January 2012 baystateparent Magazine

JAN. 2012

FREE

Massachusetts’ Premier Magazine For Families Since 1996

FLY THROUGH A FAIRY TALE ON A DOG SLED! WARM UP AT AN INDOOR FARMERS’ MARKET SPREAD THE GOOD FORTU FORTUNE NE THROW A CHINESE NEW YEAR PARTY

Yearn to Learn

Education 2012 DO YOU LOVE YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL? MEET 5 MOMS WHO DO

IGNORE IG NORED: D: GIFTED CHILDREN IN MASSACHUSETTS

Voted Best Parenting Publication in North America 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010

2 JANUARY2012

Cornerstone Academy Educating all learners in grades K-6 An elementary preparatory school that celebrates the individual.

Each snowake is unique, just like each child’s educational needs are unique!

Cornerstone provides an individualized curriculum for all students!

Tours on Tuesdays Jan. 10th & 24th, 2012 at 9:00 a.m.

Call to reserve your spot.

Offering Transitional Kindergarten and full day Kindergarten through Grade 6th curriculum.

Strong academic foundation complemented by art, Spanish, music and physical fitness.

Small classes, individual attention.

State of the art technology utilized in all classrooms.

Highly qualified faculty trained to adapt curriculum to your child’s ability.

Innovative and interactive curriculum, which engages and inspires our students.

Kindergarten is where the educational journey begins!

0BL "WFOVF t /PSUICPSP ." t www.cornerstoneacademy.org BAYSTATEPARENT 3

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Blossom Station Child Care Center of Acton “Daily Discoveries, Endless Possibilities”

"If you are planning for a year, sow rice; If you are planning for a decade, plant trees; If you are planning for a lifetime, educate children."

Chinese Proverb

Now Enrolling 222 Main Street, Acton, MA 01720

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Start Your Child Off On the Right Track!

BAYSTATEPARENT 5

our special guest Logan Marie Philipps, age 5 Captured by Bellini Portraits www.belliniportraits.com

table

44

DOG SLEDDING

IGNORED: GIFTED CHILDREN IN MASSACHUSETTS “Everyone thinks of Massachusetts as an education state,” says Diane Modest, Framingham Public School’s director of gifted and talented education. “...and yet we do little to support gifted and talented education.”

32

You will never forget it for the rest of your life. Dog sledding in New England is like flying through a fairy tale. Is it your time to join the pack? Find out how!

56

THESE GIRLS CLEAN UP WELL

The only way single mom Katherine Fairbanks will take anyone’s crap is if it’s in their trash removal contract.

Katherine’s business, Dirty Girl Disposal Inc., seeks to change the stereotypical image of truck driver and open the doors for women to have a new kind of career.

the of the home

JANUARY 2012 • VOLUME 16 • NUMBER 9

in every issue 7 10 11 15 16 22

yearn to learn education 2012

WELCOME

24 WHY I LOVE...

JUNKDRAWERS

32 IGNORED: Gifted Children in Massachusetts

GUESTBOOK TAKE GOOD CARE: Misleading Labels OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO

34 MOM ROCKS: Jennifer Benson of Lunenburg

UNIMPORTANT PLEASURES: Wintertime Farmers’ Market

40 COLLEGE & YOUR CHILD’S PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH

44 LET’S ROLL: Dog Sledding 58 58 58 60

something special

FINALLY FOREVER: Full of Grace

14 CHEERS TO YOU ON CHINESE NEW YEAR

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS: Adoption Events

52 MEET THE CAMPER OF THE YEAR

JANUARY’S CHILD

56 THESE GIRLS CLEAN UP WELL

CAPTURED: Hat Heads

advertising directories 25 47 59 62

OPEN HOUSES PARTY PLANNER BULLETIN BOARD ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

sneak peek February

PROM/TEENS

March

BABY

April

CAMP

Voted Best Parenting Publication in North America 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010

What are Your New Year ’s Resolutions?

- to lose weight - to eat less - to manage time better - to stress less - to have more leisure time - to spend more time with family - to ask for help!

6 JANUARY2012

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e m o c l e W Would you be angry if your child’s high school made her eat outside in a city park? Unsupervised. In rain, sleet and snow. Every day.

Never mind no child left behind: no child eats indoors!

What if this same high school did not provide so much as a vending machine, making the school’s 20-minute lunchtime a fend-for-yourself frenzy?

Lunch isn’t the only time students have to brave the elements. Just to get to class, students have to bundle up and cross city streets in order to reach classrooms housed in buildings around the block.

Cars better stop as students had under 3 minutes to get to class on time.

Would you pay for your child to attend a school that could not provide the basics?

My parents did.

I grew up in Western Massachusetts, in the city of Holyoke, and lived in a nice neighborhood with good public schools, schools that I could have

easily walked to with neighborhood kids. My grandmother worked in the cafeteria there, and it would have been so easy for my young parents – who were just 23 when I started kindergarten – to send me there.

Yet my parents sent me and my three siblings to Catholic school, and it wasn’t for religious reasons; they always said that they wanted the best for us. What good parent doesn’t?

In my parents’ eyes, parochial education was the best option at the time. They worked tirelessly, including weekends, as they unselfishly pushed their dreams aside so that we could build ours.

My school had weaknesses, but it also had its strengths, just like every school in Massachusetts today. I always appreciated my education because of the sacrifices that my two working parents made to send us to the school they believed in. Today this humbles me as I contemplate the financial demands of raising my own three daughters, who attend public school.

How did my parents do it? And the bigger questions: Was it worth it? Was it better than the alternative?

If you are a parent who agonizes over decisions about how and where to educate your children, I think you will be intrigued by “What I Love About My Child’s School” on page 25 of this month’s issue. Five moms share their passions regarding each of their child’s school experiences: Montessori, homeschooling, parochial school, virtual public school and public school. I felt a whole range of emotions reading each perspective as I am sure you will too.

I was touched in particular by Amanda Roberge’s honest account of public school in Leominster, the way she uses the perceived weakness of her child’s school as its strength. As you read her account, it’s only fair to say that Amanda’s urban school differs from more privileged public schools in

the state. This just highlights the fact that evaluating schools for your child is a dynamic and complex process.

There is often not a “right” answer of where to send your child to school, and as parents, you just do your best.

Knowing this, bsp provides information on private and independent school open houses throughout this month’s issue and specifically in our open house listings on page 25. As you will learn, January is a popular time to begin visiting schools across the state. If you are contemplating sending your child to a public school, you can gather a wealth of information by attending town and school committee meetings in your community. Begin networking with a variety of parents who send their children to the public school you are considering so that you have a wellrounded picture of what to expect, and remember that opinions will vary as much as their holders, so make sure to look for them in all kinds of places.

And can you believe it’s also time to start thinking about summer camp and programs? We’re getting you started on that as well.

Our summer camp countdown kicks off this month on page 51.

We know that choosing schools and programs for your child in the new year can be overwhelming.

No matter how you, as parents, opt to educate your child, keep in mind, that studies show this: parents, not teachers, are the most influential factor in a child’s education. You can make a huge impact by reading to your child every day and mustering up the energy to get excited about your child’s school project (due tomorrow!).

Happy New Year baystateparents.

Carrie Wattu editor@baystateparent.com

Massachusetts’ Premier Magazine For Families

baystateparent publisher GARETH CHARTER 508-749-3166 x153 gcharter@holdenlandmark.com editor CARRIE WATTU 508-865-7070 editor@baystateparent.com

creative director PAULA MONETTE ETHIER 508-865-7070 baystateparent@holdenlandmark.com

promotions JENNIFER ANTKOWIAK 508-269-1728 jemsa2@charter.net

graphic designer STEPHANIE MALLARD 508-865-7070 srenaud@holdenlandmark.com

sales & business development manager STEPHANIE PEARL 774-364-0296 stephaniep@baystateparent.com account executive STACI LaTURNO BISSET 774-364-5073 stacil@baystateparent.com account executive EMILY RETTIG 774-364-4178 emilyr@baystateparent.com account executive DAWN HINES 413-626-2789 dawn@baystateparent.com contributing writers

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STEVEN KING JULIA A. BAKER LAURA PUHN EMILY O’BRIEN AMANDA ROBERGE proof reader JENNIFER PALMER LOREL SHEA BRYAN ETHIER DOUG PAGE BONNIE TOOMEY TODD PATKIN presidents KIRK and LAURIE DAVIS

baystatestateparent 117 Elm St., Millbury, MA 01527

508-865-7070

www.baystateparent.com campguide.baystateparent.com www.massfieldtrips.com baystateparent Inc. is published monthly with a main office at 117 Elm Street, Millbury, 01527 508-865-7070 Fax 508-865-7979 It is distributed free of charge throughout Massachusetts. www.baystateparent.com • info@baystateparent.com

Meet Our Cover Model

Logan Marie Philipps

Distribution Agency: Insight Distribution Management 978-728-7785/603-661-8370 • Insightdm@yahoo.com

age 5

1. If you could dress your next snowman up in anything at all, what would he wear?

It would be a snow queen with a crown and a cape, named Chloe.

you like Chinese food?

I do like Chinese food. My favorite is plain Lo Mein (Logan likes to call it Chinese long pasta).

2. bsp features a story on dog sledding this month. What adventure would you like to try someday?

I would like to go camping.

4. It’s a new year. 2012! What are a few things you hope will happen this year.

I hope I get to go to Hershey Park, have a waterslide for my birthday and go to Cape Cod over the summer and see Grayson and Madden.

3. Our featured party this month is Chinese New Year. Do

Massachusetts' premier magazine for families has earned more than 130 national and regional awards since 2004, including 30 in 2010: 17 Parenting Publications of America Awards

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8 New England Newspaper Press Association Awards 5 Suburban Newspapers of America Awards Including Best Parenting Publication in North America 2010 BAYSTATEPARENT 7

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BAYSTATEPARENT 9

JUNK D R AW E R S

michelle vergari photog raphy

A LITTLE LIT OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT COMPLIMENTARY PORTRAITS FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER

JUMP INTO FITNESS Bored with your fitness routine? Sky Zone Boston, the Northeast region’s first and only indoor trampoline park, is not just for kids. They offer exciting new fitness classes for adults as well as 3-D Dodgeball...all on a trampoline. Plus, they’ve opened a second park in Everett. Both the Boston and Everett facilities feature Open Jump playtime for all ages including toddlers and SkyRobics fitness classes for adults, teens and kids. skyzonesports.com.

HINGHAM DAD AND SON COOK UP DOGGITY (NOW ON SPROUT®!)

Five years ago, Hingham dad John McCoy began creating a preschool television program based on an idea from his 5-year-old son. “Jack told me about Doggity, a cooking dog he’d made up. I thought, ‘There are no fun cooking shows for kids. I bet that would work.’” It took four years for McCoy to create, produce and make it a reality while working his day job teaching law at Suffolk University. Today you can catch Doggity, a two-minute animated cooking short emphasizing healthy eating during Noodle and Doodle, Sprout’s popular arts & crafts cooking series for preschoolers. Way to go McCoys! For more information, visit sproutonline.com/noodle-anddoodle/doggity/. Also follow Doggity on facebook/doggitysdiner.

Q&A

The last thing on a parent’s mind when her child has cancer may be to get her child’s photo taken.

Michelle Vergari of Leominster, a custom photographer who specializes in child and family natural-light portraiture, wants to make sure you capture beautiful and lasting memories. She offers, completely free of charge, a “Project ‘Picture Me’” session through the Why Me? organization for children fighting cancer. If your family would like to participate, please fill out the application at MichelleVergariPhotography.com.

I want to be healthier in the new year but feel overwhelmed.

Do you have any tips?

Yes! Do what you love. Pretending to love running when you don’t is not going to encourage you to exercise. Instead, find activities, classes and exercises that you really enjoy.

Also play with your food. Similar to exercise, forcefeeding yourself rice-cakes when you think they taste like cardboard isn’t going to make you love health food.

Instead, make a game of it. Experiment with different types of health foods to find the ones you like.

— Brett Blumenthal, bestselling author of 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You (January 2012) and Get Real and STOP Dieting! (December 2010). Blumenthal is CEO of Be Healthy, Inc., which is holding Be Healthy Boston – an urban wellness retreat at the Westin Boston Waterfront– this January 28th and 29th.

NAVIGATING THE NORTH SHORE WITH BABY Boston Baby: A Field Guide for Urban Parents just became a big sister with the release of North Shore Baby: A Field Guide for Parents North of Boston. Local author and mom of three, Dana Rousmaniere, scoured Essex County to find the best playspaces, classes, bargains, family dining spots and general resources that local parents can use. Like Boston Baby, this trusty field guide is jam-packed with hot tips, activities, daytrips and more.

Makes a great gift! Visit amazon.com or unionparkpress.com.

Junkdrawers strives to highlight the products, people and places of Massachusetts. Have an idea? Email editor@baystateparent.com.

10 JANUARY2012

L L O N R OW N E

GUESTBOOK Happy New Year to the Fairhurst Family of Uxbridge: Hailey, 10; Katelyn, 7; Hayden, 10 months. photography by heather wix.com/Hdancerd/photos

you will reconsider the use of profanity in future pieces.

Marcia Grenier, Worcester I read Kathleen Quinn’s article in baystateparent [“In the Wrong Chair,” Nov. 2011] and was glued to every word she wrote. My daughter, Isabella, turns 3 in April and has cerebral palsy. Kathleen expressed so much of the emotion I feel. I finally felt like someone spoke what I’d been feeling. I just loved the brutal honesty of the article.

Mandy Scipione, Franklin

I

loved the story “In the Wrong Chair” [Nov. 2011 Special Needs issue/ Kathleen Quinn]. It was a genuine, heartfelt story, but I could do without the profanity. Although you put a small disclaimer, I did not see it until after reading the story.

Maura Donahue I loved Kathleen Quinn’s article in the November issue of baystateparent and plan to follow her blog. As a mom of a child with a rare genetic syndrome (MECP2 Duplication Syndrome), she made me laugh and cry especially the part about buying a gift for another child and not even knowing what a typical child plays with. Kathleen’s honesty was a refreshing change.

Tara, Stoneham As a parent of a young man who is on the autism spectrum and is very severely disabled, I was interested in reading the article “In the Wrong Chair” [Nov. 2011/ Kathleen Quinn]. I was unable to finish because of the vulgar language. As a magazine that is supposed to be the best parenting magazine, I fail to understand how you could not use more appropriate language.

I have been ad-vocating successfully for my son for 18 years and have even taken a course to become an advocate. One of the lessons that we learned from an attorney who works for the premier law firm in Massachusetts representing the rights of the disabled is that parents must always stick to the “high ground.” If we are to be taken seriously when we advocate for our children, we must be professional at all times. I hope

The article in baystateparent about Kathleen and her son was absolutely fantastic. Her son is beautiful. Kudos to Kathleen for sharing everything. I have a son on the autism spectrum and went through similar feelings as Kathleen’s. To hear someone speak so freely about what most of us feel is comforting.

Sandy Gregory, Hubbardston EDITOR’S NOTE: To read Kathleen’s November article about raising a son with Fragile X, visit baystateparent.com and click “Find a Copy” and “Archives.”

WINNERS! baystateparent giveaways are announced at baystateparent.com under “Contests/Fast Pass to Giveaways” as well as on our Facebook page (Join our page today by searching “baystateparent Magazine.”) A sampling of our recent prizes and winners include: Boston Ballet Nutcracker Tickets Eileen Hebard, Westwood Family Four-Pack to Coco Key Water Resort, Fitchburg Colleen Silverman, Framingham The Velveteen Rabbit at the Boston Children’s Theatre Joanne Fitts, Upton Email your thoughts on our January issue to editor@baystateparent.com.

All letters will be edited for clarity and length. Please include your full name and town for publication.

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BAYSTATEPARENT 11

photo courtesy of muddy paw sled dog kennel - dogslednh.com

photo courtesy of mountain view grand resort & spa

u o y g n i h s i W Dogspeed r a e Y w e N e in th TH. WHEN

LAST MON O S E R A R E E SLEIGH, REIND A N O Y L F O ANT T DOGS. YOU REALLY W Y B D E L L U P E ON GO FOR THE

BY

carrie wattu

You will never forget it for the rest of your life. Dog sledding in New England is like flying through a fairy tale. Sitting low to the ground on a trusty sled, you will experience the excitement of each sharp corner as you lean into turns and mush up hills. A team of powerful dogs

will pull you over the river and through the woods on a thrill ride like no other.

Whether you take an hour tour or sign up for a full day or weekend adventure, dog sledding is a memorable way to celebrate a birthday or simply to treat someone special. Since the standard

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photo courtesy of muddy paw sled dog kennel dogslednh.com

tour – about one hour – averages $150 per person, this is typically a once-ina-lifetime indulgence. Greg Vitello, owner of Northern Exposure Outfitters in Brookfield, says “How many people can say that they’ve been dog sledding?

It’s quite a conversation piece.�

Greg and his wife Eileen have three boys, ages 18, 15 and 14, in addition to the dog-sledding adventure company they have owned and operated together for the past 13 years. Their youngest son, Bailey, fell in love with the family business and is now a fully-sponsored professional dog musher who will compete in the 2012 Jr. Iditarod in Alaska.

It’s a lifestyle and sport that attracts admirers. “Most people are blown away by how powerful the dogs are and how quiet it is out here,� Greg says. The dogs impress their visitors with their teamwork as well as their excitement to pull the sled.

The dogs are also great teachers as guests learn about respecting the wilderness and the outdoors. The Vitellos continue to educate “in the dogs’ tracks� by also offering kennel tours, traveling puppy programs, birthday parties and summer camp. “Every morning I wake up and am blown away that we get to share what we love to do with people every day,� says Greg.

Is it your time to join the pack? Consider the following resources as you plan your outing:

Carrie Wattu is editor of baystateparent.

She fell in love with winter after a dog sled ride at the Mountain View Grand in 2010.

**

02/'2!-3 /&&%2%$ s Bachelor of Science in Nursing – RN to BSN program** s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Management Concentration s Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

s Bachelor of Arts in Psychology – Forensic Psychology Concentration

Inn at East Hill, Troy, New Hampshire: January 20 – 22 is Sled Dog Weekend.

Meet the sled dogs and mushers of The Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel and take a ride. Stay overnight; your meals are included. east-hill-farm.com.

s Bachelor of Arts in Psychology s Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts – Elementary Education Concentration s Associate of Science in Early Childhood Education (ECE)

s Online Game Design CertiďŹ cate

Northern Exposure Outfitters: This dog-sled adventure company, run by an outdoorsy family of five, is located at 52 Longhill Rd., Brookfield. Be part of the team in Brookfield or invite Northern Exposure to bring the dogs and sled to you. They also offer no-snow sledding in the fall and the spring. http://neoutfitters.com/.

Mountain View Grand, Whitefield, NH.: This beautiful resort recently partnered with the Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel and the N.H. Sled Dog Rescue,

History and Education Center, offering family dog sledding programs that are educational and fun. Tour the White Mountains behind a team of rescue and second-chance Alaskan huskies. Rides are available from mid-December through April, weather and trail conditions permitting. 866-484-3843, dogslednh.com, mountainviewgrand.com.

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BAYSTATEPARENT 13

Gung Hey Fat Choy!

Cheers to you on Chinese New Year BY paula monette ethier, creative director steven king, photographer alexandra caulway, writer

D

idn’t make it til midnight to see the ball drop on New Year’s Eve? Here’s your second chance to celebrate: Throw a Chinese New Year party!

The Chinese New Year falls on January 23rd. According to tradition, each year is dedicated to a different animal, and 2012 is the year of the dragon, which represents unpredictability and excitement. To kick things off, decorate with red and gold for happiness and wealth; serve Chinese take-out and mandarin oranges for luck.

Give the kids a few dollars tucked into red envelopes, which are symbolic of warding off evil spirits. Send each child home with dragon-themed favors. And no Chinese New Year party would be complete without the guest of honor: the dragon. Follow this easy how-to, designed

by Enchanting Details Event Planning of Whitinsville, Massachusetts, and create your own dragon puppets.

Gung Hey Fat Choy! Wishing you prosperity and wealth on Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year Dragon Craft Instructions by enchantingdetails.com of whitinsville You will need: •10 plastic cups • (9) 3” sections paper towel or wrapping paper rolls • String or twine • Ribbon • Craft glue • Safety scissors • Stick (to hold the dragon) • Dragon head printable • Glitter pens (optional) • Hole punch

1. Print and cut the dragon head printable at baystateparent.com/editor’sblog.

2. Carefully punch holes in the bottom of the cups using a pen or pencil.

3. Tie a large knot in your string or twine and thread it into the cup and out the bottom so that the mouth of the cup is facing the end of the string.

4. Next thread a piece of the cardboard roll (this acts as a spacer).

5. Repeat Step 4 until you have reached the desired

Pony Rides Sleigh rides Egg Collecting Cow Milking Ice skating Snowman Special January 6-8 Outdoor cooking Snowman building Ice skating Cheese making

Martin Luther King Jr. January 13-16

Sled Dog Weekend January 20-22

Contra Dance Meet the sled dogs of the Muddy Make s’mores at the campfire Paw Sled Dog Kennel Needle felting Talk with the mushers Magic Show Tours available on first come basis

Step Back in Time January 27-29 Ice fishing Candle making Animal winter tracking Outdoor cooking on an open fire

Call for availability for these weekends or February weekends.

Indoor Pool Cross Country Skiing Children’s Activities Snowshoeing 14 JANUARY2012

length and tie another large knot to secure.

6. Glue the dragon head to the last cup you threaded.

7. Cut ribbon to the desired length. Attach to the bottom of the cups with glue.

8. Using a hole punch, punch a hole in the top of the head and tail cup.

9. Using two lengths of ribbon, thread through the head and foot holes and attach to a stick.

Happy New Year!

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No Sugar Added: A food is allowed to boast this on the label if no sugar or sugar-containing ingredient is added during processing or packing.

Examples include fruit juices, applesauce or dried fruit.

TAKEGOODCARE

TOP 5: Misleading Nutrition Labels BY

Why the Label Is Used: The point is to promote the product as being lower calorie than a product that may have added sugar in it. This appeals to those individuals who don’t necessarily like the “sugar-free� option, but don’t want any additional sugar in their products.

brett blumenthal

founder of Be Healthy Boston, an urban wellness retreat, January 28 & 29 There are many things that the food industry does to stealthily dupe consumers into believing that their products are good for you, when in reality they aren’t.

The worst offense, in my mind, is labeling products so that they appear healthier than they are by distracting the customer from the more unhealthy ingredients. Some of my top misleading labels include:

0 Trans Fats:

Trans fats are industrially created by partially hydrogenating plant oil, making them more saturated, with a higher melting point and longer shelf-life.

Why the Label Is Used: Trans fats have gotten a bad rap and have been banned in some cities. As a result, product companies are trying to disassociate themselves with this kind of fat.

My Beef with the Label: First off, if these fats are industrially created, then there is no reason that a product should have them in the first place. Second, just because a food has 0 Trans Fats doesn’t mean the food is non-fat or low-fat; and if the product does contain fat, it may contain saturated fat, which is still a very unhealthy fat.

Contains Whole Grains: Flour made with whole grains is much better for you than processed or bleached flour.

You get more fiber and other benefits from the whole grain variety.

Why the Label Is Used: Many cereal, bread and baked good product companies have been publicizing their use of whole grains in their products to make their products seem more healthful than those that use processed flour.

My Beef with the Label: Unfortunately, once again, having whole grains doesn’t mean it is healthy. The product may contain a lot of sugar, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and fat.

Low-Fat: Many foods that aren’t naturally low in fat, especially baked goods (e.g., cookies, cakes, brownies, muffins), have lower fat options.

Why the Label Is Used: These products are popular with dieters because they appear to be more healthful than their higher fat counterparts. Further, lower fat is often associated with lower calories.

My Beef with the Label: Low-fat versions of higher fat foods often contain gobs of sugar and are very high in simple and refined carbohydrates. So, in reality, the products are often not any better for you‌in essence, you are substituting one bad ingredient for another bad ingredient.

My Beef with the Label: If a product is already pretty sweet (E.g., fruit juices), there is no reason to add sugar, so why do you need to advertise it? Further, some products that claim “no sugar added� may still use other sweeteners, either artificial or natural. These may include: turbinado, honey, sucrose, fructose, corn syrup or lactose. All of which have calories, contribute to weight gain and contain carbohydrates.

As always, the best thing you can do is to learn how to read ingredient lists and nutrition labels. This will ensure that you really know what is inside the product.

Sugar-Free: Much like those foods that are low in fat, naturally sugary foods have seen an influx of “sugar-free� options. Often, these are good options for diabetics or individuals who have blood sugar problems.

Why the Label Is Used: Sugar, like fat, adds a lot of calories to a product. As a result, this label appeals to dieters who are looking to reduce their caloric intake, further expanding a product company’s market share.

My Beef with the Label: Dietetic options are often made with artificial sweeteners.

Many artificial sweeteners (E.g., splenda, nutrasweet, aspartame, etc.) are highly controversial and in many studies have been linked to cancer. If it isn’t natural, stay away from it!

Brett Blumenthal, bestselling author of 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You (January 2012) and Get Real and STOP Dieting!

(December 2010). Blumenthal is CEO of Be Healthy, Inc., which is holding Be Healthy Boston – an urban wellness retreat at the Westin Boston Waterfront – this January 28th and 29th. baystateparent will be at the retreat; come join us!

For more information, visit behealthyboston.com.

DIVORCE MEDIATION If you can’t save your marriage, you can save your divorce.

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OH, THE

PLACES YOU’LL

Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!

- dr. seuss

photo courtesy of revels

GO

GO SING: Music Together offers free music and movement trial classes for babies through kindergartners. applecountrymusictogether.com 16 JANUARY2011

GO GAMELAND: Hasbro GameLand, a dynamic new hands-on exhibit for children, is now open at the Springfield Museums.

Explore games of memory, chance, speed, imagination, strategy and word play. springfieldmuseums.org

photo courtesy of skyzone

photo courtesy of the springfield museums

photo courtesy of applecountrymusictogether.com

GO NIGHT NIGHT: Help put Christmas to bed in Watertown at a Twelfth Night Celebration full of singing, dancing, mumming, crafts and more. revels.org

GO HIGH! SkyZone Boston, the region’s only indoor trampoline park, has opened a second location in Everett. Toddlers through adults can jump in on the fun with unique fitness programming. skyzonesports.com.

OH,THEPLACESYOU’LLGO MELTDOWN WARNING: Before you pack up the mini-van, please confirm your destination. Although we’ve done our best to assure accuracy at press time, things can and do change…

A Adult C Child Y Youth M Member NM Non-Member PP Per Person

1SUNDAY Meet Mama and Papa Berenstain Bears.

Concord Museum in historic Concord. 1:30 – 3 p.m.

These are life-size costumed characters and may be scary for some young children. Your visit with the Picture Book Characters is included free with Family Trees admission: A$15, C (4-18)$6, C under 4 FREE. 978-369-9763, concordmuseum.org.

10:45 – 11:30 a.m. until Feb. 15th. This interactive weekly drop-in program for children ages 2-4 and a parent or caregiver includes art, music, movement and conceptual learning. $8 A/C pair. childrensmuseum.org.

FREE Wee Care Infant Oral Health Program. Dr. Mel Ehrlich, 223 Walnut Sr. Ste. 22, Framingham.

10 a.m. Children under age 3 are invited to register for this free seminar with examination designed to help parents assure a cavity-free child. The informal format assures that all parents’ questions will be answered by this pediatric dental specialist. Space is limited. Call Dr. Mel at 508-875-KIDS to register. weecareatdrmels.com.

Preschool Playtime. Barrett Family Wellnes Center, 107 Otis St., Northborough. 9:15 – 10 a.m. For children of all abilities ages 2.5 to 5.

Parent participation is welcome, but not required.

The therapist-led 45 minute session will incorporate

5THURSDAY

workshops, dance performances and a dance party.

The festival’s mission: to produce locally-based Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton music and dance in an upbeat, all-ages friendly environment. bcmfest.com.

Also Jan. 7th.

Take A Look Morning. Applewild School, 120 Prospect St., Fitchburg. 9 a.m. Visit an independent school for grades K through 8 serving families in central MA and southern NH. No RSVP necessary.

978-342-6053, x110, applewild.org.

FREE Family Fun Night. Children’s Museum of NH, 6 Washington St., Dover, NH. 5:30 – 8 p.m.

All families are invited to explore the museum’s two floors of exhibits with no admission fee. childrensmuseum.org.

FOR PARENTS AND ONGOING Support Group for Parents of Children with Emotional Disturbances. Wayside Youth & Family Support Network, 118 Central St., Waltham. First Thursday every month, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Are you the parent or caregiver of a child or young adult with behavioral or mental health issues? Are you overwhelmed by dealing with “the system,” paperwork and phone calls, or just “burned out?” Do you know how to access medical, mental health or special education services for your child? Do you just need to talk to

7SATURDAY The Magic of Bonaparté—Boston’s Hottest Magician. Regent Theatre, Arlington. 10:30 a.m.

Bonaparté astounds and amazes audiences of all ages with his unique blend of magic, comedy, origami, balloon sculpture and much, much, more. A$10, C$8. regenttheatre.com.

Boston Celtic Music Festival. Cambridge.

The two-day Celtic Music Festival offers concerts, workshops, dance performances and a dance party.

The festival’s mission: to produce locally-based Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton music and dance in an upbeat, all-ages friendly environment. bcmfest.com.

ONGOING Frog Pond Winter Skating. Boston.

10 a.m. - 4 p .m. Hours change depending on the day. $5pp, C 13 and under FREE. Rentals available. bostonfrogpond.com.

ONGOING Cambridge Winter Farmer’s Market.

Cambridge Community Center, Cambridge. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Runs every Saturday until April 28 and features an art gallery, music, food demos, visits from the New England Aquarium, the Museum of Science and other fun & educational activities. centermarket.weebly.com.

ONGOING Spiders! The Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., Cambridge. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. See the new exhibit Spiders! within Arthropods: Creatures that Rule, and learn about these amazingly versatile, and venomous, air-breathing creatures.

A$9, Sr. St. $7, C (3-18) $6, C under 3 FREE. 617495-3045, hmnh.harvard.edu.

Pancake Breakfast. Verrill Farm, Concord. Enjoy breakfast in the sun-splashed greenhouse attached to the farm stand. Fees apply. verrillfarm.com.

ONGOING YOU Youth Group. 51 Union St., Suite 312, Worcester. Meets weekly on Mondays, 5 – 6:30 p.m. YOU is a non-therapeutic youth group for teens between the ages 14 and 19 who are interested in making connections and making a difference while living with mental health, behavioral or emotional needs. Dinner is FREE! 508-767-9725 x 204 or email info@ppal.net.

Open House. Venerini Acadmey, Worcester. 1 – 3 p.m. 508-753-3210, veneriniacadmey.us.

3TUESDAY ONGOING Ice Skating. Bank of America City Center.

Greater Kennedy Plaza, Providence, RI. Nov. 19 – March 18. The 14,000-square-foot skating rink is twice the size of Rockefeller Plaza’s ice rink in New York City! Skate rentals available. May close pending weather conditions – call first. Mon. - Fri., 10 a.m. 10 p.m. and Sat. and Sun., 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. A$6, C (12 and under) $3. Skate rental $4. 401-331-5544.

ONGOING HOPE Youth Group. 51 Union St., Suite 312, Worcester. Meets on Tuesdays, 5 – 6 p.m.

This is a non-therapeutic youth group for teens ages 14-19 who want to connect, make a difference and have fun while living with emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs. Dinner is FREE. 508-767-9725 x 204 or email info@ppal.net.

4WEDNESDAY ONGOING Wee Ones. Children’s Museum of NH, 6 Washington St., Dover NH. Meets on Wednesdays,

joy marzolf/broadmoor

2MONDAY

Ever snowshoe by candlelight and stars?

Try it with your family on Fri., Jan. 27th in Natick. massaudubon.org

fun-filled gross and fine motor activities both in our 1,000 sf sensory gym and our fine motor room. Admission fees apply for the 6-week session. barrettfamilywellness.com or call 508-898-2688.

other parents & caregivers who understand? This free confidential support group is for you. You do not need to be receiving services from Wayside to attend.

781-891-0555.

Mommy and Me: All About Me. Claytime, 124 Boston Turnpike, Shrewsbury. The first Wednesday of every month, moms can create a special item with their toddlers. Fees apply. 508-798-9950, claytimestudio.com.

ONGOING YAYA Young Adult Group (Young Adults & Youth Advocacy). 51 Union St., Suite 312, Worcester. Meets 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 5 – 6:30 p.m. YAYA is a non-therapeutic support group for young adults living with mental health, behavioral or emotional needs. Many of the young adults are transitioning from adolescence towards independence and want to make friends, build connections and develop new skills. Dinner is FREE! 508-767-9725 x204

FOR MOMS Rock It Ladies. Boston Rock Gym, Woburn. Every Wednesday, 12 – 10 p.m. All ladies will receive a climbing day pass for only $5 (rentals cost extra). bostonrockgym.com. (*Note to all the guys out there, it’s worth paying full price!)

Castle Kids Story Hour. Higgins Armory Museum, Worcester. Every first Wednesday. From damsels in distress to mighty dragons, share tales of adventure, from well-known fairy tales to modern picture books in the setting of our medieval Great Hall. Includes museum admission, program with craft related to the story, and a snack. $12 A and child. higgins.org.

Groovy Gustafer Yellowgold Show. Amazing Things, 160 Hollis St., Framingham. 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Groovy Gustafer Yellowgold is a small, yellow, cone-headed fellow who came to Earth from the Sun and has a knack for finding himself neck-deep in absurd situations as he explores his new life in the Minnesota woods. Equal parts pop rock concert and animated storybook, Gustafer Yellowgold concerts are a truly different multimedia experience that entrances children and adults alike. Fees apply. 508-405-2787, gustaferyellowgold.com.

Snowshoe Tours. Decordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln. 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Take advantage of deCordova’s winter Snowshoe Tours of the Sculpture Park—a new, fun, and active way to explore what’s happening in the Park with your entire family! Please visit decordova.org/calendar to sign up for a Snowshoe Tour. Also Jan. 21, 12:30 p.m. and Jan. 28, 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Snowshoeing For Mom and Dad. Mass Audubon’s Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, 280 Eliot St. (Rt.16), Natick. 1 – 3 p.m. Take a guided snowshoeing tour. Explore animal tracks and paths and have a fun adventure on a winter’s day. A great way to see the nature of Broadmoor! Pre-registration required and fees apply. 508-655-2296, massaudubon.org.

6FRIDAY

Open House. Shrewsbury Montessori, 55 Oak St., Shrewsbury and 55 Bryn Mawr Ave., Auburn. 1 – 3 p.m. 508-842-2116, shrewsburymontessori.org.

First Friday Nights Free! The Discovery Museums, Acton. 4:30 – 8:30 p.m. Explore the museums on the first Friday of every month, now through June 2012. Donations to the Acton Food Pantry welcome! discoverymuseums.org.

Twelfth Night Celebration. St. John’s Church Fellowship Hall, 80 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown.

3 – 5 p.m. Help “put Christmas to bed” with singing, dancing, mumming, crafts and more at this family celebration. While smells of hot cider and goodies fill the air, children laugh at the antics of Father Christmas, make crafts, sing along with adults led

Boston Celtic Music Festival. Cambridge.

The two-day Celtic Music Festival offers concerts,

BAYSTATEPARENT 17

OH,THEPLACESYOU’LLGO

by David Coffin and also join in the family dance.

Mumming and sword dancing are part of the festivities too!A$20, C (12 and under) $10, $50/ family. regenttheatre.com.

FREE Music Together Class. St. Stephen’s Church, Westborough. Music Together® is a Music and Movement program for children. This free sample class is for children ages 0-5. RSVP required: 978729-3697, applecountrymusictogether.com.

8SUNDAY

Central Massachusetts area. Enjoy educational, social and emotional support to mothers and expectant mothers of multiples.

ONGOING TubaSlide. Ward Hill, Shrewsbury.

Weekdays, 4 – 8 p.m. For children over 6 or 42” in height. $21pp.skiward.com.

MOPS Meeting (Mothers of Preschoolers).

Heritage Bible Chapel, Princeton. Meets every second Thursday, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Refreshments, conversation, a presentation relevant to motherhood and some type of creative activity. Children (ages 0-5) are welcome to join the Moppets program or stay with you. 978-464-5100, princetonmops.vpweb.com.

12THURSDAY

13FRIDAY

Love that Language! with Ms. Laura (Ages Birth to 2). The Discovery Museums, Acton. 10 a.m.

Held at the Children’s Discovery Museum. Did you know

ONGOING Ice Skating on Frog Pond. Boston Common. 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Dependent on weather.

ONGOING Winterfest. Fruitlands, Harvard. 1 p.m.

Every Sat. and Sun. through Feb. 18. Sledding, skating and fun. $20 per carload. Fruitlands.org.

Animal Footprints and Signs. Mass Audubon’s Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, 280 Eliot St. (Rt.16), Natick. 1 – 2 p.m. Wonder what animal made those tracks? Who is traveling on the trails or through your yard? Fees apply. 508-655-2296, massaudubon.org.

Public Skating. Pirelli Veterans Arena, Franklin.

2:40 – 4:40 p.m. $5pp plus rentals if needed. fmcice. sports.com

15SUNDAY

Open House. Worcester Academy’s historic campus, 81 Providence St., Worcester. 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Ages 6 – 12. worcesteracademy.org.

9MONDAY photo courtesy of the fitchburg art museum

FREE & ONGOING Preschool Storytime. The Blue Bunny, 577 High St., Dedham. 10:30 a.m. Every Monday. Just drop in but please call ahead to confirm.

781-493-6568.

Open House. Oak Meadow Montesorri School, Littleton. 9:15-11:15 a.m. oakmeadow.org.

10TUESDAY ONGOING Tubing Park. Nashoba Valley, 179 Great Rd., Littleton. 1 – 10 p.m. weekdays. 9 a.m.- 10 p.m. weekends, holiday and holiday weeks.

Requirements: Over age 6 and at least 42” in height.

Two-hour ticket:$27. skinashoba.com.

Make something beautiful this winter.

Art classes begin the last week of January in Fitchburg. Check ‘em out: fitchburgartmuseum.org

FREE Music Together® Sample Class. Trinity Church, 440 Main St., Shrewsbury. For children ages 0-5. Best Loved children’s music and movement program. RSVP required. applecountrymusictogether.com.

babies naturally have periods of time every day where they are especially tuned in to learning new information?

Learn about the “State of the Baby” as you and your little ones are guided through fun language-based activities, songs and games. Siblings welcome. $10.50 pp, under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Montachusett Mothers of Multiples Meeting.

Our Lady of the Lake Church, 1400 Main St., Leominster. Meets every second Wed., 7 – 9 p.m.

For parents of twins and multiples who live in the

18 JANUARY2011

Hartsbrook Marionettes present The Swan Geese. The Eric Carle Museum, 125 West Bay Rd., Amherst. 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Admission fees apply.

413-658-1100, ericcarlemuseum.org.

Bob The Magic Guy “Magic For Smart People.”

Regent Theatre, Arlington. 10:30 a.m. Audiences are amazed, delighted and mystified by this magician who weaves stories and slapstick humor around clever magic tricks. A$10, C$8. regenttheatre.com.

Storytime. Danforth Museum, 123 Union Ave., Framingham. 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. All ages are welcome, but stories and songs are geared for children aged 3 – 6. Free with admission. danforthmuseum.org.

11WEDNESDAY

14SATURDAY

FREE Music Together Sample Class. Rice Memorial Baptist Church, Northborough. For children ages 0-5. Best Loved children’s music and movement program. RSVP required. 978-729-3697, applecountrymusictogether.com.

C 13 and under FREE, C 14 and over $4. Rentals available.617-635-2121.

ONGOING Family Night at Central Rock Gym. Worcester. Enjoy climbing, music and socializing every Friday night from 5 - 10 p.m. Parents can come to belay children for free or climb for $9pp. C (under 18) $7, a $5 savings off regular admission.

Free equipment tonite. centralrock.com.

OH,THEPLACESYOU’LLGO

Sing-a-Long Sound of Music. Firehouse Center for the Arts, Market Square, Newburyport. 2 p.m. Enjoy a screening of the classic Julie Andrews film musical in glorious, full-screen technicolor, complete with subtitles so that the whole audience can sing along! The funfilled show starts with a vocal warm-up led by the most charming John Budzyna, the host for the evening who will also take the audience through a complimentary “magic moments pack,” containing various props to be used at strategic points throughout the Sing-a-Long-a Sound of Music film. Dress you and the kids in costumes -- prizes awarded. firehouseorg.

FREE Autism Open Gym. Barrett Family Wellnes Center, 107 Otis St., Northborough. 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Ages 4 – 9, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and ages 10+, 1 – 3 p.m. Siblings welcome. 508-898-2688, barrettfamilywellness.com. Also Jan. 29th.

16MONDAY FREE Martin Luther King Jr. Day Open House.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 10 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.mfa.org.

Family Activities at Barefoot Books. 89 Thoreau St., Concord. Animal Party, 10:30 a.m. - Noon. Come (dressed in your best animal costume if you like!) and hear fun children’s stories. For ages 2-6, with caregiver remaining on-site. Animal crafts, games and pottery painting. $5 per child; pottery discounted for attendees.

Fairy Party from 2:30 – 4 p.m. Ages

2+. Pixie dust will abound when your little fairy comes to hear magical tales, weave some magic with some related crafts and even (optional) try some related pottery painting (ready in about one week). $5 per child. 978-369-1770, barefootbooks.com.

FREE MLK Jr. Peace & Dreams Day. Barefoot Books, 89 Thoreau St., Concord (across from the MBTA’s commuter rail stop). 4 – 5 p.m. Ages 3+.

Celebrate MLK Jr. Day by hearing inspiring stories and lovely tales from across the globe, then take a turn making your own doves of peace. Optional, discounted pottery painting for attendees (ready in about a week). Free. 978-369-1770,barefootbooks.com.

grades K-5 can explore the worlds of both theatre and visual arts with WCT and the ACA, while students in grades 6-9 can experience intensive performance & technical workshops with WCT and New Rep! Register for the morning session: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.) or the afternoon session (1:30 – 4 p.m.) or both! watertownchildrenstheatre.org, arsenalarts. org or newrep.org. $40 per session, $75 for both. watertownchildrenstheatre.org.

MLK Day. Higgins Armory Museum, Worcester. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Arms and Armor Show: 11:30 a.m., 1 & 2:30 p.m. plus make-your-own-shield workshop all day for $5 per shield. Admission applies. higgins.org.

Limits positive discipline series of workshops. Her first session was well-attended and enjoyed by about 30 local moms in October. Here is your chance to hear her speak again. mothersandmoreassabetvalley.org.

18WEDNESDAY

tm/© 2011 sesame workshop. all rights reserved. photographs courtesy of vee corporation

SteveSongs Pajama Party. Preschool of Temple Emunah, 9 Piper Rd., Lexington. 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Come clad in PJs and dancing slippers ready to move and groove to acclaimed family -friendly SteveSongs and the Sensational Sillies singers.

Admission fees apply. $12 advance tickets/$15 at the door. C under 1 FREE. templeemunah.org/preschool.

Martin Luther King Day. The Children’s Museum in Easton, ,Sullivan Ave., North Easton. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Music, food, crafts, and stories. Sample local eclectic cuisine from around the world and fashion your own trivet the take home. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. make music with Tony Fonseca of All Hands Drumming. $7.50pp, C under 1 FREE. 508-2303789, childrensmuseumineaston.org.

Winter Workshop Fest. Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown. 9:45 – 4:30 p.m. Students in

Horray! Elmo’s superheroes are coming to the Lowell Memorial Auditorium and to the Hanover Theatre this month.

17TUESDAY FREE & ONGOING Mr. Ed Story Hour. Barnes & Noble, Burlington. Every Tues., 10:30 a.m. For tots under 5. Please call to confirm: 781-273-3871.

FREE Mothers and More: Love and Limits.

Northboro Senior Center, 119 Bearfoot Rd., Northboro. 7 – 9 p.m. Gail Parsons of Families First will present the second session of the Love &

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Sesame Street Live “1-2-3 Imagine! with Elmo & Friends.” Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell. Jan. 19 – 22. Tickets $14 - $24. 978-4542299, tickets.lowellauditorium.com.

20FRIDAY

Martin Luther King Skate. Roller Kingdom, Hudson. 1 – 5 p.m. $8pp. skates incl. rollerkingdom. drupalgardens.com

Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Providence Children’s Museum, Providence, RI. 11:30 a.m., 1 & 2:30 p.m. Families explore an exhibit of photographs, words and books describing Dr. King’s life and work, participate in an interactive exploration of the negative power of discrimination, and see a powerful performance. In “M.L.K.: Amazing Grace,” award-winning storytellers and actors Rochel Coleman and Valerie Tutson bring history to life through songs and stories as they portray Civil Rights activists Rosa Parks, Ralph Abernathy and more. Admission fees apply. 401-273-5437, ChildrenMuseum.org.

19THURSDAY ONGOING Ice Skating. The Charles Hotel, Boston.

4 – 7 p.m. This 2,900 square foot rink is open to the public. Rentals available. A$5, C under 12 $3. 617864-1200.

FREE & FOR PARENTS Winter Parenting Series. Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge. 7:30 – 9 p.m. Join guest speaker Dan Kindlon, Ph.D., Author, and Child Psychologist and local parents for the kickoff event of The

The History of Taps: Moments in Time. The Stephen Smith Center at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, Dorchester. 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Join the Cambridge Youth Dance Program and the Boston Tap Company as they explore the history and rhythm of tap, a dance that transcends time and cultures.

Admission applies. jfklibrary.org.

OH,THEPLACESYOU’LLGO

Guidance Center’s three-part Winter Parenting Series focusing on the emotional health of children and their families. Moderated by local Child Psychiatrist Dr. Jacqueline Olds, this first event aims to begin a conversation on how to maximize children’s emotional health. Attendance is free and open to the public.

Light refreshments will be served. Pre-registration is recommended, as space is limited. For more information and to RSVP contact Alexandra Vanegas of The Guidance Center avanegas@riversidecc.org or 617-354-2275 x127.

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Free Product After Your 5th Purchase! when you use your Honey Money loyalty card.

Shen Yun Chinese New Year Spectacular. The Opera House, Boston. Jan. 20 – 22.

Experience the true spirit of ancient Chinese culture in this million-dollar, splendid world-class production of classic Chinese dance. Treat yourself to the sounds of Western orchestral and traditional Chinese music arrangements. shenyunperformingarts.org.

Moms Club of Hubbardston. Location TBA. Serves the towns of Barre, Hubbardston, Princeton and Templeton. Meets every 3rd Friday of the month.

508-667-8102, momsofhubb.freehostia.com.

After School Skate. Roller Kingdom, Hudson.

4-6:30 p.m. $6 admission includes skate rental Parents get in free. Skate rental for parents just $1. rollerkingdom.drupalgardens.com ONGOING Sesame Street Live “Elmo’s Super Heroes.” The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, Worcester. Jan. 20 – 22. $12 - $30.

TheHanoverTheatre.org.

21SATURDAY Matt Roberts presents ‘Now That’s What I Call MAGIC!’ The Regent Theatre, Arlington.

10:30 a.m. Clean comedy, astonishing magic, lots of audience participation and plenty of surprises.

A$10, C$8. regenttheatre.com, mattrobertsmagic.com.

Critter Days. Boston Children’s Museum, Boston.

Enjoy Rainforest Reptile Shows at 11:15 a.m. & 12:15 p.m. Do turtles have ears? Are snakes really slimy? $12pp. bostonkids.org.

Clifford the Big Red Dog. Wilbur Theater, Tremont St., Boston. Noon. thewilburtheatre.com.

$1 OFF After Your 5th Purchase! '

'

BAYSTATEPARENT 19

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Children’s Museum of NH, 6 Washington St., Dover, NH. 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Meet the mouse from the popular story “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie� as part of the Books Alive children’s literacy series. Story readings, creative activities, math and literacy games, etc. A$9, C$8, C under 1 FREE. childrens-museum.org.

Take a Look Mornings. Applewild School, 120 Prospect St., Fitchburg. 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Tour this independent, coeducational school for grades K -8 serving families in central MA and southern NH. applewild.org.

FREE Crafts for Kids. Lakeshore Learning Store, Newton and Saugus. 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Ages 3+.

781-233-3770, lakeshorelearning.com.

Create a Car. Providence Children’s Museum, Providence, RI. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Inspired by The Power to Play: From Trash to Treasure, an exhibit of toys handmade by children from around the world, kids use their creativity and an array of repurposed materials to design and construct their own moving vehicles. 401-273-5437, ChildrenMuseum.org.

22SUNDAY Snow Sculptures. Fuller Craft Museum, 455 Oak St., Brockton. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. A special opportunity for kids of all ages to create unique, hand-made objects. Led by professional artists.

Advance registration is strongly suggested.Admission: A$8, C FREE. fullercraft.org.

Snowshoe Tours. Decordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln. 12:30 p.m. Take advantage of deCordova’s winter Snowshoe Tours of the Sculpture Park—a new, fun, and active way to explore what’s happening in the Park with your entire family!

Please visit decordova.org/calendar to sign up for a Snowshoe Tour. Also Jan. 28, 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Jack and the Beanstalk by Crabgrass Puppets.

Firehouse, Newburyport. 3 p.m. Performance is approx. 50-60 min. A$11, St. $9. firehouse.org.

23MONDAY Public Skating. Horgan Arena, Auburn. 11:30 a.m.m- 1:30 p.m. $5pp. fmcicesports.com HomeSchool Meet & Play. Boston Children's Museum. Meets the third Monday of every month, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. bostonkids.org.

Public Ice Skating. Landry Arena, Fitchburg. 1:30 – 3 p.m. $5pp plus rentals. fmcicesports.com

24TUESDAY FOR PARENTS Returning to Work after a Career Break. Sheraton Needham Hotel, 100 Cabot St., Needham. 7 – 9 p.m. Returning to work after years as a stay-at-home parent is intimidating—but it can be done successfully. Carol Fishman Cohen, a mother of four who relaunched her career in business after more than a decade out of the full-time workforce, is a frequent speaker and consultant on the subject of career reentry. Get step-by-step advice on how to approach this challenging but exciting transition. $25 at the door but discount for advanced tickets. parenttalk.info.

ONGOING Hasbro GameLand. Wood Museum of Springfield History. Check out this new hands-on exhibit for children based on popular Hasbro toys and games. A$12.50, C (3-17) $6.50, C under 3 FREE. 413-263-6800, springfieldmuseums.org.

25WEDNESDAY Celebrate the Chinese New Year! The Discovery Museums, Acton. Drop in 3 – 4:30 p.m. at the Science Discovery Museum. Celebrate the Year of the Dragon! Make your very own Chinese New Year craft to take home with you. $10.50 pp. discoverymuseums.org.

Story Hour: Color. Decordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln. 10:30 a.m. After hearing a story related to broad-based art themes in the Art ExperienCenter, families will participate in a corresponding activity and be provided with snacks.

This program is perfect for families with children ages 5 and under. Admission applies. decordova.org.

FOR PARENTS Raising Kids Positively; Discipline vs. Punishment. Jam Time Indoor Play and Enrichment Center, 86 Powder Mill Rd., Maynard.

This workshop will teach positive child rearing skills, while helping participants lessen the amount of frustration, yelling and punishments used with your children. RSVP: nurturingparentsandteachers.com by filling out the contact form. Please fill out all info and in comments, list title of workshop, location and time.

Please make $25 check out to Jill Vetstein and bring to workshop

26THURSDAY Love that Language! with Ms. Laura (Ages

As Featured on “Chronicle�

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Now

www.BayStateSkatingSchool.org Non-ProďŹ t 20 JANUARY2011

Brookline Cambridge Hyde Park/Dedham Medford Newton/Brighton Quincy Somerville South Boston Waltham West Roxbury Weymouth

3 to 5). The Discovery Museums, Acton. 10 a.m. at the Children’s Discovery Museum. Learn about language comprehension and production and participate in fun language-based activities, songs and games with Ms. Laura, a licensed speechlanguage pathologist. Siblings welcome. $10.50pp. discoverymuseums.org.

Thursday’s Tales. The Discovery Museums, Acton. 11 a.m. at the Children’s Discovery Museum.

Sing some songs and sample some stories. $10.50pp.

Discoverymuseums.org.

FREE 19th Annual Summer Camp Fair. Parker Damon Building, 11 Charter Rd., Acton. 5 – 8 p.m.

Choose from over 90 camps. Free kid-sitting and an affordable dinner available. merriamptoorg. Snow Date: Feb. 2.

ONGOING AND FREE Parent Support Group.

PPAL Office, 51 Union St., 3rd floor/Suite 308, Worcester. Meets every second and fourth Thursday.

This is a free and confidential Parent Support Group where you can meet other parents and caregivers that understand the struggles and victories of raising challenging kids who may have emotional, behavioral or mental health needs. ppal.net.

27FRIDAY Kids Jam. Boston Children’s Museum, Boston. 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. An all ages dance party in Club Common!

Led by kids. Supported by adults. Fees may apply. bostonkids.org. Also Feb. 24.

Parents’ Night Out. Great Escape Playcafe, Leominster. Playtime, arts & crafts, yummy dinner and snacks and story time - under supervision of staff, while grown-ups can head out for a fun night of their own! Register online or call for details: 978-2275886, tgeplaycafe.com Evening Snowshoe Adventure by Stars and Candlight for Families. Mass Audubon’s Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary 280 Eliot St. (Rt.16), Natick. 4 – 5:30 p.m. Explore on snowshoes or hike if there is not enough snow. The quiet crispness of a winter night will be illuminated by the flickering light of candelaria as youlisten for owls and other night sounds. End the adventure with snacks together in a gathering circle.

Pre-registration required. Fees apply. 508-655-2296, massaudubon.org.

28SATURDAY David Garrity Presents “Magic&Beyond�

One-Man Illusion Show. The Regent Theatre,

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Arlington. 10:30 a.m. This one-man illusion show features unique, theatrical and visual magic, audience participation, comedy and a custom-edited musical soundtrack. In this performance, you will see a table mysteriously float, objects that appear and disappear in the blink of an eye and witness the difficult and suspenseful “Straightjacket Challenge!� A$10, C$8. regenttheatre.com.

FREE The ICA Third-Annual International Children’s Film Festival. Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Bring the family for this special day devoted to family films. Don’t miss the keynote address by New England’s own “Huey� of Films by Huey; view selections created by children, teens and professional filmmakers alike; learn about the filmmaking process through demonstrations and hands-on activities; and join us for a world-premiere screening. Admission is FREE for families the last Saturday of each month. ica.org.

FREE Dunstable Winterfest. Main Street near Skytop Lane, Dunstable. 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Weather and snow permitting. Horse drawn hay rides, sledding, skiing, & snowshoeing. Hot chocolate by the bonfire & other treats. Story hour at 1 p.m. If winter doesn’t come in time, there will still be fun. 978-649-6394.

FOR PARENTS Be Healthy Boston. Westin Boston Waterfront. Jan. 28 – 29. A 2-day urban wellness retreat with innovative workshops, sample fitness classes, mini spa treatments, cooking demos, book signings, lunches and more. baystateparent will be there! Join us in getting healthy in the new year. behealthyboston.com.

Snowshoe Tours. Decordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln. 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Take advantage of deCordova’s winter Snowshoe Tours of the Sculpture Park—a new, fun, and active way to explore what’s happening in the Park with your entire family! Please visit decordova.org/calendar to sign up for a Snowshoe Tour.

Winter Fun Day! Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, Lincoln. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Iindoor and outdoor activities, crafts and exhibits open to help you get into the spirit of winter. Don’t miss the Snow Sculpture Contest from Noon - 4 p.m. All activities are free with paid admission or membership. massaudubon.org.

Fire & Ice Days. Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge.

Celebrate the joys of an old fashioned winter with a “Fire and Ice� celebration, complete with ice skating, sledding on vintage 1830s sleds, and horse-drawn sleigh rides. Admission fees apply. osv.org. Also Jan. 29th.

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Be Healthy Boston. Westin Boston Waterfront. Jan. 28 – 29. A 2-day urban wellness retreat with innovative workshops, sample fitness classes, mini spa treatments, cooking demos, book signings, lunches and more. baystateparent will be there. Join us in getting healthy for the new year! behealthyboston.com.

Families Take Back Daytona

FREE Autism Open Gym. Barrett Family Wellnes Center, 107 Otis St., Northborough. 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Ages 4 – 9, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and ages 10+, 1 – 3 p.m. Siblings welcome. 508-898-2688, barrettfamilywellness.com.

FREE 10th Annual Camp Fair. Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School, 390 Lincoln Rd., Sudbury. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

80+ camps. sudburycampfair.org.

photo courtesy of daytona beach area convention & visitors bureau

One day Installation: Dan Sternof Beyer Snowdecahedron. Decordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln. Drop-in 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join artist Dan Sternof Beyer and be part of making snow sculptures for the Park.

Beyer will be constructing several Snowdecahedron sculptures to place around deCordova’s campus and asks you to join the artist in the sculpture making experience. Great fun for audiences of all ages. Admission fees apply. decordova.org.

Snow Date: Sat., Feb. 4, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Move over bikers and spring breakers, families are taking back Florida’s Daytona Beach. If you are planning a trip to the Sunshine State and would like a beach experience within an hour’s drive to Orlando’s theme parks, here’s what bsp found at Daytona:

Flora in Winter. Worcester Art Museum, Worcester.

Origami flowers for kids of all ages from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Join Origami experts (and brothers) Dennis and Dave Brannon and learn this fine art. Take a piece of Flora in Winter home with you. Also enjoy a Flora in Winter Concert at 2 p.m. performed by The Worcester Men of Song and the Shrewsbury High School Women’s Chorus. wam.org.

30MONDAY FREE Sing Along. Stella Bella Toys, Porter Square, Boston. 11 – 11:30 a.m. Sing along, dance and move to the music of Jeremy Lyons! Monday mornings in Porter Square. Jeremy also performs in Inman Square on Saturdays at 11a.m. Stellabellatoys.com.

Public Skating. Navin Arena, Marlboro. 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. $5pp plus skating rentals. fmcicesports.com

31TUESDAY Reaction Station: Adventures for Young Chemists.

The Discovery Museums. Acton. Drop-in 2 - 4:30 p.m. at the Science Discovery Museum. Imagine yourself a chemist and use real laboratory tools to do experiments. Try your hand at doing wet chemistry in a model glove box and learn why some chemists use glove boxes and hoods. $10.50pp. thediscoverymuseums.org.

Lots of Beach: Daytona’s 23-mile beach still lets visitors park right next to their beach blankets on the sand, which is super convenient for families toting children and a lot of gear. daytonabeach.com.

views. Watch a 20 minute video before taking a self guided walking tour of the 175 ft. compound. Tour the lighthouse keepers’ homes to learn about the lives of the keepers and their families. ponceinlet.org.

Museum of Arts & Sciences: Children are natural collectors, so they’ll get a kick out of The Root Family Wing filled with collections of teddy bears, quilts, Indy Series race cars and the largest collection of Coca-Cola memorabilia in Florida.

The Museum also offers an interactive children’s museum which is perfect for a rainy day. Ever hear of a visible storage area? Neither had we! It’s a super-cool place where works that would normally be behind closed doors are creatively displayed. moas.org.

Marine Science Center: Does your child dream of being a vet? Then he’ll be taken with the seven hospital pools housing sick and injured sea turtles as well as the Stingray Touch Tank. Just a stone’s throw from the Lighthouse, families will enjoy nature trails, aquariums and exhibit galleries here. marinesciencecenter.com.

Ponce de Leon Lighthouse & Museum: What’s it like to work in a lighthouse? Find out as you climb to the top of Florida’s tallest lighthouse, only 203 steps, and see spectacular

Daytona International Speedway Tours: No trip to Daytona is complete without a 30 minute guided tour through this famous speedway. Travel along Pit Road and discover how NASCAR’s top drivers prep for the largest motor sports event of the year. daytonainternationalspeedway.com/tours.

Public Skating. Gardner Veterans Arena, Gardner. 1 – 3 p.m. fmcicesports.com

SUBMIT AN EVENT Fill out our form at

baystateparent.com.

Our deadline for the February issue is

Thurs., Jan. 5.

A Fabulous Hotel: Every room and suite at The Shores Resort & Spa offers a view of the Atlantic Ocean or the Intracoastal Waterway. This petfriendly, eco-friendly resort is just one hour from Orlando and offers families – or even just couples – downtime in an oceanfront pool with jacuzzi, tiki bar and private cabanas. We loved roasting marshmallows at oceanside fire pits at S’mores at the Shore. Complimentary beach games, board games and a DVD library are some of the extras that make families feel especially cared for.

Breakfast, lunch or dinner is available on site at Azure. shoresresort.com.

photo courtesy of the shores resort & spa

How Doth the Little Busy Bee: The Purpose-Filled Lives of Colonial Children. Wenham Museum, 132 Main St., Wenham. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. A$7.50, C (1-18) $5.50. wenhammuseum.org/discovery.html

BAYSTATEPARENT 21

UNIMPORTANT PLEASURES WITH

A FARMERS’ MARKET IN WINTER?

WHO KNEW!

D

id you know that local, farm-fresh food is available all year long? There is a farmers' market just over the Massachusetts line that operates in the winter that will boost your spirits. It's a great place to take children as its filled with bright colors, exciting-looking foods and the happy bustle of friendly farmers.

The Winters Farmers' Market in Pawtucket, RI is open from November to May, every Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. You will be surprised that winter produce can look so beautiful and has such lovely winter hues. All of the products

available, from honey and eggs to fresh meat, bread and coffee, are produced by local New England farmers. One of our favorite treats is fresh bread from Seven Stars Bakery, a necessary unimportant pleasure!

An outing to the Fresh Farmers' Market is quite simply a happy little trip that we hope your family enjoys as much as we do.

Hope Artiste Village is located at 1005 Main Street in Pawtucket, RI. For more information, visit farmfresh.org/food/ farmersmarkets_details.php?market=29.

Items Available All Winter Long • Lettuces • Arugula • Bok choi • Kale • Collards • Cabbage • Chard • Apples • Cider

• Potatoes • Sweet Potatoes • Onions/Leeks • Garlicand fresh • Herbs • Radishes • Beets • Carrots • Parsnips

• Turnips • Winter Squash • Oysters • Beef/Pork • Narragansett Creamery Cheese • Eggs • Honey • Maple Syrup

• Jams/Jellies • Artisan Breads and Pastries • Gluten-Free Breads • Chocolates • Fair-Trade Coffee hot or by the pound

ABOUT CHRISTINE AND FAYE Christine Guanipa and Faye Hurley are a mother-daughter team from the suburbs of Massachusetts schooled in the fine arts and with an insatiable love for DIY (do-it-yourself) design, fine arts, unnecessary shopping, flea market finds, accessories, and of course coffee and chocolate! Together, they bring a monthly taste of simple pleasures that are often overlooked, mostly unnecessary, but always inspiring.

You deserve to have the body you want and Kelley's Bootcamp will get you there!!

1 hour class on MWF for 4 weeks. Goes month to month all year.

Time: 5:15 am or 9:15 am Cost: $150 for the month ($12.50 per class!) plus 1 makeup class.

Women of all ages from beginners to athletes are welcome.

t that working “Who would have though ! Each day is fun so be ld cou out at 5:15am can’t be beat! ults res the something different, and lley, I lost Ke h t camp wit In just 4 weeks at boo the day. rt sta to y wa at gre 2 pant sizes! It’s a rgy. I’m ene of ton a have I feel so energized and sion!“ – Jill D ses t nex the for up hooked! Sign me

Join Kelley Tyan in the brand new 8,000 sq feet location on Shrewsbury St in Worcester

www.kelleysbootcampforwomen.com • 508.527.8191 22 JANUARY2012

Yearn to Learn EDUCATION 2012

24 32

WHY I LOVE MY CHILD'S SCHOOL IGNORED: GIFTED CHILDREN IN MASSACHUSETTS

34

MOMS ROCK: JENNIFER BENSON OF LUNENBURG

40

COLLEGE AND YOUR CHILD'S PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH

“Older people sit down

and ask, ‘What is it?’ but the boy asks, ‘What can I do with it?’.

”

- steve jobs

BAYSTATEPARENT 23

YEARNTOLEARN

Why I LOVE...

Montessori Education BY

julie a. baker

T

he assignment was “Mystery Mystery.”

Each student had to choose something – anything – and come up with five clues about it, ranging from hardest to easiest, and see if his or her classmates could guess what it was.

My daughter and I talked about a few possibilities, and she settled on one – the Eiffel Tower. She sat down at the computer, looked up “Eiffel Tower” on Wikipedia, read through the information and printed out several pages of interesting facts. She went through the printout and underlined potential facts that could be “clues” – the height of the tower, the weight of the metal used to build it, the year it was built. Then she took a piece of paper and listed out the most promising clues; asked me my opinion on a few of the them (too hard? too boring?); numbered the clues in backwards order from hardest to easiest; and chose the best five. Those she copied onto a separate piece of paper, titled it “Mystery Mystery” and put it in her backpack to take to school the next day.

She was 8 years old, a second grader at the Riverbend (then Eliot Montessori) School in South Natick.

I am a law professor, a professional educator. I watched her complete this assignment in awe – and not just because she is my child, which puts me in awe of everything that she does. I watched in awe because I have seen so many – too many – adults, professionals and college graduates who cannot organize themselves and see an assignment through from start to finish, and have no particular motivation to try. And here was my 8-year-old already there.

The number one quality that every 24 JANUARY2012

person needs to survive and succeed in life (in my humble opinion) is the ability and willingness to think for himself or herself. The number one reason that our society is struggling the way that it is today (again, in my humble opinion), is the lack of personal responsibility – the idea that whatever happens, it’s someone else’s fault, someone else’s job to do the thinking and do the work necessary to achieve the result. But Maria Montessori knew, almost 100 years ago, that each person – each child – can and must learn these skills, and that giving children these lifelong lessons would set them on an unwavering path to success. And I am so grateful that my daughter has had the opportunity to take this path.

I mean no disrespect to the public school systems. I am a proud graduate of the Norwood Public Schools; my husband, the Springfield Public Schools, where his father was an elementary school teacher for 41 years. I believe that most of the teachers and administrators – and students – in the public schools are doing the very best that they can with the resources that they have. But the resources are not what they were when we were children. Materials are old and scarce; facilities are outdated; classrooms are overcrowded; and teachers are stretched far too thin. Setting aside the reasons for this crisis in public education (that’s a whole separate article, or 12!), the effect is that too many of our children are not getting the tools that they need to grow into the responsible, successful adults that they have the potential to be.

The hallmarks of Montessori education are respect, personal responsibility and hands-on learning – to give each child his or her own skills and confidence in what s/he can accomplish and achieve, in a supportive community carefully structured to encourage academic, social and emotional growth.

Two more important qualifiers. First, I am not in any way, shape or form a “Tiger” or “Helicopter” mom. Someday

my child may be on a psychiatrist’s couch explaining, justifiably, that she could have been a musical prodigy, but since I never got around to signing her up for music lessons, we’ll never know.

She’ll probably also mention that she finally got some religious education only after telling my mom, who was trying to explain to her why her Catholic and Protestant cousins were making their first communions and confirmations, “Hmm, maybe I should be something, too,” i.e., Catholic, Jewish, Protestant … anything! But at least when it comes to her education, I’ve managed to get that right.

Second, Montessori education is private education – we have to pay a yearly tuition. Believe me when I tell you that I had no intention of paying tuition for my child to attend first grade. The money that we are paying each month is what would have gone into her college fund (which does not exist). We rent our home, take modest vacations, don’t have a lot of fancy toys – but we have enough, and more than most, and this is just more important. What good is a college fund if your child finishes high school with no motivation or ability to take advantage of higher education?

We made the move away from public education when our daughter was in kindergarten because the program was

not meeting her educational needs.

Others have come to our school community to escape overcrowding, lack of academic rigor, cuts in “specials” (music, art, computers, phys ed) or, sadly, bullying. All of us have found an environment that benefits not only our kids, but our whole families – from all-school assemblies to volunteering in the classrooms to community service projects for parents and kids together.

Our family moved to Natick so that we could become a part of the Riverbend community, and we all know how much fun moving is. But since the moment we arrived, we have never questioned our choice. And it’s hard to say who was more excited about the start of school this year, us or her. As I watched my fifthgrade daughter, now almost 11, attack fractions last Friday night, without being asked or told to do so, I was reminded yet again why I am so grateful to the Riverbend School for giving my child the tools and the motivation for lifelong success.

Julie Baker can be reached at jbaker54@gmail. com. For more information on the Riverbend School, please visit theriverbendschool.org.

...Public School My firstborn daughter was 3 months old when I firmly declared that this baby would never, ever set sail in the scary waters of the public school system.

I surprised even myself, 5 years later, when I allowed that yellow school bus to swallow her whole, a delicious catch, fresh from the dock of my front steps.

The shame I feel now at having ever doubted the neighborhood elementary school, where my three daughters get happily deposited each morning, is enough to cripple me. It is within the walls of their school where they have found adoring and competent teachers,

...Homeschooling My kids are geeks. Collectively, they know a heck of a lot about all sorts of things: Latin, ancient Greece, martial arts, military history, mythology, Shakespeare, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, horses, American Girl dolls and Pokemon, to name a few. They can be very passionate about their interests.

Needless to say, being a geek in school is tough so we opted to do some, if not all, of my four children's education at home. My oldest son is now a college graduate and my 15-year-old is on scholarship to a private school, so it's just my two daughters, ages 11 and 6, homeschooling with me now.

...Parochial School My three sons are in grades 2, 5 and 6 and have been enrolled at St. Joseph School in Webster since Pre-K. The quality of the academic program there is unquestionable and reflected by the boys’ high honor status as well as top scores on national tests. In addition to academics, there is something else that my husband and I value about this parochial school: the school’s mission reflected by the “3 R’s” of respect, responsibility and religion as a way of life. My boys don’t know what bullying is because it is not at their school. They know the other students by name, and younger students are buddies with older ones and do a lot of activities together. They learn to be polite, responsible and helpful.

OpenHouseListings Venerini Academy January 29 Principal’s Welcome 1pm.

Snow Date February 1 Principal’s Welcome 7pm.

27 Edward St., Worcester, MA 01605 Contact Paul Jourcin 508-753-3210 veneriniacademy.us St. Bernadette School January 29 from 1-3pm (complimentary breakfast after 11am Mass).

February 2 from 10am-1pm.

266 Main St., Northborough, MA 01532

a caring and responsive administration and peers who – if nothing else – give my kids a fair representation of the life that awaits them.

Their school notices come home in English and Spanish. Girls are mean.

Boys fight on the playground. They have to take tests, and yes, the teachers (gasp!) teach to it. Kids get in trouble for using bad language (though, frankly, it’s nothing they haven’t heard in a continuous vitriolic spew from their own mother’s mouth). The day can feel like it stretches on forever.

It’s life, girls, I tell them when they share their colorful stories. It’s life. I’m 36 years old and the girls are still mean, I tell them, and we laugh. I had a long day

We have so much fun learning together!

They are able to make choices about what to learn, how to learn it and when to learn it. For example, one of my kids struggled with learning her times tables.

She is very auditory and finally got them down by listening repeatedly to School House Rock. Another child is very visual and learned a lot of history by watching the History Channel and selected DVDs such as the Ken Burns Civil War series.

My daughter enjoys math and was able to zip through three grade levels in about four months, thanks to EPGY, an online program run by Stanford University. We do lots of project-based learning too, which the kids participate in from the time they are toddlers. Sometimes we

While St. Joseph School is Catholic, almost 50% of the students are of other religious denominations. These students learn religion as a subject and a take passive role in various devotions. All students feel comfortable among other Catholic and non-Catholic students and develop deeper spirituality and tolerance.

Many parents assume that Catholic education may not be advanced in areas such as technology. This is no longer true as some parochial schools are leading with technological advancements. My sons’ school has networked computers and Promethean boards (interactive white boards) in every classroom, Pre-K through 8! They also have a dedicated computer lab for additional instructions.

The children get to use Electronic

Contact Bernadette Aube, Director of Admissions 508-355-9905 admissions@stb-school.org www.stb-school.org The Riverbend School January 7 at 10am for parents of children ages 15 mo-age 4 please join us at our Children’s House: 49 Eliot St., S. Natick, MA 01760.

January 7 at 12pm for parents of children in K-Grade 8 please join us at our East Campus: 6 Auburn St. S. Natick, MA 01760.

Contact Michele McKenna,

too, I say. And then I give them a hug and a snack and teach them the things I know – like how to make stuff and how to invent recipes and how to be happy and celebrate being alive.

During a particularly memorable second grade play, I noticed that one of my daughters had been placed next to one of the kids in her class who received special services through the school. He doesn’t talk, she had once told me. He’s like Morgan, she added – a reference to my nephew with autism.

It took me a minute to figure out how, exactly, it came to be that he was doing all the hand motions in perfect time with the other kids. When I saw my 7-yearold’s hand encircling his wrist on his left

work as a group, with each person doing part of the research, writing articles and preparing graphs, charts and illustrations.

Other times we work separately.

Because we don't do busy work or spend a lot of time addressing the diverse needs of a large group, homeschooling can take fewer hours in a day than most kids spend in traditional school. The kids have more time available for playdates, extracurriculars and (as they get older) jobs or apprenticeships.

The pace and level of learning is personalized for each child in the family in every subject area. They might be at typical age/grade level in spelling, three years advanced in math and concurrently studying something in another subject so

Response Devices ActiVotes (just like video game remotes) to answer questions posted on interactive boards. They “play” while the teacher gets immediate feedback how the lesson was understood.

The learning happens, yet they enjoy it too much to notice. The ERDs called ActivExpressions used by the older grades allow them to “text” their answers back to their teachers. How cool is that? When the kindergartners use the extended “electronic pen” to reach the top of the board, and that “stick” moves the animals or shapes, they call it a “magic wand” and are proud and eager to use it.

The Accelerated Reader is available on all the computers throughout the school.

The reading specialist is on hand to monitor children’s progress and help, if needed.

Director of Admissions 508-655-7333 www.TheRiverbendSchool.org Fayerweather Street School January 7 from 9:30-11:30am Family Concert & Early Childhood Open House.

Passionate Teachers - Joyful Learners - PreK through 8.

765 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 Contact Cynthia Boher, Director of Admissions 617-876-4746 www.fayerweather.org Cornerstone Christian Academy January 6, March 2, June 1 from 9:30-11am

and another little girl’s hand on his right, helping him to blend in with the chorus, I knew that there was some compassion in their classroom – that the teacher had been clever enough to know how to inspire true teamwork.

Sometimes, a little kindness goes a long way. Sometimes you can make a difference in peoples’ lives just by reaching out to touch them. Sometimes all it takes is a helping hand.

Some people learn these things too late, and some people learn them in the safety of their second grade public school classroom. Sometimes, that’s the best place to learn it.

- amanda roberge

esoteric that most don't encounter it until college.

Over the years we have found that the educational part of homeschooling is easy.

The kids take a variety of online and early college classes to augment what they learn through self study or parental tutoring.

The more difficult challenge is driving hither and yon to meet with friends, both schooled and homeschooled. We drive over an hour to get to Voyagers Homeschool Co-op in Acton, Massachusetts each week because it is such a unique community. As my 11-year-old daughter said recently, “I'm not that weird, smart girl at Voyagers.

Here, I'm just normal!”

- lorel shea

Our school takes part in community events such as visiting nursing homes, donating and serving at the food share, supporting veterans and our troops and many others. We have a beautiful choir, math club, thriving basketball program, cheerleading, soccer and foreign languages in addition to many other things too numerous to mention.

But the best reward for me is when my boys are outside of school. Their behavior exemplifies the values taught at school, and many people approach me to compliment them. Parochial education is indeed about forming beautiful young people, and St. Joseph is doing a superb job in helping to form my boys’ character and spirituality.

- ewa mamro continued on page 27

New student application accepted beginning February 10. A K (Dec. 31st cut-off) through 8, non-denominational school for students where academic growth and spiritual development go hand-in-hand.

40 Kenwood Circle #7, Franklin, MA 02038 508-520-2272 www.ccama.org Applewild School January 21 from 11am-1pm 120 Prospect St., Fitchburg, MA 01420 Contact Emily Bracchitta, Director of Admissions 978-342-6053 www.applewild.org

Tenacre Country Day School January 12 from 8:15-9:30am 78 Benvenue St., Wellesley, MA 02482 Contact Sam Reece 781-235-2282 www.tenacreds.org

OpenHouseListings continued on page 27

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Nuturing Care For Your Child

Sunday January 29,

(Designed by moms)

Registration: 12:45 pm

VENERINI ACADEMY Independent Catholic Elementary School 3UH . ÄŚ *UDGH

OPEN HOUSE

2012*

Partners in Faith Partners in Education Partners in Service

Principal’s Welcome: 1:00 pm *Snow Date: Wednesday February 1, 2012 Principal’s Welcome 7:00 pm

At The Children’s Garden, we’re more than experienced child care professionals.

We’re mothers and grandmothers too.

Learn more and take a tour:

508-751-6985 childrensgarden@vnacarenetwork.org

So we’ve made The Children’s Garden a place where we’d love to bring our own little ones – nurturing children’s natural curiosity, supporting their physical and emotional development, and devoting lots of attention to their individual needs.

The Children’s Garden also features: UĂŠ ÂœÂ˜ĂŒÂˆÂ˜Ă•Ă•Â“ĂŠÂœvĂŠV>Ă€iĂŠvÂœĂ€ĂŠ>}iĂƒĂŠnĂŠĂœiiÂŽĂƒĂŠĂŒÂœĂŠxĂŠĂži>Ă€Ăƒ UĂŠ-iĂ€Ă›ÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠ>Â?Â?ĂŠv>“ˆÂ?ˆiĂƒĂŠÂ?ÂˆĂ›ÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠ>˜`ĂŠĂœÂœĂ€ÂŽÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠÂˆÂ˜ĂŠ iÂ˜ĂŒĂ€>Â?ĂŠ >ĂƒĂƒ>VÂ…Ă•ĂƒiĂŒĂŒĂƒĂŠĂƒÂˆÂ˜ViÊ£™n™Ê UĂŠ ÂœÂ˜Ă›i˜ˆiÂ˜ĂŒĂŠÂ?ÂœV>ĂŒÂˆÂœÂ˜ĂŠ>ĂŒĂŠÂŁĂ“Ă¤ĂŠ/…œ“>ĂƒĂŠ-ĂŒÂ°]ĂŠ7ÂœĂ€ViĂƒĂŒiĂ€]ĂŠÂ˜i>ÀÊ`ÂœĂœÂ˜ĂŒÂœĂœÂ˜ĂŠ>˜`ĂŠ ‡Ó™ä

26 JANUARY2012

'LVFRYHU WKH 9HQHULQL 'LɲHUHQFH Visit our school, meet our students, and chat with our parents and faculty.

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To Educate is to Liberate ÄĽ 67 526$ 9(1(5,1, Venerini Academy, a Catholic elementary school, LV IXOO\ DFFUHGLWHG E\ 1($6& ÄŞ1HZ (QJODQG $VVRFLDWLRQ RI 6FKRROV DQG &ROOHJHVÄŤ

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27 Edward Street Worcester, MA 01605

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continued from page 25

...the Virtual public school When Massachusetts’ first online public school, Massachusetts Virtual Academy at Greenfield (MAVA), opened in September of 2010, my then 8th-grade daughter, Rowan, was among its first students.

It sounded too good to be true: the scheduling flexibility, self-paced academics and bullying-free environment of homeschooling combined with the structure of the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks, certified teachers and a wellregarded curriculum, all at no cost. The advertisement and website certainly made MAVA sound perfect for our family, but you know what they say about things that sound too good to be true...

Thankfully, our miserable 8th grader convinced my husband and me to take the plunge and we enrolled her in MAVA, which admits students from across the state (funding for students outside of Greenfield

comes from their home school districts).

At the start of the year, students receive supplies including textbooks, art and science materials, workbooks, and – upon request – a computer, monitor, printer and computer accessories. Non-consumable materials are returned at the end of the school year as in any public school.

While the school is online, students don’t spend all day staring at the screen any more than a student in a traditional “brick and mortar” school sits listening to a teacher lecture for six hours straight each day.

Exactly how much time is spent by the student on the computer varies by grade.

In 8th grade, Rowan spent about half of her time actually on the computer for webbased lessons and virtual classroom lessons with her teachers and classmates, and the other half working offline: writing essays, reading texts, completing art projects,

doing experiments, etc.

Rowan has thrived academically, testing ahead of grade level and maintaining straight A’s through the first half of high school. As delighted as we are with her academic success, that is just a part of why MAVA works for us. Rowan participates in many activities outside of school, including some involving late nights out of the house or travel. With MAVA, she is able to work ahead or catch up as needed, and she has a great deal of flexibility in what time of the day she completes her work. We generally stick with a 7:30 - 8 a.m. start time, but after a really late night, we’d rather she sleep in and learn once her brain wakes up! Mid-day medical appointments and lunch dates as a family are small things, but small things we are thankful for.

The biggest reward as a parent, though, is seeing my child really taking the reins

of her own education. She knows how to contact her teachers when she is stuck and how to use the school’s online tools to keep herself on track. As parents, we check in daily, of course, but we are not taskmasters keeping on top of her workload. While this has caused a few stumbles, I would much rather these happen during 8th and 9th grade than during her freshman year of college. Both the familiarity Rowan now has with online-based learning and the self-discipline it has fostered will put her ahead of the game when she does transition to college.

I still believe most things that sound too good to be true are, but I’m glad to have found the educational exception to that rule for my child.

- Heather Weller

OpenHouseListings continued from page 25 Next Generation Children's Centers Month of January, Monday through Friday.

Locations in Andover, Beverly, Franklin, Hopkinton, Marlborough, Natick, Sudbury, Walpole, Westborough, Westford.

For details contact 866-711-6422 www.NCGGCenters.com North Central Charter Essential School January 24 Shadow Day, call to reserve space.

January 29 from 1-4pm Information Session.

One Oak Hill Road, Fitchburg, MA 01420

978-345-2701 ex.418 www.ncces.org Saint Joseph School January 29 from 11:30am-2pm featuring Book Fair and Scavenger Hunt.

February 1 from 5-7pm featuring Spaghetti Supper from 4:30-6pm.

47 Whitcomb Street, Webster, MA 01570 508-943-0378 www.saintjosephschool.net or www.stjosephwebster.com

Holden Christian Academy January 5 at 7pm 279 Reservoir Street, Holden MA 01520 508-829-4418 www.hcanet.org Nashoba Montessori March 4 from 11am-1pm.

Snow date March 11 from 11am-1pm.

94 Main Street, Lancaster, MA 01523 978-368-3555 www.nashobamontessori.com

MONTESSORILISTINGS Oak Meadow Montessori School Littleton, MA PreK - Grade 8 978-486-9874 www.oakmeadow.org Shrewsbury Montessori School Auburn & Shrewsury MA Ages 2.9 - Grade 6 508-842-2116 www.shrewsburymontessori.org

Nashoba Montessori Lancaster, MA Preschool & Kindergarten 978-368-3555 www.nashobamontessori.com The Riverbend School South Natick Ages 15 months - Grade 8 508-655-7333 www.TheRiverbendSchool.org

BAYSTATEPARENT 27

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Early Education and Care Since 1913

www.guildofstagnes.org All of our centers are NAEYC accredited hEnrolling children from 4 weeks to 12 years hCenter Hours: 7:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. h Breakfast, Lunch and Snack Provided

Now Enrolling!

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Center Locations Include Granite St., and Grove St. in Worcester Charlton, Devens, Fitchburg and Gardner Family Care Offices In Devens, Leicester, Whitinsville and Worcester

Some of Us Are Born with It‌..

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• Pre-calculus and AP calculus • SSAT/ISEE, SAT, • ACT Test Preparation • Private tutoring on all of the above courses

Don’t Wait Until Your Child’s Grades Are Bad‌ ACT NOW! Contact us to schedule a placement test or to visit our school Special Oer: Bring this ad in and we will waive the registration fee

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IS YOUR YOUNG CHILD AT RISK FOR READING FAILURE? Does your child have difďŹ culty: ★ Speaking or understanding language ★ Learning new vocabulary ★ Rhyming words or hearing sounds in words ★ Following directions ★ Learning letter names ★ Or if there's a family history of reading difďŹ culties Don’t take a "wait and see" approach. Early and appropriate intervention is critical and will greatly increase your child’s academic success and self esteem.

A Public Service brought to you by:

New MathK class starts in January. Enroll your child now.

Contact us to schedule a free placement test or to visit our school.

35 Harvard St, Suite 214, Worcester, MA * 508.932.0344 www.MathAltitude.com * info@MathAltitude.com

Contact the Massachusetts Branch of the International Dyslexia Association for more information at 617-650-0011 or visit us at:

www.dyslexia-ma.org

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Arlington 118 Pleasant Street, 781-646-7689 50 Paul Revere Road, 781-643-1722 Belmont 259 Beech Street, 617-489-4240 Concord 40 Strawberry Hill Road, 978-369-2699 Corporate OfďŹ ce 978-369-5439

28 JANUARY2012

Admission OpenHouse House Admission Open

Sunday, January 29, 2012

PREPARING CHILDREN FOR SUCCESS!

Sunday, January 29, 2012 from 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. from 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. featuring Book Fair featuring Book Fair and a Scavenger Hunt

Drawing 200 of three $ ips h rs schola

Mee M t theet the e aclt FacFu uly ty!!

Tours Principaland and Dean Dean ofofStudents Tours byby thethePrincipal Students will be given at 11:30am, noon, 12:30pm, 1:30pm will be given at 11:30am, 1pm, noon, 12:30pm, 1pm, 1:30pm

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Wednesday, from 5 February p.m. - 7 p.m. 1, 2012 from 5Spaghetti p.m. - 7 p.m. featuring Supper featuring Supper from 4:30Spaghetti p.m. - 6:00 p.m. from 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Toursbybythe thePrincipal Principal and Tours and Dean DeanofofStudents Students will be given at 5pm, 5:30pm, 6pm, 6:30pm will be given at 5pm, 5:30pm, 6pm, 6:30pm

Since 1971 Crispus Attucks Children’s Center (CACC) has been a proven leader in early childhood education.

CACC uses a comprehensive curriculum that prepares children for academic and life success.

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For Information & Tours 105 Crawford Street, Dorchester, MA 02121 Ph (617) 445-1420 www.crispus-attucks.org Licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care

PICTURE

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47 Whitcomb Street * Webster, MA 01570 * (508) 943-0378 www.saintjosephschool.net BAYSTATEPARENT 29

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Elementary Grades 1 through 8 Full Day Kindergarten Full Day Pre-Kindergarten Preschool for 3-year olds

YEARNTOLEARN

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Cambridge

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Lawrence

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Applicants are responsible for reading the academic catalog and getting all the information needed to make informed decisions.

30 JANUARY2012

SAVE THE DATE FOR DECORDOVA’S WINTER FAMILY PROGRAMS! EYE WONDER FAMILY PROGRAM Sunday, February 5, 1–3 pm Eye Wonder is a monthly drop-in program for families which focuses on careful looking and creative art projects.

FAMILY DAY: COLOR Saturday, February 18, 11 am–3 pm Families with children of all ages are invited to explore how artists employ color and why some decide to work in black and white. The day will consist of art activities, artist demonstrations, storytelling, and more!

FEBRUARY VACATION WEEK Tuesday–Friday, February 21–24 Drop-in as a family every day during February vacation week from 1–3 pm for an art activity that relates to the current exhibitions: The 2012 deCordova Biennial, Wall Works, and PLATFORM 8: Soo Sunny Park and Spencer Topel, Capturing Resonance. Program designed for all ages.

All programs are free with Museum admission.

For more information, please visit decordova.org.

51 Sandy Pond Road, Lincoln, MA 01773

International.

Individual.

Inspirational.

British School of Boston Academically rigorous and internationally focused, featuring the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Serving students in Nursery through High School.

Open House:

Wednesday, January 25

9:30-11:00 a.m.

FREE STORY TIME PROGRAMS FOR 2 AND 3 YEAR OLDS. t XXX CSJUJTITDIPPMPGCPTUPO PSH

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OPEN HOUSE March 4th, 11am-1pm (snow date March 11th, 11am-1pm)

Ages 2.9 - 6 years old Individual Observations by Appointment 978-368-3555

Nashoba Montessori School 94 Main St., Lancaster www.nashobamontessori.com The Nashoba Montessori School is a non-proďŹ t corporation, and does not discriminate against race, religion, political beliefs, cultural heritage, marital status, sexual orientation, color, ethnic origin or disability.

BAYSTATEPARENT 31

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OUR T I S VI RY A U N JA USE O H OPEN

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IGNORED: Gifted Children in Massachusetts BY

doug page

Woe to the gifted children of Massachusetts.

For the Bay State’s brightest kids, the ones who teach themselves to read at 3, who complete 500-piece jigsaw puzzles before entering kindergarten, and, who in the future, could find the cure for cancer, propel humankind into the next universe and potentially shake the country out of its economic doldrums – think Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Apple’s Steve Jobs or Google’s Larry Page – there’s no help, unless they live in one of the state’s few school districts that still provides gifted and talented education or their parents have the money to send them to private schools.

The tragedy for these kids, who usually hold higher than average IQs, is that they’re not a priority for the state’s education officials.

I

nstead, the Commonwealth’s poor performing students, and even the average ones, are the main concern, with the state making sure they perform well enough on the state’s standardized test, which is the barometer for measuring their academic progress as well as their teachers’ competence.

That’s the message from the Massachusetts Association of Gifted Children (MAGE), a state group that lobbies on behalf of gifted education, as well as the sentiment from public and private school educators working with some of the Bay State’s brightest children.

“Everyone thinks of Massachusetts as an education state,” says Diane Modest, Framingham Public School’s director of gifted and talented education.

“Look at our universities: We have MIT, Harvard, Tufts, Boston University, Boston College and yet we do little to support gifted and talented education.”

Modest oversees the gifted education program for about 200 students in Grades 1 – 8 on an annual budget of less than $20,000 – all of which is provided by the town of Framingham.

Massachusetts stopped funding gifted education nearly two years ago. “When we fail to cultivate talent, we’re losing our future potential (as a country),” says Jane Clarenbach of the National Association of Gifted Children. “We’re at risk of losing at least a generation of innovators and creative people.”

32 JANUARY2012

How Massachusetts Stacks Up

as unpaid interns. Some students have worked in their local fire or police departments while others have been in hospitals, architectural firms and in attorneys’ offices.

The Bay State doesn’t mandate gifted education. The last time it spent money on gifted education was during the 2008 – 2009 academic year, when Massachusetts had a $520,000 budget for this curriculum.

Today, the closest thing Massachusetts offers gifted students is the Dual Enrollment program, which allows high school students, usually in their junior or senior year, with a grade point average of at least 3.0, to take courses, paid by the state, in some of the state’s four-year universities as well as its community colleges.

The program, initiated in 1993 but stopped in 2001 due to a lack of funding, was restored by Gov. Deval Patrick, says Heather Johnson, a spokesperson in the governor’s office. It has a budget of $750,000.

The state that spends the most money per student on gifted education, says Clarenbach, is Georgia, which allots nearly $1,000 a year per student.

Annette Eger, with the Georgia Department of Education, says the Peach State’s gifted education program is flexible and available to kids in all grades, allowing them to enter it anytime during their academic career as well as only take gifted classes suited to their academic strengths.

“It’s a rigorous and challenging curriculum,” Eger says. “It allows students to work independently and is content-rich beyond the typical grade level.”

Georgia’s gifted education program, she says, gives its students the opportunity to take college classes and work

The Blame According to education professionals in Massachusetts, the single biggest factor that’s lowered interest for gifted education is the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, “which focuses public Kindergarten – Grade 12 energies and monies on seeking proficiency in reading and math … for all students and ignores the needs of the most able students who could benefit from high-level math and science courses,” reports Gifted Child Today.

A number of states, including Massachusetts, learn about their public school students’ academic proficiency by testing them on their core curriculum.

The Bay State started administering a standardized test, called the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System), to its public school students in 1998, as a result of the state legislature approving the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993.

“The MCAS doesn’t test or teach for 21st century skills, which are creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication and problem solving,” says Timothy Monroe, head of The Sage School, a private school for gifted students in Foxborough.

“Standardized tests (like MCAS) lower the bar to make sure underperforming kids are meeting expectations and narrows the teaching,” he adds.

So what is the priority of Massachusetts’ public schools?

It’s to prepare all students to “succeed in postsecondary education, compete in a global economy and understand the rights and responsibilities of American citizens, and in so doing, to close all proficiency gaps,” says J.C. Considine, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

“Instead of inspiring and aspiring to excellence, we have settled for proficiency,” says Diana Reeves, a MAGE board member.

Nine years ago, the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in a report to the state legislature, estimated about 4 percent of the Commonwealth’s public school students from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5 were gifted and that another 8 percent of Massachusetts’ public school students in Grades 6 – 8 were also gifted.

If those percentages hold up, then, based on the Department’s enrollment numbers for the current academic year, published on its website, there could be around 35,000 gifted students in the Bay State today.

But MAGE president Vicky Barr estimates that 10 or fewer of the state’s 393 school districts offer gifted and talented education.

“The push (in schools) is to bring the bottom up – not push up top performing students,” says Barr, who’s also a 4th grade teacher in Waltham Public Schools.

Talent Lost Teachers are expected to spot gifted and talented kids, says educational psychologist E. Jean Gubbins, with The Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, who has studied ways to teach gifted children.

“We do a great job of spotting talent with sports, but we don’t do it in academics,” says Dr. Gubbins.

This approach, she says, can lead to a loss of talented kids who aren’t developed.

“It is a special need. We can’t just say because these kids are smarter, they’ll be just fine and figure out their education. They need direction and development,” Dr. Gubbins says.

India and China, says Monroe of the Sage School, are tracking their best math students, pushing them into programs that will lead to careers in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

Profiling the Gifted Child “Gifted children are inquisitive, fast learners, verbally articulate at a young age, read early, sometimes as young as 3, and a few teach themselves how to read; some even complete 500-piece jigsaw puzzles,” says Elizabeth Smith, a psychologist in Natick, who tests kids’ cognitive abilities.

“They seem to understand things on a higher level than their peers. For example, they watch the news and see something on war or poverty, they understand it,” Dr. Smith says. “They often crave more information to understand whatever topic they’re studying.”

Gifted kids, she warns, can also be lonely, isolated from their peer group because they don’t think as typical kids think.

“A gifted kid gets on the bus and might turn to the kid next to them and say, ‘What do you think of busing?’ And the other kid replies, ‘I don’t like these seatbelts.’ But the gifted kid is really trying to talk about Martin Luther King and busing as it was in the South in the 1960s,” says Framingham’s Diane Modest.

Dr. Smith says if a teacher doesn’t know what to look for, he or she might think the gifted child has an attention problem.

“They’re bored in class and act out,” she says.

Dr. Smith says, in her experience, the cutoff for a student to be accepted into a gifted education program is an IQ of 130. The average IQ, she says, is 100.

While most kids start learning by building basic knowledge in a topic or subject, Modest says, gifted kids gather information by asking questions.

YEARNTOLEARN “They work their way down to knowledge and ask more difficult questions. There’s an interaction with academic ability, abstract thinking and creativity,” Modest says.

While The Sage School in Foxborough only teaches kids up to the 8th Grade, Monroe says some members of its alumni take Calculus in their high school freshman year, something most high school students might not do until either their junior or senior year.

In Framingham, Modest also says they have students completing school work two years ahead of their peers who aren’t in the gifted program.

In 1993, the U.S. Department of Education defined gifted children as having an “outstanding talent to perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with others of their age, experience or environment.”

It also said, “These children … exhibit high performance capability in intellectual, creative, and/or artistic areas … or excel in specific academic fields. They require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the schools.”

Finally, the report said, giftedness is found “in children and youth from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor.”

The Word “Gifted” One of the biggest problems that educators and experts in the gifted education field say hinders their efforts at restoring this curriculum is the word “gifted.”

“It isn’t elitist,” says Jane Clarenbach, of the National Association of Gifted Children. “It’s the funding (for gifted curriculum) that’s elitist.”

She asks, “If you only rely on local tax dollars for education, and the budget is cut, where are those dollars going to come from. Communities like Stamford, Connecticut and other well-off towns pay for this.”

“This is a very diverse community,” says Modest. “There’s nothing elitist about gifted education in Framingham.”

“It’s funny, if we say someone is a ‘highly gifted gymnast’ that’s okay but when we think about high-intellect or high-achieving in academics, there’s a problem,” says University of Connecticut’s E. Jean Gubbins. “There’s something about the cache of certain words.”

Becoming Your Child’s General Contractor Charles Beckman, a spokesman for The Center for Talented Youth, part of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, suggests that parents look at themselves as general contractors when it comes to their kids’ education.

“The idea is to find the right program to construct the best education for your child,” Beckman says.

So if you don’t live in one of the Bay State’s few public school districts that offer gifted education, districts such as Brockton, Barnstable or Triton, but you’re the parent of a highly intelligent child, what are your options?

One answer is to move to that district. Another answer is to seek out a private school, like the Sage School in Foxborough, which costs around $20,000 a year.

Another possibility includes moving to Reno, Nevada so your child can attend the The Davidson Academy, which specializes in teaching high-achieving students.

But The Center for Talented Youth offers something that might fit the budgets and lifestyles of a lot of parents – online courses in math and science, and even Advanced Placement courses, that can be taken either during or after school for about $700 per course, says Beckman.

“Some high school students take our AP classes before they take their AP class at their local high school,” Beckman says. “It’s a way for them to better prepare for the class when they take it at their school.”

As with other gifted programs, in either public or private schools, each child’s cognitive ability must be measured to find out if they can handle the course work before they’re admitted to The Center for Talented Youth. This can be

done by completing the Wechsier intelligence test.

“The test measures verbal and non-verbal skills and memory,” says Kathryn Trogolo, director of admissions at The Sage School in Foxborough. “It shows how a child processes information, and it calculates, through a series of scores in different domains, a child’s IQ.” Child psychologists, she says, administer the test.

“Some families will coordinate these classes with the school their child attends, so they can take the class during the school day,” says Beckman. “Other kids take them at night.”

The teachers for these online courses, he says, have at least a bachelor’s degree in the subject and a number of them also hold advanced degrees, including a doctorate, in the topic.

“You don’t get a classroom on the screen,” says Beckman.

“Not everyone gathers at the same time. You gain access to the materials, watch a video that explains the day’s lesson and, if you’re taking a math class, do some problem sets, which are emailed to the instructor.

“The instructor then lets you know how you faired,” he adds.

The grades from these classes, Beckman says, can be submitted as part of a student’s college admissions application.

The online classes start for kids as young as Pre-K but most kids are taking these classes, Beckman says, when they are between the 5th and 9th Grades. The children are taking classes in math, science and writing as well as in computer science and even computer security, Beckman says.

So is there a future for gifted and talented education in Massachusetts?

It’s hard to say. The state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education maintains an advisory council for gifted and talented education and notes from one of the council’s last meetings, in March 2011, posted on the Department’s website, said it was decided they were going to possibly re-name the council by taking out the term “gifted.”

Calls to the council seeking comment about the status of gifted and talented education in Massachusetts were not returned.

Doug Page is a freelance writer and lives with his wife and two children in Medfield.

History of the Gifted Child Gifted and talented education, designed for children with IQs of around 130 and sometimes higher, who are also motivated to learn, came to the public’s attention more than 50 years ago, shortly after the former Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite into orbit in October 1957.

Public reaction was furious about Sputnik, with critics saying the United States had been leapfrogged in the Space Age by its biggest Cold War adversary because Soviet education emphasized math and science.

Six months after the satellite’s launch, Congress passed the National Defense Education Act to fund collegiate and elementary school programs to improve math, science and foreign language skills among the country’s youth, which became the basis of today’s gifted education curriculum.

Today, estimates the National Association for Gifted Children, there are about 3 million gifted students in the country.

BAYSTATEPARENT 33

YEARNTOLEARN

MOMS ROCK!

Jen Benson Of LUNENBURG Age: 41 Mom of: Hannah, 17; Maya, 15; and Noah, 11 Occupation: Massachusetts State Representative BY

bonnie toomey, steven king photography

W

hether your views lean left or right, State Representative Jen Benson is able to find common ground with most moms on the critical importance of children, families and education, issues which prompted her to run for school committee in 2003 in Lunenburg, Massachusetts.

The competitive mom of three decided to run for a seat on the school committee after someone suggested that her husband would be a great candidate. The rest is history. She served as a member on the school board and was elected chair in her fifth year. She didn’t stop there.

In 2008, Jen Benson won her bid to serve as State Representative for Massachusetts 37th Middlesex District. She’s now in her second term.

“It’s empowering for my kids to see me in the work force,” says Benson.

Even though her schedule is demanding, she says her family still tries to have dinner together regularly.

Dinnertime is when the Bensons talk about what’s going on in their lives and when they figure out how to juggle

everyone’s schedule.

“Being a State Representative has given my family an empathetic perspective - they see me struggle with research and decisions at home,” explains Benson, who loves to have her kids pile into bed with her, as they giggle and chat while she catches the late news.

Benson says she was aware of a gender bias from a very young age.

“When I was a kid there was a lot of it. I wanted to play the trumpet which my family said was a boys’ instrument, and my grandparents thought sending a girl to college was a waste of money!”

But Benson went anyway beginning her college career at Rochester Institute of Technology for photography and then transferring to Florida Atlantic University where she graduated with a B.A. in Art History.

When Benson first ran for office, she experienced some push back. Her husband, Brent, and children were very supportive, believing in the importance of family decisions, but her friends asked why she would want to get involved.

“My 13-year-old daughter talked me into running for

State Representative one night,” she explains, shortly after incumbent State Representative Jamie Eldridge announced he would be running for State Senate.

Benson told her daughter, who was doing her homework at the kitchen table, that there would be sacrifices and stresses on the family if she were to run.

Even so, Hannah, who was 13 at the time, was all for it.

“It’s worth it; I think you should do it. We need regular people like you, mom,” she said.

Benson didn’t want to let her daughter down, and she knew that her daughter was right. Hannah had reminded her that the people needed representation from someone like Benson’s own mother, who had working class roots.

And Benson is a strong believer that governments don’t raise families, people do.

She has found that balancing work and home is possible if you are willing to work at it. She has also realized that not only is she a role model for her children, but also for young women everywhere. She often speaks to young people in high schools.

“I hear all kinds of questions about the government process and what it means. Kids are very interested. I

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YEARNTOLEARN encourage them to go to town meetings even if they can’t vote yet,” she says.

Benson wants to educate teens in the community that we all have a responsibility to our own local communities. “Education is so important – I’m a firm believer in public education all the way through,” says the Rochester, NH native and who attended public schools.

When Benson is asked about running for president of the United States someday, she responds, “Never! But my daughter and I do joke about what we’ll do when we grow up all the time!”

Benson says she was blessed to have the early time with her kids at home before she went back into the work force, but admits that, by far, the hardest job is being a mom.

9. Best times of the day: In the morning with my family before school. We touch base, and again in the evenings for dinner and before bed.

10. Wish for my kids: That they each find something that makes them feel worthy, intellectually stimulated, and positive, whatever that may be.

11. Patriotism means: Having a voice.

I always bring my kids with me when I vote and explain that your opinion does matter. My daughter will be casting her first vote in the upcoming presidential election and she is very excited. It was the moment I felt most like an adult when I was 18 and cast my first vote.

12. Favorite places to visit in Massachusetts: Local apple orchards, Leominster State Forest and Groton Town Forest, Discovery Museum in Acton and Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester.

Columnist and writer Bonnie J. Toomey is mom to four interesting children and grandmother to two more. She lives with her child-groom of 30 years and their dog, Molly, in New England. For more information, visit Bonnie’s blog at parentforward.blogspot.com.

13. One sentence to describe me: I’m a good listener.

Take 15 with Jen

14. Current family obsession: Watching Glee together 15. Secret to a good family relationship: We love to be together, and we show mutual respect for one another. My guess is the kids want to be respected and treated as such, and I expect the same thing from them.

1. Family philosophy: We each believe in respecting one another and loving one another without compromise.

2. Family pet: Siri, a black Goldendoodle 3. New Year’s Resolution: I don’t believe in them. I think if there’s something you should do, then do it!

4. Family pasttime: We love to bake; I brought all my kids up baking.

5. What we like most about Lunenburg: It’s a small community in New England with a close-knit feel.

6. Mentors: My parents who taught me the value of hard work, education and humor.

7. A typical “proud mother” moment: Around the dinner table when I get to hear my kids discussing art, history, physics and current events

Moms Rock is an award-winning monthly feature that celebrates the good that moms do.

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8. Typical day: That’s the hardest one for me and my family. There isn’t one! Our days run from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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YEARNTOLEARN 36 JANUARY2012

YEARNTOLEARN

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College & Your Child’s

P S Y C H O L O G I C A L

HEALTH BY

BY todd patkin

Is college around the corner for your child?

Keep in mind that not all teenagers adjust well to life on a college campus — a surprising number find themselves facing feelings of anxiety and depression. Here’s a clip-and-save reference for parents to learn more about mental health issues among college students.

I

cannot possibly explain to you how often and how desperately I wanted to quit college throughout those four and a half years. My college years were characterized by debilitating perfectionism, anxiety and depression, necessitating a semester-long leave of absence from school. Although I was able to keep my grades up, my social life suffered. I relied heavily on the emotional support of my parents, driving the 45 minutes to their home on a near-nightly basis. When my schedule forced me to stay at school, I found myself turning to drinking and smoking to alleviate this stress, which I felt unable to manage on my own.

40 JANUARY2012

Of all the things I have done in my life, I’m still proudest of earning my college degree despite the many challenges I faced. And, believe it or not, this accomplishment helps me even today to push boldly forward when I am faced with obstacles that seem insurmountable.

Many of today’s college students simply can’t shake the overwhelming negative feeling that is created after they suddenly find themselves on their own. To make sure that your child isn’t one of them, read on to learn what signs to look for and how to alleviate college-transition stress.

What Parents Need to Know about College Anxiety First, know the statistics. It’s very, very important that parents do not dismiss anxiety in college students. Assumptions like “Not my child” or “I’m sure this doesn’t happen often” can be very dangerous. The fact is, the amount of mental health issues among college students has risen steadily in the decades since my own struggles.

Consider the following statistics: • Over 65 percent of college students have experienced periods of homesickness.

• Forty-four percent of American college students say that they’re feeling symptoms of depression.

• More than half of all college students suffer from at least one mental health problem during their freshman years.

• As many as 11 percent of college freshmen have had suicidal thoughts.

• Eighty-five percent of students with depression or suicidal thoughts do not get treatment.

Think about it. These statistics aren’t surprising. Our education culture is increasingly achievement-obsessed and ultra-competitive, and kids are feeling the strain before they even graduate from high school. Even if they don’t let on, most teens will feel some pressure to perform. Plus, new college students are suddenly finding themselves in an unfamiliar environment, far from their support systems, and living with strangers. Especially if a student is a perfectionist who thrives on order, it would be difficult to design a more stressful environment.

Determine whether your child is likely to feel harmful anxiety. While no collegebound teenager is immune from feeling anxiety, certain personality types may be more susceptible to negative feelings than others. I’m not trying to make parents worry needlessly. It’s completely possible that a young person who had trouble coping with stress in high school might come into her own and flourish in college.

However, if your child has struggled in the past or is very attached to her current environment, be extra vigilant as she sets off by herself.

I’d like to especially speak to parents of children who have suffered from any sort of significant separation anxiety as you may want to suggest that they attend a school that’s located within an hour or so of your home. I think that attending a university only 45 minutes away from my parents’ house might have saved my life. I’m not sure how well I would have coped with my anxiety had they not been so close and so

continually supportive.

Realize that some amount of college anxiety is normal, but it can be a real problem. Yes, a little transitional nervousness is normal. Problems start when these jitters escalate into severe anxiety and depression. Whether your child has a few butterflies or a severe case of anxiety or depression, it is very important for her to know that she is not a “freak.” When I was struggling in college, I thought that I was the only one, and that I was abnormal.

I’ve since discovered that, like me, many students with homesickness, anxiety or depression suffer in silence because they are afraid people will think they are “crazy” or weak if they decide to seek help.

As a parent, you’re in a position to explain to your child that many, people are dealing with depression and anxiety.

Remind her that she does not have to live with these troubling and debilitating feelings — counseling and medication can help her take control of her life again. Be very involved each step of the way if your child does decide to reach out.

How Parents Can Help Ease as much anxiety as possible. Take the edge off by specifying when you will see each other next. Being able to look forward to a planned visit or two can make the possibly scary future seem much less intimidating and give everyone something to look forward to.

Get in some quality time. In the midst of all the college move-in preparations, it’s easy for parents and students to get themselves worked up into a frenzy, which,

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will only exacerbate any anxiety that might crop up. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to spend some time together as a family thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not about being busy with college preparations. If you can, go on a fun day trip togetherâ&#x20AC;Śor at least have a few good family dinners. Among other things, you can use this time to talk about how you can stay connected and about how each person feels about the upcoming goodbye.

(If you can help it, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be an emotional wreck in front of your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new roommate and his parents!)

Follow your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead. Be warned: this tip is often one of the most difficult for parents to follow. After all (to some extent), youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been the final authority on all things related to your child for the past eighteen years.

Understandably, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be difficult to step back and allow your child to dictate the tone of your relationshipâ&#x20AC;Śbut this strategy is for the best. From phone calls to emotions, take the lead from your child.

Remind yourself that college is the time when your child is supposed to begin coming into her own. So if sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ecstatic to be leaving home, do your best to swallow your melancholy and be happy with her. On the other hand, if she seems a bit wary of being out by herself, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be overly excited about your impending empty-nester freedom or chime in with your own worries. Instead, help her to talk through her anxiety. And lastly, allow her to guide college-to-home communication. As a parent, I know that letting your child take the lead in this area can be especially difficult. The fact is, though, that the phone is not supposed to be an umbilical cord, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay to be a bit disconnected from her if thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what she wants.

If your child prefers email, for example, get on the digital train.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t downplay your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worries. Be

honest: when your child was young and upset about something, downplaying the severity of the situation was sometimes the best course of action. What parent hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t said something along the lines of, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh, that scrape isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bad at all. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll put a band-aid and some ointment on it, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be better in no time!â&#x20AC;? Now that your child is in college, though, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing to worry aboutâ&#x20AC;? strategy might not be best. If she says sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s having trouble adjusting, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best to take her assertion seriously.

If your child calls home and says that she is worried or depressed, talk to her about what could be causing her feelings. Even if you think she might be overreacting, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t assume that things will work themselves out with time. Ask if sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s under a lot of academic pressure. Does she have problems with her roommate? Is she homesick? Remember that adjusting to college is different for everyone: some may take days; some may take months. If your student does not seem to be adjusting at all and has been homesick for weeks, it might be good to suggest that she look for resources through the counseling and wellness department at her school.

All parents need to be aware that depression, anxiety, and â&#x20AC;&#x201D; most unfortunately â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even suicides are growing problems at colleges and universities across America. The good news is this: educating yourself about what these issues look like and how you can deal with (and possibly alleviate) them can make a huge difference in the kind of college experience your child has. Above all, please remember that difficulties adapting do not mean that your child is weak or that you have somehow failed as a parent.

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want any young people today to feel alone or to experience difficulties like the ones I did.

Todd Patkin grew up in Needham. After graduating from Tufts University, he joined the family business and spent the next eighteen years helping to grow it to new heights. After it was purchased by Advance Auto Parts in 2005, he was free to focus on his main passions: philanthropy and giving back to the community, spending time with family and friends and helping more people learn how to be happy. Todd lives with his wonderful wife, Yadira, their amazing son, Josh, and two great dogs, Tucker and Hunter.

Toddâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book, Finding Happiness: One Manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Quest to Beat Depression and Anxiety and â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Finally â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Let the Sunshine In (StepWise Press, 2011, ISBN: 978-0-96582619-8, $19.95) is available at bookstores nationwide, from major online booksellers and at findinghappinessthebook.com.

The Village Child & Family Development Inc. It Takes A Village To Raise A Child...Let Us Be Yours

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Open House on Saturday, March 10th 2-4 pm Currently Enrolling Limited spaces are available for the 2011/2012 school year.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Where bright minds come together!â&#x20AC;?

Pre-Kindergarten through Grade Six The Brighton School is a non-proďŹ t, private, independent elementary school dedicated to providing a quality education that addresses the individual needs of students. s !CCELERATED 0ROGRAM s )Ndividualized Curriculum s 3MALL #LASS 3IZES s .URTURING %NVIRONMENT s 3PECIALIZED )NSTRUCTION IN SpanISH -USIC !RT

Science, Computer, 0HYSICAL %DUCATION and Yoga

360 Water Street, P.O. Box 3204, Framingham, MA 01705 s WWW BRIGHTONSCHOOLOFMA ORG BAYSTATEPARENT 41

YEARNTOLEARN

Seven Hills Charter Public School NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2012-2013 SCHOOL YEAR! Seven Hills Charter Public School is a free independent public school that offers challenging academic programs for children in grades K through 8.

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Be a Mentor You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need special skills to be a mentor.

You just need to listen, show that you care, and share your experience.

Becoming a mentor is one of the best investments you can make for the future.

OTHER IMPORTANT FEATURES ARE:

t DPNNJUNFOU UP GBNJMZ JOWPMWFNFOU DVMUVSBM EJWFSTJUZ t PVUTUBOEJOH UFBDIFST t BO FNQIBJTJT PO DPMMFHF & career readiness t BO FOSJDIFE DVSSiculum including character education, and JOUFHSBUFE BSUT BOE UFDIOPMPHZ t B MPOHFS TDIPPM EBZ BOE ZFBS t DPNQSFIFOJTJWF QSPHSBNT GPS students wih special needs and english language learning

Caring for children 1 month - 6 years Our curriculum is child directed and provides developmentally appropriate learning experiences to promote each childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fullest potential in the areas of social, emotional, cognitive and physical development.

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Where Communication Comes First â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Since 1876 Adult American Sign Language (ASL) Daily Classes 6:30pm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8:30pm Family ASL 10:00am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12:00pm third Saturday of every month Toddler Sign Playgroup (ages 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3) 9:00am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10:30am

Help Them Discover The Possibilities

Baby Sign Playgroup (ages 0 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1) 9:00am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10:00am

Applications are available in our main office (9am-1pm) Bring Birth Certificate & two proofs of address Application Deadline: February 1, 2012 Lottery: March 2, 2012 @ 9am

All classes will be taught on campus at The Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Center for Communication/ Beverly School for the Deaf 6 Echo Avenue Beverly, MA 01915

Seven Hills Charter Public School

For more information contact Jessica Fox, Community Classes Coordinator, at jessicafox@beverlyschoolforthedeaf.org or 978-927-7070 x317

51 Gage Street, Worcester, MA 01605

.BJO 4U 508-460-9555

The Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Center for Communication Beverly School for the Deaf

Employment opportunities for certified teachers.

The Seven Hills Charter School is a tuition - free public school serving Worcester's children With no admission test, the school serves a student body that is representative of Worcester's diversity. Seven Hills Charter Public School does not discriminate based on gender, race, religion, cultural heritage, linguistic background, political beliefs, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, marital status, or national origin. In the event that there are more applicants than seats, a lottery will be used to select students.

Acting Classes for Kids and Teens

(800) 579-0000 mentoring@luk.org www.luk.org/mentoring

/\Ă&#x160;Â&#x2122;Ă&#x2021;n°Â&#x2122;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2021;°Ă&#x2021;äĂ&#x2021;äĂ&#x160;UĂ&#x160;6*\Ă&#x160;nĂ&#x2C6;Ă&#x2C6;°Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;ä°Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x17D; F: 978.927.6536

www.thechildrenscenterforcommunication.org

While you're busy at work, your child is busy at PLA Y !

Register for acting classes with

Boston Casting Register using this promo code and save 20%

off

PROMOCODE: BAYSTATEJAN2012

F it c h Andrew C o n ta c t 1 0 0 1 , e x t. 4 54at 617-2 ti n g .c o m o s to n c a s b i@ p m or

We offer year-round acting classes and summer sessions for film, commercials and TV, plus headshot sessions and advanced workshops with industry experts.

www.mediaperformanceinstitute.com

42 JANUARY2012

â&#x20AC;˘ Family owned and run â&#x20AC;˘ Infant, Toddler, Preschool, Pre-K and Kindergarten Programs â&#x20AC;˘ EEC Licensed Teachers â&#x20AC;˘ The Letter People Curriculum â&#x20AC;˘ Lively Letters Curriculum â&#x20AC;˘ Indoor Gym â&#x20AC;˘ Sibling Discounts, Military Discounts â&#x20AC;˘ Optional Lunch Program â&#x20AC;˘ Music & Movement, Tumblebus and Lil' Sports programs on site 172 Otis Street (behind Walmart) Northboro, MA â&#x20AC;˘ (508) 393-0798

New:

Half day Preschool and PK programs at the Otis Street location.

348 Main Street (Rte 20) Northboro, MA â&#x20AC;˘ (508) 393-2100

www.skribbles.com New Hours: 7:00 AM TO 6:00 PM, 52 weeks a year

YEARNTOLEARN

120 Prospect Street, Fitchburg, MA 01420 (978)342-6053 ext 110 www.applewild.org Financial Aid and Merit Scholarships Available

WONDERS & SMILES AT APPLEWILD Stories, Crafts and Activities for ages 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6 Marshall Library at Applewild School

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TLC Christian Preschool A Ministry of Trinity Lutheran Church

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73 LANCASTER STREET, WORCESTER, MA 01609 508-753-2989 TLCPRESCHOOL@TRINITYWORC.ORG

Summer 2012

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Gymnastics Learning Center

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Building the Pride Inside Since 1983â&#x20AC;?

Help Your Child Learning be Healthy Center and Fit! Gymnastics UĂ&#x160; Â&#x201C;iĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;V>Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160;,i`Ă&#x160; Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x153;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;-Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201C;Ă&#x160;Â?iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x192;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160;Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2026;i>Ă&#x152;i`Ă&#x160;ÂŤÂ&#x153;Â&#x153;Â?Ă&#x192; UUĂ&#x160;Âş Ă&#x17E;Â&#x201C;Ă&#x160;EĂ&#x160;-Ă&#x153;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201C;ÂťĂ&#x160; >Â?vĂ&#x160;>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160; Ă&#x2022;Â?Â?Ă&#x160;`>Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;V>Â&#x201C;ÂŤĂ&#x192; UUĂ&#x160;¸ Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;>Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;V¸Ă&#x160;/Â&#x2026;iÂ&#x201C;i`Ă&#x160; >Â&#x201C;ÂŤĂ&#x160;Ă&#x153;iiÂ&#x17D;Ă&#x192; UUĂ&#x160; Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x20AC;Â?Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160; Â&#x153;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x17E;Â&#x201C;Â&#x2DC;>Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;VĂ&#x192;Ă&#x160; iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x192;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;Âş7>Â?Â&#x17D;iĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160;1ÂŤtÂť

508-792-1551 FREE Trial Class Fall Programs New students only

The Only Nationally Accredited Preschool in Shrewsbury!

Continuous registration for all ages and all seasons!

UĂ&#x160;*Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x192;VÂ&#x2026;Â&#x153;Â&#x153;Â?Ă&#x160; Â?>Ă&#x192;Ă&#x192;iĂ&#x192; UĂ&#x160; Ă&#x2022;Â?Â?Â&#x2021; >Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;9i>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;,Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160; >Ă&#x20AC;i UĂ&#x160; >Â?vĂ&#x160; Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160; Ă&#x2022;Â?Â?Ă&#x160; >Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160; Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;`iĂ&#x20AC;}>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x152;iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x160;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x160;*Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x153;}Ă&#x20AC;>Â&#x201C;Ă&#x192;

UĂ&#x160; Ă&#x160; Â&#x2C6;ViÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x192;i`Ă&#x160;/i>VÂ&#x2026;iĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x192; UĂ&#x160; Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;VĂ&#x160;*Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x153;}Ă&#x20AC;>Â&#x201C; UĂ&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x17E;Â&#x201C;Â&#x2DC;>Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;VĂ&#x192;Ă&#x160; iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x192;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;

508-792-3535

574 Lake Street, SÂ&#x2026;Ă&#x20AC;iĂ&#x153;Ă&#x192;LĂ&#x2022;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;U www.gymnasticslearningcenter.com BAYSTATEPARENT 43

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t settle for just any old vacation this year, take your kids on a Shrek-cation that they will REALLY enjoy!

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss the show WWOR-TV called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Far, far and away the funniest new musical on Broadway!â&#x20AC;?

Based on the Oscar winning DreamWorks ďŹ lm that started it all, brings the hilarious story of everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite ogre to life on stage!

Featuring a terriďŹ c score of 19 all-new songs, big laughs, great dancing, and breathtaking scenery, SHREK THE MUSICAL is part romance, part twisted fairy tale and all irreverent fun for the whole family!

Take advantage of our Special Family Night Discount!

Tickets* for Sunday, February 26 at 6pm are 2 for 1!

February 24-26

PLUS - be on the lookout for ME! I will be traveling all over Worcester County giving away free tickets at every stop! For more details visit Facebook.com/TheHanoverTheatre

Generously Sponsored by

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44 JANUARY2012

Haven't You Always Wanted to Tell Somebody Where to Go? We Do Every Thursday. bsp emails a weekend fun planner every Thursday with 5+ ideas for local family fun. Sign up at

baystateparent.com FREE Festival of Lights Attleboro

Puppet Shows Wednesdays & Thursdays

FREE Crafts Every Saturday Morning

Ride the Polar Express

Sing-a-long Sound of Music

Gigueres offers so much for your family For the Kids UÊÊ Þ >ÃÌ VÃ UÊÊ > Vi UÊÊ Õ }vÕ UÊÊ iiÀ } UÊÊ `Ê >Ài UÊÊ vÌiÀÊ-V Ê >Ài UÊÊ-«iV > Ê VÃ

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Gigueres

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Come Hang out at Gigueres }ÕiÀi}Þ °V ÊÊÊÊÊxän n Ó ÎÇ ÇÊÊÊÊÊ£{nÊ > Ê-Ì°Ê iÀÀÞÊ6> iÞ]Ê > BAYSTATEPARENT 45

Come in from the cold and get creative at Claytime this winter

Visit www.claytimestudio.com for programs and monthly calendar of events

paint your own pottery & bead studio Route 9, Shrewsbury (Next to White City East) s (508)798-9950

46 JANUARY2012

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ing Princ es s e s Singare our Specialty C Princess Singer (with Bachelor of Music)

C Our Original Singing Princess has enchanted children since 1994 C Costume Characters w/ Karaoke, games, face painting and balloon sculpture

Singing Princess 508.853.4257 www.copacabanaent.com

Practical Party Favor Make personalized labels commemorating the birthday child’s special day and stick to pretty soda, water or juice bottles. Experiment with creating your own labels to dress up store-bought lotions, bubble bath or mini hand sanitizers.

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CONTACT: Chelyanne & Brian

(508) 943-4549 Email: Karaoke4kidz@Yahoo.com www.Karaoke4Kidz.com

Tons of Bricks Tons of Fun LEGO® Themed Birthday Parties for all ages. wwww.brickapalooza.com Check our website for current class offerings, summer camp offerings and drop-in play times.

164 Westford Rd. Tyngsboro MA 01879 978-649-2654

“All Live” Insects, Small Reptiles & Animals

The Coolest Party EVER! There’s Nothing Else Like It. Fordshometown.com 1-800-649-9992

Birthday/ Party Room Central Mass’s only dedicated Climbing Facility!

Sign up now for our Week Long Summer Camp Programs • 14,000 square feet of amazing climbing walls • 60 different top rope stations • Climbing walls from 15 - 40 feet high!

• Massive lead arch, and super long overhangs!

• Separate climbing wall just for kids and parents • Classes for beginners: lead and top rope belaying • Rentals and a retail shop for climbing gear • Lounge area, w/ free wifi • A large bouldering area, with top-outs

508-852-ROCK • 299 Barber Ave. Worcester, (Across the street from the Higgins Armory, near Sam’s Club, at the 190/290 interchange)

centralrockgym.com

Theatre Programs, Classes and Workshops for Ages 4 to 18 Call us or visit the web for more info... info@bostonchildrenstheatre.org 617-424-6634 www.bostonchildrenstheatre.org

To advertise, call Stephanie Pearl at 774-364-0296 or email stephaniep@baystateparent.com BAYSTATEPARENT 47

Traveling Farm Animals for your Party or Event!

Year Round • Inside or Out Fun & Educational Baby Animal Parties, Theme Parties, Living Nativities, Petting Zoos, Animals for Therapy & more!

Friedm an a r F $IJMESFn’s n

Musician

1"3&/5 4 $)0*$& "8"3% 8*//&3

All Ages.

Birthday Parties, Schools, Fairs, Day Care Centers, Etc.

#JSUIEBZ 1BSUJFT t $PODFSUT Teacher-Parent Workshops

508-358-1614

978-297-1221 animalcraze@ymail.com www.animalcraze.info

Animal Craze

Kids all love the silliness of my interactive, high energy, and musical shows!

Come join the fun!

My silly sense of humor and rythmic style will soon have you and your kids giggling, wiggling, dancing, and singing with delight.

Mike Slattery Children’s Entertainment * Songs * Puppets * Concerts * Schools

* Magic * Parties

978-779-6789 mikethemusicman.com

www.franfriedman.com

www.rosalitaspuppets.com 617-633-2832

Celebrate at a Restaurant Some of our favorite places to take kids for a birthday dinner: The Rainforest Cafe, Burlington, MA The Huke Lau, Chicopee, MA (The Hawaiian show is a must!)

American Girl Cafe, Natick, MA

Dave & Busters, Providence, RI

Indoor Birthday Parties at Backyard Adventures $ .00

199

Enjoy 2 hours of playing time on our Towers, Turbo Slide, Rock Wall and Inflatable.

Free Goody Bags

7ESTBORO s 178 Turnpike Rd. (Rt.9) 1 mile east from Lowe’s WWW.BAMASS.COM

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PaPa Gino’s Pizza package 2 cheese pizzas, 15 juice boxes, plates, napkins and forks $

30.00

132 234#(.

Offering Beading, Mosaics, Stuff-Your-Own Animals, Paint Me Tees, Silver Clay and PaintYour-Own Pottery Parties

!$23 !(13'# 8 / "* &$2 1.4-# %1$$ &(%3 %.1 !(13'# 8 "'(+# >

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BYO CDs, Cake, Soda, Pizza Etc. Offering 2 Large Private Party Rooms

Rt. 9 (next to White City East), Shrewsbury • 508-798-9950 • www.claytimestudio.com

To advertise, call Stephanie Pearl at 774-364-0296 or email stephaniep@baystateparent.com 48 JANUARY2012

Big Joe

Babson Skating Center

the Storyteller

Storytelling fun for Birthday Parties, Schools, Daycare Centers, Library Programs, Special Events and TV Featuring:

BIRTHDAY PACKAGE Room â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ice Time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Skate Rental

â&#x20AC;˘ Original & Classic Stories â&#x20AC;˘ Puppets, Props and Surprises

SKATING SCHOOL Fall â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Winter â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Spring â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Summer PUBLIC SKATING Recreational â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Hockey â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Freestyle

For Bookings and Info Call: 617-713-4349 E-mail: BigJoe@BigJoe.com Visit me on the web at: www.BigJoe.com

www.babsonskatingcenter.com 781-239-6056

Have a Birthday Coming Up? Book your party now Call today or visit our website for more info: 781-352-2494 www.mini-athletes.com 290 Vanderbilt Ave. Norwood

Call to schedule a free introductory class.

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New Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s #1 Traveling Animal Show

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BOSTON CHILDRENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S THEATRE presents n Ed rie uca tional Expe

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n i l t i Ca rke: Camper of the Year!

Bu SUMMERCAMPCOUNTDOWN

carrie wattu

Caitlin Burke felt more confident starting seventh grade at Sutton Middle School this year than she thought she would. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After going to summer camp, I actually felt more responsible and comfortable going back to school. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At school there is usually the whole popularity thing going on. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe in that. At camp, you can be yourself and people are very accepting.â&#x20AC;?

The 13-year-old camper cried on the way home from her last day of summer camp this past summer. This was her last year attending Camp Blanchard in Sutton, part of the Central Community Branch YMCA, and the 13-year-old had just been awarded Camper of the Year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really special,â&#x20AC;? says Caitlin.â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are a lot of really nice campers who are friendly and bubbly to everyone so the fact that I got chosen to be camper of the year made me so happy.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Her character, her attitude and her camp spirit earned her the prestigious honor of Camper of the Year â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an award that is meticulously and unanimously selected by the entire camp staff, given to the camper that has consistently exhibited responsibility, respect, caring and honesty, YMCA core values,â&#x20AC;? says camp director, Amy Vaughn.

Amy and Camp Blanchardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s counselors will never forget the look on Caitlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face when they announced her name. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was obvious that she never expected to receive such an honor. Her jaw dropped in surprise, and she was beaming with pride.

photo courtesy of camp blanchard

BY

Cailtin Burkeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s younger sister, Jessica, has attended camp with Caitlin (pictured on top) since the girls were 9 and 10 years old. After winning Camper of the Year, Caitlin says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;My sister was really proud of me. Jessie hugged me so hard that I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t breathe.â&#x20AC;?

It came as a surprise simply because the things she had done to earn the award came very naturally to her â&#x20AC;&#x201C; she hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t felt like sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d gone out of her way to be awesomeâ&#x20AC;Śshe just did it,â&#x20AC;? says Amy. According to her counselors, Caitlin is

one of those campers who embraces the notion that â&#x20AC;&#x153;you get from camp what you put into camp.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;She consistently went out of her way to help staff and show initiative. She gave her all every day â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sharing her smile, providing a listening

ear to her peers and being an outstanding example for younger campers,â&#x20AC;? says camp counselor Samantha Valetta.

The positive feeling between camper and counselor is mutual. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The counselors are very fun. Of course, they are serious if we are swimming or doing a safety drill, but they are mostly interactive and friendly with everyone. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make you feel scared to ask questions,â&#x20AC;? says Caitlin.

In this safe environment, Caitlin has made new friends from a variety of communities outside of her hometown of Sutton. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Going to summer camp is a good place to meet new people,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At school, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have recess anymore, so it was extra special just to be outdoors with friends.â&#x20AC;?

Caitlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite camp activity was Team Extreme. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different types of sports such as flag football and ultimate Frisbee, which was my favorite.â&#x20AC;? But she loved the simplicity of just being outdoors, exercising and meeting new people.

The one drawback? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I did not like having to wake up early,â&#x20AC;? she says.

Next year, Caitlin is too old to return to Camp Blanchard as a camper but is considering attending as a counselor-intraining. This delights Amy who says that â&#x20AC;&#x153;summer camp is all about kids like Caitlin Burke.â&#x20AC;?

Carrie Wattu is editor of baystateparent Magazine.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Summer camp is all about kids like Caitlin Burke.â&#x20AC;?

- Amy Vaughn, Camp Blanchard Director

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Left: Jim Dine, Two Big Black Hearts, 1985, bronze, 12â&#x20AC;&#x2122; x 12â&#x20AC;&#x2122; x 33â&#x20AC;? each, Lent by Hamilton Arts.

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BAYSTATEPARENT 53

SUMMERCAMPCOUNTDOWN

SUMMER CAMP

COUNTDOWN! To advertise your camp or summer program contact

Stephanie Pearl at 774-364-0296 or email stephaniep@baystateparent.com

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Worcester JCC ÈÎÎÊ-> ÃLÕÀÞÊ-ÌÀiiÌÊUÊ7 ÀViÃÌiÀ]Ê Êä£Èä For more information and free brochure call xänÊÇxÈ Ç£ä ÊUÊÜ ÀViÃÌiÀ VV° À} The JCC is open to all, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or economic condition. The Center is handicapped accessible. Scholarships available.

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BAYSTATEPARENT 55

SUMMERCAMPCOUNTDOWN

Summer Day Camps Kickoff

Dirty Girl Disposal is a one-time clean-up service company owned by single mom Katherine Fairbanks of Millbury.

Her two daughters, Megan and Rachel, help run the business while Katherine’s 24-year-old son, Jared, waits to be called upon when the beauties need some additional brawn.

s l r THESE Gi CLEAN UP WELL BY

K

atherine Fairbanks arrives at her Millbury office swathed in hot pink, into a sea of purple. This is clearly a workplace where girls rule and boys drool.

She greets her 27-year-old daughter Megan Carlson, who runs the administrative end of their all-girl operation known as Dirty Girl Disposal in addition to the family’s flagship biz, Millbury Rubbish Removal.

Rachel, at 21, is the youngest of Katherine’s brood and also the very model of her mission. She is, in fact Dirty Girl Disposal’s first protégé, having recently obtained her Commercial Driver’s License, enabling her to become the company’s main driver. It should surprise nobody that her dump truck is purple.

With matching fuschia sweatshirts and determined smiles, Katherine and her daughters have made it clear that the only way they are taking anyone’s crap is if it’s in their trash removal contract.

You might take offense at the name, 56 JANUARY2012

amanda roberge, steven king photographer

and Katherine is ready to play defense.

The implication is tongue-in-cheek, stemming from her life in the rubbish removal industry.

“It leaves people wondering, ‘What do they mean Dirty Girl?’” she smirks.

In fact, the idea for the name came to Katherine and her daughters long before the idea for the business. After a particularly harrowing day spent out on the Millbury Rubbish Removal beat, they looked at each other and found amusement in their filth. “We’re dirty girls,” they cried and burst out laughing.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

“With Dirty Girl, I intend to change the stereotypical image of a truck driver,” she says, “and open doors for women that they wouldn’t otherwise consider.”

So let’s talk about that image.

If you were to close your eyes and picture your average truck driver, your vision might vary in the details: Fat or thin, bald or hairy, plaid shirts or heavy jackets, worn sneakers or steel-toed boots. But chances are, it’s a dude.

Now consider Rachel Carlson, lithe and gorgeous and all of 100 pounds soaking wet – built more like an Olympic figure skater than a CDL-toting waste management specialist. She radiates confidence and security, but none of the conceit that would indicate that she is even remotely aware of how much of an utter bad-ass she is.

It’s “like mother like daughters” around this office, where girl power is like an elixir spiking their morning coffee. You can practically hear them roaring from the parking lot.

With only five employees and three of them calling the boss-lady “Mom,” Dirty Girl Disposal is largely a family affair. Katherine’s 24-year-old son Jared is the only boy allowed in this clubhouse, though he generally keeps a safe distance and waits to be called upon when the beauties are looking for some additional brawn – spending the majority of his time as the Operations Manager for Millbury Rubbish Removal.

And if it all sounds quaint and lovely,

you clearly haven’t spent a day in their stilettos. This crew is so lively that the business is being targeted for a reality show, with the pilot ad garnering hundreds of daily hits on YouTube.

Not too shabby for a business that was born of a divorce so intense that it rivals the War of the Roses.

Katherine spent many of her childrearing years working to obtain her master’s degree in nursing while helping her husband manage Millbury Rubbish Removal. When the divorce happened, and wreaked havoc on their lives with no end in sight, her mindset began to change and she found herself in a place she’d never imagined for herself.

Destitute, Katherine labored to keep her head held high throughout the legal battle and the ensuing split, which included her being awarded the rubbish removal business she had once shared with her spouse. He parted ways and opened up a business that is now one of her dozens of competitors.

“Competition can be good for business,

but not when it’s excessive,” she says, adding that the rubbish removal business has been difficult because people have too many choices. “If they don’t want to pay their bill with one company, they can move on to any number of other ones.

That game can go on indefinitely around here.”

Like mothers across the globe, Katherine’s every move has been an attempt to provide a better life for her children. And as each of her kids has come of age and started to leave the nest, she has turned her attention to making a better world for young women in general.

The way she sees it, for young women going out into the workforce without the benefit of access to higher education, they are likely to land on a minimum wage job where they will live paycheck to paycheck. Finding someone to sponsor, teach and finance your Commercial

“

Driver’s License can be insurmountable – whereas for men, it’s practically a given.

At Dirty Girl, Katherine plans to become a willing mentor to women who want to more than double their earning potential and become part of something revolutionary. Her goal is to start turning out female truck drivers so that women can start being part of a career path that

has, for too long, denied them complete access.

“I want to change that,” she says, adding that even before Dirty Girl, it’s always been important to her that she “be accommodating to moms’ schedules.”

Dirty Girl Disposal, she says, is a one-time clean-up service company – not a weekly trash removal business. Their pledge is

to provide environmentally conscious and professional waste-hauling service as they work toward the greater vision of providing the education, training and mentoring to well-qualified women.

But even through the emotionally devastating divorce and the never-ending stress that occurred in its wake, there are no regrets for this Dirty Girl.

“If it weren’t for everything that happened, I wouldn’t be where I am right now,” says Katherine. “And I’m okay now…I can hold my head up. I can breathe again.”

For more information on Katherine Fairbanks’ family business, visit dirtygirldisposal.com.

Amanda Roberge is a freelance writing living in Leominster with her husband and three daughters.

katherine and her daughters have made it clear that the only way they are taking anyone’s crap is if it’s in their trash removal contract.

“

BAYSTATEPARENT 57

FINALLY,FOREVER

Full of Grace: A BIG SISTER’S PERSPECTIVE emily o’brien

photos courtesy of the o’brien family

BY

She has no idea what an impact she leaves on my past, present and future.

She doesn’t understand that as much as she admires me, I admire her more.

Even though she is still learning to read and spell big words, our relationship affects every choice I make, from the day-to-day decisions to my goals for the future. My vivacious, talented and beautiful 7-year-old sister Grace was adopted from China in 2005.

The experience of growing up with someone so special has changed me and broadened my perspective of the world.

I have grown up teaching Grace as well as my two younger siblings, Monica and Owen. As the oldest of four, I have had to learn to be a patient, kind and nurturing person.

Through my sisters and brother, I have realized that I want to be a teacher.

Grace, in particular, has sparked my interest in education because of the way she learns to spell words, counts to 100 – and 10 in Spanish – and comes to understand where she came from.

She knows all about China and her “China Mommy” whose belly she was in before she was born. She knows the story of my parents traveling to China to get her, and she knows of the nice Chinese lady named Mei who took care of her before we got her. Within the first few minutes of meeting Grace, people will probably know her whole life’s story, including her Chinese birth name, Guang Yong Lu. It is a story she loves to share with anyone she meets. Grace introduces herself to complete strangers as “Grace Elisa Mei O’Brien Guang Yong Lu,” ignoring the expressions of surprise that follow.

She simply skips off to another room, where she will color a picture of our

family that will later be hung on the refrigerator.

Grace’s unique background is a huge part of who she is, and as I’ve seen her grow into an amazing young girl, I like knowing that I was a part of that development. Because of Grace, I also hope to adopt a Chinese baby myself someday.

People tell us how lucky Grace is, to have been adopted into a better life, but my parents have raised us to counter with a simple answer: No, we are lucky to have her.

It’s one of the best lessons I have ever learned.

Emily O’Brien is a proud big sister, senior at West Boylston High School and an intern at baystateparent.

Emily and Grace, Summer 2011, in Ireland

Grace O’Brien

CIRCLE OFFRIENDS Highlights of January’s Adoption-Related Events Adoptive Family Mixer. Together in Motion, 1 Broadway, Arlington. 9:30 – 11 a.m. Offers a sunny play area with a padded floor filled with soft play blocks, stairs and slides, modules, balls, tunnels and other age appropriate equipment for children up to age 6. There is a separate lounge area filled with comfortable seating and tables for snacks or building block play. $5 per child.

Contact Erik or Katherine at 781-643-1377, togetherinmotion.com.

Boston Adoption Informational Meetings. DCF Boston, 451 Blue Hill Ave., Dorchester. Meets every 3rd Wednesday of the month, 4 - 6:30 p.m. Learn how you can change the future of a child in need by becoming a foster or adoptive parent with the Massachusetts Department of Children 58 JANUARY2012

and Families. 617-989-9209, no registration required.

Training for the Adoption Process.

The Department of Children and Families, 780 American Legion Highway, Roslindale.

Four Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Jan. 21, 28, Feb. 4 and Feb. 11. This training is called MAPP (Massachusetts Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) and is required by the Department of Children and Families before adopting a child. Families who successfully complete MAPP training can then move on to have a home study assessment, which can only be used for the adoption of DCF “Waiting Children.” For more information, contact Susan Wilson at The Home for the Little Wanderers, swilson@thehome.org and 617-264-5346.

Please submit February’s adoption-related events by Thursday, January 5th to be included in the February print edition of baystateparent.

Events submitted after the 5th of the month will be included in our online calendar only.

To submit an event, visit baystateparent.com and click “Calendar” and “Submit an Event.”

JANUARY’SCHILD

Dakota Friendly, outgoing Dakota has a lot of energy and likes to do most anything outside. Some of his favorite activities include playing with friends, exploring the great outdoors and, of course, watching TV. He is a kid who likes to stay busy. Almost 10 years old, Dakota would like to start learning how to cook.

Dakota currently resides in a residential program where he is on target academically.

He can struggle with transitions and benefits from structure. He attends a specialized school program and has an Individualized Educational Plan in place for behavior.

Dakota, at times, has difficulty following the rules and needs a family who can offer him the consistency, patience and love that he needs to succeed.

Of Caucasian descent, Dakota is legally free for adoption. He would do well in an active, two-parent family with or without older children. An ideal family would be comfortable with Dakota maintaining a connection with his biological sister and her adoptive family. A family that is open to formulating and following through on a behavior management plan with a behavior team would also greatly benefit him. Dakota has a lot of potential and much to bring to the right family who can commit to him.

For more information about Dakota or the adoption process in general, please feel free to call Department of Children and Families Adoption Supervisor Eileen Griffin at 978353-3600.

BulletinBoard

To advertise call Stephanie Pearl at 774-364-0296 or email stephaniep@baystateparent.com

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CAPTURED

t a H s d a e H FIRST PHOTO SHOOT: Worcester mom, Christine Childs, takes a photo of her September baby, Nathan Childs, at just 11 days old.

Love Ya Bro!: The Colonero brothers, Dante, age 9, and Gianni, age 7, of Shrewsbury

Look at Me! Cameron Egan, age 20 months, of Worcester 60 JANUARY2012

First Snow: Lily Katherine Nellis tests out snow for the first time in her Charlton yard.

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INDEX A Place To Grow...............................................................28 Adventure Bootcamp........................................................12 Applewild School.............................................................43 Arsenal Center for the Arts................................................36 Carolyn Spring, Esq..........................................................37 Attorney James Connors....................................................15 Barrett Family Wellness....................................................37 Bay State Skate..............................................................20 Be Healthy Boston...........................................................57 Becker College.................................................................13 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center....................................2 Beverly School for the Deaf...............................................42 Blossom Station.................................................................5 Boating in Boston.............................................................54 Boston Ballet.....................................................................9 Boston Casting.................................................................42 Boston Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Theatre..................................................49 Brighton School...............................................................41

British School of Boston....................................................30 Cambridge College...........................................................30 Camp Quinebarge.............................................................55 Charter...........................................................................64 Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Garden..............................................................26 Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Music Academy..................................................11 Claytime.........................................................................46 Concord Academy..............................................................53 Cornerstone Academy.........................................................3 Cornerstone Christian Academy...........................................34 Crispus Attucks Childrens Center..........................................29 Curious Creatures.............................................................62 Cutie Patutieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.................................................................61 Dance It Up!...................................................................50 deCordova Museum.....................................................30,53 Dr. Mel - Pediatric Dentistry...............................................12 International Dyslexia Association-MA Branch.......................28 Ecotarium.......................................................................50

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Riverbend School.............................................................26 Roche Bros.......................................................................4 Saint Bernadette School...................................................37 Saint Joseph School.........................................................29 Second Generation Energy.................................................18 Seeking Sitters...................................................................8 Sensory Learning Center....................................................38 Seven Hills Charter Public School.......................................42 Shrewsbury Montessori.....................................................37 Skribbles Learning Center...................................................42 Southeast Advocate Associates...........................................38 Speech, Language & Hearing Assoc....................................50 Summer Fenn/The Fenn School........................................52 Tenacre Country Day.........................................................39 Ohana Family Group/Aloha Foundation...............................54 The Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Workshop....................................................38 The Little Gym.................................................................49 The Village.......................................................................41 TLC Christian Preschool......................................................43 UMass Medical School Child & Adolscent NeuroDevelopment Initiative...........................50 Venerini..........................................................................26 Wee Care for Little People, Inc...........................................42 Wheelock Family Theatre...................................................46 Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Health of Central MA............................................4 Worcester Art Museum.....................................................38 Worcester JCC.................................................................55 Worcester Sharks.............................................................50 YMCA of Central MA........................................................53

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