0314bsp

MARCH 2014

baystateparent FREE

Massachusetts’

Premier Magazine For Families Since 1996

OUT & ABOUT FAMILY E EVENTS VENTS CALENDAR

WIN! ORGANIC PRODUCE FOR YOUR FAMILY

HELP FOR DISORGANIZED KIDS: 3 STRATEGIES FOR BETTER GRADES NEW MOMS SUFFER SECRET TRAUMA: COULD I HURT MY BABY? GOTTA GO! THAT’S PREGNANCY WITH A PEE

countdown to

summer

camp

Clinton Savings Bank

COMMENDS 1 2 3 5 MINUTES WITH TYLER YALIAN

STUDENT AT DR. FRANKLIN PERKINS SCHOOL

4 5

TYLER YALIAN

What does it feel like to be called a champion by CSB? To be called a champion by CSB means that you did something or accomplished something that somebody could not do. Also, being a champion you are being recognized for your hard work, volunteering and being a good citizen/student.

In your own words what makes you a champion? What I think makes me a champion is that I have never ever let my disabilities get in the way of my daily life. Another thing is my ability to help others that might be less fortunate or just needing that someone to talk to. The last reason is that in life you don’t always succeed the first time, and in my life I have had that happen to me several times. I have taken those experiences and learned from them, and doing so helps me and helps other people; as I can share my experiences with them.

Describe some of the things you do in your school or the community? At my school, I currently work in the kitchen and attend a cooking class twice a week. Last year I participated in the 2013 Taste of Wachusett representing Dr. Franklin Perkins School and I have been chosen to represent the Perkins School again this year. One of my favorite things that I do in the community is I volunteer at the Clinton Historical Society where I give tours and help with several special events. I have been volunteering at the Historical Society for almost four years now and I got my start when I was working on a project for school. I also volunteer at the Berlin Food Pantry on Saturday’s.

Can you describe what you love about helping community organizations? There are lots of things, but learning new things is a big one: Learning from people that I help; Learning how one organization works together with other organizations to help people out; and Learning about things that maybe I did not know. The other thing is being able to help, either at special events, or helping people at the Historical Society with questions about their family history or general historical questions.

What are you most looking forward to doing next? Erin, Mark and all the kitchen staff at Perkins encourage me to learn all aspects of the kitchen and what it takes to be a successful cook and employee. I recently was hired at Hannaford and my goal once I get comfortable working for Hannaford is to apply to work in the bakery. I am also looking forward to preparing for the Taste of Wachusett 2014, as this will be my second year participating in this event.

TYLER WORKING WITH MARK HARRIMAN, FOOD SERVICES SUPERVISOR, DR. FRANKLIN PERKINS SCHOOL.

Do you know the next

CSB CHAMPION? •

2 MARCH2014 3

If you know an individual or group of students who deserve recognition for their success in school, sports, the arts or the community, honor them as a CSB Champion. Simply email marketing@clintonsavings.com to nominate them.

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6 MARCH2014 7

table of contents MARCH 2014 VOLUME 18

1.

2.

7

NUMBER 10

things we learned

while making the march issue

Many new mothers struggle with recurring thoughts of hurting their babies. This secret terror has a name, and help is available. Read more in Frightening Thoughts That Should Have Every New Mother Talking on page 28.

That’s Pregnancy with a Pee, on page 32, discusses solutions for stress incontinence — a condition often brought on by pregnancy. An estimated 15 million women in the US suffer with this condition, and help is available at any age.

4.

5.

3.

At baystateparent, we’re excited to announce our expansion into Western Mass! To celebrate, we asked what you think are some of the best places to visit there. Find your faves in Discover Western Mass: 10 Picks for Family Fun on page 14.

Hiring a tutor can be expensive in both time and money. Is it worth the effort? In Tutor time: One Solution to Solving Math Problems on page 36, a local father shares what he learned.

A little organization may be all it takes to help your child overcome homework anxiety.

Help for Disorganized Students: 3 Strategies to Improve Grades on page 38 has tips to cure the homework blues.

camp countdown to summer

and so much more

40 44 48 52 54

6.

Whole Children in Hadley offers after-school, weekend, and vacation enrichment programs for children of all ages and abilities, particularly those with special needs. Learn more in Whole Children: If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It on page 64.

7.

It’s easy being green!

With help from the Center for EcoTechnology, baystateparent created a new office space that will inspire you to rethink your home. See more in Trash Heap to Tres Chic: baystateparent Creates Eco-Friendly Office Style on page 60.

TRADITION FOR A NEW AGE: camp resolute is 95 years young WHY SUMMER CAMP? 3 reasons camp builds confidence HONORING HERITAGE: mass mom opens ethiopian culture camp CAMP TAKE-ME-HOME: one mom’s survival guide for family camping CAMP BONNIE BRAE: celebrates 95 years of memories40’

in every issue 8 8 9 9 10 12 18 19 34 48 49 50 62 71

OUR SPECIAL GUEST: meet cover model chloe rose andle WELCOME: a letter from our editor MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS FEEDBACK BSP ONLINE LET’S GO: mit museum offers big finds for curious minds TAKE 8: meet reading rescue dog nemo OUT & ABOUT: march calendar of family events OUR MARCH FAVORITES: facts, finds, and freebies FINALLY FOREVER: honoring heritage MARCH’S CHILD: meet kwin CIRCLE OF FRIENDS: area adoption events BOSTON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM: learn and play for all ages DIRTY LAUNDRY: featuring comedienne kerri louise

advertising directories

75 75 76 76 77 78

DANCE, GYM & ENRICHMENT HEALTHY KIDS & FAMILIES PARTY PEOPLE PRESCHOOL & CHILD CARE SERVICE DIRECTORY INDEX

voted

e st BPARENTING PUBLICATION

in North America

Local Media Association 6 BAYSTATEPARENT 7

meet team

baystateparent

welcome to

publisher KIRK DAVIS

baystateparent

creative editor in chief MARYJO KURTZ 508-865-7070 ext. 201 maryjo@baystateparent.com creative director PAULA MONETTE ETHIER 508-865-7070 ext. 221 pethier@holdenlandmark.com senior graphic designer STEPHANIE MALLARD 508-865-7070 design@baystateparent.com

advertising director of sales REGINA STILLINGS 508-865-7070 ext. 210 regina@baystateparent.com senior account executive EMILY LAVOIE 774-364-4401 emily@baystateparent.com account executive NELLIE LIMA 774-364-5073 nellie@baystateparent.com account executive AMY LeBLANC 978-660-3227 amy@baystateparent.com account executive MARIE COREY 508-735-0503 marie@baystateparent.com account executive DEBORAH MEUNIER 508-450-9718 deb@baystateparent.com presidents KIRK and LAURIE DAVIS photographers STEVEN KING JENNIFER ROSE copy editor BRYAN ETHIER illustrator JEN PAOLINI

baystateparent is published monthly with a main office at 22 West Street, Millbury, MA 01527

www.baystateparent.com It is distributed free of charge throughout Massachusetts.

8 MARCH2014 9

P

lease join us in welcoming Western Mass to the baystateparent family! This month, we expand our awardwinning magazine to a second edition designed and written specifically for families in Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties. The expansion has been months in the making, and everyone on the baystateparent staff is feeling a thrill.

Our neighbors to the west are excited as well! In meeting and speaking with families and community leaders there, we were impressed with the pride and enthusiasm everyone has for the area. There are dozens of attractions that lure visitors of all ages, and we have some terrific daytrip ideas in Discover Western Mass: 10 Picks for Family Fun on page 14.

And, of course, this is just a small list of things to do in Western Mass.

I invite you to help us expand it by posting your favorites on our Facebook page and website. Where does your family like to go when visiting Western Mass?

Also in baystateparent this month,

we are celebrating our annual Countdown to Summer Camp issue.

As a special treat, we take a nostalgic look at two long-running scouting camps in Massachusetts.

Camp Bonnie Brae in the Berkshires is the oldest continuously operating Girl Scout camp in the country, and journalist Tracey Prohaska Carroll shares some of the reasons why in her piece, Camp Bonnie Brae Celebrates 95 Years of Memories, on page 54. Three generations of Girl Scouts in one Massachusetts family share treasured stories from their time there.

Camp Resolute in Bolton is also celebrating nearly a century of operation. The Boy Scout camp has served generations of families with traditional activities like swimming and hiking, but organizers know that it will take more than that to keep the camp fresh. Read about some new changes at this old camp in Tradition for a New Age: Camp Resolute is 95 Years Young on page 40.

Also in this magazine are intriguing and inspirational stories. Among the most riveting is a piece by journalist

Amanda Roberge. She reports on “intrusive thoughts,” a condition that causes some new mothers to think of harming their babies. Amanda shares the personal struggle she suffered when affected by this condition, writing, “I kept having this compelling thought. In it, I was hurling my baby over the balcony’s glass-paneled edge into oncoming traffic.” You can find this thought-provoking read on page 28.

Finally, a hearty congratulations to my colleagues here at baystateparent!

In early February, the New England Newspaper and Press Association recognized baystateparent with 18 editorial and design awards. I am impressed daily by the commitment and talent of my co-workers, and it was wonderful to see them honored for their work.

Welcome to Western Mass, welcome to our March issue, and welcome Spring!

MaryJo Kurtz, Editor in Chief

meet our special guest

Chloe Rose Andle Pretty in pink and dazzling our March cover is 6-year-old Chloe Rose Andle of Ludlow. We caught up with Chloe to find out a little more about life as a cover girl.

Do you have brothers and sisters?

Yes, my big sister is Kiana Rose Andle. She is 9.

Where do you go to school? I’m in the first grade at East Street Elementary School.

What is your favorite thing to do at school? I like everything, even math!

What activities do you enjoy outside of school? I take gymnastics, I like to draw, driving my dune racer car,

and piano lessons (but not as much as the rest).

What do you think you might like to do when you grow up? I want to be a singer.

Do you have any pets? Yes, I do. I have five fish and a rabbit named Carrot. The four goldfish are named Baconette, Calli, Leo, and Bob. My Beta fish is Joe.

How long have you been modeling?

One day.

What tips do you have for others who want to look great in a photograph?

Wear lots of dresses. And if it’s a boy, wear a tuxedo.

cover photo

jennifer rose

BY photography of Granby, MA

jenniferrosephotography.org

meet our march contributors Central Massachusetts journalist Charlene Arsenault reports on changes being made at Camp Resolute, a Boy Scout camp in Bolton that is nearly a century old. See her story, Tradition for a New Age: Camp Resolute is 95 Years Young, on page 40. Charlene is has written for a number of publications, and she served as an editor for both Worcester Magazine and AOL’s Patch websites.

When asked about her passions, she claimed music, animals, and “eating too much before bed.”

The oldest Girl Scout camp in the country is located in the Berkshire Mountains, and freelance writer Tracey Prohaska Carroll explores the secret to its success in her article Camp Bonnie Brae Celebrates 95 Years of Memories on page 26.

Tracey is a regular blogger on baystateparent. com, sharing her journey of turning 40 with her blog 40 by Forty. In addition to writing, Tracey likes to spend time with her family at their lake home, listen to music, read and box for fitness.

Southborough writer Jane Keller Gordon said her article, Honoring Families on page 48, amazed her.

For this piece, Jane interviewed a mother of four adopted Ethiopians who was inspired to start a culture camp. An empty nester with two children (ages 18 and 21), Jane is a marketing consultant who holds an MBA in marketing and an MPH in epidemiology. She provides marketing support to the Contemporary Arts International and is Director of Marketing at Latisquama Design + Marketing.

Kerri Louise shares her dirty laundry in Don’t Ever Ask a Woman If She’s Pregnant on page 71. Kerri is a standup comedienne and mother of three boys. Her recent credits include Nick Mom on Nickelodeon and Stand Up in Stilettos for the TV Guide channel. Kerri was a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing on NBC and a regular correspondent on the Oprah show. For more about her and to subscribe to her monthly webisode, Mommy Minute, visit mymommyminute.com.

Heidi Smith Luedtke is a personality psychologist and mom of two who fondly remembers her childhood time at summer camp. In her article Why Summer Camp? 3 Reasons Camp Builds Confidence on page 30, Heidi explains how the camp experience can spark self-determination and encourage independence in kids. She is the author of Detachment Parenting: 33 Ways to Keep Your Cool When Kids Melt Down, offering compassion, perspective and practical strategies for managing family emotions.

Doug Page is the dad of two boys, ages 11 and 10. In Tutor Time: One Solution for Solving Math Problems on page 36, he writes about his experience hiring a tutor for his youngest son. Doug admits to being a worrier, and he said that his anxiety was heightened when he discovered his son was struggling in math. Before writing for baystateparent, this Medfield father worked at United Press International and the Chicago SunTimes. You can reach him at dougbaystateparent@ gmail.com.

Christine Quirk lives in Central Massachusetts with her family — her husband, her son and daughter, her mother-in-law, five cats and a dog.

She recently explored the MIT Museum with her children and reviews the experience in MIT Museum Offers Big Finds for Curious Minds on page 12. Christine is a former reporter and editor for the Times & Courier and MotherTown Monthly.

She continues to freelance for Wicked Local Media, baystateparent and other publications.

If you are an experienced journalist interested in writing for baystateparent magazine, email editor@ baystateparent.com.

If your child is stressed or discouraged by schoolwork, Michele Ranard, M. Ed., has some advice.

Her article Help for Disorganized Students on page 38 offers three strategies to help ease the homework blues and improve grades. Michele is a mother of two and a professional counselor with a decade of experience as a private academic tutor.

She writes on the topics of parenting, education, humor, and wellness and has published hundreds of articles.

Trish Reske is an award-winning writer, blogger, business owner, running coach and mom of four kids ages 12 to 22. This month, she goes behind the scenes of Whole Children in Hadley, a unique organization offering enrichment programs for children of all ages and abilities, particularly those with special needs. Find this heartwarming piece, Whole Children: If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It, on page 64. To learn more about Trish, visit trishreske.com or follow her blog on Westborough Patch.

Amanda Roberge shares a shocking confession: as a new mother, she had thoughts of hurting her baby. She found that she was not alone. In her article Frightening Thoughts That Should Have Every New Mother Talking on page 20, Amanda examines the condition and who is at risk for getting it. Amanda is a busy Leominster mother of three daughters and a regular contributor to baystateparent. In addition to her work as a freelance writer, she is a henna artist and Early Childhood Educator.

These days, Sarah Whelan is busy driving her two children to basketball practice, serving on the Board of Directors for her local YMCA and Little League, and camping in the great outdoors. In Camp Take-Me-Home on page 36, she offers humor and some helpful tips for any parent who is not fond of camping. Sarah has an advanced degree in Criminology and experience as a grant writer for nonprofits. Her articles have appeared in a variety of publications, including New Jersey Family and Police and Security News.

feed back Dear baystateparent, Hello! I just read your article What Makes Joey Tic (March 2014).

My son has food allergies to milk, peanuts and tree nuts — which we knew about since he was 10-monthsold. He had many tics for a while.

But around the age of 4.5, they were off the charts. They significantly reduced in frequency after we took him off food dye, and any foods that contained TBHQ and BHT. His tics would resurface every now and then, and I often wondered if corn did it — especially Fritos. We also started taking him to the chiropractor to get adjusted. Thank you for sharing your story. It gives people like me hope that curing tics is possible and that the idea that food can cause tics is not all in our heads!

Jenny Grek, Clarence, NY

february

winners Congratulations to the winners of a family 4-pack of tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters at the DCU Center of February 23!

Kelly Hansen of Ashburnham Liz Jansen of South Barre Melanie Lewis of Ashland Heather Masera of North Grafton Congratuations to Melissa Carriveau of Shrewsbury! She is the winner of The Parent App: Understanding Families in the Digital Age. This new book from media specialist Lynn Schofield Clark explores how families are navigating the digital era.

See pages 34-35 for a sneak peek at some of the prizes we are giving away on baystateparent.com this month.

More giveaways can be found in our weekly email newnewsletters. Sign up on our website today!

Letters should be sent to editor@baystateparent.com.

Content may be edited for clarity and length.

Please include our full name and town for publication 8 BAYSTATEPARENT 9

baystateparent online baystateparent.com is an interactive community featuring an extensive calendar of area events, well researched and written feature stories, giveaways, photos, feedback, and a collection of top area bloggers.

This month, we welcome our newest blogger, Christine Williams.

Christine is the mom of two daughters, ages 12 and 9, and she is the co-owner of Epiphany Children’s Boutique in Northborough. Her passion, she says, is fashion. She has traveled from New York City to Los Angeles in search of the latest in children’s fashions.

Her blog is called Mini Fashion Passion, and she writes tips about styling the younger set. “Kids fashion is my sanity,” she said. “I actually enjoy shopping for my girls more than I do for myself and the result is that I am a children’s stylist and boutique owner.”

In her first blog for baystateparent.com, she offers eight tips that will help ease the power play that happens when you and your child do not agree on an outfit.

Have you had a fashion power struggle with your son or daughter?

How did you solve it? Stop by baystateparent.com and give us your best advice!

Are you a Massachusetts blogger looking to expand your audience? Have you always wanted to blog about family life, parenting, relationships, or motherhood? If you have an interest in joining our growing team of baystateparent.com bloggers, contact editor@baystateparent.com.

On Facebook, we have been sharing blogs, contests, stories and pictures.

Find us. You’ll like us. facebook.com/baystateparent

Thank you for your sweet tweets and follows! A big shout out to some of our newest @baystateparent Twitter followers: The Healthy Moms Mag @citalbert Curious George Store @CuriousGeorgeSt Red Sox Aholics @RedSoxAholics Worcester Bravehearts @WooBaseball Marie Corey @mariebaystate Boston Organics @BostonOrganics Huntington Learning @HuntingtonBOS Big Y on Campus @BigYonCampus Family Zip @FamilyZip Boston Children’s Museum @BosChildMuseum

As we take our March 2014 issue to press, our most popular feature on baystateparent.com is a story by Amanda Roberge that appeared in our February 2014 issue, Self Acceptance, the Right Weigh.

In this piece, Amanda reports on the message our diets send to our daughters. She interviews a number of health professionals to explain both the physical and emotional impact of dieting. She writes, “Women are going to have to be a little gentler with themselves and remove the shame and stigma from doing something so very human: eating.”

Find more from Amanda Roberge on baystateparent.com.

baystateparent.com

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BAYSTATEPARENT 10 11

Courtesty of the MIT Museum

The MIT Museum:

BIG FINDS FOR CURIOUS MINDS

BY CHRISTINE M. QUIRK

On a recent Saturday afternoon, my mother-in-law and I took my 11-year-old daughter and 13-yearold son to the MIT Museum. I had only a vague notion that MIT had a museum, but the brochures were intriguing and I figured it would be quality educational time with the kids. We spent an entire afternoon there and had a ball.

The museum is both an easy ride from most points around central and eastern Massachusetts and it’s easy to find, right on Mass

Ave in Cambridge. Though there isn’t a parking lot, we had no trouble finding a spot on the street. If you go during peak hours, bring quarters for the meter. The museum is small, but it’s full of fascinating exhibits.

On the first floor, eight portraits of Albert Einstein hung on one wall, in what seemed to be in various film exposures. I thought it was just a tribute – Einstein was a genius, so it seemed fitting – until my son pulled me to the side and told me to look again.

From that angle, the portraits morphed into eight different people, including Daniel Radcliffe and Marilyn Monroe.

Appropriately entitled Eight Einsteins, the exhibit showcases Hybrid Illusions and is the work of research scientist Aude Oliva.

Behind the Einsteins, a giant screen showcased work done

by MIT students. As we touched the students’ pictures, they came to life and explained which research was theirs and where visitors could go to see the

research in more detail.

The first floor also included “the most important instrument” — slide rules and artifacts from the museum’s slide rule collection.

Though a posted sign explains how they work, my kids had my mother-in-law. It was a nice moment as she explained how they worked and how she used them in school when she was a girl.

My mother-in-law worked for the Polaroid Company in Waltham for many years, so she

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was delighted to see the Meet the Swinger and other artifacts from the museum’s Polaroid collection. The display, right outside the elevator doors, showed cameras, flashbulbs, films, batteries – and a postersized picture of Lady Gaga taken with a Polaroid 20 x 24 camera.

For my kids, who smile for the camera and immediately say, “Let me see!” it was a fascinating display.

Around the corner, Robots and Beyond investigated the different aspects of artificial intelligence at MIT. Not only were there several robots on display, we were able to “meet” three of them via video: Robonaunt, Ripley and Taco, and Leonardo the Loveable. It was intriguing to watch them respond to commands and read body cues, seemingly of their own volition.

After walking through the photography exhibit Time Machines and watching biology graduate student Lori Ling talk about holograms and how they work, we stepped into the world of Arthur Ganson. Ganson is a renowned kinetic artist who has sculpted moving pieces

of art using common objects such as bicycle chains, roller chains, musical instruments, chicken wishbones and dolls.

With the aid of gears and wires, the results are ingenious. And as many of the movements are activated with foot pedals or push buttons, the kids were able to participate instead of being told not to touch.

We moved from Ganson to 5,000 Moving Parts, another kinetic art exhibit on a much bigger scale. We particularly liked John Douglas Powers’ Ialu.

Made of wood, steel and plastic and run by an electric motor, the sculpture gives the soothing illusion of rippling wheat in a Midwest field.

On the way out, we stopped to see the piano. Each year, the Baker House Piano Drop is held on the last day during which students can drop a class during spring semester. A non-working piano is pushed off the roof of the six-story dorm and the students monitor the fall in a scientific, statistical way, perhaps only as MIT students can. The remains

of a recent drop are on display, along with the picture of how the piano met its demise.

The museum is located at 265 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the exception of major holidays.

Admission is $10 for adults; $5 for youth under 18; students and seniors, and children under 5 are free. For more information, visit the museum website at http:// web.mit.edu/museum/.

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Frank Newhall Look Memorial Park

Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

T

his month, baystateparent celebrates Western Mass, and there is plenty of reason to do so! From its beautiful vistas to its vibrant communities, Western Mass offers something for visitors and locals alike.

So what do families enjoy the most about living in the area?

We put the question to parents, grandparents, and kids of all ages and found 10 favorite family spots.

And we know there’s more! While we get the list started here, we hope you’ll join us in expanding it. Visit baystateparent.com and add your favorite Western Mass family finds as we discover the best of the west.

DISCOVER Stanley Park

Western Mass 10 Picks

for Family

The UMass Fine Arts Center

Fun

BY MARYJO KURTZ

14 MARCH2014 15

1. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield is a must-see for hoops fans. Nearly 300 people have been inducted into the Hall, a distinctive looking building that sits on the banks of the Connecticut River. Fans of all ages can enjoy dozens of interactive exhibits sharing over 100 years of basketball history.

Skills challenges, live clinics and shooting contests are just some of the activities. For more information, visit hoophall.com.

2. The Norwottuck Rail-Trail in Northamption is a paved pathway running nearly 5 miles and rolling through Northampton and Hadley.

Once a railroad line, the asphalt trail is the idyllic setting for a family bike hike or an afternoon walk. Stroller-friendly, the trail runs from New South Street in downtown Northampton to Look Memorial Park in Florence, weaving through commercial and residential neighborhoods. For more information about this trail, visit railstotrails.org.

3. The UMass Fine Arts Center in Amherst offers performances, exhibitions and educational programs for the university as well as the Pioneer Valley community. Since 1975, this richly cultural resource has provided year-round entertainment, including music, ballet, theater and art. Many programs are designed for younger students and families.

For ticket information, directions and a handy list of upcoming family programs (including recommended ages), visit fac.umass.edu.

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4. Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation in Deerfield is a stunning place to spend a sunny afternoon. Open from May to October, the reservation is famous for its breathtaking views overlooking the Connecticut River, the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshire Hills. Family favorites include outstanding trails and picnic areas — and, of course, a group selfie from the distinctive observation platform. More information can be found on the state website, mass.gov.

5. Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in South Deerfield opened in 2000 and includes an 8000-square-foot conservatory reportedly housing nearly 4,000 domestic and exotic butterflies.

The conservatory is heated by the sun and maintains an 80 degree environment.

Adding to the tropical setting is a pond, waterfall and soft music. Parents of very young children should note that strollers are not permitted inside the conservatory. For more information, visit magicwings.com.

6. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst is an inspiring celebration of art and reading through picture books.

Illustrations come alive through galleries housing over 10,000 picture book illustrations, theater programs and an art studio. The nonprofit museum opened in 2002 and has been entertaining, educating and delighting families and school groups since. To learn more about this one-ofa-kind family attraction, visit carlemuseum.org.

7. Frank Newhall Look Memorial Park in Northampton has something for family members of all ages. Covering 150-acres, the park includes pavilions, playgrounds, trails, pedal and bumper boats, miniature golf, a zoo, a water spray park, tennis courts, concessions and a picnic area. There’s also a one-mile train ride that circles the park.

While some attractions are seasonal, Look Park is open daily year-round from 7 a.m. to dark. For information, visit lookpark.org.

8. The Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum in Shelburne Falls is a step back in time for train

enthusiasts. Visitors can ride on an authentic railway trolley car built in Springfield in 1896 to haul people, apples, mail and more. There is also a hands-on (literally!) pump car to try, and children of all ages can climb aboard a big red caboose. Historic photos and memorabilia are housed in the visitors center along with wooden and electric trains. Learn more about this unusual stop at sftm.org.

9. Stanley Park in Westfield is a 300-acre, privately owned

botanical park with impressive gardens and trails. It is open to the public at no charge and operates from May through November. In addition to an arboretum and gardens, the park offers a playground, soccer fields, tennis courts, wildlife sanctuary and a picturesque covered bridge.

The sensational scenery of Stanley Park make it a favorite spot for family photos. A map of the grounds and its many trails can be found at stanleypark.org.

10. The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round at Heritage State Park in Holyoke is a beloved town treasure.

Built in 1929, the attraction was originally located on nearby Mt. Tom. When the ride closed in 1987, the town rallied and raised enough money to buy it and relocate it in a newly built downtown pavilion. The merrygo-round is now a centerpiece for birthday parties and corporate events. At only $2 a ride, it is affordable family fun. Read more about this treasure at holyokemerrygoround.org.

WORCESTER ART MUSEUM

Opens March 29 Take an unforgettable journey back in time!

This new look at the Higgins Armory Collection celebrates the rich history, exquisite artistry and spirited stories these exceptional works convey. Featuring some of the finest arms and armor in the country alongside works from the museum, Knights! offers new and exciting interpretations, special events and activities the whole family will enjoy.

Meet Helmutt!

Join the exhibition’s armor-clad mascot on special adventures in the galleries. And, look for family-friendly events, daily activities, and more!

Opening Party March 28 Sponsored by Fallon Health and Saint-Gobain with additional support from Imperial Distributors, Inc.

Renaissance Faire Weekend March 29 + 30 Sponsored in part by UniBank.

Media sponsors:

worcesterart.org f l & Significant funding for the Higgins Armory Collection Integration has been provided by The George I. Alden Trust, Fred Harris Daniels Foundation, Inc., The Fletcher Foundation, The George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation, The Stoddard Charitable Trust, and The Manton Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Hoche-Schofield Foundation, the Rockwell Foundation, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Exhibition sponsors:

Stefan Rormoser of Innsbruck, Armor for field and tilt, of Count Franz von Teuffenbach, detail, The John Woodman Higgins Collection, 2014.80

BAYSTATEPARENT 14 15

Can’t wait

for your summer adventure?

Sign up at hercamp.org Offering day, resident and family camps.

Open to all girls entering grades 1-12.

Prior Girl Scout membership not required.

Register before April 1st for a chance to win a free week of camp!

16 MARCH2014 17

Blossom Station Child Care Center “Daily Discoveries, Endless Possibilities�

e s e d a . t . . n . w W a o r l a G t t c i h P

"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

222 Main Street, Acton, MA 01720

978-266-2779 www.BlossomStation.com

BAYSTATEPARENT 16 17

with Nemo to the Reading Rescue! take eight

On the second Tuesday of each month, about a dozen families show up at the Worcester Public Library to see Nemo, a certified therapy and rescue dog from Auburn. Children of all ages are invited to sit on his blanket and share a tail-wagging tale. Why do they do it? Owner Susan Marino shares the story of Nemo with baystateparent in this month’s Take 8.

1

What kind of dog is Nemo?

He is a Newfoundland dog.

It is a very gentle, sweet natured breed.

How long have you had Nemo?

Nemo has lived with me since he was 10-weeks-old, but I met him when he was 6-weeks-old.

He is now 9 ½-years-old.

3

2

How did Nemo become a certified therapy and rescue dog? Newfoundlands love to be with people, especially children. He was a natural to be a therapy dog. He had to be trained to have manners and know some obedience, but his ability to “read” what someone needs is total instinct. His water rescue skills are also something that comes naturally to a Newfoundland dog. I trained him to do the water rescue exercises designated by the Newfoundland Club of America.

He has earned his Water Dog & Water Rescue Dog titles and just missed his Water Dog Excellence title, though he can do all of the exercises.

What does Nemo do as a certified therapy and rescue dog? As a therapy dog he visits hospitals, nursing homes, schools, libraries and group homes. He often visits a group home for adolescent boys run by Y.O.U., Inc., and he is a regular at the Worcester Public Library. Nemo visited several other area libraries and has done several post-crisis visits in the last year from Sandy Hook to the Boston Marathon.

5

For how many years have kids been reading to Nemo?

Nemo has been involved in reading programs for three or four years now.

7

How old are most of the children who read to Nemo?

We get a wide range of readers and some nonreaders. I would guess from 3-years-old to 10-years-old.

The non-readers either make up a story by looking at the pictures or have a parent read the book.

8

Why do children read to Nemo?

Dogs are nonjudgmental.

Children can read to Nemo and make mistakes and he doesn’t correct them.

It is a great way for children to improve their reading skills or just to be motivated to read. One parent continues to bring her daughter to read to Nemo because she said it is the only time her daughter wants to read.

4

When and where can children read to Nemo?

Nemo visits the Worcester Public Library, Main Branch, on the second Tuesday of each month from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

18 MARCH2014

6

Photo by Shawna Shenette Photography

Photo by James Salas

OUT& ABOUT

The Boston Symphony Orchestra performs a family concert in Boston on Saturday, March 1. Free for children under 18.

Combining the whimsy of Winnie the Pooh and otherworldliness of Dr. Seuss, Elska performs in Brookline on Saturday, March 8.

Photo courtesy of Franklin Park Zoo

Photo by Stu Rosner

Photo courtesy of Coolidge Corner Theatre

Bagpiper Carlos Nunez and Friends perform music in Somerville, Friday, March 7.

On Saturday, March 8, the Stone Zoo presents “Welcome Back Spring,� a family program for children ages 5 to 10.

BAYSTATEPARENT 19

OUT&ABOUT 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…

6 and up. Adults $13, children $8. Register at 508-655-2296 or massaudubon.org.

Photo courtesy of the DCU Center

Following Footsteps. Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, Princeton. 10 a.m. to noon.

Instructor is naturalist Bruce Palmer. Find out what animals make which footprints with this tracking program. Suitable for families with children ages 10 and up. $8 adult, $4 child. massaudubon.org.

Created by Cirque du Soleil, Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour stops at the DCU Center on Saturday, March 1.

1 Saturday Create a Thaumatrope. Science Discovery Museum, Acton. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Create a thaumatrope, an optical illusion toy that makes two pictures look like one. Drop-in program is free with museum admission. Adults $11, children/seniors $10, children under 1 are free.

Family Concert: Alastair Moock. Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Rd., Amherst. 11 a.m. Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner and three-time NAPPA Gold Award Winner Alastair Moock presents acoustic folk family concert with a zany sense of humor.

Adults $8, youth $6. carlemuseum.org.

Body Worlds Vital. Quincy Market, Second Floor, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston.

Runs through April 3. Sundays 12 to 6 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The exhibit celebrates the potential of the human body. Featuring authentic human bodies, the exhibition shows the body through cautionary displays about distress and disease, and inspirational insights about virtuosity and resilience. bodyworldsboston.com.

Boston Symphony Orchestra Family Concert. Boston Symphony Hall, Boston.

10:15 a.m. and noon shows. “There’s Nothing Better Than a Good Story” features a musical look at the components of telling a story. Tickets 20 MARCH2014 21

$20, children under 18 free (limit four children per family). 888-266-1200. bso.org.

The Joshua Show. Puppet Showplace Theatre, 32 Station Street, Brookline. 8 p.m. Blending puppetry, an original score of live musical numbers, physical comedy, and a smattering of tap dancing, the show empowers people of all ages to celebrate their differences. Tickets $15, students with ID $13. puppetshowplace.org.

Puppet Show: Aesop’s Fables. Puppet Showplace Theatre, 32 Station St., Brookline.

1 and 3 p.m. shows. Explore three classic fables in this production by Applause Unlimited: The Aunt and the Grasshopper, The Country Mouse and the City Mouse, and The Tortoise and the Hare. Suitable for ages 3 and up. Tickets $12. puppetshowplace.org.

Little Groove. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 10:30 a.m. Interactive music experience designed for children ages 8 and under. Children will interact with instruments, puppets, bubbles, balls, pompoms, and parachutes. Adult $10, child $8.

617-734-2501. coolidge.org.

Fun with Animal Footprints and Signs.

Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, 280 Eliot St., Natick. 1 to 2:30 p.m. Explore sanctuary looking for tracks and signs of otters, rabbits, deer, coyote and many other animals. Dress for weather. Suitable for families with children ages

Build a Bluebird House. Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Rd., Worcester. 1:30 to 3 p.m. Build nest boxes from pre-cut kits. Learn how to place the boxes in right habitat, plus more about eastern bluebird conservation efforts. Please bring a hammer. Suitable for families with children ages 5 and up. Adult $20, children free. Register at 508-753-6087 or massaudubon.org.

Cirque du Soleil Presents Michael Jackson The Immortal. DCU Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester. 8 p.m. Tickets start at $83. dcucenter.com.

2 Sunday Puppet Show: Aesop’s Fables. Puppet Showplace Theatre, 32 Station St., Brookline.

1 and 3 p.m. shows. Explore three classic fables in this production by Applause Unlimited: The Aunt and the Grasshopper, The Country Mouse and the City Mouse, and The Tortoise and the Hare. Suitable for ages 3 and up. Tickets $12. puppetshowplace.org.

Free Family Concert: Peter and the Wolf.

Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester. 3 p.m. Presented by the Worcester Chamber Music Society. Meet and greet the musicians following the concert. Receive a $2 discount coupon at the door for admission to the EcoTarium. Take a new or gently used book to be donated to Reliant Medical Group Foundation’s Reach Out and Read program and be entered into a drawing to win a free family membership to Ecotarium. Free.

508-217-4450. worcesterchambermusic.org.

Highlights of the Blackstone River Heritage Corridor. Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Rd., Worcester. 1 to 4 p.m. Explore the many waterways around the city that come together to form the Blackstone River and learn how the city’s history is tied to this vital water resource.

Suitable for families with children ages 10 and up. Adults $12, children $8. Register at 508-753-6087 or massaudubon.org.

3 Monday Especially for Me Program. Children’s

Discovery Museum, Acton. 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Special free morning for families with infants and toddlers with hearing loss.

Registration required. discoverymuseums.org.

Worcester Family Partnership Drop-In Playgroup. Worcester Family Partnership, 130 Leeds St., Worcester. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

Through April 4. Playgroups feature books, puzzles, toys, blocks and more. Suitable for families with infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

Free. 508-799-3136. worcestermass.org.

4 Tuesday ASD Friendly Afternoons. Children’s Discovery Museum and Science Discovery Museum, Acton. 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. During ASD-friendly hours, no school groups or birthday parties take place so that there is no overcrowding. Special sensory-based activities are open to all. Registration is required. discoverymuseums.org.

Parents Helping Parents Support Group.

Old Colony YMCA, 465 Main St., Brockton.

Tuesdays, 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Contact facilitator at 508-944-1803 before attending first meeting. parentshelpingparents.org.

Dr. Seuss Birthday Celebration. Worcester Public Library, Tatnuck Branch, 1083 Pleasant St., Worcester. 3:30 to 4 p.m. Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday with stories and crafts. Suitable for children ages three and up. Free.

508-799-8329. worcpublib.org.

5 Wednesday Puppet Playtime for Toddlers and Tiny Tots. Puppet Showplace Theatre, 32 Station St., Brookline. 10:30 a.m. Featuring Brenda Huggins and Phil Berman. Interactive performance experience. One-hour session includes free play, sing-alongs, stories, and imagination games. Suitable for children ages 3 and under (with adult). Adults $15, children $10. puppetshowplace.org.

6 Thursday SMART Gals: Amelia Earhart. Science Discovery Museum, Acton. 2 to 4:30 p.m.

Drop-in program celebrates Women’s History Month. Construct paper airplanes and learn about legacy of Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Free with museum admission. Adults $11, children/ seniors $10, children under 1 and teachers free. discoverymuseums.org.

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Puppet Show: Tales of a Mysterious Land. Puppet Showplace Theatre, 32 Station St., Brookline. Thursday and Friday, March 6 and 7, 10:30 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday, March 8 and 9, 1 and 3 p.m. shows. Presented by Applause Unlimited. Discover the rich diversity of Chinese folklore through three folk tales brought to life with puppets, masks and theatrical storytelling: The Long Hair Girl, The God of Faces, and The Story of the House. Suitable for children age 3 and older. Tickets $12.

7 Friday First Friday Nights Free. Children’s Disovery Museum and Science Discovery Museum, Acton.

4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free admission at both museums on the first Friday night of the month.

Food donations accepted for Open Table of Concord and Maynard and the Acton Food Pantry. discoverymuseums.org.

Galician Bagpiper Carlos Nunez and Friends. Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland St., Somerville. 7:30 p.m. Celtic fusion, jazz-inflected traditional tunes, and dance.

Tickets $15 to $35. 617-972-8300. revels.org.

Stars Over Springfield. Springfield Science Museum, 21 Edwards St. Springfield. Join members of the Springfield Stars Club for skygazing in the Science Museum’s observatory. If overcast, a planetarium show will be presented.

Adults $3, children $2. springfieldmuseums.org.

Children’s Storytime. Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester. 11 to 11:45 a.m.

Story time suitable for preschool-aged children.

Museum admission applies: Adults $14, seniors/ college students with ID $12, kids 17 and under free. 508-799-4406. worcesterart.org.

Worcester Spring Home Show. DCU Center, Exhibition Hall, 50 Foster St., Worcester. Friday, March 7, 4 to 8 p.m. ; Saturday, March 8, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, March 9, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Featuring over 250 companies displaying the latest products and services for home, condo or apartment. Adult admission is $6. Free admission passes available at worcestershows.com.

8 Saturday Especially for Me! Children’s Discovery Museum and Science Discovery Museum, Acton. 5 to 8:30 p.m. Free evening for families with children on the autism spectrum. Workshop with a music therapist from Indian Hill Music.

Registration required. discoverymuseums.org.

Nappy’s Puppets Presents: Sing-ALong and Father Goose’s Tales. Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Dr., Amherst. Interactive show features Jim Napolitano and his shadow puppet renditions of nursery rhymes and children’s songs. At 11 a.m., the program is Sing-a-Long with Nappy’s Puppets. At 1 p.m., The program is Father Goose’s Tales. Tickets $5 in addition to museum admission charges. 413-658-1126. carlemuseum.org Conference for Parents of Children with Special Needs and the Professionals Who Serve Them. Seaport World Trade Center, Boston. Visions of Community 2014 includes keynote speakers and breakout workshops on topics of special education advocacy, managing challenging behaviors, transition to adulthood for students with disabilities, inclusion, policy initiatives, assistive technology, healthcare, bullying, parent leadership opportunities, early childhood, autism, and more. Registration is $90 per person. Limited scholarships available upon request. 617-236-7210, x198. fcsn.org.

5th Annual Diaper Derby. South Short Plaza, 250 Granite St., Braintree. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sponsored by WIC Nutrition Program and baystateparent. Participants must be crawlers under the age of 12 months and must not be walking. Registration available at Level 1 in Macy’s Center Court. Free.

Elska. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 10:30 a.m. Combining the whimsy of Winnie the Pooh and the otherworldliness of Dr. Seuss, Elska sets out to create a new classic in

Photo courtesy of the Puppet Showplace Theatre

0

OUT&ABOUT

Sparky’s Puppets presents an interactive performance of international fairy tales March 13 through 16 at the Puppet Showplace Theatre in Brookline.

children’s music and entertainment. Adults $10, children $8. 617-734-2501. coolidge.org.

with more than one child, a sibling discount is available. zoonengland.com.

Maple Sugar Festival. DCR Brookwood Farm, 2468B Washington St., Canton. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Make maple syrup in the traditional way.

This event features a self-guided tour over flat, level terrain. Activities for all ages. Parking is located at the Houghton’s Pond main parking lot on Hillside Street. $6 per person. massaudubon.org.

9 Sunday

Family Fun Program. Stone Zoo, 149 Pond St., Stoneham. 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Program designed for families with kids ages 5- to 10-years-old.

Younger siblings welcome. The theme of this program is “Welcome Back Spring.” Explore animal kingdom and focus on some of the various animals at the zoo. $10. For families

Magic Show with Rupayan Neogy. Science Discovery Museum, Acton. Noon. Local young magician shares his talents with interactive family performance. Free with museum admission.

Adults $11, children/seniors $10, children under 1 and teachers free. discoverymuseums.org.

Butterflies & Caterpillars: A Family Workshop. Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Dr., Amherst. 11 a.m.

Butterfly-themed activities include a discussion of the Monarch. In addition, participants create and personalize handmade nature observation journals, put together insect sculptures with natural materials, and create paper butterfly

e.

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Family Kung Fu Learn this martial art

as a family.

OUT&ABOUT gardens to give as gifts or display at home.

Suitable for ages 6 and up with an adult. Up to 2 children per adult. $25 per pair or trio. carlemuseum.org.

Blue Discoveries Family Day. New England Aquarium, 1 Central Wharf, Boston. Drop-in program runs between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Indoor activities include art, science and storytelling. Free with museum admission. Adults $24.95, children 3-11 $17.95, seniors $22.95, children under 3 free. neaq.org.

Family Concert. Plymouth Memorial Hall, 83 Court St., Plymouth. 3 p.m. Featuring Plymouth Children’s Chorus and South Shore Conservatory’s Youth Concerto Competition. A pre-concert handson instrument demonstration begins at 2 p.m.

Tickets $8 to $20. 508-746-8008. plymouthphil.org.

11 Tuesday Parents Helping Parents Support Group.

First Community Church, 55 Otis St., Medford.

Tuesdays, 7 to 8 p.m. Contact facilitator at 617-539-6129 before attending first meeting.

Free. parentshelpingparents.org.

• Build self-esteem and confidence

• Empower your child with verbal strategies to stand up to bullies

• Gain character development skills: respect, kindness, fitness and self-defense • Have Fun!!

INTRODUCTORY SPECIAL: 4 weeks of training

$49

Includes FREE gloves Expires 3/31/14

322 Millbury Ave., Millbury, MA 01527 508•752•3534 • defencelabmillbury.com 22 MARCH2014 23

12 Wednesday Peep Science Adventures: Reusing.

Children’s Discovery Museum, Acton.

10 a.m. Explore the possibilities of reusing what we usually throw away or recycle. Free class with museum admission. Adults $11, children/ seniors $10, children under 1/teachers free. discoverymuseums.org.

Boston Flower and Garden Show. Seaport World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Blvd., Boston.

Wednesday through Friday, March 12 through 14, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, March 15 and 16, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Displays by landscape professionals and area nurseries, lectures and demonstrations by top garden writers, industry experts and local chefs. Adults $20, seniors $17, children 6 to 17, $10.

800-258-8912. bostonflowershow.com.

Parents Helping Parents Support Group.

Family Resource Center, 1542 Columbus Ave., Roxbury. Wednesdays, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Contact facilitator at 339-225-1569 before attending first meeting. Free. parentshelpingparents.org.

13 Thursday Cinderella. The Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St., Boston. March 13 through 23.

Presented by the Boston Ballet. Tickets $29 and up. bostonballet.org.

Puppet Show: One World, Many Stories.

Puppet Showplace Theatre, 32 Station St., Brookline. Thursday and Friday, March 13 and 14, 10:30 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday, March 15 and 16, 1 and 3 p.m. shows. Performed by Sparky’s Puppets, this interactive performance features funny folktales from Asia, Africa and Europe. Suitable for children ages 3 and up.

Tickets $12. puppetshowplace.org.

Nature Adventures for 5- to 7-year-olds.

Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Rd., Worcester. 1 to 3 p.m. Hands-on nature program explores nature topic indoors using investigations, crafts, and activities.

Outdoor exploration of sanctuary. Children $12.

Register at 508-753-6087 or massaudubon.org.

14 Friday Happy Pi Day. Science Discovery Museum, Acton. 2 to 4:30 p.m. Drop-in program celebrates 3.14, also known as Pi Day. Explore and measure various circles from quarters to hula hoops and engage in other curricular activities. Free program with museum admission.

Adults $11, children/seniors $10, children under 1 and teachers free. discoverymuseums.org.

Preschool Story Hour: Winter Birds.

Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, 113 Goodnow Rd., Princeton. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Book, craft and walk with nature theme. Suitable for children ages 2.5 to 5 years. Adults free, children $3. Register at 978-464-2712 or massaudubon.org.

Garden Discovery Program: I Spy Spring.

Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Dr., Boylston. 10 to 11 a.m. Designed for children ages 3 to 5 with adult, this program will discuss the first signs of spring. Free with museum admission. 508-869-6111. towerhillbg.org.

A St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn with Brian O’Donovan. The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. 7:30 p.m. Singers, instrumentalists and dancers perform in the Celtic tradition. Tickets $26 to $46. thehanovertheatre.org.

Puppet Playtime for Toddlers and Tiny Tots. Puppet Showplace Theatre, 32 Station St., Brookline. 10:30 a.m. Featuring Brenda Huggins and Phil Berman. Interactive performance experience. One-hour session includes free play, sing-alongs, stories, and imagination games. Suitable for children ages 3 and under (with adult). Adults $15, children $10. puppetshowplace.org.

2014 Worcester Boat Show. DCU Center, Exhibition Hall, 50 Foster St., Worcester.

Friday, March 14, 4 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 15, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, March 16, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Featuring fishing boats, sports boats, pontoon boats and more.

Admission is $10. Children under 16 no charge when accompanied by an adult. Discount passes available at www.worcesetershows.com.

OUT&ABOUT Children’s Storytime. Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester. 11 to 11:45 a.m.

Story time suitable for preschool-aged children.

Museum admission applies: Adults $14, seniors/ college students with ID $12, kids 17 and under free. 508-799-4406. worcesterart.org.

15 Saturday Movie: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 10:30 a.m. Film adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s bestseller. Adults $7, children $5.

617-734-2501. coolidge.org.

A St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn with Brian O’Donovan. Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., Cambridge. Saturday, March 15 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, March 16 at 3 p.m. Singers, instrumentalists and dancers perform in the Celtic tradition. Tickets $25 to $45. 617-496-2222.

Yo-Yo People. TCAN Center for Arts, 14 Summer St., Natick. 11 a.m. Husband and wife duo put on a yo-yo show featuring popular tricks, yo-yos attached to bouncy balls, yo-yos with 10-foot strings, and multiple yo-yos looping while hula hooping and unicycling. $10 adults, $8 children. 508-647-0097. natickarts.org.

Celtic Celebration. Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Rd., Sturbridge.

Saturday and Sunday, March 15 and 16. The daytime Celtic celebration will feature Irish music, food, step dancing and stories. Free admission to the museum for children ages 17 and under on weekends through March 30 when accompanied by one adult paying full-priced regular admission. osv.org.

Children’s Concert: Vanessa Trien and the Jumping Monkeys. Sheehan School, 549 Pond St., Westwood. 9:30 and 11 a.m. Bostonbased children’s performer Vanessa Trien and the Jumping Monkeys perform two shows to benefit St. John’s Nursery School. Tickets $8. Children under 1 are free. concert@stjohnsnursery.org.

781-329-2032. stjohnsnursery.org.

16 Sunday Abington St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

1 p.m. The 35th annual Abington St. Patrick’s Day Parade will begin in Abington Center at the corner of Orange and Washington streets. seeplymouth.com.

Hitchcock Center Family Film: The Fox and the Child. Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Dr., Amherst. 1 p.m. Film screening followed by a visit with the Hitchcock Center’s box turtle Speedy and corn snake Maizie. Admission $5, children under 5 free.

413-658-1126. carlemuseum.org.

Les Miserables School Edition. Nashoba Regional High School, 12 Green Rd., Bolton.

2 p.m. Presented by the Nashoba Drama Society. Adults $14, seniors/students $10.

978-779-9995. NashobaDrama.com St. Patrick’s Day Parade. South Boston.

1 p.m. The parade route can be found on the website. southbostonparade.org.

Scituate St. Patrick’s Day Parade. 1 p.m.

Runs from the Gates Middle School of First Parish Road, through downtown Front Street in Scituate Harbor onto the beginning of Hatherly Road at Jericho Road. seeplymouth.com.

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18 Tuesday Parents Helping Parents Support Group.

Walpole Public Library, 2nd Floor, Walpole.

Tuesdays, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Contact facilitator at 508-494-2486 before attending first meeting.

Free. parentshelpingparents.org.

19 Wednesday Puppet Playtime for Toddlers and Tiny Tots. Puppet Showplace Theatre, 32 Station St., Brookline. 10:30 a.m. Featuring Brenda Huggins and Phil Berman. Interactive performance experience. One-hour session includes free play, sing-alongs, stories, and imagination games. Suitable for children ages 3 and under (with adult). Adults $15, children $10. puppetshowplace.org.

Spring Woodcock Watches. Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, 113 Goodnow Rd., Princeton. 7 to 8 p.m. From late March to late April, woodcocks put on incredible courtship flight displays, spiraling 200 feet into the air and then descending rapidly to almost to the ground.

Take binoculars, if you have them. All ages. Free.

Register at 978-464-2712 or massadubon.org.

Third Week Wonders: The Puddle. Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Rd., Worcester. Wednesday, March 19; Thursday, March 20; or Saturday, March 22.

10 to 11 a.m. Story, activity and a naturalist-led walk. Suitable for children 3 to 5 years. Adults free, children $4. Register at 508-753-6087 or massadubon.org.

20 Thursday Puppet Show: Hao Bang-Ya Horse. Puppet Showplace Theatre, 32 Station St., Brookline.

Thursday and Friday, March 20 and 21, 10:30 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, March 22 and 23, 1 and 3 p.m. shows. Celebrate the Year of the Horse in this interactive show featuring a selection of hand puppet vignettes based on popular songs and well-known Chinese sayings.

Tickets $12. puppetshowplace.org.

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OUT&ABOUT

The Boston Ballet presents Cinderella on Thursday, March 13 at the Boston Opera House.

Parents Helping Parents Support Group.

Wollaston Church of the Nazarene, 37 East Elm Ave., Quincy. Thursdays, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Childcare available. Contact facilitator at 781-983-7327 before attending first meeting.

Free. parentshelpingparents.org.

Preschool Teacher Workshop: Space Explorers. Springfield Museums, 21 Edwards St., Springfield. 2 to 3:30 p.m. Gather background information about space along with a sampling of activities and lessons that can be used in the classroom. Register by March 14. $20 per person.

413-263-6800. springfieldmuseums.org.

21 Friday Carnaval! Science Discovery Museum, Acton.

3 to 4:30 p.m. Join members of the Acton-

Boxborough High School Spanish Club and learn about the festival of Carnaval. Design colorful masks. Program free with museum admission.

Adults $11, children/seniors $10, children under 1/teachers free. discoverymuseums.org.

Children’s Storytime. Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester. 11 to 11:45 a.m.

Story time suitable for preschool-aged children.

Museum admission applies: Adults $14, seniors/ college students with ID $12, kids 17 and under free. 508-799-4406. worcesterart.org.

22 Saturday Signs of Spring with Blue Hills Trailside Museum. Science Discovery Museum, Acton.

Noon to 2 p.m. See native animals up close with a trained naturalist from the Blue Hills Trailside Museum. Learn about the life cycle

of birds, reptiles, and mammals that live in your neighborhood. Free program with museum admission. Adults $11, children/ seniors $10, children under 1/teachers free. discoverymuseums.org.

Presented by the Early Childhood Professional Association, this program teaches about classroom interventions for children in preschool through grade 8 with challenging behaviors. $25 per person. Register at tecpa.org/programs.html.

Paradise City Fairs of Fine and Functional Art. Royal Plaza Trade Center, 181 Boston Post Road West, Marlborough. Friday, March 21, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, March 22, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, March 23, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. See 175 outstanding artists display the American artistry and craftsmanship. Adult $13, senior $11, students $8, children under 12 free. paradisecityarts.com.

26 Wednesday

Rolie Polie Guacamole. TCAN Center for Arts, 14 Summer St., Natick. 11 a.m. Classic, familyfriendly songs in a high energy, interactive show that mixes funk, rock, and folk music. $10 adults, $8 children. 508-647-0097. natickarts.org.

Beaver Hike for Families. Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, 113 Goodnow Rd., Princeton. 6 to 8 p.m. Discover the lodges and dams of the beaver families at Wachusett Meadow. Suitable for families with children ages 5 and up. Adults $8, children $4. Register at 978-464-2712 or massaudubon.org.

Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries.

The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. Shows at 2 and 5 p.m. Stage show featuring Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, Velma and Scooby-Doo. Tickets $17 to $37. 877-571-7469. thehanoverthreatre.org.

24 Monday Parents Helping Parents Support Group.

YMCA, 99 Dartmouth St., Malden. Mondays, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Contact facilitator at 857-544-6443 before attending first meeting. Free. parentshelpingparents.org.

25 Tuesday The Behavior Code. Needham Free Public Library, 1139 Highland Ave., Needham. 6 p.m.

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Puppet Playtime for Toddlers and Tiny Tots. Puppet Showplace Theatre, 32 Station St., Brookline. 10:30 a.m. Featuring Brenda Huggins and Phil Berman. Interactive performance experience. One-hour session includes free play, sing-alongs, stories, and imagination games. Suitable for children ages 3 and under (with adult). Adults $15, children $10. puppetshowplace.org.

Parents Helping Parents Support Group.

Lemberg Children’s Center, 415 South St., Waltham. Wednesdays, 7:15 to 8:45 p.m.

Contact facilitator at 781-209-8598 before attending first meeting. Free. parentshelpingparents.org.

27 Thursday Puppet Show: The Magic Soup and Other Stories. Puppet Showplace Theatre, 32 Station St., Brookline. Thursday and Friday, March 27 and 28, 10:30 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday, March 29 and 30, 1 and 3 p.m. shows. By Brad Shur, artist in residence. Based on a collection of traditional Yiddish stories, The Magic Soup teaches that it is those with wit, humor and imagination who have the best chance of filling their bellies and fulfilling their dreams. Suitable for children ages 3 and up. Tickets $12. puppetshowplace.org.

28 Friday Native Animals with Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary. Science Discovery Museums, Acton. 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Get up close to some local wildlife with a trained naturalist from Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary.

Learn about furry, feathery, smooth and scaly neighbors while visiting with a turtle and getting acquainted with a bird of prey. Free program REGISTER

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OUT&ABOUT with museum admission. Adults $11, children/ seniors $10, children under 1/teachers free. discoverymuseums.org.

Preschool Story Hour: Salamander Migration. Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, 113 Goodnow Rd. Princeton. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Book, craft and walk. Suitable for children ages 2.5 to 5. Adults free, children $3.

Register at 978-464-2712 or massaudubon.org.

Children’s Storytime. Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester. 11 to 11:45 a.m.

Story time suitable for preschool-aged children.

Museum admission applies: Adults $14, seniors/ college students with ID $12, kids 17 and under free. 508-799-4406. worcesterart.org.

29 Saturday Harlem Globetrotters. TD Garden, 100 Legends Way, Boston. Saturday, March 29, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 30, 1 p.m. The world famous Harlem Globetrotters present the 2014 “Fans Rule” World Tour. Ticket prices start at $24.

800-745-3000. tdgarden.com.

Wayne Potash and the Music Fun Band.

Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 10:30 a.m. Recent winner of the

Parents Choice Award, singer/songwriter Wayne Potash performs sing-alongs, dancing, jumping and more. Adults $10, children $8.

617-734-2501. coolidge.org.

Boston. Noon and 3 p.m. shows. Featuring Mozart’s fantastical opera The Magic Flute, this program includes dialogue, puppetry, and surprises. Tickets $5 to $20. bso.org.

Casey Carle’s BubbleMania. TCAN Center for Arts, 14 Summer St., Natick. 11 a.m.

Combining energetic entertainment with artistic achievement, BubbleMania is loaded with visual comedy, big band swing music, and bubbles. $10 adults, $8 children. 508-647-0097. natickarts.org.

31 Monday

Knights! Renaissance Faire. Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester. Saturday, March 29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, March 30, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Event features music, jugglers, costumed performers, theatrical performances of Shakespeare and King Arthur, sword demonstrations, storytelling, a chess tournament, and hands-on shield making workshops and sword classes. Museum admission applies. Adults $14, seniors/college students with ID $12, kids 17 and under free. 508-799-4406. worcesterart.org.

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Parents Helping Parents Support Group — Spanish. Family Resource Center, 1542 Columbus Ave., Roxbury. Mondays, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Contact facilitator at 617-379-5601 before attending first meeting. Free. parentshelpingparents.org.

Mechanics Hall Concerts for Kids. Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St., Worcester. Introduction to American Composers is presented for grades 4 to 8. Introduction to Chamber Music is presented for students in grades 3 to 6. All concerts are free.

Registration required. 508-752-5608.

30 Sunday

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Celebrate At The Carle Bring the family to The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day March 23, 12:00 pm–4:00 pm

Museum Shop Sale 15% off of all caterpillar-related books and toys

• Special activities in the Art Studio • Meet The Very Hungry Caterpillar • Win a prize on our Caterpillar Wheel • Enjoy delicious Caterpillar cookies Plus films, scavenger hunts and storytimes!

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Frightening Thoughts That Should Have Every New Mother Talking

BY AMANDA ROBERGE

I can recall with great clarity the moment I thought I lost my mind.

It was 2001 and my husband and I were attending a very upscale engagement party on the rooftop bar of a very upscale hotel in Washington, DC. I was the model attachment parent, carrying my 2-monthold baby in a scarlet-colored sling that accentuated my prowess as a mother. But there was one problem.

I kept having this compelling – disturbing? upsetting? – thought. In it, I was hurling my baby over the balcony’s glass-paneled edge into oncoming traffic.

Holding her tighter and smiling pretty for the people, I made appropriate small talk and took mini-sips of a glass of white wine. I’m fine, I told myself. I am not going to throw my baby off a building. But the thought wouldn’t leave me alone, even as I backed away.

28 MARCH2014 29

I was a good mother, but good mothers don’t think about throwing their babies into traffic. I sat down and spent the greater part of the evening nursing her in a chair along the granite outer walls of the cocktail lounge, grounding myself with the rhythm of her soft little breaths.

It wasn’t until I admitted this event to my own mom that I found a little peace. She confided, with apparent relief, that she’d had a few thoughts of her own when my sisters and I were babies. The more I talked about this nameless phenomenon, the more stories I heard. We all loved our babies and would never do anything to hurt them, but we’d all shared this experience of being scared by our own thoughts.

It turns out that this phenomenon does, indeed, have a name – experts call them “intrusive thoughts” – and it falls under the umbrella of what is coming to be known as perinatal emotional complications, the blanket term that includes more recognizable afflictions like postpartum depression and anxiety.

It also turns out that help is available if you know where to look.

According to licensed social worker Mara Acel-Green, though intrusive thoughts are somewhat common, they are scary and apparently they are as normal as the baby blues. But it’s yet another situation where the shame and stigma have kept women silent about more than just their disturbing thoughts. New mothers have an unfortunate and potentially damaging tendency to hide all of the mental health issues they experience as a result of pregnancy and childbirth.

For the millions of women each year who experience perinatal emotional complications, the inability to have a conversation about these episodes – which can range in severity from upsetting thoughts like mine to fullblown psychotic episodes like those you might see on the evening news – is one of the biggest contributors to the lack of a solution.

“Perinatal,” said Liz Reinke, Maternal Child Health Nurse Care Coordinator at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, is a term that has long been understood to encompass the time of a woman’s life when she is pregnant and up to around one month postpartum, but in general the definition has expanded to include the entire first postpartum year.

And she agrees with her colleagues who are fighting hard to increase perinatal support structures for

RESOURCES

women that when it comes to mental health and empowering and supporting women through pregnancy and birth, the time for a serious conversation about perinatal emotional complications has arrived.

If you are a mother, you are familiar with postpartum depression (PPD).

Of the myriad presentations of perinatal emotional complications, it is the one that garners the most attention from not only the media but from medical practitioners themselves, and it is often the only complication they are trained to recognize, treat and screen.

High profile cases leave the public with the idea that PPD is a monstrous affliction and contribute to the perpetuation of a stigma that keeps women silent – for fear of being labeled “crazy,” for fear of

depression while they are pregnant, one to three in every thousand women experience postpartum psychosis, 40-60% of low-income women experience postpartum depression. But this all points to one thing,” she said. “Most women have either experienced, or know someone who has experienced, perinatal emotional complications.

But nobody is talking about it, and it can be very hard to find the right support and treatment.”

Support and treatment for presentations of these complications, said Acel-Green, can include anything from finding social-emotional support to taking medication for anxiety and depression – and everything in between. The inbetween treatments, particularly for women experiencing lowlevel symptoms, might include

“I kept having this compelling thought.

In it, I was hurling my baby over the balcony’s glass-paneled edge into oncoming traffic.” having their children taken away, for fear of being judged, condemned or ostracized from their community.

But PPD is only one element of a very complex set of complications – with perinatal anxiety leading the charge and a wide spectrum of others following closely behind, including the very rare but extremely serious perinatal psychosis – which is more often the culprit of scary news stories.

According to Liz Friedman, cofounder of the Postpartum Support Initiative in Western Massachusetts, which is an effort spearheaded by the non-profit organization MotherWoman, where she is the Program Director, the statistics are staggering – almost as staggering as the silence surrounding the issue.

“I can rattle them off. Fifteen percent of women experience anxiety and

acupuncture, exercise, mindfulness and sleep.

“Treatment is specific to a woman’s individual case. But we are not listening closely to each woman’s experience and then telling them that it happens, that they aren’t alone,” she said.

She added that the factors that make people vulnerable to perinatal emotional complications are heredity and realated to a person’s own history with anxiety and depression, stress and lack of resources and social isolation.

The tragic piece of the puzzle, said Friedman, is that the screening is so easy and is a good way of determining women who are at-risk.

Reinke said she periodically, but not routinely, administers one of several screening tests to women— including the Edinburgh Perinatal

Postpartum Support International of Massachusetts Warmline: 866472-1897. Confidential information, support and listings of local resources. Leave a message and a volunteer will get back to you within 24 hours.

PPDMoms Hotline: 800-PPDMOMS or 800-773-6667. Available support 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week. For moms and their loved ones. Support, information and referrals.

Depression Scale.

Though it takes a mere two minutes and is somewhat accurate in flagging women at risk and getting them the support and help they need, the medical profession just has not yet recognized regular perinatal screening as useful. This is particularly damaging because for a vast majority of women, the depth of their despair keeps them from recognizing the seriousness of their condition.

“I have never seen anyone come out and say ‘I’m depressed’,” said Reinke. “Never.”

Through her work at MotherWoman, Friedman is continually fighting for legislation that will give all women access to support and resources.

The outlook, she said, is very good.

“There is so much hope for women,” she said, adding that leaders are currently hard at work to ensure that medical professionals are trained in screening and treating all of the mental health issues that arise in the perinatal period of a woman’s life.

Intrusive thoughts, like those I experienced at a swanky hotel cocktail party, are far more common than people realize and can be a healthy red flag of a woman who is at risk for more serious depression and anxiety. But the biggest risk, she added, is when those thoughts are not scary.

“They should scare you,” she warned. “When they aren’t scary, that‘s when it has gone more toward the perinatal psychosis end of the spectrum and that’s a very serious situation.”

Women experiencing symptoms associated with perinatal emotional complications, including intrusive thoughts, fears, anxieties and depression, are encouraged to reach out for support without fear of being judged or condemned.

Perhaps Acel-Green said it best, and perhaps even the new mom who glides through the perinatal experience can empathize, when she talks about the lack of sleep that inevitably accompanies new parenthood. “Even in the best of circumstances, even when things go well, it’s hard,” she said.

Friedman’s passionate message to new mothers is that help is available and that a small but mighty army of advocates are fighting for them all the time.

“They are not alone and we know they love their babies,” said Friedman. “Everything we are doing is to help and protect them.”

Parental Stress Line: 800-632-8188.

A statewide warmline that is available 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-aweek. Staffed by trained volunteer counselors who are sympathetic and non-judgmental.

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That’s Pregnancy With a Pee

BY MARYJO KURTZ

“I have to prep to sneeze, otherwise I’ll pee myself,” a coworker recently joked. While the women in the room all enjoyed a laugh from the comment, it was clear that they also understood exactly what she was describing. Statistics bear that out. According to the National Association for Continence (NAFC), an estimated 15 million women in the US suffer from stress incontinence, and the condition is common during and after pregnancy.

“Urinary incontinence is not lifethreatening, but it can affect the quality of life,” said Dr. Keisha Jones, a urogynecologist for Baystate Health in Springfield. “It can affect self-confidence and cause depression and feelings of isolation.”

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The Pressure of Pregnancy Jones noted that pregnancy is a factor that contributes to the development of stress incontinence, the most common type of incontinence in women.

For many, bladder issues become aggravated by physical pressure during pregnancy but the effects may not appear until well after childbirth.

“Changes occur to the pelvic floor during pregnancy, a common cause for stress incontinence,” said Jones.

Among the changes is a weakening of the sphincter, a circle-shaped

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muscle that surrounds the urethra and is squeezed to hold in urine.

When the sphincter muscles are weakened, they can no longer hold back urine flow during sudden physical pressure, such as with a cough or a sneeze.

Jones said that hormonal changes after pregnancy can help a woman regain urinary control, “but it’s usually not total improvement.”

The good news, she said, is that there are many options available for women today. Unfortunately, many women do not seek treatment right away. The NAFC reports that women wait an average of 6.5 years before seeking help for a bladder control problem.

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changing frequency of bathroom trips may offset the episodes of incontinence.

WebMD.com explains another exercise in which patients slowly increase the time between

if repeated three times a day over a four to six week period.

While these methods usually improve symptoms, most do not cure stress incontinence, according to the NIH. For a permanent cure,

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For many, bladder issues become aggravated by physical pressure during pregnancy but the effects may not appear until well after childbirth. urinations in an effort to train the bladder. For example, a woman may start with one hour intervals between bathroom visits and slowly increase in half hour increments until reaching about four hours between bathroom breaks.

The NIH reports that medications are often prescribed for patients with mild to moderate stress incontinence. Estrogen is also an option and commonly recommended for women who have gone through menopause, as it can reportedly improve the tone of the urethral sphincter muscles.

“Pelvic floor muscle training is an effective option for many of my patients,” said Jones. Also known as Kegel exercises, the training involves squeezing the pelvic floor muscles regularly in an effort to strengthen them. “I recommend that my patients try this for at least three months. A large majority report improvement.”

WebMD.com recommends tightening the muscles for ten seconds at a time, repeating ten times. The process should yield improvement

surgery is recommended.

The surgery that Jones recommends is insertion of polypropylene mesh into the pelvic floor. The resulting scar tissue becomes the new support of the pelvic floor. “Statistics over the past 20 years show an 85 to 95 percent success rate with this procedure,” she said.

She explained that the surgery is done in about an hour, with an expected recovery time of two weeks. “It’s minimally invasive,” she added.

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“The message to women is that there is help,” said Jones. “Kegel exercises are a good start for the three or four months postpartum. If a woman sees no improvement over six months, she should definitely see a doctor. Or if she is depressed or finding her symptoms bothersome, she should seek help.”

Jones said that women do not have to live with stress incontinence. “Do not suffer in silence,” she said. “Help is available to women at any age.”

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Breastfeeding~Formula~Diapers~Skincare~Cleaning~Clothing

A Day Camp for girls and boys ages 5 - 15 Exceptional staff Specialty Programs General & Senior Camps Day Trip programs Hot lunches Transportation

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508-792-2229

wildorchidbaby.com wildorchidmama.wordpress.com BAYSTATEPARENT 32 33

our march favorites fa monday

sunday

tuesday

wednesday

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Starting on the date the prize appears, log on to www.baystateparent.com to enter for your chance to win.

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10 {tip}

Daylight Saving Time Begins at 2 a.m.

Remember to “spring ahead” your clocks so you won’t be late for the 2014 Worcester County St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

It begins at noon today on Park Ave. For more information, call 508-753-7197.

34 MARCH2014 35

Visit baystateparent.com today to find out how you can win a family 4-pack of tickets to see Sleeping Beauty at the Hanover Theatre.

The Moscow Festival Ballet returns to Worcester on Friday, April 18 at 8 p.m. Fully staged, with stunning sets and costumes, this ballet is suitable for all ages.

24 31

4

5

11

12

18 {tip} Britax recalled its B-Agile, B-Agile Double and BOB Motion strollers because of a danger to little fingers. The hinge on the stroller folding mechanism can break or cut fingers when the release button is pressed.

At least 8 children have been injured. If you have one of these strollers, visit www.britaxstrollerrecall.com for information on a free repair kit.

Percy Jackson fans, your chance to win a copy of the Sea of Monsters DVD is waiting for you today on baystateparent.com.

The magical, mythical adventures of teenager Percy Jackson — son of the Greek god Poseidon — continue in this heroic, action–packed thrill ride.

Rated PG.

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{tip}

To report child abuse or neglect, call the Child-at-Risk Hotline anytime 24/7 at 1-800-792-5200.

The hotline is a service of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.

6

{tip}

According to the American Camping Association, the top five camp activities are: recreational swimming, arts & crafts, challenge & ropes, archery, and aquatic activities. Shopping for summer camp this month?

We have some fun ideas in our Countdown To Summer Camp starting on page 39.

20

The MIT Museum in Cambridge inspires families and older children to explore invention, ideas and innovation.

Interactive exhibits, experimental projects and unique collections share the wonders of science and technology. This month, baystateparent contributor Christine Quirk explored the museum with her children and she shares her review in The MIT Museum: A Science Showcase on page 12. For a chance to win a pair of tickets to visit the MIT museum, log onto baystateparent.com. The contest opens today.

7

14 21

8 Arrive home from work and find a bin of delicious fruits and veggies on your doorstep! Win a month’s worth of organic produce delivered fresh from Boston Organics, a company committed to supporting healthy living in a mindful and sustainable way. The winner will receive four deliveries of a $29 box of organic produce delivered to home or office.

Restrictions apply. Find out more about this giveaway and register to win today at baystateparent.com. Learn more about Boston Organics at bostonorganics.com.

{facts} 3 Reasons to Love March Girl Scout Day is March 12 On this day in 1912, Juliette Gordon Low established the organization in Savannah, Georgia, by registering its first 18 members. girlscouts. org National Pi Day is March 14 Of course, it is. It’s 3.14, afterall — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The number will calculate infinitely without repetition. Challenge your kids to see how many of its numbers they can memorize. piday.org Spring begins on March 20 Set your alarm for 12:57 p.m. for the start of Spring!

Technically known as the vernal equinox, the balance of day to night will equalize.

And that means we all get to enjoy longer daylight hours ahead! Bring it on!

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The comfortable-meetscontemporary clothing of Ba Ba Bling Baby is all about making a statement. Hand-drawn artwork with an old-school twist touches up full-cotton staples to offer a stylish showcase of apparel that is perfect for play.

Visit BaBaBlngBaby.com to see the latest collection of cool threads for cool kids in sizes 3 months to 6 youth. Then click on baystateparent. com today for your chance to win a Ba Ba Bling Baby boys 100% cotton t-shirt, size 6Youth.

BAYSTATEPARENT 34 35

TUTOR TIME: One Solution to Solving Math Problems

BY DOUG PAGE

Editor’s note: When a child’s math skills don’t add up, is it time for a tutor? This month, baystateparent asked one father to share his experience finding a specialized math school to help his son.

W

ay back yonder, when children were but a passing fancy, I had this recurring nightmare: Our kids are born with my history/writer brain instead of their mother’s financial/math brain.

If it was particularly horrifying, the nightmare included a word problem.

“Joe has $5 and wants to buy five apples for his four friends and himself. Each apple costs $1.36. Can Joe buy everyone an apple?”

The nightmare always ended the same way – me running for my life!

As good fortune would have it, the subject challenges only half of our children. Our fifth grade boy finds math much easier than our fourth grader.

So, it’s better than I dreamed.

Still, what to do to help our youngest son?

About 18 months ago, as school was coming to an end, my wife purchased math books for each of our boys.

The books were recommended by our school district. The exercises, we were told, would keep the kids’ skills sharp during the summer break.

Our younger son’s teacher warned us that he had some issues with math. But we were confident that by working through the book, all would be fine come September.

Unfortunately, by the time he finished the last lesson, my wife and I were struck with fear that his math skills left a lot to be desired.

To confirm our thinking, I asked our younger son to answer a complex, mathematical problem.

“What’s 10 minus 9?”

36 MARCH2014 37

His deer-in-the-headlights response told me all I needed to know: He was in trouble.

Now we had a quagmire.

There were two weeks until school started. What to do? Get a tutor? Find a class? It was all very confusing.

Just a short time later, on a Saturday morning while watching our younger boy play baseball, a mom I knew started telling me about her son and his math struggles.

Like us, they had worked with their boy on his math skills during the summer and endured some of the same experiences – tears and emotional outbursts from him while working through the exercises.

So, to improve his skills, she and her husband enrolled him in a mathematics school in Newton. My wife and I decided to check it out – and quickly.

I called the principal of the school’s Wellesley location and she agreed to allow our son to “audit” the first class so we could get a sense of his reaction.

As we drove to that first class, there were tears and more tears from our son, who was convinced he was headed for some sort of torture. I tried to calm him, saying it would be fine. Two hours later, when I picked him up, his face was all smiles.

“How was it?” I asked.

“I had fun,” he replied.

With that, I paid the tuition, finalizing his enrollment while simultaneously feeling a huge sense of relief.

I can’t tell you that our son found the class easy, but it has been very helpful. Part of what made the experience so strong was that the class size was very small, all of about seven children. His math skills improved substantially and the lessons put him slightly ahead of his peers.

His teacher covered the concepts of area and perimeter about six weeks to a month ahead of his

elementary school teacher, helping our younger boy to look like an old pro to his classmates when the time came to cover the same material – a huge confidence boost for him.

The biggest challenge our younger boy faced, as did my wife, was the homework. It takes about two hours to complete and that means setting aside time, mostly on the weekend, to finish it.

“I ASKED, ‘WHAT’S 10 MINUS 9?’

HIS DEERIN-THEHEADLIGHTS RESPONSE TOLD ME ALL I NEEDED TO KNOW.” Like many a family, we’ve traveled on vacation with his math assignments in tow.

The school we chose hands out grades and a written assessment for each kid, giving parents a sense of

the child’s performance. But that was not our main concern. Our biggest goal was making sure our boy’s skills were improving. As long as that was happening, we weren’t worried, “too much,” about the grades.

To keep his math skills up this past summer, we enrolled him in a class at the school that met twice a week for two hours each time. (Of course, he was thrilled – NOT!) As the fall session approached, we enrolled both boys. For our elder son, the class is more about pushing his skills beyond where they are.

Similar to what I saw with our younger son, I’m noticing his fifth grade class at the school is ahead of his elementary school’s math work.

As someone who suffers from, for lack of a better term, a math phobia – likely brought on by my first grade teacher throwing my math book across the classroom – I’ll say the extra help has been a godsend. The program works for our family.

It is not cheap, and we are fortunate my wife makes the kind of money that allows us to send both of our boys.

The education is tough and demanding. But by having the kids constantly repeat drills, tutoring made our sons more comfortable with the subject. It’s making their lives easier not only in their elementary school but also with daily math facts.

On a recent September morning, while reading aloud from Gregory Boyington’s autobiography about his days as a World War II pilot, I mentioned that he was paid $500 for each Japanese airplane he shot down while flying with the American Volunteer Group over China. Our older boy asked how many planes he knocked out of the sky.

“Six,” I said.

“He made $3,000,” piped up our younger son.

A smile crossed my face as I thought, “Thank God!”

Watch your business grow this April...

Spring is here and families are sprucing up the nest!

Our award-winning magazine will be chock full of home and garden ideas and seasonal feature stories for families throughout the Commonwealth.

International Presentation of Performers

Prescreening auditions for new & experienced Actors, Singers and Models (ages 4 to 25) are taking place on:

Saturday, March 8th • 10:30 a.m.

Hyatt Regency Boston Hotel • 1 Ave De Lafayette Hosted by JRP New England

To reach this valuable audience of over 100,000 parents, reserve your space by March 13.

baystateparent For more information contact Regina Stillings at 865-7070 ext. 210 or regina@baystateparent.com

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BAYSTATEPARENT 36 37

Help for Disorganized Students: 3 Strategies to Improve Grades

BY MICHELE RANARD, M.ED. JEN PAOLINI ILLUSTRATOR

“Just so you know, Mom, I’ve got a test on Friday that I’m gonna fail.”

My sixth-grader is barely through the front door when this escapes his lips.

Because he is an excellent student, my head is spinning.

Forcing a smile, I remark, “What do you mean? You have three more days to study!”

But he is already grinding his teeth, scowling as he announces, “I can’t do it.”

Remaining calm, I attempt to appeal to his reason with no luck. Within seconds, I am shouting, “Fine. FINE! GROUNDED FOR A MONTH!” Sound familiar?

Disorganization and Success What my son was probably trying to convey after school that day was, “I feel distressed, Mom. I have no idea how to get organized for this test.”

Unfortunately, like so many parents, I let myself grow overly emotional and failed to truly listen to his fear and concern.

Organizing the Disorganized Child (2009) by Martin Kutscher and Marcella Moran provides a helpful guide for explaining in plain English how disorganized habits interfere with school success and create chaos within the home.

The points below are addressed in the book and were particularly helpful to me as a parent and professional academic tutor. They all aim to help students develop healthier habits and achieve more.

Understand Why They Procrastinate According to Kutscher and Mora, kids often adopt an “I’ll get to it later” habit and put off school projects or studying for several reasons.

38 MARCH2014 39

Sometimes they simply have a poor concept of time. Other kids have poor memory for ways procrastinating has failed them in the past. Still others are too easily sidetracked and unable to resist temptation to do something more appealing.

The authors remind parents that most often these issues are “the fault of the undeveloped brain, not the child” and urge parents not to yell or punish. Instead, stay positive, offer support, and help them break larger tasks down into chunks. They offer these tips to get organized: • Write down assignments in a planner.

• Ask the teacher or a buddy to double-check the planner to be sure it is correct.

• Place all materials touched that day into a take-home section of a folder.

• Mark a calendar with completion dates for each step in a project.

• Put completed work in a Take to School section of a folder.

• Weekly purge the backpack and folders of papers no longer needed.

Teach Them to Question Everything The authors of this guide believe that in addition to good note-taking and study skills, the key to your child’s education is to question everything. Teaching your child to ask the following questions will enhance your child’s learning: • What did the teacher just say?

• What did I just read?

• Where have I seen information like this before?

• How is this different from material I’ve previously learned?

• How can I summarize this in as few words as possible?

• How can I visualize this in pictures or flowcharts?

• What else do I need to learn about this?

• What questions about this are likely to be on the test?

• Why is this important to me and the rest of the world?

• So what?

Test Taking Smarts All students can use a refresher for how to best manage time on a test, and the following strategies are recommended by Kutscher and Moran: • Turn over the sheet and jot down keywords, dates, formulas, and phrases you memorized.

• Look over the entire test quickly to anticipate what’s coming up.

• Read directions carefully.

Underline key words in the directions.

• Answer easy questions first.

• Place a question mark next to answers you guess on.

• Keep in mind that the answer to one question might be contained

somewhere on the test.

• If you have leftover time, check your answers and scan for careless mistakes. Only change an answer when you’re certain the new response is correct.

• If unsure, guess.

In terms of helping your child become a more organized student, the authors remind parents that “we can’t completely fix everything overnight. We can, though, expect continued progress over a mountainous terrain toward an ultimately successful future.”

This book helped Michele Ranard find a solution to a parenting issue: Organizing the Disorganized Child: Simple Strategies to Succeed in School, by Martin L. Kutscher and Marcella Moran. 2009. Harper Studio.

Is there a book that helped you solve a parenting dilemma?

Send your recommendation to editor@baystateparent.com or share it on our Facebook page.

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CAMP

table of contents

40 44 48

TRADITION FOR A NEW AGE: camp resolute is 95 years young

52

CAMP TAKE-ME-HOME: one mom’s survival guide for family camping

54

CAMP BONNIE BRAE celebrates 95 years of memories

WHY SUMMER CAMP? 3 reasons camp builds confidence HONORING HERITAGE: mass mom opens ethiopian culture camp

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COUNTDOWN TO

SUMMER

CAMP

Tradition for a New Age: Camp Resolute is 95 Years Young

by Charlene Arsenault

In

1978, 14-year-old Mark Paolini joined the rest of Boy Scout Troop 2 from Westborough to brave the wilderness at Camp Resolute in Bolton. It was his first extended time away from home, and he was tearyeyed at first. But his experience at this camp, which hosts thousands of scouts each year, became a cherished memory.

Paolini remembers tying food in the trees to save it from critter attacks, swimming, canoeing and drinking “bug juice.” He recalls trading scary stories, including one about “Minnie Manooge,” a ghost who apparently still roamed the camp in a wheelchair long after her passing. And back then, the Girl Scout camp that abutted the boys’ was deemed a “constant nag.”

“There were lots of personal activities, but you also got personal time to walk around in the woods,” said Paolini.

“For some reason, I won the ‘model camper award,’ certificate and all. It’s cool when you’re 14.”

It’s cool for many throughout the school years.

Camp Resolute is turning 95 this year, and while many aspects have remained, it also would look and feel a lot different to the kids who hiked through there decades ago.

40 MARCH2014 41

Updating Tradition Boy Scouting is one of the oldest institutions in the country. Its message and standards have in some ways been as solid as an oak bunk bed. But it has also had to step with the times, particularly for one of the most fundamental experiences every scout ultimately encounters: camp.

When we think of Boy Scout camps, we think of teepee-shaped campfires, weathered beige tents, tug-of-war, and kids learning to tie perfect slipknots to earn badges. It is not only a lot more than that, but the experience constantly adapts and evolves.

Camp Resolute has been a destination for Boy Scouts and their families since the local scout council acquired 150 acres of land in 1919. Within the first three years, it grew from covering two to 19 towns. Suffering loss of land over the years, but acquiring even more, the camp now sits on 325 acres and includes cabins, shower houses, a main hall, fire pits, tenting areas, a trading post and the Memorial Chapel.

For directors at Camp Resolute, running the camp means listening to its audience. The kids still tent, make fires and swim, but the programs are

constantly improved and expanded.

This year, Resolute will see some changes, but continue to run its popular activities and programs.

Rick Riopelle, program director, talked about the old and the new at this premier scout camp.

Family Camp In June, Camp Resolute hosts family camp weekends. This program is open to any family, whether involved in scouting or not. The same policy is true for a weeklong Day Camp, which takes place August 11 through 15. “You don’t have to be a scout,” said Riopelle.

“Just sign up and participate.”

In fact, the camping committee has worked toward making Camp Resolute more inclusive for families, said Riopelle. One significant step toward that will happen this year when Camp Resolute’s family camp day camp program in August will be co-ed for the first time.

“We have gotten a lot of feedback from families that it would make it a lot easier if it were co-ed,” said Riopelle. He said that thanks to a grant, improvements such as installing bathrooms for girls have made the transition possible. “We’re ready now.”

Day Camp Day Camp, which is offered to scouts who are completing grades 1 through 4, is a weeklong program (MondayFriday) offered from July 7 through Aug. 15. Kids arrive in the morning, and are broken into groups of 8 to 10.

The groups bounce among activity stations that include swimming, BB gun shooting, crafts, sports, ecology, cooking, fire building and knot tying, among many others.

One of the newest activities is paddleboarding. With a $4,800 grant, paddleboarding is among the additions and improvements made to the aquatics program for the 2014 season. The grant also paid for some other major upgrades to water activities and property. With it, Camp Resolute will have a new tower and fishing dock. Also, all of its rowboats (which date back to 1974) are being replaced.

“We do extensive surveying,” said Riopelle. “The scouts get a survey of what they’d like and what we can do better. They are asked everything, down to the individual meals. We try to stay up on the trends and we try to tailor our programs to stay relevant.”

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COUNTDOWN TO

SUMMER

CAMP belt case for his Tabasco sauce. What was that Dining Hall song? Answer: ‘Do You Know the Muffin Man.’”

Resident Camp Scouts in fifth grade through high school attend the Resident Camp, which is “fun and adventure with a purpose.” There, scouts can choose to earn four of the 60 different merit badges at classes that include rifle shooting, small boat sailing, cooking, fishing, inventing, scouting heritage, ecology, and fish and wildlife conservation. Resident Camp runs weekly from July 8 through Aug. 15.

More than 16,000 campers visited Resolute last year, and 2,100 Boy Scouts participated in the summer programs. While it primarily serves the MetroWest area, which includes 21 cities and towns, troops from “all over,” including Connecticut and Rhode Island, use the site. The camp is owned by the nonprofit Boy Scout Council, so operating expenses are generated by grants, donations, rentals and admission fees.

A majority of campers come to Camp Resolute with their troops, but there is an opportunity for individuals who want to extend their stay, or camp when and if their troop isn’t participating, to reserve time.

Working with Technology Today, you’d be hard pressed to find a place - especially with teenagers where heads aren’t buried in an iPhone, tablet or laptop. Electronics, of course, are always discussed when organizers talk about trends. But Riopelle said councils have made a concerted effort to keep these camps technology-free.

Oh, the horror.

“We want you to be free from the video game console and concentrate on being away from that,” he said.

“Material suggests that if you keep away from that, and we keep you busy with programming, you won’t miss those things.”

Still, Riopelle acknowledges the relevance and proliferation of technology. The plan is to add STEM initiatives, gaming and robotics programs by the summer of 2015.

“We’re looking at adding a class on game design,” he said. “Not actually letting them play the games. Robotics, too. When I was growing up, the LEGO robot was the greatest thing you could get, but it was too expensive.”

Making Memories For many, memories that lodge forever in the banks of our minds are trips to camp in our youth. Perhaps it’s the “survival mode” we slip into as we escape from society, the time spent learning and exploring with friends, or the simple fact that our parents weren’t there.

Camp Resolute becomes that place for memories.

“One thing that the kids get out of [going to Boy Scout camp] is independence,” said Riopelle. “It’s a realization that the parents believe in them and that parents have trust in them to allow them to go out on their own, and they’re not involved in every decision they make. While any camp can teach you swimming or arrow shooting, everything we do centers around building character, citizenship and fitness. Those are the three main tenets of what we do here.”

Remembering Camp Resolute Memories From Those Who Have “Been There” Jon Powell worked as the kitchen manager in the summer circa 1994.

“We had a tradition of celebrating visiting troop members’ birthdays.

I’m a tall guy, so I thought it would be an added bonus to take the birthday boy around the cafeteria sitting on my shoulders. Well, you know those beams that go across the ceiling? I didn’t account for those and ended up bashing the boy’s forehead against one of them. As I put him down and checked how he was, his troop leaders gathered around to comfort him as he cried. He looked at everyone around him and with teary eyes he said, ‘Did you see how high up I was?’ I almost did the same thing a week or two later but just as the beam was coming up and right before I was about to duck under it, I heard the crowd take in an expecting gasp.

I just ducked and smiled and no one this time was hurt.”

Dave Thompson was a Pack leader for Westborough Cub Scout Pack 8 in 1997 and 1998. “It was a lot of fun. Fishing, archery, swimming, rowing, goofy campfire skits. Ahhh, those were the days! Tim’s propanepowered industrial mosquito fogger that created the huge fog bank over the campground. Den-leader Greg Masmanian sneaking out with his son to spend the night in a hotel. The geeky scout leader with a custom

Noah Nutting, from Leominster, was a Boy Scout leader for a troop of mentally challenged boys ranging in age from early teens to mid 30s. “Every summer, in the 1970s, we took approximately 20 of our boys to Camp Resolute for a week.

We had non-handicapped scouts from other Boy Scout troops helping us. The challenges of working with these handicapped boys gave us the opportunity to be extremely creative in bringing the skill requirements to the boys. Camp Resolute worked with us in every way and accepted our troop (Troop 2, Natick) with open arms, making the stay enjoyable. The boys were able to complete tasks they never thought possible. Even now, many years later, I’m sure they will remember Camp Resolute with fond memories. Wow, what a place.”

Do you have a memory of Camp Resolute? Visit us on our Facebook page and share your story!

REGISTERING NOW FOR SUMMER 2014!

MetroWest YMCA Day Camp

June 30 - August 22 Co-ed for ages 3-16 Traditional Camp activities include archery, arts and crafts, canoeing, kayaking, nature study, music, drama, sports, high and low ropes course, outdoor skills, and swim lessons.

Specialty Camps include Flight, Physics, Farm Camp, Drama, Fort Building, Robotics, Hip Hop, Horseback Riding and Arts and Crafts camp. Teen Leadership and Trip and Travel Programs.

Busing, AM/PM extended day programs and financial assistance are available.

Registered Nurse on site at all times.

First Aid, CPR and EPI-pen trained staff.

MetroWest YMCA Family Outdoor Center 45 East Street Hopkinton, MA 01748 (508)435-9345 www.metrowestymca.org

BAYSTATEPARENT 40 41

SUMMERCAMP

New England Aquarium

Harbor Discoveries Camps Register now!

Start Here Go Anywhere! ur for o ow! p u Sign Camps N mer Sum

Harbor Discoveries This camp complies with regulations of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and is licensed by the Board of Health.

art classes

Worcester Art Museum

WORCESTER ART MUSEUM 42 MARCH2014 43

• Gymnastics • Dance • Ninja Challenge • Martial Arts • Circus Arts • Rock Climbing

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SUMMERCAMP

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Adventures in Veterinary Medicine

Celebrating 92 Amazing Summers in the Berkshires!

is a fun and exciting career exploration program for 7th and 8th graders.

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Available sessions: June 23–27 & July 14–18, 2014 Apply now! Registration is first-come, first-served.

Visit vet.tufts.edu/avm to learn more.

200 Westboro Road N. Grafton, MA 01536 (508) 839-7962

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www.BVChildrensPlace.com BAYSTATEPARENT 42 43

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CAMP

Why Summer Camp?

3 Reasons Camp Builds Confidence

BY HEIDI SMITH LUEDTKE, PH.D.

P

arents spend a lot of time trying to motivate kids. We use chore charts, checklists, reminders and rewards to get them to feed the dog, clean their rooms, and complete schoolwork. But these techniques don’t change behavior long-term. Real motivation must come from within.

The Psychology of Summer Camp Time at camp may be all it takes to spark a little selfdetermination in your kid. I know it sounds too good to be true. Your school-age slacker – the one who expects you to find his homework and pack his lunch – might start doing some things for himself. And your often-bored tween might come home with more pep in her step.

Psychologists use selfdetermination theory (SDT) to explain why some experiences make us feel engaged and excited while others drain and deplete us. The premise is simple: when an activity meets our needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, we are energized and empowered. Kids’ basic needs are no different from adults’.

Kids want to do things for 44 MARCH2014 45

themselves. They crave a sense of accomplishment and routinely seek feedback. (“Look what I made, Mom!”) And kids thrive on connections with loved ones and peers. Feelings of belongingness boost their self-worth.

Summer camp offers loads of opportunities to meet all these needs. And that should make kids (and the parents who love them) very happy campers indeed.

Autonomy

The need for autonomy is satisfied when kids control their own lives. At camp, your son will have endless opportunities to care for himself. Staff won’t select his clothes, organize the contents of his locker, or remind him to put on deodorant. No one will delay dessert until he eats his veggies. Independence is what camp is all about. Don’t worry. The world won’t stop if your son wears the same shirt three days in a row. His peers will speak up if he gets super stinky.

During the school year, many kids jump from one regularly scheduled activity to the next with no unstructured time in between. Camp puts kids in charge of their own activities.

Maybe your daughter will take a hike. Maybe she’ll paint pottery.

Maybe she’ll write you an email.

It is up to her to decide how she’ll spend her free time. Chances

are that she won’t sit around whining about having nothing to do. And if she does, you won’t be there to hear it.

Competence The need for competence is satisfied when kids learn new things and get positive feedback about their efforts.

Your kid might choose a camp focused on art, science, sports, or music. Or he may opt for a good old-fashioned sleep-away experience, complete with row boats and weenie roasts.

Some camp activities may be outside your kid’s comfort zone.

Stretching is good.

Your child may be unsure she can cross the slippery log over the creek. She may tremble with excitement about her role in the theater production. Peers and

counselors will coax her along and give constructive advice.

By the end of camp, she’ll be the star of her own adventure stories.

If your kid is an experienced camper, encourage him to share what he knows with newbies.

Being an ambassador or mentor affirms kids’ competence in a big way. Teaching a peer how to trim a sail or chip a golf ball out of the tall grass will take your son’s skills to a higher level. His confidence will soar in response.

Relatedness

Your biggest concerns about summer camp may center on the social scene. Your child may not know anyone on arrival.

That’s okay. Camps create connections in many ways. Your kid will be instantly bonded

with bunkmates because they share a home base. Family-style dining and friendly competitions encourage interaction, too. The pursuit of shared goals – like building a robot or putting a frog in the counselor’s sleeping bag – cements kids’ camaraderie.

Extroverted kids may make lots of friends at camp. Less sociable souls may not. What matters most is that kids have opportunities to talk, play and live with a diverse group of peers. They won’t all become fast friends. Learning to navigate the choppy waters of friendship formation is a big part of the camp experience. Your kid’s social skill set will expand – even if she doesn’t find a new BFF. No matter what your kid takes to camp, he’ll come home with a suitcase full of memories and a renewed sense of selfdetermination. You’ll see it as soon as he wakes from his long post-camp nap.

Be active.

Be creative.

Learn a new skill.

Have fun!

Everything under the sun. At UNH. UNH Youth Summer camps encourage students K-12 to explore their interests and talents in unbeatable settings.

All UNH summer camps offer • Individual, supportive, and fun learning environments • Talented, experienced University staff • State-of-the-art facilities Visit unh.edu/youth-programs

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COUNTDOWN TO

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Honoring Heritage: Mass Mom Opens

Ethiopian

Culture Camp

BY JANE KELLER GORDON

Katz family- Semhal, Stanzie, Yordano, Jo Hannah, Hebrom, photo taken by Dawit Katz

N

estled into their comfy L-shaped couch with two dogs lazing nearby, single Lexington mom Jo Hannah Katz and her four adopted Ethiopian children, now aged 14 to 22, talk with great warmth and excitement about the East Coast Ethiopian Cultural Camp (ECECC).

Missing from the couch but not the conversation are Jo Hannah’s unofficially adopted Ethiopian son, who is 23, and her biological daughter, who is 28. For this transracial family, the ECECC is an annual highpoint and an important lifeline to Ethiopian traditions and customs.

Jo Hannah co-founded the ECECC in 2006, a year after she adopted her two youngest daughters. Her partners were Drucilla Roberts and Nick Semine, also parents of adopted Ethiopian children. Held every summer in New Hampshire, the ECECC is a weekend event filled with Ethiopian traditions, customs, and togetherness for

48 MARCH2014 49

adoptive families, families waiting to adopt, and Ethiopian Americans.

Recognizing Heritage “(We must) recognize and honor the life or lives from which our children come, (and) not to think that their life starts the day they join their new family,” said Jo Hannah. Having adopted her children when they were 5, 10, 15 and 16-years-old, Jo Hannah knows that this is especially true for children adopted at an older age.

“It feels like my nest was empty for 15 minutes,” Jo Hannah said when reflecting on her six children. She adopted her two youngest daughters from an orphanage in Ethiopia in 2005, two years after her biologic daughter left for college. In 2007, Jo Hannah and her three daughters traveled to Ethiopia to finalize the adoption

of an older biologic brother and sister of her already adopted daughters. Completing the family in 2009, Jo Hannah’s unofficially adopted another Ethiopian son who at 18 was too old to be legally adopted.

Jo Hannah said, “I know I am not my kids' first mom, but I am their mom. (They) have come through huge losses to get where they are and they have earned the right to their memories, their grief and their fears… It is my job to let go of my presumptions, assumptions and fears and embrace what happens. It is my job to keep them connected. My kids may have their heart in two places — Ethiopia and America — and I believe that by keeping them connected to their first family and culture, they will work out how to manage this over time.”

Her adopted son said, “Mom, someday I may want to live in Ethiopia again, but not forever.”

Jo Hannah said, “I understand.”

9th ECECC Annual Gathering July 11 through 13, the ECECC will hold its 9th annual gathering on the campus of Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire. When it began, there were between 30 and 35 families.

Jo Hannah and her current coplanner, Mimi Johnson of Bedford, expect almost 60 families this year, which will mean around 200 people.

The ECECC is the only camp of its type in New England. According to Jo Hannah, it has attracted people from the New England states, as well as New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland.

It takes a lot of work to organize the Ethiopian camp. Jo Hannah said that it is the focus of her summers, when she is on break from teaching elementary school

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Long Standing Connections The ECECC creates deep, long standing connections among adopted Ethiopian children, their parents, their parent’s biologic children, “waiting” families, and other Ethiopian-Americans of all ages. For children adopted at a young age, it may be their first group exposure to some aspects of Ethiopian culture. For those who live in areas of New England with few or no other Ethiopians, camp is the place where they can build connections and celebrate their culture and traditions in a group setting. One participant said to Jo Hannah, “We cannot thank you enough for the profound experience that we had at camp – on this, our first year.”

The schedule for this year’s

program is filled with separate and joint activities for young children, teens, and adults. There are seminars, performances, games, concerts, and childcare.

The days and nights are busy, but there is plenty of time to hang out, according to Jo Hannah.

Participants of the ECECC know that year-after-year they will enjoy many Ethiopian traditions, including the Ethiopian coffee ceremony. Other highlights are Eskista (Ethiopian shoulder dancing), which is both taught and performed, Ethiopian hair braiding, clothes, food, language (Amharic), movies, guest speakers, soccer, outdoor games, and music (including instruments and church songs). On Saturday night, there is a dinner and dance, and on Sunday morning there is a fun run.

The annual teen panel, “Growing Up Ethiopian,” and facilitated discussion always have a packed audience according to Jo Hannah.

She said, “It’s really important to have these high school kids (here).

They are the kids that the younger kids will grow into.”

This past year, Jo Hannah invited

three Ethiopian students from M.I.T. to participate in the weekend.

“They are the role models for our children,” she said.

she heard a very young camper say to another, “Hey, are you from Ethiopia? So am I.”

Future Plans

Sign-up Information

Going forward, Jo Hannah is not quite sure how much bigger the ECECC should grow. She said that it works well at its current size since the Franklin Pierce campus has airconditioned accommodations for about 200 to 225 people.

When asked about future goals, Jo Hannah said she would like to continue fundraising for Ethiopian humanitarian causes, which she actively does with her children.

She also wants to join with other groups to provide programs relating to Ethiopian adoption, and create other platforms for these events. On a broader level, Jo Hannah said she would like to “start a similar summer weekend camp for all adoptive children/ families.”

Reflecting on the ECECC, Jo Hannah said that she already knew it was a success but was sure when

The ECECC program will take place Friday, July 11, 2014 through Sunday, July 13, 2014.

The cost is $275 per person (age 5+), $125 (ages 3 to 4, and free for age 2 and younger.

Scholarships are available from funds raised at the camp’s annual raffle and from some of the proceeds from the camp’s annual “Merkato,” a mini market of Ethiopian and Ethiopian-related products.

For more information about the camp, visit the ECECC’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ECECC) and/or email Jo Hannah at admin@ethiopianculturecamp.org.

To register, email Jo Hannah.

March’s Child: Kwin Sixteen-year-old Kwin is of Caucasian and Native American descent. He enjoys music and theatre. Kwin has participated in several plays. He also likes bowling and traveling.

Kwin is creative and uses his imagination to create stories as well as write and perform rap music.

He gets along well with adults and children alike. He loves one-on-one attention from adults.

In the 9th grade, Kwin attends a Regional Vocational Technical School where he is supported by an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP). He would like to go on to

college one day. Kwin currently lives in a group home where he does well with routine, structure, and consistency. He works hard to master new tasks and to achieve personal therapeutic goals. Kwin has some medical issues that will require ongoing attention, but they do not slow him down – as you can tell by his photo!

The ideal family for Kwin is a twoparent family of any constellation with no children or with children who are older than Kwin. A family who is open to birth family contact would be best as he has extended birth family who are very invested

in his success. Kwin needs a family who can provide him with a lot of attention and affection. A family who can balance positive reinforcement with structure and stability would be a wonderful fit for him. Kwin is legally free for adoption.

For more information on Kwin, please contact Wendy's Wonderful Kids Recruiter Deirdre Madden at 61754-ADOPT. For more information on the adoption process in general, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) holds monthly informational meetings in Worcester. Please call 508-929-2143 for more detailed information about the next meeting.

Photo by David Tucker

g

in the Lexington Public School System. All of her children are involved as well. One of Jo Hannah’s daughters said, “We look forward to camp every year.

We always want it to be more than three days.”

Private Lessons -beginners to advanced -strings, piano, winds, guitar, drums, voice Group Classes & Ensembles -affordable and fun beginner classes -Kindermusik for ages birth - 7 Summer Festivals - instrumental programs and musical theater 36 King Street, Littleton MA www.indianhillmusic.org • 978-486-9524

BAYSTATEPARENT 48 49

COUNTDOWN TO

Free. For more information, contact 857-728-2157. lbaeumler@mspcc.org.

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Triad Group. Adoption Community of New England, Inc. Office, 34 Deloss St., 2nd floor, Framingham. Monday, March 3, 10 a.m. to noon. Support group is open to all members of the adoption triad who are not in an immediate triad. Birth parents, adoptees and adoptive parents. Free. RSVP at least 24 hours before the event. adoptbeyond@aol.com.

Adoptive Families Together Parent Support Group. 5 Post Office Square, First floor library, Boston. Use entrance facing Congress St. Wednesday, March 5, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Monthly parent group is a parent-run, confidential group that includes open discussions during which parents can share their personal concerns and needs around adoptive parenting.

Drop-ins welcome. Free. For more information, contact 857-728-2157. lbaeumler@mspcc.org.

Adoptive Families Together Parent Support Group. First Church, 40 Monument Ave., Swampscott. Thursday, March 6, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monthly parent group is a parent-run, confidential group that includes open discussions during which parents can share their personal concerns and needs around adoptive parenting. Drop-ins welcome. Free. For more information, contact 857-728-2157. lbaeumler@mspcc.org.

Adoptive Families Together Parent Support Group. Jamaica Plain MSPCC office, 3815 Washington St., Jamaica Plain. Friday, March 7, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monthly parent group is a parent-run, confidential group that includes open discussions during which parents can share their personal concerns and needs around adoptive parenting. Drop-ins welcome.

Cooking with Teens Adoption Party. Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, 650 Dudley St., Dorcester. Saturday, March 8, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Meet some children ages 10 and older who are waiting for adoption.

Register at mareinc.org.

Foster Care Adoption Information Open House. Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, 650 Dudley St., Dorchester.

Saturday, March 8, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Speak with social workers and experienced families about the process of adopting from foster care. Drop-in any time during the open house. Register at mareinc.org.

Waiting Parents Support Group. Adoption Community of New England, Inc. Office, 34 Deloss St., 2nd floor, Framingham. Monday, March 10, 10 a.m. to noon. Meet with others who are in the waiting stage of the adoption process. This is a professionally facilitated meeting. Free. RSVP at least 24 hours before event. No walk-ins. adoptbeyond@aol.com.

Adoptive Families Together Parent Support Group. Faith Evangelical Free Church, 54 Hosmer St., Acton. Wednesday, March 12, 7:30 to 9 p.m. Monthly parent group is a parent-run, confidential group that includes open discussions during which parents can share their personal concerns and needs around adoptive parenting. Drop-ins welcome. Free.

For more information, contact 857-728-2157. lbaeumler@mspcc.org.

Adoptive Families Together Parent Support Group. Thayer Public Library, 798 Washington St., Braintree.

Wednesday, March 12, 7 to 8:45 p.m.

Monthly parent group is a parent-run, confidential group that includes open discussions during which parents can share their personal concerns and needs around adoptive parenting.

Drop-ins welcome. Free. For more information, contact 857-728-2157. lbaeumler@mspcc.org.

Baby Care for First-Time Prospective Adopters. Adoption Community of New England, Inc. Office, 34 Deloss St., 2nd floor,

Framingham. Wednesday, March 12, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn the basics of baby care in this nationally recognized program.

The curriculum was developed for prospective adopters and includes instruction on feeding, bathing, clothing and nurturing a child in the first two years of life. $5/person. 508-872-2230. info@AdoptionCommunityofNE.org.

Church, 25 Cummins Highway, Roslindale.

Wednesday, March 19, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Monthly parent group is a parent-run, confidential group that includes open discussions during which parents can share their personal concerns and needs around adoptive parenting.

Drop-ins welcome. Free. For more information, contact 857-728-2157. lbaeumler@mspcc.org.

Fundraiser for Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE). Sky Zone, 91B Sprague St., Boston. Wednesday, March 12, 3 to 8 p.m. 30-minute jump is $9, 60-minute jump is $13. $5 of each admission is donated to MARE. mareinc.org.

We are Family: A Post Adoption Support Group. Emerson Hospital Campus, Route 2, Concord. Thursday, March 20, 7 to 9 p.m.

A monthly support and education group for parents who are caring for foster children, have adopted a child at age 3 or older, or whose adopted child is now over age 5. 978-287-0221, ext. 218.

Waiting Family Support Group Meeting.

Jordan’s Furniture, 50 Walkers Brook Dr., Reading. Thursday, March 13, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Presented by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. RSVP to suegenovesehelp@gmail.com.

Adoptive Families Together Parent Support Group. Stoughton Public Library, 84 Park St., Stoughton. Thursday, March 13, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monthly parent group is a parent-run, confidential group that includes open discussions during which parents can share their personal concerns and needs around adoptive parenting. Drop-ins welcome. Free. For more information, contact 857-728-2157. lbaeumler@mspcc.org.

Birth Families Meet to Discuss Adoption.

Adoption Community of New England, Inc. Office, 34 Deloss St., 2nd floor, Framingham.

Monday, March 17, 10 a.m. to noon.

Facilitated by professionals with experience working with birth families. Discussion of complex issues of living with adoption whether that adoption is open, closed or somewhere in between.

Boston Region Adoption Information Meeting. Department of Children and Families, 451 Blue Hill Ave., Dorchester. Wednesday, March 19, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Learn how to become foster or adoptive parent with the Massachusetts DCF. No registration required. 617-989-9202.

Adoptive Families Together Parent Support Group. Roslindale Congregational

Adoption Information Meeting. Morton Hospital, Margaret Stone Conference Room, 88 Washington St., Taunton. Thursday, March 20, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Presented by the Department of Children and Families.

RSVP at 508-894-3830.

Adoptive Families Together Parent Support Group. Worcester MSPCC office, 335 Chandler St., Worcester. Thursday, March 20, 7 to 9 p.m. Monthly parent group is a parent-run, confidential group that includes open discussions during which parents can share their personal concerns and needs around adoptive parenting. Drop-ins welcome. Free.

For more information, contact 857-728-2157. lbaeumler@mspcc.org.

Adoptive Families Together Parent Support Group. First Congregational Church, 18 Andover Rd., Billerica. Sunday, March 30, 7 to 9 p.m. Monthly parent group is a parent-run, confidential group that includes open discussions during which parents can share their personal concerns and needs around adoptive parenting. Drop-ins welcome. Free.

For more information, contact 857-728-2157. lbaeumler@mspcc.org.

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Camp Take-Me-Home

Strategies for the Reluctant Family Camper

BY SARAH WHELAN

How about a merit badge for parents who go camping, even though they are terrified of the great outdoors?

I may be a wimp, but I can’t stand bugs, pine needles on the floor, dirt everywhere, and no electricity. The truth is I hate camping!

That said, I spend two weekends a year camping with my family at Camp Cachalot in Wareham, Massachusetts. I do this because my husband (an Eagle Scout, Boy Scout troop leader, and Appalachian Trail thru-hiker) and my children absolutely love it. More importantly and I remind myself of this repeatedly during camping trips - camping is a family-strengthening activity that provides the opportunity to spend true quality time together.

Somehow, I survive these family camping trips, although I have made my share of embarrassing mistakes and learned some hard-won lessons along the way. I would like to think that my suffering has not been in vain. By sharing my stories with other parents, I hope to make your family camping experience a bit more enjoyable.

Here are my tips on how to survive a family camping trip when you would much rather stay home:

52 MARCH2014 53

Practice a Positive Attitude For me, it is difficult to have a positive attitude about a family camping weekend. When our campsite is finally set up and I look around at our third-world-style accommodations, I have to fight the urge to run for the car and attempt an escape.

What works for me is to “make it about the kids.” I focus on making sure that my children and husband have a great time and that we spend time together as a family.

My advice to other parents is to view camping as an opportunity to do the things you always wanted to do with your children, if you only had the time. This is your chance to make a fun craft together, go on a hike, organize a scavenger hunt, play hide-and-seek, fly a kite, go fishing, tell stories, sing songs, and make s’mores. Use the time at camp to enjoy simply being with your children.

Yield to Dirt Take my word for it. Within fifteen minutes of arriving at camp, your

children will be filthy. I tell you this so that you won’t be surprised or distressed (like I was) when you find that your normally spotless children look as if they haven’t bathed in weeks.

My children dig and play in the dirt of the Camp Cachalot pine forest, and they love every minute of it.

While playing with friends they see only twice a year, their faces are soon covered with not only dirt, but also smiles from ear-to-ear.

You must resign yourself to the reality that your children are going to get dirty at camp. To get through this, assure yourself, as I do, that you will only be there for a few days.

By all means, wash them up before eating and before bed, but that’s about all you can do. The dirt won’t hurt them, and you can make them soak in a hot bath the second you get home.

be as clean or well-stocked as your bathroom at home. Always bring your own toilet paper with you to camp — and remember to take it with you every time you go!

Another challenge for parents is the middle-of-the night bathroom trip. I know I am not alone on this one. No matter what I do, I have to get up at least once during the night to go to the bathroom. It is no fun to leave the warmth of the tent and walk in the dark, by myself all the way to the bathroom. But what other option do I have?

I once thought I had the perfect solution, but boy was I wrong! At the time, I had just finished potty training my two toddlers, and I had the kind of portable potty chair that allows you to pour out its contents later on. I thought I could stay inside the tent, use this potty chair throughout the night, and simply get rid of the evidence in the morning.

Unfortunately, these chairs are designed to hold a toddler-sized bathroom visit, and apparently a mom’s bladder is somewhat larger than that. Needless to say, the potty chair overflowed, and I had an embarrassing cleanup job the next morning. My fellow parents, do not try this one out for yourselves.

If you, like me, cannot avoid a middle-of-the-night bathroom visit, there is something you can do. Before you go to bed, get together everything you need for a nighttime bathroom trip, including a flashlight, jacket, flip-flops, and toilet paper. This will make it easier for you to get to the bathroom and back in your warm sleeping bag as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Brace for Bathroom Time

Develop Sleeping Strategies

If you are lucky, your campground will have functioning bathrooms for you to use. Be aware, however, that these bathroom facilities will not

There is nothing like sleeping in a tent with your entire family. On my first camping trip, between my husband’s snoring and the sounds of the great outdoors, I thought

I would never fall asleep. Falling asleep and staying asleep while camping comes easily to some, but they are more difficult for others (like me). If you are not used to sleeping outside, earplugs are an absolute necessity. Using earplugs will block out the sounds of the forest and of the other campers and help you get some rest.

Be Prepared The Boy Scout motto definitely applies to family camping weekends. Much to my husband’s chagrin, I pack enough stuff to

sustain my family for weeks. But I have found that it is better to have too much than to find out that you are missing something. My advice for parents is to bring everything you think you might need for your camping trip.

Here are a few items you simply must not forget: • Several pairs of shoes for each person. Kids’ shoes tend to get wet, dirty, and/or lost during camping trips.

• Plastic bags to store dirty laundry and wet clothes.

• Entertainment for yourself and your children. I usually bring books, sports equipment (balls,

hula hoops, jump ropes, baseball bat, etc), and art supplies to keep everyone busy and happy.

• Adhesive bandages for the inevitable bumps and scrapes.

• Bug spray and sunscreen.

• A small dustpan and broom to clean up the tent. This is a necessity for me, since I can’t stand dirt and pine needles on the floor – even if it is in a tent.

I have not yet received my merit badge for camping, but I suppose I can live with that. The smiles from my children and the camaraderie with other families are a sufficient reward. I hope other Massachusetts parents will be brave enough and

inspired enough to try camping with their families. Family camping weekends bring families together and foster life long friendships.

Using the strategies outlined above, every parent can camp successfully. Your children will appreciate your efforts, and your family will benefit as a result. First, adopt a truly positive attitude about it, and then go ahead and experience camping together with your family. Perhaps when your children say, “I can’t wait to go camping together!” You can say, “Me too!” And almost mean it.

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BAYSTATEPARENT 52 53

Camp Bonnie Brae COUNTDOWN TO

SUMMER

CAMP

Celebrates 95 Years

of Memories

BY TRACEY PROHASKA CARROLL

A Girl Scout tradition since it opened in 1919, Camp Bonnie Brae continues making memories for summer campers and is now the longest running Girl Scout camp in the country.

The program started ninety-five years ago when two friends decided to create a nature retreat for girls. Edith Senet, one of the first directors of the Girl Scouts, and her good friend Edith Newall organized the camp in June that year. Today, Camp Bonnie Brae is the oldest continuously running camp in

Western Massachusetts.

During the years of its operation, many girls have experienced the dream the two women had. Recently, baystateparent met with one family that shares three generations of memories about Camp Bonnie Brae.

Fifty Dollars for Two Weeks Rosemary Kratovil attended the summer camp during its fiftieth anniversary celebration. Her daughter Jennifer Kratovil-

Three generations of Camp Bonnie Brae campers: Jennifer Katrovil-Moriarty (center) of Pittsfield, her daughter Erin (left), and mother Rosemary Kratovil (right) of Springfield.

54 MARCH2014 55

Moriarty went to the camp for ten years as a youth, her last year as a counselor assistant.

Today Kratovil-Moriarty’s daughter Erin continues the family tradition as she attends this year for her third summer.

“What it comes down to, why the camp has lasted this long, is because of the experiences and memories so many girls have created in this incredible place.”

Patricia Hallberg, Chief Executive Officer of the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts said.

Rosemary Kratovil couldn’t agree more.

Prior to entering the eighth grade, Kratovil saw fliers for the camp advertising its 50th anniversary. She remembers the cost of the camp being fifty dollars for a two-week stay back then.

“I was the first girl in Springfield to have her own paper route. So, I saved my own money to go,” Kratovil recalled.

Only able to participate in the camp that one year and loving it so much, she vowed that one day a daughter of her own would go every year.

“I still have the 50 year patch I received during that stay,” she said.

Some of her favorite camp memories are singing together on the big back porch of the camp, swimming lessons where each girl was given a colored cap representing the class level they were in, hiking through the woods, and sitting around the campfire chatting — while, of course, eating s’mores.

Her most cherished memory is the Wish Boat Ceremony.

Camp Bonnie Brae director Stacy Harper said the Wish Boat Ceremonies are a big part of camp life still today. Describing the special event, she said campers choose pieces of tree bark to decorate with items from nature like berries or leaves. They then get a birthday candle to position on the bark by melting the bottom to the top of their ‘wish boat.’ Then it’s off to the lake to set the boats sailing.

“They make a wish (as they send the handmade boat into the water) and when

the candle goes out, their wish comes true,” Harper said.

Mud Walks and No Showers Jennifer made her mom’s wish come true when she began attending Camp Bonnie Brae just before entering the second grade.

“I couldn’t get enough, I absolutely loved it.” Kratovil-Moriarty said of her first time at camp and why she continued to attend for a decade.

Today, she is a mother of two daughters.

Her oldest, Erin, will be attending her third year at camp this summer. Younger daughter Natalie is still a bit young for the program, but she can’t wait to go.

Kratovil-Moriarty works fulltime and also volunteers as a Girl Scout leader in her hometown of Pittsfield.

Remembering her cherished years at Bonnie Brae brought up wonderful images of a mud hike she and campmates had taken through what they called “The

Jerry’s Cabin, built in the 1950s and named for a camp director during that time, is situated right in the heart of camp. It serves as the camp director’s summer home.

“The Gong,” as it’s known to campers and staff, is the camp’s alarm clock, dinner bell, and emergency signal. Its sound can be heard from the far reaches of the property—even across the pond!

Its location on the shores of Big Pond makes Bonnie Brae the perfect place for aquatic activities. Trained instructors lead campers in sailing, canoeing, kayaking, and waterski.

Looking toward camp from the pond, it is clear that much of the property is woodland. Campers are invited explore prairie, freshwater, and wetland ecosystems as well in their nature activities.

BAYSTATEPARENT 54 55

COUNTDOWN TO

SUMMER

CAMP Enchanted Forest.” She said that while there are trails at the camp that are not muddy, she loved the ones that were.

She also noted the many changes from those days. Among the biggest are that campers today have cabins instead of tents, and showering is a daily option unlike in the past.

“It’s not terribly rustic. So don’t be scared off. It’s great for kids to get away from all types of media and just be outdoors,” Kratovil-Moriarty said.

Several years ago, Kratovil-Moriarty (who was eight months pregnant at the time), her mother and her daughter Erin (who was 3 ½) had the opportunity to stay at the camp together for a special event.

“We stayed overnight in a cabin,” she said, excitedly. “And we’re hoping to do it again this year.”

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Her daughter Erin looks forward to another season at Camp Bonnie Brae. She first attended a day camp program when she was going into first grade. Last year, she did both the day program and the overnight program, telling her mom that the overnight was much better because she could have breakfast,

lunch and dinner there.

“Fun, extraordinary and awesome,” were the words Erin used to describe the camp. She said she loved canoeing and arts and crafts, especially when they made fairy houses. She also thinks it’s really cool that her mom and Nana went there, too.

Commaraderie and Safety Ketaki Rella-Brooks is the Team Leadership Coordinator at Bonnie Brae and has been with the camp for the past five years. Once a camper there for eight years, and having experienced the counselors first hand, she wanted to be a counselor for campers today.

“It’s rewarding working with the campers,” she said. “It’s an accepting environment that I recommend to everyone.”

That welcoming environment is a trademark for the camp, Rella-Brooks and Hallberg noted.

Hallberg said, “The comfort level of being in an all-girl environment when you’re learning things like water skiing is really a safe feeling.”

For more information about Camp Bonnie Brae and its history, visit gscwm.org, the website of the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts.

At the end of each camp session, girls are invited to craft a boat using tree bark and other natural materials. This "wish boat" gets a small candle attached and lit before its maker sets it asail in Big Pond, making a wish.

Common camp wisdom says that when your candle's flame is extinguished, your wish can come true.

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Next year she will attend Regatta Point more weeks.

It was amazing how after one week she was able to take us sailing by herself.”

Boroughs JCC 45 Oak Street Westborough, MA 508-366-6121 Theme weeks include: Swim, LEGO®, Science, Music, Arts & Crafts Beach activities, and more.

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Open to children ages 15 months to 7 years

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Regatta Point Community Sailing 508.757.2140 • www.RegattaPoint.org

Mass Audubon Nature Day Camps In Central MA Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary 414 Massasoit Rd. Worcester, MA 01604 Camp Director 508-753-6087 x 13 bmbrookcamp@massaudubon.org Serves Children Ages 4.5-16

Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary

113 Goodnow Rd. Princeton, MA 01541 Camp Director 978-464-2712 x 8703 wachusett@massaudubon.org Serves Children Ages 3.5-17

• A unique opportunity to learn about the natural world.

• Meet new friends and have lots of fun!

• Specialty sessions such as digital photography, teen adventure trip, woodworking, wilderness skills and theater.

• Experienced staff who provide a safe, educational, and noncompetitive camp environment.

• Small group nature study.

• An experience that will last a lifetime!

To find out more and to download a camp brochure please check us out at

www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors BAYSTATEPARENT 56 57

SUMMERCAMP

BLACKSTONE VALLEY

Excellence in Dance Education Worcester • Westboro

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SUMMER PROGRAM 2014

• Prince & Princess Camp • Dance, Tumble & Craft Camp • Dance Intensive Workshops • Private Instruction Available

Register Todaaysses! for Summer Cl Recitals held at the beautiful Hanover Theatre in Worcester!

ckdance.com — PRE-SCHOOL THROUGH PRE-PROFESSIONAL — Ballet • Pointe • Jazz • Lyrical • Modern • Contemporary • Hip Hop • Acro

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Program Runs From June 16th-August 22nd • Arts & Crafts • Dance • Fishing • Ages 6 - 1/2 to 13 years • Basic Program: Mon-Fri 9am-4pm $480 (10-week program) • Extended Program: Mon-Fri, 7am-6pm $730 (10-week program)

• Olympic In-Ground Pool • Swim Program

• Theater • Skate Park

LIMITED ENROLLMENT

CALL OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.bvbgc.com 508-883-6363 115 Canal Street • P.O. Box 283 Blackstone, MA 01504

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CAMP West Woods Offering TWO Unique Summer Programs

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• Programs for children in grades 3-10 • Two-week sessions • Rock climbing, kayaking, hiking overnights

• For children in grades 2-8 • Two-week sessions • Individualized instruction for beginner through advanced gymnasts

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Tech Camps held at Amherst, Merrimack, Princeton, and 80+ Universities Ages 7-18

Camp

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Limited spaces still available. Call for more information.

SUMMERCAMP

July 7th - July 25th

2 -12 including recent high school graduates • 5 days! Mon.-Fri. • 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Camp show performances on July 26th & 27th

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DISCOUNT AVAILABLE NOW! TAKE $50 OFF CAMP ENROLLMENT FEE UNTIL MARCH 31ST

Your child will enjoy a summer of music, art, drama and dance at our 3 week, state certified theatre camp held in Worcester. Campers will also produce a full show for family and friends at the conclusion of camp. Students will learn all the aspects of producing a show from acting, singing & dancing to set building, costumes and more!

Announcing 2014 camp shows soon!

Check website for updates.

Past shows include:

For all information, call 978-602-6288 or register online at

wachusetttheatre.com

BAYSTATEPARENT 58 59

Trash Heap to Tres Chic

baystateparent Creates Eco-Friendly Office Style

BY MARYJO KURTZ

The sharp stylings of the new baystateparent magazine offices are a fitting backdrop for the creative work that happens there daily. A wooden beamed ceiling soars high above the expansive Millbury, Massachusetts, work space. Brick walls and large windows span the room below.

But a close look reveals something surprising. The modern digs are housed in a refurbished historic building and each furniture piece is created with recycled materials. It is a funky, green style committed to recycling — proving that everything old can be new again.

“I thought the building had character,” said Kirk Davis, owner and publisher of baystateparent.

“The building was centrally located — which is ideal, given that we are a statewide resource for families.”

60 MARCH2014 61

Located a short distance from the Massachusetts Turnpike, the stylish office sits in the Felters Mill building, a complex dating to the start of the 20th century. During the 1900s, a thriving textile company operated there, creating uniforms and other items for the army. But as the economy changed, the mill eventually closed and the building sat abandoned for 20 years before brothers Gianni and Mario Romeo bought it in 2011. The two renovated and repurposed the building as commercial space.

In keeping with the spirit of recycling, Davis joined with designers Stephen Warshaw and Tom Reighard to fashion an office environment with repurposed materials. The three found their inspiration at the Center for EcoTechnology (CET) in Springfield,

a nonprofit company committed to green living.

The company operates a warehouse of donated construction materials called EcoBuilding Bargains.

Items come from homeowners and contractors. The warehouse is filled with discarded building pieces, from simple lumber to highend kitchen cabinets, from basic doors to antique light fixtures. The inventory is constantly changing.

The environmental impact of this effort is notable. Dave Orsman, CET Director of Marketing and Development, said that 430 tons of materials were kept from landfills in 2013 as a result of CET. “This is the biggest reuse retail store in New England,” said Orsman.

“People come here because they are motivated by making a green choice or they are looking for affordability.”

For designers, the store is a canvas for ideas. One man’s junk, as they say, is another’s treasure. “Stephen had a vision beyond what I could see in almost every piece in the store,” said Davis. “An old door becomes a beautiful desk.”

Indeed, each desk in the baystateparent office is created using a door. Artistically designed and painted, the doors lay flat as work areas, topped with glass sheeting.

“That’s how it works at EcoTechnology, Someone might come in and say, ‘I love that cabinet, but I was looking for a light stand.’ We can do it.” said Reighard, inventor and owner of Concepts to Reality in Litchfield Hills, Connecticut.

“People come here and get inspired.

Open your mind and you can create anything.”

An unusual and stunning piece in the collection is a desk designed for baystateparent publisher Kirk Davis.

“We had an idea of what we wanted going into that project,” Reighard recalled. “I hand-picked all of the boards and then added antique hinges.”

The drawers, he said, were salvaged from an old hardware store. One reads “taps and dies” and the other “drills.”

The desktop opens to reveal leather pockets for files and supplies.

A focal point of baystateparent offices is the unique conference room table. From a large, heavy, metal industrial scrap, Reighard refinished the piece to serve as a table.

“Stephen and I were at EcoBuilding Bargains and we saw this old steel metal thing, yellow and rusty with some cool rollers. Stephen envisioned a tabletop with a paper roll, and then I could just see it,” said Reighard.

He added steel legs to the piece and then inlaid wooden planks to create a bottom shelf.

The table, designed to bring people together, is itself a conversation starter.

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The cool stylings of the office file cabinet have frosty beginnings. Reighard said the idea came from a large freezer door in the EcoBuilding Bargains inventory.

“Stephen and Tom saw a refrigerator door and had the vision to say, ‘This can become something,’” Orsman recalled.

“As soon as I saw it, I could picture all the pieces,” Reighard said.

The freezer door lays atop the cabinet, lifting open to reveal the files inside. “The piece is built around the door.

I measured to fit standard files and then built the cabinet.

I pictured steel legs and a wood front,” said Reighard.

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Each employee at the baystateparent offices has a unique desk.

Handpicked doors serve as desktops, topped with panes of glass. All of the doors were professionally hand-painted with uniquely drawn designs.

“It is easy to recycle doors. One of them serves as a chalkboard, another as a desktop,” said Reighard. “Some have added wood trim, some have metal pieces added to look like old-fashioned nails.”

“We have creative staffers and I thought the notion of ‘sitting at your door’ all day could fly!” said Davis.

“That’s what makes this idea [of recycling] so inspiring. It is making a new use out of old materials,” Reighard said. “They don’t sell desks here, but yet baystateparent now has a whole office of them.”

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BAYSTATEPARENT 60 61

play

With this special section, baystateparent magazine is commemorating the Boston Children’s Museum on its 100 year anniversary

THE

POWER OF

COMES A LONG WAY!

baystateparent is collaborating with Boston Children’s Museum to create a new, exciting supplement to our publication, “The Power of Play.” Each month, we include special features,

ATTENTION

KIDS

100 Ways for Children to Play

content, fun ideas (and even some special offers) from this venerable institution which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Morningstar Access

– A Special Program for Special Visitors

Here are the next 10 in our list:

1.

Make mud pies.

2.

Build card houses.

3. Grab a variety of fruits and vegetables, predict which ones will sink and which will float, then toss them in a sink or bin full of water and find out!

4.

When you are waiting in line anywhere, ask your child to estimate how many people are in line in front of you and then count them. Try again with how many people are behind you. Then estimate how long it will take to get through the line. For more simple math games, check out this website (http://mixinginmath. terc.edu/).

5.

Dance around with scarves in your hands.

6.

Make homemade instruments and start a band.

7.

Go on a 10 minute walk around your neighborhood and find things that start with the letter “S”.

Then try a new letter.

8. Have a “serious contest”: stare at each other, and try not to smile or laugh.

9.

Play broom ball – brooms + any size rubber ball = hours of fun.

10.

Build a snow fort.

Morningstar Access at Boston Children’s Museum offers children with special needs/ medical needs the opportunity to visit the Museum at a time when there are only a few other visitors. At these times, we have a limit of 100 guests, and children and their families can explore the Museum with less concern about infections and large crowds. The programs run every month and offer a quiet and welcoming environment to explore and play. Upcoming dates and times are listed below, registration is required. For more information and to register on-line go to: http:// www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/morningstar. For additional information contact Saki Iwamoto, Health and Wellness Educator at Iwamoto@BostonChildrensMuseum.org.

Upcoming MorningStar Dates Saturday March 15th, 2014 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm - Evening Edition!

Friday April 18th, 2014 (the first day of school vacation week) from 8 am to 10 am Monday May 26th, 2014 (Memorial Day) from 8 am to 10 am Admission: All guests must pay admission at the Admissions Desk upon arrival.

Non-members: Half admission price ($7 per person), Members: Free

62 MARCH2014 63

B wor from stud cogn tran find orde on p of o deta at B Lari at th I with child S that disa una nea plac hair W amb to m proj but som com S from una we t can T

Research at Boston Children’s Museum Explores How Children Think About Morality Boston Children’s Museum works closely with researchers from local universities to conduct studies into child development, cognition and more; and to translate the latest studies and findings for the general public in order to make a positive impact on parenting practices. As part of our continuing series sharing details about research happening at Boston Children’s Museum, Larisa Heiphetz from Boston College’s Morality Lab shares below recent learning about her research at the Museum.

Imagine that two children disagree about a moral issue. One child says that it’s better to share with someone, and another child says that it’s better to pull someone’s hair. Could both of these children be right, or could only one child be right?

Several prior studies in developmental psychology and experimental philosophy have shown that preschoolers usually think that moral beliefs are akin to factual beliefs. That is, if two people disagree, at least one of them must be wrong. However, these previous studies have focused on unambiguous moral beliefs—moral issues for which there is one “correct answer” about which nearly everyone in a given culture agrees. For example, in the United States (and most other places!), nearly everyone thinks that it is good to share with someone and wrong to pull someone’s hair.

We wondered whether children might reason similarly about moral beliefs that are a little more ambiguous. For example, what happens if we tell children about one character who thinks it’s better to make cookies for someone and another character who thinks it’s better to help someone with a project? The two characters are disagreeing about a moral issue—which of two actions is better— but in this case, there is no clear-cut “correct” answer. Most children think that making cookies for someone is good and that helping someone with a project is also good, and it may be a little more complicated to decide which is better.

So far, we’ve been finding that 4- to 6-year-old children distinguish unambiguous moral beliefs from moral beliefs that are more ambiguous. When we present them with disagreements about unambiguous moral beliefs, most children say that only one character can be right. However, when we tell children about ambiguous moral beliefs, they are more likely to respond that both characters can be right.

This result shows that children don’t think about all moral beliefs in the same way. Rather, children seem to think differently about different types of moral claims.

This finding helps scientists better understand how children think about morality. This research also has important implications for early childhood education because it can help teachers learn more about how their students interact with other children who disagree with their own moral views.

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BAYSTATEPARENT 62 63

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”

BY TRISH RESKE

64 MARCH2014 65

photos provided by Whole Children

Whole Children:

photos provided by Whole Children

W

alk through the doors of Whole Children in Hadley, Massachusetts, and you will discover much more than special needs kids practicing martial arts, playing Pokémon, or acting onstage. You will discover a place where children of all abilities not only thrive as learners and doers of recreational and social skills, but also are accepted for the unique people they are and encouraged to be all that they can be.

“There’s a sense of joy and lightness and humor here,” said Whole Children founder and director Carrie McGee. “There’s a collective way that we celebrate our kids. We don’t give up on them. Everyone is welcome, and parents in our community quickly realize that they’re not alone. We support each other.”

Ten years ago, Carrie started Whole Children out of her desire to give her son, Alex (now 18) opportunities to succeed in a safe, fun, social setting. Doctors had told Carrie when Alex was diagnosed as a young child with William’s Syndrome all the things he’d never do. “I kept thinking, ‘How do you know that? How can you possibly know what he is capable of?’”

The idea of a place where children like Alex could develop social skills in a fun, supportive, accepting environment took hold.

“Alex was the Inspiration for Whole Children” In 2004, Carrie and a group of like-minded parents got together and started Whole Children, offering a handful of movement classes like yoga and gymnastics therapeutically designed to work on their kids’ social skills.

“Alex was the inspiration for Whole Children,” she said.

The first year, Whole Children operated out of a small space and served about 40 families. Since then, Whole Children has grown exponentially. In 2010, the center ran 133 classes for over 300 kids of all abilities in a new 7,600 square foot facility complete with a gym, café, sensory movement room and more. Each year, Whole Children also puts on concerts with its Joyful Chorus.

Tammy Rousseau’s son Cameron (now 16) has been attending Whole Children since its inception, when he was in first grade. Adopted from Russia, Cameron has a number of challenges, including seizures and anxiety disorder. Yet Whole Children has transformed him over the years from a child who wouldn’t leave his mother’s side to a thriving, happy kid who loves to sing and perform onstage.

“To see the transformation in Cameron, to see him sing in front of 800 people… I can’t even put into words,” said Tammy.

“Whole Children gave him that opportunity.”

Show Your Team Spirit!

Whole Children Grows Up As the first group of children has matured over the last ten years, Whole Children’s programs have adapted to their changing life stages as well. The center, now joined with The Association for Community Living in Springfield, is able to fund additional programs geared toward teens and young adults through their Milestones program.

“As our own kids began to grow up, we included new programs that met their needs,” said Carrie.

Milestones offers classes on social skills, dating, cooking, careers and independent living, along with performing arts classes.

The ability to flex with the needs of children and parents is a cornerstone of the Whole Children philosophy. “It’s shaped by the people who are involved with it and care about it — not by a bureaucracy with a certain agenda.

It’s really organized around this sense that you don’t have to have a specific diagnosis to come. Some people who come here have no special needs at all,” said Carrie.

When Danielle of Florence first brought her son Benjamin (now 10) to Whole Children, she wanted to find a place where he would experience structure and security. Ben, an academically gifted second-grader with social and developmental challenges, was going through a difficult time adjusting to school. But at Whole Children, “being different is the norm here. You’re not the outlier,” she said. “Whole Children was a lifesaver for us, because it was a place where Ben could be happy and feel good. It’s a safe place to be. It supports our family so well.”

Custom Designs $5 Haircuts $10 Adults $8 Kids

118 Elm St., Millbury, MA, 508-865-2047 Hours: Tues-Fri 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat 6 a.m.-8 p.m.

The Powerful Connection with Parents Whole Children was originally formed by parents with a personal BAYSTATEPARENT 64 65

desire to meet a perceived hole in their children’s lives. The biggest surprise, according to Carrie, was the realization of how much it has met the needs of parents as well. “The number one thing we hear from parents is the sense that when they walk in here, they feel welcome,” said Carrie.

“Not judged, not evaluated, just welcome.”

Danielle felt this connection immediately the first time she brought Ben to Whole Children.

“It’s been a place to meet other families who truly ‘get it,’” she said. “There’s a common language and a common understanding that’s really affirming.”

Parents not only empathetically support each other but also feel listened to by the organization.

“They are very collaborative,” said Danielle. “They work with parents to brainstorm what our needs are. Because they are parents themselves, they get it. So many agencies aren’t like that.”

Carrie said that Whole Children is attuned to parents who may be wary after coming from other agency experiences that aren’t able to be so flexible. “We reassure each parent that wherever their child is, we will meet them there,” she said. “We’ve seen such growth in kids, because we just don’t give up on them. And we affirm the parents, because it’s a shared experience. We need each other.”

Future Possibilities Over the last ten years, Whole Children has served more than 800 families – some who have commuted from nearby towns in Connecticut and Vermont to participate in the center’s unique programs. When asked what’s on the horizon for Whole Children, Carrie said that wherever the future takes them, it will be grounded in their vision to help children far surpass expectations, open new

doors and discover the worlds that await their future success.

This vision for the organization, according to Carrie, embodies the vision the small group of parents who began Whole Children had for the center — that “anything is possible if people come together and believe in the mission and each other.”

For Tammy, this hopeful vision has transformed her personal vision for her son Cameron, whom she once thought would be at home as an adult and requiring care. “Now I see him totally having a parttime job and living independently with his friends,” she said. “As long as he has support, he can do anything. Anything is possible, and he feels this. That’s what Whole Children has given him. It has changed my child’s life.”

Whole Children Upcoming Events “A Trip to Oz” March 21 & 22, 2014 Smith College, Hallie Flanagan Theater, Northampton

“Art of Giving” Fundraiser Featuring renowned local artists Hadley Farms Meeting House 41 Russell St, Hadley April 12, 2014

For more information on these events or Whole Children programs, visit www.wholechildren.org.

*Private Music Lessons *Musikgarten Classes *Rock Bands *Summer Programs *All Ages & Skill Levels *All Instruments & Voice *All are Welcome!

Join Us Today!

66 MARCH2014 67

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Celebrating 20 Years of Leadership in Early Childhood Education

Next Generation New Clothing & Dresses For Spring!

Easter Basket Gifts & Plush!

First Communion Dresses for Special Order!

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1102 Pleasant St. Worcester, MA Hours: Tues~Fri 10-5 • Thurs 10-6 • Sat 10-4 508-926-8710 ButtonTreeKids.com • info@buttontreekids.com facebook.com/ButtonTreeKids

Children’s Centers Explore our philosophy: We nurture the whole child.

NGCC provides your child with the foundation for a wellrounded experience to help them succeed in every stage of development.

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

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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon April 11 – May 11

Friday nights at 7:30; Saturday & Sunday matinees at 3:00 School vacation week matinees at 1:00 Wheelock Family Theatre proudly presents the New England premiere of this richly textured adaptation of Grace Lin’s Newbury-honored novel.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon weaves legend and myth with the story of a young girl’s adventures.

Tickets: $35 - $20 617-879-2300 • tickets@wheelock.edu www.WheelockFamilyTheatre.org Located in the Fenway Cultural District of Boston Check the website for Spring and Summer Class listings for Children, Youth and Teens!

Wheelock Family Theatre Professional Theatre for Every Generation!

68 MARCH2014 69

Now Open

A New Era in Caring for Children and Families

Featuring over 15 pediatric specialty services under one roof, the Specialty Center is designed to offer the best in care coordination, comfort, and convenience, with a healthy dose of fun thrown in as well.

9x10.25

The opening of the Baystate Children’s Specialty Center at 50 Wason Avenue in Springfield represents an iconic moment in the future of caring for children and families in western Massachusetts.

50 Wason Avenue Springfield, Massachusetts

Learn more and take a video tour at baystatehealth.org/bchspecialty.

1402052_BCH-BaystateParent.indd 1

BAYSTATEPARENT 68 69 2/11/14 4:15 PM

THE BOSTON CONSERVATORY

BORN TO PERFORM! SUMMER YOUTH MUSICAL THEATER PROGRAM AUGUST 4–8, 2014

Were you born to perform?

For students in grades 6–9.

Program runs Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Register by July 1 • Tuition: $350

LEARN MORE: WWW.BOSTONCONSERVATORY.EDU/YOUTH

ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED FOCUSED Shrewsbury GUIDED PREPARED Montessori ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED SchoolCONFIDENT GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED An Authentic Education Preparing Young PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED People for Today’s Changing World Age Three through Grade Six ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT March 4, 2014ACCOMPLISHED • 5:30-6:30 p.m.

GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE CONFIDENT FOCUSED PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED Montessori Children’s House of Auburn ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE 135 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Auburn, MA 01501 CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED508-832-9262 ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED Both PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED Campuses ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED Shrewsbury Montessori School ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE 55 Oak Street, CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED Shrewsbury, MA 01545 FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT 508-842-2116 GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED VISIT US ONLINE ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED www.shrewsburymontessori.org ACCOMPLISHED CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE CONFIDENT FOCUSED GUIDED PREPARED ARTICULATE ACCOMPLISHED

OPEN HOUSE

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April School Vacation

The New England Family Fun Festival (NEF3.com)

Saturday, April 26th and Sunday, April 27th, 2014 Families and children will experience an incredible line up of:

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Don’t Ever

Ask a Woman If She’s Pregnant. Ever.

BY KERRI LOUISE I gave birth to twin boys 11 years ago and my youngest boy is now 6-years-old. After all these years, I still look pregnant! I don’t look fat, I look pregnant. The skinner I get, the more pregnant I look. My belly just wants to go back to where it was when I was having twins. I was huge when I was pregnant with the twins.

I had a belly ring and that flew off and hit my doctor in the eye.

Even I thought I was pregnant one night, looking and feeling my pouch.

I even made my husband go and get me a pregnancy test. It was negative, but I’m still worried because he got it at the dollar store. I’ve been working my butt off trying to get my butt off! Yet, I still have a belly.

I get asked if I’m pregnant all the time. Not by men. They’re smart.

They don’t ask unless the woman admits she’s pregnant. But no, women are different. We get too excited and we lose all control.

I actually had one woman ask me if I was pregnant as she reached out to touch my belly! I was shaking my head “No!” when she saw the look on my face. It was too late. Her hand was already on my belly and we both just wanted to die. Needless to say, it was a long and quiet ride on the elevator up to the 28th floor.

One woman thought I was hiding the fact I was pregnant and started arguing with me. “Yes you are. Just tell me, you’re having a baby!” She thought she figured out my plan before anyone else and she was going to break the big secret. “Just tell me your having your fourth child!” she said.

Can you believe I had to argue with this woman trying to convince her that I’m not pregnant? I was trying to be polite, but inside I was saying to myself, “You witch! What part of NO I’M NOT PREGNANT don’t you understand? I’m just fat. Now take your foot and put it in your mouth.”

Finally, she said she was sorry and that it must have been the shirt I was wearing or the way I was standing.

(Believe me, I’ve never worn that shirt again.)

So to avoid humiliation, I just tell people I’m pregnant.

“Wow,” this one woman said. "You look great for four months."

I said, “I know!” with a big smile on my face.

“You don’t even look pregnant from behind,” she said.

I said, “I know!” with an even bigger smile on my face. I walk away happy. She walks away jealous of me because I look so good pregnant. No one gets hurt.

However, there was this one time I was telling this woman I was finally getting my baby girl. And, to make a long story short, she happens to be a lactation consultant. So now I have an interview with her the Tuesday after my fake baby’s born so she can help me breastfeed.

So let me give you women some advice. Never ask a woman if she is pregnant. I don’t care if she is looking like she just ate a basketball and she is rubbing her back. Don’t ask her. I don’t care if she has a foot hanging out of her! Don’t ask her, until she says, “You moron I’m having a baby call 911!” Then congratulate her, but call 911 first. That baby is breached and she’s going to need some help.

If you’re like me and you have a belly, then here’s my advice to you.

Spend big bucks on a great pair of Spanx. I have the best Spanx. It’s like a corset and I look great. Until I take it off, and then I look like I’m trying to open one of those Pillsbury Doughboy crescent roll cans. All of a sudden, it all comes popping out!

Poof! It scares the heck out of you every time.

Those Spanx should come with a warning label.

Two dollars off admission with this ad

• Live Performances by great family groups: The Toe Jam Puppet Band, Vanessa Trien, Agus & Marijo Monteiro • Storytellers Len Cabral, Tammy Titus as Robin Cheeky, Carolyn Martino, Scott Wilde, Marek Bennett & More..

• Face painting & Bounce Houses • Rides & Games • Arts & crafts & workshops by RISD Museum, Peace Love Studios, Xavier Arts & CityArts!

• Zumba, Bhangra & Dance so bring your sneakers!

• Interactive Games like Simon Says and Family Lego Building • Martial arts & Jump roping exhibits from OPR Hothoppers from Walpole MA, Brewster Bayside Skippers and more…

• Dora The Explorer, Princess Isabelle and more…

Rhode Island Convention Center, 1 Sabin Street, Providence, RI 02903 Discounts available with registration at: nef3.com/registration-page/ Like Us on Facebook at: facebook.com/newenglandfamilyfunfestival.com Website: nef3.com or email: info@nef3.com

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 Also Offering Vacation Programs

Also, Co-ed Basketball Camp, Writers Institute, Movement, Music, and Drama and more.

Go to www.applewild.org for details and registration.

120 Prospect St. Fitchburg 978•342•6053 Baystate_Layout 1 1/20/14 4:21 PM Page 2

C O M M O N W E A LT H B A L L E T PRESENTS

Stardust Gym offers a variety of children’s activities including: Gymnastics, Cheerleading & Toddler Classes (up to age 12) Visit us online for more information.

612 Plymouth St., Rte. 106 ★ East Bridgewater 508-378-2223 ★ www.STARDUSTGYM.com

FAMILY CONCERT Bow a bass!

Bang a drum!

Toot a tuba!

CHIP MORRIS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

The

Secret

Sunday

Garden

March 9, 2014 3 pm

Tickets starting at $20 Free parking & Group rates available

Family-friendly ticket prices $8-20.

Instrument Demonstration at 2 pm Memorial Hall, Plymouth Concert Sponsors:

REGIS COLLEGE, WESTON MA Saturday March 22nd at 1 & 6pm Sunday March 23rd at 1pm

Order online at CommonwealthBallet.org

or call 978.263.7794 72 MARCH2014 73

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Dance, Gym & Enrichment Gym Hutt Gymnastics 84 Pierce Avenue ♦ Lakeville, MA Classes for boys and girls Recreational & Competitive programs *Gymnastics is the best foundation for any sport*

508-823-2299 ♦ www.gymhutt.com

Where fitness is FUN!

160 N. Main Street, Carver MA

ExpEriEncE ThE powEr of DancE!

for the Stars Reach

at Kathy Corrigan’s School of Gymnastics • Owner: Former Olympic Gymnast • USA Gymnastics Skill Development Program for All Ages • Competitive USA Teams • USA Certified Coaches • Birthday Parties!

406 VFW Drive, Rockland 781-878-9155 www.kathycorrigans.com

SMALL GROUP PIANO LESSONS AT YOUR SCHOOL!

In-home private lessons also available

Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Pointe, Modern, All Boys Hip-Hop & Award winning competitive teams

508-866-5600

Duxbury Children’s Dentistry Joy M. John, D.M.D. Kierstin R. Kerr, D.M.D. Amanda K. Peer, D.M.D. Pediatric Dentists “Our dental practice is dedicated to being a fun, caring & positive experience for your child.”

• Parents are welcome to accompany child • Digital X-Rays - 50% less radiation • Now offering hospital dentistry for children • Specializing in the care of children & special needs patients 95 Tremont St. • Duxbury

(781) 934-7111

duxburychildrensdentistry.com

For children ages 3 to 14.

Fun, creative lessons are conveniently located at your child’s school or child care facility.

We provide the instructor and instrument.

For more information or to bring Piano Playtime to your school, contact Molly Howard at 617-999-8794 pianoplaytime@yahoo.com www.pianoplaytime.com

Quality and Personalized instruction for all ages!

Beginner through Advanced

Healthy Kids & Families

Healthy Kids & Families

Providing chiropractic wellness care through pregnancy, birth and beyond!

Dr. Lisa Lewis 814 Route 3A • Cohasset, MA 02025

781-923-1226

www.CohassetFamilyChiro.com

NORWELL PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, L.L.C. Dentistry for Children, Adolescents, Special Needs Patients

Edward J. Schreier, D.D.S. Tamara R. Harling, D.M.D. Also Offering Vacation Programs

Stardust Gym offers a variety of children’s activities including: Gymnastics, Cheerleading & Toddler Classes (up to age 12) Visit us online for more information.

612 Plymouth St., Rte. 106 ★ East Bridgewater 508-378-2223 ★ www.STARDUSTGYM.com

Heather E. Wolbach, D.M.D., M.S. Brian T. Schmid, D.M.D.

Orthodontics for Children and Adults

James (Jess) Kane, D.M.D., M.S. Peter T. Phan, D.M.D.

• Serving the South Shore since 1978 • Infant Oral Health Visits • Board Certified Pediatric Dentists & Registered Dental Hygienists • Nitrous oxide for anxious patients • State-of-the-Art Digital Equipment • Comprehensive Orthodontics & Invisalign for Children & Adults

317 Washington Street (Rt. 53) • Norwell, MA 02061 Tel (781) 659-7442 • Fax (781) 659-4850 • www.norwellpediatricdentistry.com BAYSTATEPARENT 75

Party People!

Party People!

Preschool & Child Care We are a Strong ACADEMIC BASED Preschool

BIRTHDAY PARTIES SPECIAL EVENTS DAYCARES / PRESCHOOLS

Our programs serve children 2.9 to 6 years old

Are You Ready To Have The Party That Everyone Will Be Talking About?

Half Day Programs 8:45am-11:45am * Two & Three Day Preschool * Four Day Pre-Kindergarten

Treat your child to a party they will remember forever!

One of our unique and Specially Designed Buses will pull up right in front of your house for FUN for everyone.

Full Day Programs 8:45am - 2:30pm * Three Day Preschool * Five Day Pre-Kindergarten * Five Day Kindergarten SPANISH at no additional cost SCHOOL YEAR PROGRAM

For more information or to schedule a tour contact Jenn Mulvey

(508) 386-1821

508-992-2472

semass@funbuses.com

11 Anderson Way N. Dartmouth

www.funbuses.com

www.smithmillspreschool.org

The Ridge Hill School of Norwell Also Offering Vacation Programs

Stardust Gym offers a variety of children’s activities including: Gymnastics, Cheerleading & Toddler Classes (up to age 12) and The Best Parties Around Visit us online for more information.

612 Plymouth St., Rte. 106 ★ East Bridgewater 508-378-2223 ★ www.STARDUSTGYM.com

New Flavors Daily

Made from Scratch 76 MARCH2014 77

“All Live” Insects, Small Reptiles & Animals

The Coolest Party EVER! There’s Nothing Else Like It. School presentations also available.

Fordshometown.com 1-800-649-9992

• Fully accredited kindergarten • Pre-Kindergarten • Preschool • Summer program

Child-centered developmental approach NAEYC Accredited 102 High Street, Norwell

located near Queen Anne’s Corner

781-871-0018 www.ridgehillschool.com

Wollaston Child Care Center “A HIGH QUALITY LEARNING CENTER”

Parties Weddings Showers

OPEN ENROLLMENT

Fresh Fruit

238 Millbury Ave., Millbury, MA

508-459-9600 TheQueensCups.com

• Pre-School for Children 15 months - 7 Years • Unique Indoor and Outdoor Play Areas • Full & PT Schedules, Private Year round 7am-6pm Tours • On-Site Healthroom Available • Kindergarten

47 Weston Avenue, Quincy Adjacent to Wollaston T Station

617-773-7217

e

Service Directory Preschool Preschool & Child Care & Child Care for Kids & Families Libbiloo’s

Family Child Care

for 3, 4, & 5 year olds

l o o h c s e r P e c g Gra

azin AmYear ’Round Pre-K Program

Hours of operation 7am-5pm Monday- Friday Meals and snacks included Infant/toddler & preschool curriculum Loving, safe and secure Discounts for military, teachers & emergency servicemen & women

• Full and Half Day programs available • Pre-Care and After-Care available • Low student/teacher ratio • Bible-based curriculum • Phonics, Math, Reading, Music, Art, Spanish & Sign Language!

• Experienced teachers with degrees in Education • Kindergarten to 12th Grade enrollment available

1000 Oak Hill Ave., Attleboro, MA (508) 431-8159 or (508) 222-8675 director: Lorraine Bailey

License # 9002868

Carver, MA

www.theamazinggracepreschool.org www.gracebaptistchristianacademy.org

508-465-1075

MAGIC TOUCH Nursery • Pre-School • Kindergarten

TO ADVERTISE

387 East Center Street, Route 106 West Bridgewater

508-584-2228

Private Kindergarten Nursery-Preschool Day care services Summer program Drop-off services Before & After School Full and half days Extended days Open all year 6:30 am to 5:30 pm

Does Your Child Struggle with Reading?

Fun & Challenging

First Learning Experience

Contact Nellie Lima 774-364-5073 nellie@baystateparent.com

Now Enrolling-Toddlers 15 Mos-2.9 yrs old

The inability to read effectively can: • severely affect self-confidence • affect relationships with peers • create difficulties • contribute to behavioral issues

Any One Can Read Better

Reading Success for Children, Teens & Adults • Free consultation & standardization assessment • One-to-One instruction • No contracts • Students gain 1-4 grade levels • Decoding, fluency and comprehension

AnyOneCanReadBetter.com 781-467-6840

Professional sitters referral svcs., inc.

In Trained, mature, responsible childcare in your home.

Hourly • Daily Overnight • Weekends Full Weeks Memberships Available call Peggy at 781-582-1691 or email prositters@comcast.net

www.magictouchpreschool.com

prositters.webs.com

“I can’t wait to come back tomorrow!”

Litchfield Electric

Another day of learning, creating, exploring, playing, making friends and having fun is what your child will experience at the

JCC Early Learning Centers.

JCC Early Learning Center Brookline/Brighton 617-278-2950 x221 brookline-elc@jccgb.org

Gilson JCC Early Learning Center Sharon (at Temple Sinai) 781-795-4900 sharon-elc@jccgb.org

Bernice B. Godine JCC Early Learning Center • Newton (at the Leventhal-Sidman JCC) 617-558-6420 newton-elc@jccgb.org

JCC Early Learning Center • Wayland (at Temple Shir Tikva) 508-358-5331 wayland-elc@jccgb.org

business for 20 Years!

JCC Early Learning Center • Hingham (at Congregation Sha’aray Shalom) 781-752-4000 hingham-elc@jccgb.org

New Construction • Remodels Network Cabling • AV Installation Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors Electric System Upgrades

Generators 1,000 to 17,000 watts Manual or Automatic Transfer

bostonjcc.org/earlylearning Everyone welcome

Portable Generator Wiring Installed

Call us today 781-389-8323 www.litchfieldelectric.com BAYSTATEPARENT 76 77

INDEX

six figures.com

www.womenearningsixfigures.com

Hopkinton

Summer Camp & WellneSS Fair Saturday, March 8 11-2 pm Free Admission Kids Crafts & Facepainting Wellness Screenings Games for Kids Chair Massage & More!

Meet Representatives from Day & Overnight Camps Hopkinton High School 90 Hayden Rowe St., Hopkinton For more information: hopwell2013.webs.com sponsored by

78 MARCH2014 79

AAA Southern NE..................................................... 80 Amazing Grace Preschool.......................................... 77 Any One Can Read................................................... 77 Apple Tree Arts........................................................ 61 Applewild School..................................................... 72 Backyard Adventures................................................ 12 Backyard Farms...................................................... 30 Bancroft School....................................................4,47 Baystate Children’s Specialty Center........................... 69 Becker College........................................................ 13 Blackstone Valley Boys & Girls Club........................... 58 Blossom Station...................................................... 17 Boating in Boston.................................................... 46 Boroughs JCC.......................................................... 57 Boston Ballet.......................................................... 37 Boston Conservatory (The)....................................... 70 Boston Paintball...................................................... 76 Button Tree Kids, Inc................................................ 67 Camp Half Moon..................................................... 43 Camp West Woods.................................................. 58 Capen Hill Sanctuary................................................ 50 Central MA Dance Academy...................................... 56 Charlotte Klein Dance Centers.................................... 58 Children’s Dentistry of Northborough........................... 31 City of Worcester..................................................... 79 Clinton Savings Bank................................................. 2 Cohasset Family Chiropractic..................................... 75 Sue Marzo/Coldwell Banker..................................... 10 Commonwealth Ballet.............................................. 72 Cornerstone Academy................................................. 3 Defence Lab.......................................................22,23 Direnzo Towing....................................................... 63 Discovery Museums................................................. 12 Duxbury Children’s Dentistry...................................... 75 Ecotarium............................................................... 45 Edumentor Tutoring.................................................. 32 Eric Carle Museum................................................... 25 Everwood Day Camp................................................ 51 Fay School............................................................. 57 FMC Ice Sports........................................................ 70 Fords Hometown..................................................... 76 Fun Bus Fitness Fun on Wheels................................. 76 Giguere Gymnastics.................................................. 53 Girl Scouts of Eastern Mass....................................... 16 Girls Inc.................................................................. 53 Growing Room of Berlin (The)................................... 31 Gym Hutt Gymnastics............................................... 75 Gymnastics Learning Center...................................... 24 Hanover Theatre (The)............................................... 6 Health Alliance Hospital............................................ 31 Hopkinton Summer Camp Fair................................... 78 ID Tech................................................................... 58 Indian Hill Music School............................................ 49 JCC of Greater Boston.............................................. 77 John Robert Powers................................................. 37 Kathy Corrigan’s Full Day Care Center.....................32,75 Kennedy Donovan Center.......................................... 50 L.J.’s Hair Hop......................................................... 25

Libiloos Family Child Care......................................... 77 Litchfield Electric...................................................... 77 Magic Touch Nursery Preschool.................................. 77 Mass Audubon/Central Mass..................................... 57 Mass Audubon Society............................................. 51 Mighty Oaks Montessori School................................. 10 Millbury Savings Bank.............................................. 71 Music Together Corporation....................................... 26 New England Aquarium............................................ 42 New England Family Fun Festival............................... 71 New Horizon Karate & More..................................... 61 Next Generation Children’s Ctr................................... 67 Nobles Day Camp.................................................... 51 Norwell Pediatric Dentistry........................................ 75 Old Sturbridge Village............................................... 26 Paintbox Studio....................................................... 49 Parenting Solutions.................................................. 13 Paula Meola Dance.................................................. 46 Perkins School........................................................ 45 Playtime Piano........................................................ 75 Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra............................... 72 Professional Sitters.................................................. 77 Propel Marketing..................................................... 74 Regatta Point Community Sailing............................... 57 Ridge Hill School..................................................... 76 Riverbend School..................................................... 27 Road to Wellness Chiropractic.................................... 33 Shrewsbury Montessori School.................................. 70 Skribbles Learning Center.......................................... 67 Smith Mills Weekday Nursery.................................... 76 Snip Its.................................................................. 21 Southwick’s Zoo...................................................... 65 Sports Clip Barber Shop............................................ 65 Stardust Gym................................................72,75,75 Stephanie Dineen Dance Studio................................. 75 Sterling Academy of Gymnastics................................ 42 Summer Fenn/The Fenn School................................ 33 Taste of the Bouroughs............................................. 37 The Queen’s Cups.................................................... 76 Townsend Veterinary Hospital......................................5 Tufts University/Cummings School Of Veterinary Medicine....43 UNH Project SMART................................................. 45 USA Chess Camp..................................................... 52 Wachusett Theatre Company..................................... 59 Wheelock College Theatre......................................... 68 Whitin Community Center......................................... 43 Wild Orchid Baby..................................................... 33 Wollaston Child Care Center...................................... 76 Women Earning Six Figures...................................... 78 Worcester Art Museum............................................. 42 Worcester Art Museum/Knights Exhibit....................... 15 Worcester Bravehearts.............................................. 39 Worcester JCC......................................................... 52 Worcester Music Academy......................................... 66 Worcester Sharks ................................................... 73 WXLO.................................................................... 78 YMCA Central Branch............................................... 66 YMCA-Metrowest..................................................... 41

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Please mail the completed form to: AAA INsider, 110 Royal Little Drive, Providence, RI 02904

Just fill out this form and mail, enter online or call 1-800-222-8252 to be entered.

Name ________________________________________________ E-mail _____________________________________ Address __________________________________________________________________________________________ Membership # _________________________________________ Phone _____________________________________ *NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void outside of CT, MA, RI and NH and where prohibited. Must be legal U.S. resident of CT, MA, RI or NH and age 21 or older to enter. Participation in the INsider program is not required. Completed mailed-in sweepstakes entry forms must be post marked by April 30, 2014. For Sweepstakes Official Rules, go to www.AAA.com or www.AAA.com/INsider or send SASE to “AAA Southern New England INsider Trip to Universal Orlando® Rules Request,” 110 Royal Little Drive, Providence, RI 02904. Sponsor: AAA Southern New England. **Plane tickets must be used in conjunction with this package. Must be used for arrival and departure from either Boston Logan International Airport, T.F. Green International Airport, Bradley International Airport or Manchester Boston Regional Airport and Orlando International Airport. ***Free associate membership available only to teens that are living in an AAA Southern New England Primary member household and are enrolled in AAA INsider between the ages of 13 and 15 and 9 months. INsider program valid only in AAA Southern New England territory and not valid for roadside assistance. AAA Southern New England proudly serves members in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. TRANSFORMERS and its logo and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. © 2014 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. © 2014 DreamWorks L.L.C. and Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Universal elements and all related indicia TM & © 2014 Universal Studios. ©2014 Universal Orlando. All rights reserved. MEM.12747.14_BSPP

80 MARCH2014