an 8 it doesn't guarantee that you will gain lots of those resources during the dice rolls. Yesterday, I had a resource on an 8 but the 8 was barely rolled which my kids thought was hilarious. There are also expansion sets such as a Seafarers set to game more twists to the game.

I believe that this is a game that Over the Rainbow Toys and Classic Toys offer or you can purchase it online.

He's so dreamy

The other day I was talking with my daughter, my niece and a couple of their friends. Twilight had been out of video for a while and there is apparently buzz beginning around the sequel New Moon. New Moon isn't even suppose to be out until next November, but apparently there are publicity posters out on the internet with Edward, Bell, Jacob and the new wolf pack.

If you are lost at this point you probably don't have a tween/teen daughter and aren't aware of the Twilight Saga Phenomenon that recently pushed Harry Potter out of the top book honors at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.

Anyway, back to the story. As I was standing there listening to the tween girls, I decided I would try and embarress them. I walked up and in my best girlie voice chimed in, "Oh Edward, isn't he sooooo dreamy?" To which my niece replied, "No Aunt Lisa, Edward is Hot". Needless to say, I was momentarily stunned and then I just started to laugh. Cathy, you are going to have your hands full in a few years and I wish you the best of luck with my niece! I always have a bottle of wine on hand when you need a break.

A Year with Frog and Toad

Yesterday my son's kindergarten class went and saw TBA's (Training Better Artists Towards a Better Alaska) production of A Year with Frog and Toad. It is a play that teaches valuable lessons about the true nature of friendship during good times and bad, the joy of doing nice things, misunderstandings, and horsing around throughout the 4 seasons. The characters are heartwarming especially the scene stealing snail. The play features quite a few kids such as the adorable baby birds and mischievous squirrels with whom kids can relate. I found the play very enjoyable; however, I think that it is a bit old for kindergarteners. I had a few other boys, as well as my son, with me and they started to get a bit antsy towards the end of fall. I would recommend this play for kids 7/8 and above.


TBA is a great organization that has year round plays featuring kids and hosts a Summer Performing Arts Academy for kids. In addition, they hold classes for kids during fall, winter and spring. Several years ago, my daughter took a beginning class that featured fairy tales and it was wonderful. It was a fun introduction to acting and my daughter loved it! Registration is now open for their Summer Academy so check out their website.

Is Spring Really Here?

It's a sunny day in Eagle River; however, I woke up to frost on my deck. I could have sworn it was spring.