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baystateparent FREE

Massachusetts’ Premier Magazine For Families Since 1996

JUNE 2017

WHAT’S NEW AT NEW ENGLAND’S TOP FAMILY ATTRACTIONS

85 FREE FUN PLACES TO VISIT THIS SUMMER THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF SUMMER CAMP PARENTING 8 SURPRISING EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS OF FAMILY TRAVEL

OF 93 Summer!

DAYS

WORCESTER ART MUSEUM

YOUTH & TEEN ART CLASSES A great camp alternative!

Experience our innovative, new summer program that combines the visual arts with STEM – science, technology, engineering and math.

Choose from 5 week-long sessions for youth and teens.

Early morning, extended day and lunch options available.

Classes begin July 10 Enroll today!

2 JUNE2017

worcesterart.org

Women’s Health & Lifestyle Program The mission of Saint Vincent Hospital’s Women’s Health & Lifestyle Center’s Program is to promote prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of disease in women. We provide compassionate, high quality care that is convenient and comprehensive for women of all ages.

We promote health and wellness, educating our patients and collaborating with our colleagues.

Let’s create a healthier community, one woman at a time.

Benefits of the program include: > Preferred Appointment Access to Providers enrolled in our Program > “Healthy You” e-newsletters with tips on improving your health, fitness, diet, and lifestyle > Be the first to hear about: - Educational lectures given by our Providers - Preventative Screening Events - Group health and wellness classes offered in the community

Visit www.stvincenthospital.com/whlc and enroll today!

To make an appointment with one of our providers please call: 855-792-6327 Client ID: 9-25x11 SVH Women’s Health Component: Space Ad SVH Women's Health Space Ad 032717.indd 1 Project Number: SVH032717 Colors: cmyk

Flat Size: 9.25x11 Finished Size: 9.25x11

BAYSTATEPARENT 3/27/17 5:11 PM3

Cornerstone Academy Educating all learners in grades K-6

An elementary preparatory school that celebrates the individual.

Nurturing the Love of Music, The Arts, and Nature at Cornerstone Academy!

We take pride in personalizing each child’s learning experience with care and creativity.

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

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

• Small classes, individual attention.

• Intellectually enriching environment.

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

• State of the art technology utilized in all classrooms.

5 Oak Avenue • Northboro, MA 01532 • 508-351-9976 www.cornerstoneacademy.org 4 JUNE2017

2017 Theatre Camp Shows SPACE STILL AVAILABLE IN BOTH CAMPS! grades 8-12 - including recent high school graduates.

This camp will take your teen to a higher level in theatre!

They will produce and act in THEIR OWN show - separate from the younger campers! Join in this exciting adventure!

grades 2-7 Learn the importance of teamwork, make friends for life, experience being part of a show from start to finish!

July 10th - July 30th

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

Camp show performances on July 29th & 30th 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!

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

wachusetttheatre.com

BAYSTATEPARENT 5

Thank you for recognizing us as the Best of baystateparent special care givers in 2016!

We continue to strive for excellence in care for our current and future patients.

We now provide transition planning and adult care.

The Child Development Network is pleased to announce the founding of the Adult Development Network. We dedicate the same commitment to providing excellent diagnostic assessments and consultation for adolescents, young adults, and adults with developmental, attention, and learning concerns.

The ADN & CDN network of doctors provides expert clinical care

Adult Development Network

Child Development Network, Inc.

Lexington, MA • 781-861-6655 • www.CDNKids.com 6 JUNE2017

table of contents JUNE 2017 VOLUME 22

4

1.

NUMBER 2

things we learned while making

the june issue

10 12 18

Connecticut’s Lake Compounce is the longest continuously running amusement park in North America. Head to page 30 and discover what’s new at the 171-year-old amusement park, as well as other family favorites across New England.

2.

3.

A Tall Ship is a traditionally rigged sailing vessel, which can be categorized by the number of masts/shape of the ship. On page 33, get the inside scoop on the events comprising this month’s majestic six-day Tall Ships Regatta, which is returning to Boston for the first time in 17 years.

While it may not be dominating the news like last year, the Zika virus is still a health threat. In fact, 80% of infected people do not show symptoms. Turn to page 41 and learn where Zika travel alerts have been posted and how to protect yourself if you travel to those regions.

4. meet team publisher KIRK DAVIS

associate publisher KATHY REAL 508-749-3166 ext. 331 kreal@baystateparent.com

Digging in the dirt can make kids healthier! Several studies show that children who were raised on farms don’t have as many respiratory allergies, asthma, or autoimmune disorders as those who were raised in urban areas. The reason?

Children who live on farms are exposed to more microbes and fungi in the dirt. On page 14, read about the other benefits gardening can deliver to children.

creative

in every issue MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS ADD TO CART: Our favorite June product picks VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE: How Parents, Educators Can Team to Help Children Manage Behavior

20 28 28 39

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO: June Calendar Of Family Events

58

TAKE 8: Author Betsy Bird: “Funny girls can become funny women.”

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS: Area adoption events JUNE’S CHILD: Meet Isaac DIVORCE & CO-PARENTING: Want a Safe, Fun Summer?

Cooperate with Your Child’s Other Parent

JOIN US ONLINE! facebook.com/baystateparent Twitter @baystateparent

advertising

editor in chief MELISSA SHAW 508-865-7070 ext. 201 editor@baystateparent.com

director of sales REGINA STILLINGS 508-865-7070 ext. 210 regina@baystateparent.com

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

creative director PAULA MONETTE ETHIER 508-865-7070 ext. 221 pethier@holdenlandmark.com

account executive KATHY PUFFER 508-865-7070 ext. 211 kathy@baystateparent.com

It is distributed free of charge throughout Massachusetts.

senior graphic designer STEPHANIE MALLARD 508-865-7070 design@baystateparent.com

account executive MICHELLE SHINDLE 508-865-7070 ext. 212 michelle@baystateparent.com

508-865-7070

presidents KIRK and LAURIE DAVIS

BAYSTATEPARENT 7

table of contents 93 Days of Summer

Features 45

MASSive Comic Con Offers Free Admission for Kids 10 and Under

46

Best-Selling Author Pens Coming Out Novel That’s About So Much More

Summer Camp: C’mon, Let’s Go! 49

Tips for Ensuring Your Child’s Health and Safety at Camp

50

The Do’s and Don’ts of Summer Camp Parenting

30

New Thrills and Hidden Gems at New England’s Top Family Attractions

33

Tall Ships Return to Boston This Month After 17-Year Absence

34

8 Surprising Educational Benefits of Family Travel

36 40 41 42

Summer Gift Guide ’17 Highland Street Foundation Kicks Off Free Friday Family Fun This Month

This month’s cover model: Siobhan

Facts About the Zika Virus Every Woman Should Know

Cover photo by Sarah Gallagher sarahgallagherstudios.com

14 Top Tips for Traveling With Baby

Ripe

14 16

Sowing More than Seeds: 10 Great Benefits of Gardening with Kids Summer Meals, Ready When You Are

SUMMER&FALL17 SUMMER&FALL16 WACHUSETT MOUNTAIN WACHUSETT MOUNTAIN

JUNE

KIDSFEST

Trail races ranging from 5k to 50 mile! thenorthface.com/get-outdoors/endurancechallenge/massachusetts.html

The Life is Good Kids Foundation is the official charity partner of KidsFest.

Family Fun Days & music, BBQ & beer under the tent Sat-Mon

Huge savings on gear & apparel Fri-Mon

Great BBQ, cooking demos, food eating contests, craft vendors & live music!

OKTOBERFEST Pig Roast, People’s Choice Awards, Live Band Karaoke Contest

Beer Dinner Fri, Sept. 8

Jams & Jellies Contest Sat, Sept. 9

Traditional German music and dance, craft & farmers’ market vendors, live shows & more!

Stein Hoisting & Keg Toss Competitions Our NEWEST fall festival!

NOV

5-9

columbus day sale & swap

Great NE Apple Pie & Giant Pumpkin Contests • Cider House 5K, Sun, Oct. 15

oct

oct

9-10

Craft & farmers’ market vendors, live shows, music & contests with a NEW Celtic theme this year!

21-22

BBQFEST

SEPT Locally grown & specialty foods, craft vendors, cooking demos, activities & music!

Family friendly activities, BMX bike show, Frisbee Dogs, games, crafts & music!

APPLEFEST

sepT 30 - oct 1

1-4

farm fresh fest

oct

14-15

23-24

SEPT

LABOR DAY SALE & music TENT

savewachusett.com these dates!

SEPT

10-11

the north face endurance challenge

With so many BIG events happening, toBIG save these dates! Details Withbe sosure many events & discounted at happening, be suretickets to

11

Family Fun Days Sat-Mon

Sail the Rails Jam Sat, Oct. 7

FOOD TRUCK & craft brew FESTIVAL

For details & tickets, visit foodtruckfestivalsofamerica.com

WACHUSETT MOUNTAIN • 499 Mountain Road • Princeton, MA 01541 8 JUNE2017

Summer Ice Cream Giveaway baystateparent

has partnered with these locations to give away over $400 in ice cream!*

Gibby’s Ice Cream Gibby’s Ice Cream 22 West St., Millbury 508-277-8782 FB: Christophers Homemade Icecream

57 East Main Street Westborough, MA 508-740-1908 www.scoopsnbites.com

50 Sunderland Road Worcester, MA 508-753-1095 www.gibsonsdairy.com

539 Prospect Street West Boylston, MA 508-853-0717 www.pinecrofticecream.com

1543 Lunenberg Road (Rt. 70) Lancaster, MA 978-534-9800 www.kimballfarm.com

400 Littleton Road (Rt. 110) Westford, MA 978-486-3891 www.kimballfarm.com

The BREAD~N~BUTTA

Diner

Full Breakfast & Lunch

681 Central Street Leominster, MA 978-728-4147 FB: The Bread n Butta Diner

206 North Spencer Road Spencer, MA 508-885-5018 www.blackandwhitegrille.com

193 Lake Ave, Worcester, MA 508-459-2323 www.madicecream.com

343 Bedford Rd. (Rt. 225) Carlisle, MA 978-369-1910 www.kimballfarm.com

158 Turnpike Road (Rt. 124) Jaffrey, NH 603-532-5765 www.kimballfarm.com

826 Leominster Road Lunenburg, MA 978-582-7955 www.cherryhill-icecream.com

*TWO WAYS TO

WIN FREE ICE CREAM 1. Go to baystateparent.com/icecream and/or 2. Post your selfie at one of the above locations on #BSPicecream

BAYSTATEPARENT 9

JUNE CONTRIBUTORS Jennifer Sheehy Everett is a writer, PR consultant, and mother to a busy toddler who’s pretty certain he runs the show at her and husband John’s home in Melrose. She enjoys music and performing, dance, golf, travel, the pursuit of tasty food and wine, and time with cherished family and good friends.

Lisa Furuland is the creator of DockATot (dockatot.com), the multi-functional lounging, playing, chilling, resting, and snuggling dock for baby that can go anywhere, mimics the mother’s womb, and offers optimal protection.

Kristin Guay lives in Cape Cod with her husband, two daughters, and beloved black lab. A former middle school language arts teacher, she is currently Youth Services Director at Centerville Library and enjoys projects that foster a love of reading and writing in young children and teens. She offers daily helpful suggestions on literacy, books, and educational issues on her blog: kristinannguay.weebly.com.

Marshal D. Haneisen is a freelance journalist, writer, and creative writing instructor. She lives in Fitchburg with her husband, son, and a variety of pets. Her son has a dual-diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism, and her experience as a parent of a child with special needs inspires some of her writing for various publications, as well as for her blog, thespecialneedsfiles.com. Information about Marshal’s writing and workshops can be found marshaldhaneisen.com.

Janeen Lewis is a freelance journalist, teacher, and mother of two. She loves to teach children about gardening.

Jennifer Massa is a mother of eight living in Easthampton and a family nurse practitioner at MinuteClinic in West Springfield.

Dr. Lisa Masterson M.D. is a specialist in obstetrics, gynecology, infertility, adolescent gynecology, and family planning. She is also the Emmy-nominated co-host of the syndicated daytime medical talk show, The Doctors. At healthinheelswithdrlisa.com she shares information about health, wellness, parenting, and more.

Attorney Andy P. Miller is the Managing Attorney of Pollack Law Group, P.C. A father himself, Miller focuses on children and their best interests by helping guide parents through the divorce process. Having practiced in nearly every county in Massachusetts, he has a wide understanding of the various courts in Massachusetts and experience before many judges.

Michelle Perras-Charron is a freelance writer and mother to four school-aged boys in Western Mass. A Navy brat and also the wife of a retired Air Force Captain. She loves writing about people and all topics related to parenting. She also enjoys running and a strong cup of coffee.

Steve Robinson is CEO of Julian Krinsky Camps & Programs (jkcp.com), which has helping families from more than 40 states and 40 countries create amazing summer experiences via sports, academic, art, precollege, cooking and business summer programs for 39 years.

Martha Ruch is the owner of Simply Delicious Personal Chef Service, helping busy families come together at the dinner table since 2007. Find pictures, recipes, cooking tips and more at simplydeliciouschef.com; on Facebook @SimplyDeliciousPersonalChefService; and on Twitter @chefmartha Alexandra Townsend is a freelance writer based in the Berkshires who covers LGBT-related topics. She’s a proud geek and loves talking about superheroes.

10 JUNE2017

BAYSTATEPARENT 11

add to CART The coolest stuff we found online this month

Add a cute, new twist to your little lady’s updo with Buntoppers, hair pins with pesonality. Created by a mother and her three daughters, each of the eight hairpins, from Alex the Musician to Zoe the Math Whiz, is designed as a character with real-world interests. Girls can enjoy a character that reflects them or their interests proudly, and display her in their bun, braid, or ponytail. $9. buntoppers.com.

It’s cookout and backyard party season, and when you’re hauling the kids to a party, the last thing you want to lug is a big, heavy cooler. Enter the Freezable Picnic Tote from PackIt. No need to worry about getting ice or reusable ice packs: Keep it in the freezer, and when you need it, the built-in gel-lined walls keep items cool for up to 10 hours. The 14”x15” bag is roomy enough to hold large containers and a lot of food and drink.

Want to keep your special beverages separate? Bring along the Freezable Wine Bag, which will keep your favorite bottle cold for hours. Freezable Picnic Tote, $34.99. Freezable Wine Bag, $15.99. packit.com.

Keep your favorite beverage cool this summer — and look good doing it — with a 22 oz. or 32 oz. tumbler from Hydro Flask. The stainless-steel, double-walled, insulated cup keeps cold drinks cold for up to 24 hours and hot drinks hot for up to 6 hours. Available in nine colors, the tumbler also features a sweat-free, slip-free finish, fits in most cup holders, and is compatible with an optional lid. $29.95 (22 oz.), $39.95 (32 oz.). hydroflask.com.

Forget posters! Class up your child’s room — or your favorite room — with limited edition, gallery-quality, wall art from EntertainArt. This officially licensed, ready-to-hang, wall décor features your comic, movie, and TV faves from DC Comics, Disney, Dreamworks, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, and more. Enjoy traditional recreations of classic images or new illustrations and styles for an upscale art experience. $14.99 and up. entertainart.com.

Your favorite L.L. Bean Tote just got a functional family upgrade with the new Diaper Tote Insert. The insert turns a medium or large tote into a diaper bag, featuring two bottle slots and multiple interior pockets to organize diapers, clothing, snacks, and toys. It even includes a removable changing pad. $29.95. llbean.com.

12 JUNE2017

Because it takes expert care to deliver a miracle

Bringing miracles to life is our passion at the LaChance Maternity Center at Heywood Hospital. Our expert team of physicians, nurses and doulas, provide personalized attention in a state-of-the-art environment that promotes a tranquil and natural birthing experience, resulting in the lowest caesarean birth rate in the state. And our specialty services – from our post-birth celebration dinner to our rejuvenating spa treatments including relaxing whirlpool hydrotherapy, post-partum massage therapy, music therapy and aromatherapy – will leave you feeling just heavenly.

To find out more about the services offered at the LaChance Maternity Center visit www.heywood.org.

To register for a Childbirth Class or schedule a tour of the LaChance Maternity Center call (978) 630-6216.

242 Green Street, Gardner, MA 01440 | (978) 632-3420 | heywood.org

HWD021_MatAd_BayParJunior.indd 1

BAYSTATEPARENT 13 7/11/14 10:09 PM

Most parents want their children to get outside, away from TV and video games, and gardening is a great way to achieve this goal. However, recent research shows that there are several other reasons to start a garden with kids. The benefits range from making kids smarter to making them healthier. Here are 10 great reasons to get kids gardening: 1. Students who garden score higher on science tests Gardening is full of science. Children learn about plant classification, weather, soil, plant pests, and disease. They are introduced to botany in a natural, hands-on way, and recent research shows that students who had gardening experiences as part of their school curriculum did better on standardized science tests than those who were not exposed to gardening in school.

2. If they grow it, they will eat it As a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) teacher and one of the Junior Master Garden club sponsors at the school where I teach, I have seen this first hand. Students love to dig up what they have grown, and then curiosity gets the better of them — they want to taste it.

For eight years, master gardener Beth Tovi has volunteered to mentor elementary school students in gardening, and sees the nutritional and health benefits children gain from the activity.

“With the growing concerns about obesity, diabetes, and even high blood pressure in children, gardening gets them physically active and outdoors,” she says. “And children will eat anything they grow — even if it’s green.”

Sowing More

than Seeds:

3. Digging in the dirt can make kids healthier Several studies show that children who were raised on farms don’t have as many respiratory allergies, asthma, or autoimmune disorders as those who were raised in urban areas because children who live on farms are exposed to more microbes and fungi in the dirt. Letting children get outside

10 Great Benefits of Gardening with Kids

UNPLUGYOGA.COM

BY JANEEN LEWIS

14 JUNE2017

and play in the dirt may actually make them healthier than if kept tidy, clean, and inside.

4. Gardening strengthens emotional and interpersonal skills Children who garden learn responsibility, patience, perseverance, and how to deal with disappointment if the garden doesn’t grow as expected. How do they collaborate with other siblings, friends, or schoolmates to get the garden work done? These are character-building skills that research shows children reap in the garden.

I witnessed this last semester in our school garden when we had a drought.

Watering the plants and trying to keep them healthy was an arduous task, and the students and I learned about perseverance and teamwork.

5. Gardening connects children with nature When children garden, they gain ownership in what they are cultivating. I have seen my own children grow “attached” to the plants in the containers on our patio garden. As children become more knowledgeable about all living things in the garden, they are less likely to be afraid of touching the plants, getting soil on their hands, or being near bugs. They are no longer afraid of the unknown when they become familiar with what is in the garden.

6. Gardening helps relieve stress for the whole family A garden can be therapeutic. Not that your fourth grader is battling traffic, raising children, or feeling the demands of a pressure-ridden job, but kids feel stress, and a garden is good for eliminating it. In fact, a study in the Netherlands showed that after 30 minutes of gardening, subjects who displayed stress before they gardened had a “fully restored” positive mood. Adults gardening with their children can help the whole family feel more harmonious.

7. Gardening teaches kids to problemsolve “When they garden, children learn problemsolving skills,” Tovi says. “They say ‘This trellis doesn’t work very well. How can we make one that will better support this kind of plant?’”

In a garden, children ask questions like, “What is eating this plant?” or “Is this tree dying?”

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involves stretching, bending, digging, lifting, pulling, and raking. Gross and fine motor skills are used, and even the youngest gardener with simple tasks gets physical activity.

Once children become absorbed in solving problems in a garden, they want to research the best answers.

“They become sleuths, starting in the garden and heading into the computers,” Tovi says.

9. Gardening helps children become environmental stewards When children start reaping the food and flowers that come from a garden, they realize a garden’s impact and their impact on the garden. Once they have this tangible experience, it is much easier to

8. Gardening is a good workout Gardening is good physical labor involving muscles that don’t always get a workout. Even the most seasoned gym-goer may admit to being sore the day after working in a garden. Gardening

teach them to care for the environment.

10. Gardening can lead to a longer life Studies show that adults who garden in their later years live longer. Instead of living a sedentary life, gardeners get off the couch and are active in nature. Teaching children good habits when they are young will make them more likely to follow them through life.

No Yard? No Problem!

When your backyard is a concrete patio or an apartment balcony, it’s hard to imagine growing a bountiful garden. But it can be done in containers. Choose some eco-friendly containers with drainage holes in the bottom, fill them with a potting mix and then choose seeds or seedlings to plant. Another option is to grow an herb garden inside on a sunny window ledge.

A great resource for starting a container garden is The Vegetable Gardener’s Container

Bible: How to Grow a Bounty of Food in Pots, Tubs, and Other Containers by Edward C. Smith.

This book teaches even beginning gardeners how to grow organic food in small spaces. It covers container and tool selection, caring for plants, and controlling pests without chemicals.

With a little research and tender care, you can grow flowers and vegetables that flourish.

Creative Theme Gardens to Grow with Kids These interesting themes are a great way inspire children to garden:

outside and include plants such as basil, oregano, sage, thyme, parsley, and many more.

Pizza Garden Grow all the herbs to add to a pizza. For an extra touch, make the garden round like a pizza.

Art Garden Students can grow flowers and plants that can be used to make art, or grow a garden of plants for kids to sketch.

Fairy Garden This garden includes plants and miniature structures and is a great place for your child’s imagination to grow.

Maze Garden Create a maze with hedges, grasses, or corn. In the middle of the maze, put something interesting like a sculpture, fountain, or another special garden bed.

Pollinator Garden Build a garden that attracts butterflies, bees, birds, bats, and other insects and animals that will help pollinate plants. Try planting milkweed, zinnias, and snapdragons.

Peter Rabbit Garden Grow the vegetables found in Mr. McGregor’s garden. The great thing about this garden is that you can grow some of the vegetables — carrots, lettuce, radishes and cabbage — in cool weather, so you could continue to garden into fall.

Herb Garden Herb gardens are a great way to foray into the world of gardening. They can be grown inside or

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Salsa Garden Grow tomatoes, peppers, and onions to make a delicious salsa.

Wildflower Garden Visit a nature preserve to discover the native wildflower plants in your area. Then build a garden with those flowers.

Three Sisters Garden Teach children about plants that grow well together, like corn, beans, and squash, by cultivating the three in one mound.

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BAYSTATEPARENT 15

SUMMER MEALS,

Ready When You Are

BY MARTHA RUCH

R

aise your hand if you want to open your refrigerator tonight and find dinner already made. I’m pretty sure that’s most of us. However, things get a little murkier when it comes to how those meals get made and by whom.

I’ve got you covered, whether you decide to tackle a Sunday of cooking at your home, enlist the services of a meal prep company, attend a meal prep workshop, or hire a personal chef to stock your fridge and freezer with healthy, easy meals that will be ready when you are. After all, it’s summer and the livin’ should be easy.

16 JUNE2017

If you love to cook If you enjoy cooking, are a good planner, and can spend a few hours on your feet shopping for groceries, cooking, packaging food, and washing dishes, the “cook once, eat all week” plan is the way to go.

This method seems popular with singles and couples, especially those who follow special diets and/ or fitness routines. Some even prepare meals at home to take with them on vacation, which I think is brilliant. Not only are they able to stick to their diet and eat right while away, but they also end up with more time to spend relaxing rather than cooking or dining out every night.

To get started, choose five or so of your family’s favorite meals, including some that freeze well and some that call for similar ingredients, which will minimize waste. Super-planners will take into account things like variety of cooking methods to make the cooking portion of the day move along.

For example, by choosing to prepare one crockpot meal, one soup, one skillet or sautéed dish, and two meals that can be cooked sideby-side in the oven, you will greatly reduce the number of hours you’re in the kitchen.

Other strategies include shopping the day before the cooking, precooking rice or pasta the day before, chopping the

onions, garlic, celery, etc. for every recipe at one time, and creating a timeline, making sure the longest-cooking items are started first.

For a more structured approach to a week’s worth of cooking, look to Rachael Ray, the celebrity chef who gained fame teaching us how to prepare 30-minute meals. She is now in Season 7 of her “Week in A Day” program on the Food Network. In each episode, she shows viewers how to prepare five meals in a single day, so “you can eat well every night — even on those days when the clock is working against you.” Find more at foodnetwork.com/shows/rachaelrays-week-in-a-day Another approach to big-batch cooking is offered by Melissa Joulwan, author of the “Well Fed” cookbooks. She tells her readers how to plan “Weekly Cookups” in which you prepare a variety of proteins and vegetables that can then be used to make various hot plates, cold salads or eaten “as is.” She gets down and dirty with calculations on amounts of food to buy, storage container ideas, and even suggesting you treat your cookup like a WOD (Workout Of the Day) by setting a stopwatch, cranking the tunes, and just doing it.

A little help, please!

Maybe you like to cook, but don’t like to plan. Or you don’t relish the idea of cooking for hours and hours on a day off.

For a week’s worth of meals as well as an enjoyable night out, try one of Personal Chef Sabine St. Pierre’s “Meal Prep Workshops,” which blend social and practical elements in one fun evening. You and your friends gather at one home for just a couple of hours to prepare and package five healthy

meals to take home for the week. St. Pierre turns the home kitchen into a culinary classroom for a reasonable fee that includes instruction, ingredients, and packaging materials. For more information, visit sabines cuisine.net/ services.

Another option is a franchise, such as Dream Dinners (dreamdinners.com), with Massachusetts locations in Framingham, Plainville, and West Boylston. Here’s how it works: after perusing the month’s menu and ordering your meals online, you choose a date to either stop at the store for a 1-hour session to assemble your meals, or (for an additional fee) have a staff member prepare your meals for pick up.

“Our mission at Dream Dinners is to provide everything you need to put a homemade meal on the table, even on the busiest night of the week,” says West Boylston Dream Dinners Manager Bridget Taverna.

“Meals that you’ve assembled in our store are easy to prepare at home and great for involving the whole family so meal time is family sharing time.”

Rescue me!

Finally, there are those of us who do not want to be involved in creating or planning our dinners, but desire healthy, homemade meals.

If that’s you, you might be a candidate for a personal chef service.

Busy families cite lack of time,

meeting with the family to discuss food likes and dislikes, food allergies, special diets and desired type of service (weekly, monthly, occasional), a personal chef creates a custom menu for the family, which the client approves several days before their cook date. On the cook day, the chef shops for groceries and arrives at the family’s home, where he or she prepares the agreed-upon number meals for the family to enjoy for days to come.

Cost is dependent upon the number of different meals requested, with grocery charges billed separately.

The chef-prepared meals may be enjoyed any night of the week in the comfort of your home, with minimal cleanup. Several personal chefs I spoke to have also prepared meals for their clients to take with them on vacation. For more information or to find a personal chef near you, visit the United States Personal Chef Service’s “Hire a Chef” guide at hireachef.com.

lack of motivation, and a desire to eat better as the main motivators for hiring a personal chef. After

Martha Ruch is the owner of Simply Delicious Personal Chef Service, helping busy families come together at the dinner table since 2007. Find pictures, recipes, cooking tips and more at simplydeliciouschef.com; on Facebook @ SimplyDeliciousPersonalChefService; and on Twitter @chefmartha

Simply Well Get recipes, parenting tips and more delivered right to your inbox.

Follow today: www.umassmemorial.org/simplywell Conversations to Keep You Healthy and Well

The BREAD~N~BUTTA

Introducing

Diner

Full Breakfast & Lunch

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Open 6am-2pm for breakfast and lunch Seasonal outdoor dining 4pm-9pm

681 Central St., Leominster • 978-728-4147 (Formerly Natalie’s)

BAYSTATEPARENT 17

VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE

How Parents and Educators Can Team Up to Help Children Manage Their Behavior

BY MARSHAL D. HANEISEN

T

he communication log comes home with yet another note about a child’s behavior during the school day. Phone calls from the teacher and guidance counselor report the child’s behavior at school. The parent is asked to report to the principal’s office to discuss the child’s aggression or defiance.

In these situations, a parent can quickly feel the child is being portrayed as a “bad kid.” Knowing the child’s behaviors are complex and associated with intellectual or developmental delays, the parent wonders, “What is going on in my child’s head?”

Neuropsychology explores this very question. By understanding the structural and functional differences in children with various intellectual and developmental disorders, doctors and researchers are helping unlock the brain-science of behavior.

This spring, Dr. David Stein, founder and proprietor of New England Neurodevelopment, gave a presentation at the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress conference on behavior and Down syndrome. Stein is a pediatric psychologist special-

in the Down syndrome populaizing in neurodevelopment. He tion have a diagnosable behavioral began his career as a child behavior condition, in comparison to 10% of specialist, served as an instructor neuro-typically at Harvard developing chilMedical dren. He added School, and there might be was coeven more who director of have behavior the Down challenges but Syndrome no diagnosis.

Program Stein traces at Boston the increase in Children’s behaviors in chilHospital. dren with Down He opened syndrome to his presentacertain factors, tion stating his including neurogoal: helping logical features the parents, of the brain. For grandparents, example, people and educawith Down syntors in the drome exhibit audience — Jane Crecco differences in understand Recruitment Training and the frontal lobe, the concepts Support Center for the Federation brain stem and of neurology for Children with Special Needs cerebellum, and as they relate the temporal to behavior lobe. These in Down synstructural and drome so neurodevelopment differences in caregivers can help children do their the brain contribute to behavior best. challenges due to differences in lanAccording to Stein, 30% of children

“There is knowledge on both sides of the table that must come together to look at the problem from a social and emotional learning perspective.”

guage and social skill development, information processing and memory, motivation, and executive functioning such as impulse control, he said.

Stein’s clinical work is not limited to children and adolescents with Down syndrome. In his Concordbased practice, he conducts neuropsychological assessments and develops treatment strategies for children and adolescents with various challenges and diagnoses.

Bridging the gap between clinicians and the classroom are specialists such as Jane Crecco, a training and support specialist at the Recruitment Training and Support Center for the Federation for Children with Special Needs, who presents professional development training to teachers, administrators, and clinicians throughout Massachusetts. A certified special education teacher, she is also a parent of two children with behavioral and emotional impairments related to their early childhood experiences through the child welfare system.

“I have training in Applied Behavior Analysis; my master’s degree was on that approach. But, when working with kids with ABA, I often felt like something was missing,” she said.

We’re Here to Help Our commitment lasts a lifetime. Whether your loved one with special needs is an adult or a child, we can help with: • Special Needs Planning • Guardianship & Alternatives • Transition Planning & Adult Services • Advocacy Frederick M. Misilo, Jr., Esq. 508.459.8059 fmisilo@fletchertilton.com

Art by Dominic Killiany, an artist living with autism 18 JUNE2017

We’re here to help.

WORCESTER | FRAMINGHAM | CA P E CO D | www.fletchertilton.com

South County Pop Warner

Crecco bases much of her philosophy around behavior on a quote by Dr. Ross Greene: “Kids do well if they can.”

“If they can’t do something, we need to figure out why,” she noted.

People are beginning to realize that every child communicates and learns differently — either they haven’t learned the skills or do not have a brain that developed the ability to do that skill. She believes children learn skills best through engagement with a safe and supportive adult in school and home environments that are nurturing and safe without an emphasis on punitive and disciplinary practices.

An advocate of team collaboration, Crecco recommends parents request the child’s IEP team meet to discuss the behavior challenges.

“There is knowledge on both sides of the table that must come together to look at the problem from a social and emotional learning perspective,” she said.

The “bad kid” perception needs to go away, said Crecco, who recognizes that teachers can burn out from trying to manage ongoing behavioral challenges.

“Before it gets to that point, it needs to go to the team. It is essential to determine why behaviors are happening and formulate a treatment plan,” she said, adding that parents should learn about the Massachusetts Guidelines on Implementing Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Curricula put into effect with the 2010 law, An Act Relative to Bullying in Schools.

Crecco cautions against the standard ABA approach of a functional behavior assessment and behavior plan, which is a single assessment around a single behavior.

“Nobody has one behavior,” she noted. “We need a more holistic approach and to look at the whole neurology, the neuroscience, so we can modify the curriculum, supports, and environment effectively.”

The strategy must be implemented throughout the child’s whole day across environments. Social emotional learning goals should be contained within every academic area of an IEP. For example, a social emotional goal in the mathematics section of an IEP allows the math teacher to help carry out the goal, she said.

“Teachers are often OK with this, they are excited,” Crecco said, acknowledging that teachers may need some training around implementing the goals.

There may be many specialists on a student’s IEP team. Each specialist wants to help a child resolve his or her behavioral challenges, but they may view it only through the lens of their specialty, she added.

CHALLENGER CHEER PROGRAM

“We need to put it all together and accept that perhaps the child is reacting differently because the child’s brain is different,” she said.

Education is the key to changing the “bad kid” mindset, Crecco said.

She recommends parents and teachers visit websites such as: • livesinthebalance.org: Dr. Ross Greene’s website.

• casel.org: This Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning site is a clearinghouse of materials and tools for social emotional learning.

• childtrauma.org: This Houstonbased program is making tremendous strides in social emotional research. The website has a variety of tools, including videos, for parents and educators.

Stein also supports the need for parents to educate themselves.

There is high demand for appointments with neurological specialists, and parents may have to wait a month to several months for an appointment depending upon the provider they choose. This is part of his reason for writing his book, Supporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome.

Massachusetts is home to many experts in the field of pediatric neuropsychology, including Stein.

Hospital-based programs exist at Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Tufts Medical Center, and there are many private practitioner offices throughout the state. Parents should research providers carefully prior to scheduling an appointment. Also, neurological assessments are often not covered by health insurance, so parents should consult with their insurance company, primary care physician, and the billing department at the selected provider to understand the financial costs to the family.

Crecco admits that every child who needs one is not going to get the functional MRI to support a neuropsychology treatment plan because of cost. However, she is excited that there are doctors and neuroscientists looking to simplify the approach.

According to Crecco, Dr. Bruce Perry, a senior fellow of the ChildTrauma Academy in Houston, and his team are charting behaviors with teachers to create a neurosequential therapeutic approach for educators. He has mapped the brain, allowing teachers to look at the mapping as it correlates to a child’s behavior to identify what skills are needed for the child to manage the behavior, she said.

For Individuals Any Age with Intellectual and/or Physical Disabilities and can reside from any town.

We are planning now for the 2017 season that begins on August 1st 2017. Register today!

Come join our family and have fun!

• Build Friendships & Have Fun • Gross Motor Development • Motor Planning/Coordination • Self-Discipline, Teamwork, Concentration, Leadership, & Sportsmanship Skills

REGISTRATION IS $50 INCLUDES SHIRT AND SHORTS

For Registration & South County Program Information Contact Bridgette Ebbeling ~ Cheer Coordinator 508-769-6386 ~ bridgetteebbeling@gmail.com For Challenger Program Contact Ginger Ferraro ~ League Cheer/Dance Director geferraro@charter.net centralmasspopwarner.org

Registrations are being accepted for traditional cheer and football teams for the 2017 season as well.

You can also visit us on Facebook or the Web at facebook.com/SouthCountyIndians/ or leaguelineup.com/scpw

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BAYSTATEPARENT 19

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

Photo courtesy of WPI

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO

Photo courtesy The Discovery Museums

Photo courtesy Franklin Park Zoo, Boston.

TouchTomorrow festival. June 10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl.

June 6-8. City Hall Plaza, Boston.

20 JUNE2017

Backyard Builders.

June 17. The Discovery Museums, Acton.

Father’s Day at the Zoo. June 18.

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! MELTDOWN WARNING: Before you pack up the mini-van, please confirm your destination.

Although we’ve done our best to ensure accuracy at press time, things can and do change.

1 Thursday

Families @ WAM Make Art. Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester. 11 a.m.11:30 a.m. Drop in for fun, intergeneration time at the Museum, as you get inspired by our art and try making something uniquely your own.

Free. worcesterart.org.

Take Aparts, Jr. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Grab some tools and discover resistors, capacitors, gears, and more as you uncover the inner workings of household gadgets and gizmos. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Courtesy of Puppet Showplace Theater

Fresh, Fast, and Delicious for Less with Project Bread. KITCHEN at Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover St., Boston. 11:45 a.m.12:30 p.m. & 1 p.m.-1:45 p.m. Join Project Bread’s Chef Vanessa Labranche as she leads cooking demonstrations featuring fresh, healthy food that can be purchased from the market, and designed for families to enjoy. Thursdays.

Free. thetrustees.org.

2 Friday Music and Movement with Miss Bernadette. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 9:30 a.m.-10 a.m. Explore sound through singing and playing, as you move, make music, listen, learn, and get a multi-sensory workout with this professional Kindermusik educator. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Make a Mess: Kitchen Chemistry. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Experiment with common household ingredients to create some ooey, gooey substances that squish, slime, and even glow in the dark. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Free First Friday Night. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Explore the museums as we collect non-perishable food donations for the Acton Food Pantry and Open Table of Concord and Maynard. Free. discoverymuseums.org. #popscope. Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St., Boston. 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Use a telescope as we look up and explore the night sky for stars, planets, and other celestial features. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $1, children under 1 free. bostonchildrensmuseum.org.

3 Saturday Celebrate National Trails Day: Take a StoryWalk. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Head outside for a StoryWalk that will take you through Discovery Woods and the Great Hills Conservation Land. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Puppet Showplace Theater Gala-Evening Enchantment.

June 7. Puppet Showplace Theater, Brookline.

Music Recital. Worcester Public Library: Main Branch, 3 Salem Sq., Worcester. 10 a.m.12 p.m. Enjoy a morning music recital of the instrumental students from Worcester and Shrewsbury public schools. mywpl.org.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Character Visits. LEGOLAND Discovery Center, 598 Assembly Row, Somerville. 10 a.m.5 p.m. Guests will have the opportunity to take photos and have a meet & greet with each character. June 3: Emmet and Wyldstyle from The LEGO® Movie; June 10: Batman from LEGO Batman; June 17th: Kai from LEGO Ninjago; June 24: Bertie, LEGOLAND Discovery Center Boston mascot. Tickets $14.95 and up. boston. legolanddiscoverycenter.com.

Family Science Saturdays. “e” inc. Museum, 114 16th St., Boston. 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. The Weather and Climate Museum is an interactive and hands-on museum geared toward children and their families. Saturdays through July. $3 per child, $10 per adult. einc-action.org/ the-museum.html.

Safe Summer Fun Day. UMass Memorial: Marlborough Hospital, 157 Union St., Marlborough. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Celebrate local community and enjoy interactive and educational games booths and lawn activities, free bike helmets for children who get fitted, and a raffle of free bicycles every hour. Free. umassmemorialhealthcare.org/marlborough-hospital.

Meet the Farmer. Chestnut Hill Farm, 9-99 Chestnut Hill Rd., Southborough. 10 a.m.-

12 p.m. The farm crew will be on hand to answer all of your questions. Enjoy fun activities for kids and grown-ups to share together. Members free; nonmembers $5, ages under 5 free. thetrustees.org.

Wonder Woman Day. Grafton Public Library, 35 Grafton Common, Grafton. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Celebrate everything Wonder Woman as we champion this favorite heroine of the DC Comics universe. Free. graftonlibrary.org.

WGBY Asparagus Festival. Hadley Town Common, Route 9, Russell St., Hadley. 10 a.m.6 p.m. Enjoy this family-friendly outdoor event, featuring 90 local food, craft, and agricultural vendors, entertainment displays, kids’ games, and most excitingly, a live visit from PBS Kids character Curious George. Free. wgby.org.

Family Tour at WAM. Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester. 10:30 a.m.11 a.m. Explore the Worcester Art Museum galleries with your family on a docent-guided discovery tour, as you enjoy fun facts, stories, and sharing observations together. Free. worcesterart.org.

Beyond the Spectrum: Let’s Take to the Sea. Museum of Fine Arts: Boston, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston. 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Embark on a watery voyage around the museum to discover sea vessels in paintings and sculptures from one coast to another, and then design your own boat using Model Magic and collage materials, during this program for children on the autism spectrum. $9. mfa.org.

Teen Crafternoon: Wreck This Book.

Grafton Public Library, 35 Grafton Common, Grafton. 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Grab a copy of Wreck This Journal before painting, poking, and creating a journal as unique as you are. For grades 6 to 12. Register ahead. Free. graftonlibrary.org.

A Dog’s Purpose: Movie. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

This dramedy that follows a dog as he is reincarnated as different breeds belonging to various owners, including an existence that intersects with the life of young boy who rescued him in an early life. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

4 Sunday Nature and Nurture with Miss Bernadette. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 10:30 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Come and explore the great outdoors, as we sing songs, take a nature walk. Read a story or make a craft, as we look to understand and discover the wonders of nature. Designed for ages 2 to 4. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Family Nature Walk. Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Dr., Boylston. 11 a.m. Join us for a fun family nature walk and learn a variety of games and crafts you can play on trails anywhere. Register ahead. Member families $15, nonmember families $20. towerhillbg.org.

Touch-a-Truck & Food Truck Festival.

Hopkinton High School, 90 Hayden Rowe St., Hopkinton. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Touch and climb on tons of trucks and vehicles, enjoy the Roaming Railroad, feast from food trucks, and join in on other activities. Adults $8, children $5. hopkintonpubliclibraryfoundation.org.

Teddy Bear Picnic. Stevens-Coolidge Place, 86 Andover St., North Andover. 1 p.m.3 p.m. Come on down to the garden as we host activities, crafts, sign-a-longs, and a bear hunt, followed by a picnic with light refreshments, where the Andover Bear Company will also be in attendance. Members $5, nonmembers $10. thetrustees.org.

5 Monday Story-Time with Elmo. Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. 10 a.m.BAYSTATEPARENT 21

11 a.m. Join for this fun and engaging story and craft with Elmo, everyone’s favorite little red monster. For ages 3 to 5. Register ahead. Free. leominsterlibrary.org.

MFA Playdates: Summertime Fun. Museum of Fine Arts: Boston, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston. 10:15 a.m.-11 a.m. Bring your toddler to enjoy story time and looking activities in the galleries followed by art making as we embrace the warmth that is the summer and how that season has been captured by artists. Recommended for ages 4 and under. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmember adults $25, ages 7 and up $10, ages 6 and under free. mfa.org.

Puppet Pals. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 2 p.m.-2:45 p.m. Join in for a puppet-filled story time featuring songs, stories, and lots of furry friends, with a craft to follow.

For ages 3 to 5. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

6 Tuesday Make a Mess: Paint Prints. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 10 a.m.-11 a.m.

Use everyday art supplies as we explore the process of printmaking and see if we can make two paintings that are exactly the same. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Babywearing Tour. Gore Place, 42 Gore St., Waltham. 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Come to a special babywearing tour led by veteran babywearers, as new parents are invited to see our gorgeous 1806 mansion and enjoy snacks, coffee, and new connections. Register ahead. $12. goreplace.org.

Tasty Tuesday. Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St., Boston. 10:30 a.m. Join toddlers and caregivers as they enjoy light healthy snacks, read stories, play games, and discuss topic health and wellness, with an emphasis on self-help, social-emotional development, and literacy. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $16, children under 1 free. bostonchildrensmuseum.org.

Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl. City Hall Plaza, Boston. 12 p.m.- 8 p.m. The nation’s largest all-

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! you-can-eat ice cream festival returns for its 35th presents a music and movement class for toddlers year with proceeds supporting adult and pediatric and preschools. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net. cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Through June 8. Advance tickets $5 for Puppet Showplace Theater Gala: Evening children ages 3-9 and $10 for adults. Kids 2 and of Enchantment. The George H Wightman under free. Event day tickets $10 for children Mansion, 43 Hawes St., Brookline. 6 p.m. and $15 for adults. Children 2 and under free. A An enchanted evening of entertainment that three-day Scooper Pass is $20. Tickets available supports imaginative puppetry experiences for at scooperbowl.org. diverse audiences of all ages. Adults $75, children 12 and under free. puppetshowplace.org.

Especially for Me: Sensory-Friendly Afternoons. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Pizza and Speed Book Dating. Newton Free Acton. 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Explore the entire Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 7 p.m.-8 Museums’ campus at your own pace, as quiet p.m. Join us to eat pizza, hang with friends, and spaces are available during this time, and group meet new books. For grades 5 to 7. Free. newvisits and parties are not scheduled in order to tonfreelibrary.net. avoid crowding and support exhibit accessibility.

Register ahead. Free. discoverymuseums.org.

Backyard and Beyond: Make Your Own Flower Press. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Join us for this very simple woodworking project to make your own flower press. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

7 Wednesday Stroller Tours at WAM. Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester. 10:30 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Enjoy as a museum teacher engages caretakers and their infants and toddlers with art and stories in the galleries. Designed for ages up to 3. Free with admission. Members free; nonmember adults $14, ages 4 to 17 $6, ages under 3 free. worcesterart.org.

Kids Garden Discovery. Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Dr., Boylston. 10:30 a.m.11:30 a.m. Enjoy this time to explore seasonal themes through crafts, storytelling, and a short walk through the Botanic Garden space. Designed for ages 3 to 5. Free with admission. Members free; nonmember adults $15, ages 6 to 18 $5, ages 5 and under free. towerhillbg.org.

Dance and Movement Class. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 11 a.m.11:45 a.m. The Joanne Langione Dance Center

8 Thursday

Make a Mess: Paper Mache Pots.

Discovery Museums. 177 Main St., Acton.

10 a.m.-11 a.m. Let’s get our hands messy, as we use a flour and water-based paste and dip, drip, and design a 3D vessel. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Take Aparts. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 2 p.m.-4 p.m. If you are curious what’s inside telephones, computers, radios, and other everyday electronics, come by the museums as we grab a screwdriver and discover everything from resistors to circuit boards. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

French Bilingual Story Time. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 4 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Enjoy his special bilingual story time with stories, songs, and movement in English and French.

For ages 3 to 5. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Riverdance The 20th Anniversary World Tour. The Hanover Theatre, Southbridge St., Worcester. 7:30 p.m. The international Irish dance phenomenon is back, combining an innovative and exciting blend of dance, music and song. Performances through June 11. Tickets starting at $39. thehanovertheatre.org.

9 Friday Backyard and Beyond: When the (Strawberry) Moon is Full. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

Celebrate June’s full moon, the Strawberry Moon, and come learn about the moon and stars, grab a full moon calendar, and start a new tradition of taking a night walk every month when the moon is full. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Teen Program: Dungeons & Dragons.

Grafton Public Library, 35 Grafton Common, Grafton. 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Join us for another night of D&D, as we enjoy games, pizza, snacks, and refreshments into the evening. For grades 6 to 12. Free. graftonlibrary.org.

Full Moon & Folklore Hike. Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, 310 Argilla Rd., Ipswich. 8 p.m.-10 p.m. Head into the dunes of the Crane Wildlife Refuge for the hike under the Full Strawberry Moon, identified by local Native tribes as a signal to gather fruit, and enjoy strawberries and a celebratory bonfire. Register ahead.

Members $9, nonmembers $15. thetrustees.org.

10 Saturday Peter Pan. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 10 a.m. Enjoy this production of JM Barrie’s much-loved tale performed by the National Theatre and capturing on-screen the story of Peter Pan, the Lost Boys, Wendy, and the vengeful Captain Hook. Adults $23, children $13. coolidge.org.

Bessie’s Birthday Bash. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Celebrate the museum’s big, green dinosaur’s birthday with a celebration full of fun activities, including a bubbly birthday bath, dinosaur hat crafting time, and more. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Family Friendly Volunteer Days. Brookwood Community Farm, 11 Blue Hill River Rd., Canton.

Looking for parenting support?

UMass Memorial Medical Center and New England Prenatal and Family Education offer classes for expecting women, new moms, their families and support persons.

Call 1-855-366-5221 or visit www.umassmemorial.org/healthymoms

10AM -Arts/Snacks 11AM - Stage Show 12PM - Trolley Rides 22 JUNE2017

10 a.m.-1 p.m. Teach your child the joy of working with their hands, spending time outside, and the value of knowing where their food comes from during this growing season fun. Register ahead. Free. brookwoodcommunityfarm.org.

TouchTomorrow. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Rd., Worcester. 10 a.m.4 p.m. WPI and NASA team up for the sixth year in a row to pursue new technological solutions for America’s space program and Planet Earth, attracting more 10,000 people during this interactive event. Register ahead. Free. wp.wpi.edu/ touchtomorrow.

Dinosaur Egg Hunt. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 12:30 p.m. Look for Bessie’s hidden little treasures around the campus as she wraps up her birthday celebrations and shares her presents with you. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Inside Out. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 2 p.m.-3:40 p.m. What happens when a young girl’s emotions are sent into disarray as Happy and Sad venture beyond the control center and into the land of memories?

Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Monster Jam. Gillette Stadium, 1 Patriot Pl., Foxborough. 7 p.m. Experience unbelievable

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! thrills as athletes deploy extraordinary drivFriends of Broadway. Boston Children’s ing skills that push the limits, during on of the Museum, 308 Congress St., Boston. 2:30 p.m.most adrenaline-charged, and action-packed 3:30 p.m. Enjoy a revue of girls who travel all motorsports experience. Tickets $15 and up. over the country, dancing and singing music from monsterjam.com.

Broadway, movies, pop genres, holiday favorites, and much more. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $16, children under 1 free. bostonchildrensmuseum.org.

11 Sunday

Artbarn: Battle for the Badge. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline.

10:30 a.m. Join the Traveling Geese Touring Company as they take you on an adventure to the Wild, Wild West as the people of Almira County search to select a new Sheriff, featuring talking farm animals, a Junior Sheriff rivalry, and a good old-fashioned showdown. Adults $13, children $10. coolidge.org.

Pet Adoption Event. Boston Volvo Village, 75 N Beacon St., Allston. 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Animal shelters and rescues will be on hand for this oneday pet event featuring over 100 shelter animals available for adoption: puppy and adult dogs, cats, reptiles, and birds.

Music at the Manse. The Old Manse, 269 Monument St., Concord. 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

Enjoy live music under The Old Manse tent, with crafts and games on the lawn, and ice cream and other refreshments available. Sundays. Free. thetrustees.org.

12 Monday Family Fun Night Finale: The Spectacular Dry Ice Show with Kosmic Kelly. Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. 6 p.m.7 p.m. Families are invited to this ‘Full STEAM Ahead’ themed finale, as we enjoy a spectacular dry ice show, learning about solids, liquids, and gasses, as we try hands-on science experiments.

For ages 3 to 7. Register ahead. Free. leominsterlibrary.org.

13 Tuesday Tinker Tuesday: Threading Things.

Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton.

10 a.m.-11 a.m. Dust-off your thinking cap, warm up your imagination, and join us as we tinker with straws, beads, colored pasta, and other items that can be thread, strung, looped, and laced. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Mil’s Trills. Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St., Boston. 10:30 a.m. Join us for a sing-along with Amilia Robinson as she brings her Mil’s Trills program to Boston, inviting families to celebrate the community through interactive performances featuring original music. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $16, children under 1 free. bostonchildrensmuseum.org.

Tween Crafternoons. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Make crafts and eat snacks, as we tackle ‘shrinky dinks’ this month. For grades 5 to 7. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Teen Crafterhours. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Make crafts, and eat snacks, as we spend the evening chatting and making cork pendants. For grades 7 to 12. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

14 Wednesday Backyard and Beyond: Great Hill Exploration. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 10 a.m. Explore some of the trails that wind through the 184 wooded acres as we meet in the morning and trek out to explore nature first hand. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Save the Dates for Summer Time Fun in Leominster!

Summer Stroll June 10th • 3-7 pm Rain Date: June 11th • 3-7 pm

Ladies Night Out

Kids’ Day

August 10th • 5-9 pm

August 26th • 4-7 pm

For more information contact the Mayor’s Office at (978) 534-7500 BAYSTATEPARENT 23

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!

15 Thursday Doggy Days: Abby Gets a Check-Up. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton.

10 a.m.-11 a.m. Find Abby’s heartbeat, look inside a dog’s ear, and try out the role of veterinarian and use tools to observe Abby, the Labrador Retriever, and enjoy lots of doggy hugs. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Beacon Hill Instrument Petting Zoo. Myrtle Street Playground, Myrtle St. & Irving St., Boston. 4 p.m. Join this fun and interactive Instrument Petting Zoos to work with children and teach them about the different instrument groups, and help them try out instruments themselves. Free. nempacboston.org.

16 Friday Backyard and Beyond: Forest Fridays.

Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton.

10 a.m.-10:45 a.m. Do a nature-based activity following the weather, and get outside to enjoy our Discovery Woods or adjacent conservation land. Designed for ages 2 to 6. Fridays. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Family Yoga Class. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Enjoy this opportunity to learn and refine mindfulness and relaxation, through cooperative games, age-appropriate poses, breathing exercises, and stretching. Designed for ages 3 to 12 with caregiver. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Nature Collographs for Pre-Teens. Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Dr., Boylston.

10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Collect natural objects such as leaves, sticks, and pods to make a printmaking plate, and use acrylic paint to print your finds.

For ages 9 and up. Register ahead. Members $16, nonmembers $26. towerhillbg.org.

Backyard Builders. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Design, build, and explore as we fill Discovery Woods with one-of-a-kind structures using clothespins, sheets, and carboard boxes. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Teen Program: Nerdfighters. Grafton Public Library, 35 Grafton Common, Grafton. 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Play Super Smash Bros on our WiiU, and feel free to bring your own items (like Magic: The Gathering) or play one of our dozen board games.

For grades 6 to 12. Free. graftonlibrary.org.

The Forest Trees Nature Walk for Families. Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Dr., Boylston. 1 p.m.-2 p.m. Join a walk along the forest trails to observe the difference between trees and learn how trees communicate and socialize with each other and their relationships with fungi. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Register ahead. Member families $18, nonmember families $28. towerhillbg.org.

Rogue One. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 2 p.m.-4:15 p.m. This Star Wars standalone film follows a group of unlikely heroes as they band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Family Game Day. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Drop in for family games and activities, as we provide games, building materials, and other activities for all ages to enjoy. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Ice Cream Festival. Francis William Bird Park, 41 Rhoades Ave., East Walpole. 4 p.m.-7 p.m. A day filled with ice cream galore, with toppings and fixings, as well as games, music, and more for fun to support the Bird Park. $3. thetrustees.org.

17 Saturday Animal Dads. Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Rd., Worcester. 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Bring your favorite adult for a thematic hour of a story, an activity, and a naturalist-led walk, as we celebrate dads in nature on this Father’s Day weekend. For ages 3 to 5.

Register ahead. Member children $3, nonmember children $4. massaudubon.org.

MFA Playdates: Summertime Fun. Museum of Fine Arts: Boston, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston. 10:15 a.m.-11 a.m. Bring your toddler to enjoy story time and looking activities in the galleries followed by art making as we embrace the warmth that is the summer and how that season has been captured by artists. Recommended for ages 4 and under. Free with admission.

24 JUNE2017

Members free; nonmember adults $25, ages 7 and up $10, ages 6 and under free. mfa.org.

Beaver Dreams. Puppet Showplace Theater, 32 Station St., Brookline. 8 p.m. The Lost and Found Puppet Company presents a hilarious physical comedy with an environmental twist, following a family of beavers and humans living in the heart of the Quebecois forest. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Members $10, nonmembers $10. puppetshowplace.org.

18 Sunday Father’s Day Family Outdoor Games.

Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, 2468 Washington St., Canton. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Celebrate Father’s Day at the Bradley Estate with a hike, outdoor games, refreshments, and music. Register ahead.

Member adults $5, nonmember adults $10; children free. thetrustees.org.

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! Father’s Day at the Zoo. Franklin Park Zoo, 1 Franklin Park Rd., Boston. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Bring Dad for free to this special celebration of Father’s Day. Members free; nonmember adults $20, ages 2 to 12 $14, children under 2 free, fathers free. zoonewengland.org.

a.m.-7:30 a.m. Grab your binoculars, a cup of coffee or cocoa, and head to the farm and early for this spring walk into our fields and forest in search of local feathered friends. Register ahead.

Members $5, nonmembers $10. thetrustees.org.

20 Tuesday

Father’s Day at the Zoo. Stone Zoo, 149 Pond St.. Stoneham. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Celebrate Father’s Day with a look through Windows to the Wild to see Linne’s two-toed sloth dad Nero with baby Molasses, as well as our whitecheeked gibbon exhibit featuring dad Kien and offspring Paddy and Jian. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmember adults $17, ages 2 to 12 $12, children under 2 free. Fathers free. zoonewengland.org.

Tasty Tuesday. Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress St., Boston. 10:30 a.m. Join toddlers and caregivers as they enjoy light healthy snacks, read stories, play games, and discuss topic health and wellness, with an emphasis on self-help, social-emotional development, and literacy. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $16, children under 1 free. bostonchildrensmuseum.org.

Father’s Day Family Hike. Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard.

11 a.m.-12 p.m. Get outside and celebrate Dad this Father’s Day with a guided hike on the Fruitlands grounds, full of fun activity and exploration for all ages. Register ahead. Members $5, nonmembers $10, children free. fruitlands.org.

Winnie the Pooh Picnic. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 10:30 a.m.-11 a.m.

Bring your favorite stuffed animal and picnic lunch and join the children’s librarians for a fun sing-along, as we move outside to the Winnie the Pooh and friends statues for our picnic. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Chestnut Hill’s Fathers Day Bluegrass BBQ. Chestnut Hill Farm. 9-99 Chestnut Hill Rd., Southborough. 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Keep it local and celebrate the fathers in your family by taking part in our Bluegrass BBQ celebration, as you enjoy lawn games, farm animals, live music, and food. Register ahead. Members $36, ages under 8 $12; nonmember adults $45, ages under 8 $15. thetrustees.org.

Backyard and Beyond: Celebrate National Pollinators Week. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Join in a fun, hands-on activity to learn more about how bees pollinate our flowers and food plants. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Plant Dye Workshop for Families. Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Dr., Boylston.

1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Learn to use plants to create natural dyes for fabrics and clothes in this parent-child workshop. For ages 10 and up with caregiver. Register ahead. Member families $26, nonmember families $36. towerhillbg.org.

Appleton’s Father’s Day Bluegrass BBQ. Appleton Farms, 219 County Rd., Ipswich.

4 p.m.-7 p.m. Bring a picnic blanket and load up the kids for a summer evening on the farm to celebrate the special fathers in your life, as you find local BBQ, live music, lawn games, and food trucks. Register ahead. Member families $24, nonmember families $30. thetrustees.org.

Father’s Day Bluegrass Bash. StevensCoolidge Place, 86 Andover St., North Andover.

4 p.m.-7 p.m. Enjoy bluegrass music, food, and plenty of music, featuring Boston’s own Damn Tall Buildings, during a day sure to keep you active, with bocce, badminton, and more games on the lawn. Register ahead. Member adults $9, children $6; nonmember adults $15, children $10; fathers free. thetrustees.org.

19 Monday Early Birds Bird Walk. Chestnut Hill Farm, 9-99 Chestnut Hill Rd., Southborough. 6:30

DavisFarmland.com

GOT KIDS? SM

The Ultimate Children’s Discovery Farm Adventure Play & Spray Opens This Month

The Ultimate Library Magic Show.

Worcester Public Library: Main Branch, 3 Salem Sq., Worcester. 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Enjoy magic tricks and illusions with juggling and comedy, during this presentation by a nationally touring magician and current Walt Disney World Cast Member, where audience participation is encouraged. For ages 4 to 7. Free. mywpl.org.

Acres Of Family Fun Await you!

Ice Cream Party. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Stop by the library to celebrate the beginning of summer with ice cream provided by JP Licks and Minute-to-Win-It games, and get involved as we explore the theme of ‘Build a Better World’ with programs throughout the summer. For grades 6 to 12. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Special Farmland Event For June

June 18 Father’s Day: Kids bring your dad FREE and pamper him with a complimentary massage!

Birthdays Groups Private Outings & More Visit *DavisFarmland.com

21 Wednesday Stroller Tours at WAM. Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester.

10:30 a.m.-11:15 a.m. A museum teacher engages caretakers and their infants and toddlers with art and stories in the galleries. Designed for ages up to 3. Free with admission. Members free; nonmember adults $14, ages 4 to 17 $6, ages under 3 free. worcesterart.org.

Kids Garden Discovery. Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Dr., Boylston. 10:30 a.m.11:30 a.m. Enjoy this time to explore seasonal

for more information, or call

(978)422-MOOO (6666).

Adults must be accompanied by a child 12 years or younger. ©2017 Davis Farmland

FREE! $3 Souvenir Cup of Animal Feed!

One per family. Exp 6/30/17 Not valid with other offers, discounts, packages or special events. BSP6 S T E R L I N G ,

M A S S A C H U S E T T S

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5/10/17 8:09 PM

Photo by Rob McDogall

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!

Riverdance The 20th Anniversary World Tour.

June 7. The Hanover Theatre, Worcester.

themes through crafts, storytelling, and a short walk through the Botanic Garden space. Designed for ages 3 to 5. Free with admission. Members free; nonmember adults $15, ages 6 to 18 $5, ages 5 and under free. towerhillbg.org.

Backyard and Beyond: Nature Journaling.

Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton.

11 a.m. Explore the natural world through science, art, and writing, as we make nature journals and take them on a nature walk through the Great Hill conversation land to search for signs of summer. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Juneteenth. Museum of Fine Arts: Boston, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston. 5 p.m.-10 p.m.

Come together to celebrate creativity, community, and freedom at the MFA’s fifth annual Juneteenth event, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Free with museum admission. Members free; nonmember adults $25, ages under 18 free. mfa.org.

Mayor Warren’s Summer Ready Challenge: Kids’ Kickoff Party. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 5:30 p.m.7 p.m. Join us during the kick-off of the “Build a Better World” summer reading program, as we have snacks, a craft, and the One-Man Circus in a suitcase. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Summer Solstice Celebration. The Old Manse, 269 Monument St., Concord. 6 p.m.8 p.m. Bring your own picnic to celebrate summer at the Old Manse, as we bring live music and dancing, a special choir singing in the summer, a candlelit row up the Concord river, a bonfire, and refreshments. Free. thetrustees.org.

26 JUNE2017

Concert with Hoot Owls. Gore Place, 52 Gore St., Waltham. 7:30 p.m. The banjo, guitar, and fiddle group return to Gore Place for a spirited evening of lively hoedown, breakdowns, and country songs with great harmonies.

Members $8; nonmember adults $10, ages 12 and under $8. goreplace.org.

22 Thursday Explore Kinetic Sand. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 10 a.m.-11 a.m.

Discover the unique properties of this special material as you play, create, and experiment through squishing, sculpting, dripping, and more. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Out to Lunch. Worcester Common, Worcester.

11 a.m.-12 p.m. Visit the Bookmobile Lily parked on Worcester Common. Free. mywpl.org.

STEAM Ahead. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 4 p.m.-5 p.m. Enjoy this time to explore math, science, and the arts with children’s books and related activities. For ages 3 to 5 with caregivers. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Free Thursday at the ICA. Institute of Contemporary Art: Boston, 25 Harbor Shore Dr., Boston. 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Enjoy everything that the ICA has to offer, from its gallery collections and scenic views of the waterfront during this openhouse. Thursdays. Free. icaboston.org.

Summer Concert Series. Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard. Gather on the lawn for our annual Summer Concert Series and listen to beautiful music performed on

Fruitlands’s outdoor stage, with food vendors on site. Member cars $10, nonmember cars $15. thetrustees.org.

to guide you. Members free; nonmember adults $15, adults accompanied by children free, ages under 17 free. icaboston.org.

23 Friday

Science Sprouts for Kids. Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Dr., Boylston. 10:30 a.m.11:30 a.m. Accompany your little one for a program that incorporates science, math, nature, and art exploration. Register ahead. Members $12, nonmembers $22. towerhillbg.org.

Appleton’s Friday Farm Dinners with Chive Events. Appleton Farms, 219 County Rd., Ipswich. 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Relax under the setting sun and enjoy a truly unique farmto-table experience, with menus featuring slowroasted pork with rhubarb jam, seasonal fresh salads, and homemade strawberry short cakes, during an evening of games, music, and fun.

Register ahead. Member adults $36, children $12; nonmember adults $45, children $15; ages under 1 free. thetrustees.org.

Astronomy After Hours. Gilliland Observatory, Museum of Science: Boston, 1 Science Park, Boston. 8:30 p.m.-10 p.m.

Come to the museum’s observatory and gaze up at the stars, planets, moon, and other astronomical phenomena in the night’s sky, or, on cloudy nights, tour the inside of our Observatory, and participate in astronomyrelated activities. Fridays. Free. mos.org.

24 Saturday Fairy Farewell Fete. Brookwood Community Farm, 11 Blue Hill River Rd., Canton. 10 a.m.11 a.m. Help us say thank you and goodbye to our imaginary friends, the Spring Fairies, who helped the farm grow, through a story, song, dance, and crafty homes for the fairies and the farm insects. Register ahead. Children $8. brookwoodcommunityfarm.org.

Strawberry Shortcake: From the Fields to the Kitchen. Powisset Farm. 31 Powisset St., Dover. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Join us in the kitchen for this hands-on kitchen cooking class, as we take a walk from the fields picking strawberries, to baking and whipping up this summer dessert.

Register ahead. Member families $40, children $20; nonmember families $50, children $25. thetrustees.org.

Celebrate World Giraffe Day. Franklin Park Zoo, 1 Franklin Park Rd., Boston. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Celebrate the fourth annual World Giraffe day, meant to raise support and create awareness of the challenges facing these animals, and participate in activities and zookeeper encounters throughout the day. Free with admission. Members free; nonmember adults $20, ages 2 to 12 $14, children under 2 free. zoonewengland.org.

Play Date: Making Bridges Together.

Institute of Contemporary Art: Boston, 25 Harbor Shore Dr., Boston. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Try out your family’s contemporary art sleuthing skills in our galleries with the help of our visiting assistants, and design and construct small-scale bridges with the help of onsite architects and engineers

Backyard and Beyond: Discovery Woods Campout. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Enjoy National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Campout Day as we collect branches and work together to build a shelter, learn how to read a trail map and take a short walk in the woods, read stories around the camp circle, or make a classic camp craft. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Jerome Wheelock Birthday Party. Grafton Public Library, 35 Grafton Common, Grafton.

11 a.m.-3 p.m. Celebrate the 183rd birthday of the library’s original benefactor with games, cake, face painting, snow cones, and a bounce house on the Common. Rain date June 25. Free. graftonlibrary.org.

Family Canoe on Wildlife Pond. Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, 113 Goodnow Rd., Princeton. 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Join us for a guided paddle on Wachusett Meadow’s Pond, as we look for wood ducks, bullfrogs, and kingfishers.

Register ahead. Member adults $12, children $6; nonmember adults $14, children $8. massaudubon.org.

25 Sunday Children’s Book Festival. Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, 125 West Bay Road, Amherst. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. A day full of activities, special performances, and events held on Eric Carle’s 88th birthday. $9 for adults, $6 for children under 18, and $22.50 for a family of four. carlemuseum.org.

Arms + Armor Demonstrations. Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., Worcester. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Learn about all different kinds of arms and armor used by knights, Roman soldiers, and more. Free with admission. Members free; nonmember adults $14, ages 4 to 17 $6, ages under 3 free. worcesterart.org.

Milton Music Fest: Celtic Sunday. Governor Hutchinson’s Field, 196-212 Adams St., Milton.

11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Continue the musical celebrations with a day devoted to Celtic music new and old, with a fantastic lineup of performers and entertainment for the whole family. Free. thetrustees.org.

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO! Family Drop-In Gardening. Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. Join us for an afternoon of garden planting and fun, and come help us make our garden beautiful. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmember adults $15, ages 6 to 18 $5, ages 5 and under free. towerhillbg.org.

26 Monday Chessmates. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Come have fun playing chess with general instruction and open play, where all levels are welcome, and chess sets will be provided. For ages 6 to 9. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

27 Tuesday Kindness Rocks at Bird Park. Francis William Bird Park, 41 Rhoades Ave., East Walpole. 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Use rocks to spread kindness during this project dedicated to spreading inspiration and motivation for unsuspecting recipients through inspiration rocks that have been decorated with drawings and motivational messages. Free. thetrustees.org.

Tinker Tuesday: Build-a-Brush. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 10 a.m.11 a.m. Use a variety of different materials, let’s see what types of brushes we can create, from big or small to hard or soft. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Matt Heaton Family Singalong. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 11 a.m.11:45 a.m. Enjoy as the Toddlerbilly Troubadour brings an infectious energy to his sing-alongs, peppered with well-known classics and a few soon-to-be-classics, played with panache on guitar and banjo. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

28 Wednesday Everyday Engineering: Tinfoil Ferries.

Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton.

11 a.m.-2 p.m. Engage in scientific exploration as you construct and create with repurposed and recycled materials and investigate floating by building tinfoil boats and loading them with pennies. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

SALT the Humpback Whale. South Shore Natural Science Center, 48 Jacobs Ln., Norwell.

1 p.m.-3 p.m. Come take a selfie with a 43-footlong, life-sized model of a real humpback whale, before joining our naturalists and explore the inside and outside anatomy of the whale as well as their habits and migration routes without getting wet. Members $5, nonmembers $7. southshorenaturalsciencecenter.org.

29 Thursday Make Mess: Spin Art. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 10 a.m.-11 a.m. Make a one-of-a-kind art piece by dripping, spinning, and watching the colors whirl. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Muddy Masterpieces. Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton. 12 p.m.-3 p.m. Celebrate International Mud Day as we grab a paint brush, a palette of mud, and create a unique mud painting, and help us create a marvelous muddy mural. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Summer Concert Series: The Concord Band. Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard. 7 p.m.-9 p.m. A group of 65

musicians from 40 area towns who have been performing since 1959 present a fun roster of timeless classics. Member cars $10, nonmember cars $15. fruitlands.org.

Outdoor Movie Night: Little Women.

Concord Museum, 200 Lexington Rd., Concord.

8 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Join the Concord Museum and the Orchard House for a celebration of Louisa May Alcott and the film adaptation of her famous novel. Free. concordmuseum.org.

30 Friday Exploring Nano: Rays Awareness.

Discovery Museums, 177 Main St., Acton.

12 p.m.-3 p.m. Learn about ultraviolet light and do some simple experiments to see how sunscreen protects you by blocking harmful rays, and make your own simple UV detector bracelet to take home. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $12.50, children under 1 free. discoverymuseums.org.

Boston Harborfest Kick-Off. Faneuil Hall Marketplace, 4 South Marked Building, Boston.

11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Join Mayor Marty Walsh as he kicks off the 36th Annual Boston Harborfest, featuring the 215th Army Band, and the cutting of the official Harborfest cake for you to enjoy before venturing out to the city to explore Harborfest offerings. Free. Full schedule at bostonharborfest.com.

Friday Farm Dinner. Powisset Farm, 31 Powisset St., Dover. 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Enjoy a seasonal dinner, the scenic view of the farm at sunset, and the company of new and old farm friends, including entertainment and a farm tour by staff. Register ahead. Member adults $36, children $12; nonmember adults $45, children $15. thetrustees.org.

Free Fun Fridays in June Highland Street Foundation’s Free Fun Fridays program kicks off for another season on June 23. Here’s June’s lineup, head to page 40 for July and August’s participating locations and more information.

Friday, June 23 Lyric Stage Company of Boston Mary Baker Eddy Library (Boston) The Sports Museum (Boston) Clark Art Institute (Williamstown) The Mount: Edith Wharton’s Home (Lenox) Worcester Art Museum Peabody Essex Museum (Salem) The Discovery Museums (Acton)

Friday, June 30 Boston Children’s Museum MIT Museum (Cambridge) Normal Rockwell Museum (Stockbridge) Springfield Museums EcoTarium (Worcester) Maritime Gloucester New Bedford Whaling Museum The Gardens at Elm Bank (Massachusetts Horticultural Society) Wellesley BAYSTATEPARENT 27

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Worcester JCC Early Childhood Center Ages 15 months - 5 years

FINALLY FOREVER

June’s Child Isaac

Accepting Registration for September 2017 • EEC Licensed

• In-depth investigations

• Certified, professional teachers

• Full-and part-time

and project work • Pre-math & pre-reading

• Strengthen social,

• Swim instruction

emotional, physical &

• Cooking

cognitive development

• Music

• Science • 2, 3, 5 day options • Small class size • Financial aid available

Accredited State of the Art Early Childhood Center

Contact Sandy Scola, ECC Director, x 258, sscola@worcesterjcc.org

Open to the entire community

Isaac is a happy and active 12-yearold boy of Hispanic and Caucasian descent. He loves to be outdoors, riding his bike, or swimming. He enjoys sports, particularly baseball, basketball, football, and lacrosse.

Isaac has formed positive relationships with peers at his group home, and staff members say that he is respectful and eager to please.

He is currently in the sixth grade and is doing well, supported by an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

He has made friends at school whom he enjoys spending time with, and his teachers report that he is wellbehaved in class. Isaac is working hard in therapy to learn how to appropriately express his emotions and improve his frustration tolerance.

Isaac will thrive in a loving and supportive home of any constellation that can provide him with structure and security. He will do best in a home where he is the only child or where there are older children.

Legally free for adoption, Isaac would like to maintain a relationship with his two biological siblings.

For more information about Isaac, please contact Department of Children and Families (DCF) Adoption Supervisor Karen Greaney at (508) 929-1000. The Worcester DCF Office hosts monthly informational meetings on the second Wednesday of each month for those wishing to learn more about the adoption process in general.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 14 from 6 – 7 p.m.

The DCF Adoption Development & Licensing Unit’s Office is located at 13 Sudbury St. in Worcester. Please call (508) 929-2143 to register and for specifics about parking.

633 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA I worcesterjcc.org I 508.756.7106

Circle of Friends Monday, June 5: Northern Region Adoption Info Meeting, Jordan’s Furniture: 50 Walkers Brook Dr., IMAX Conference Room, Reading. 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Stephanie Frankel, ADLU supervisor: stephanie.frankel @state.ma.us.

Tuesday, June 6: Western Region Adoption Info Meeting — Department of Children and Families, 140 High St., 5th Floor, Springfield. 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

(413) 452-3369.

Wednesday, June 7: LGBT Adoption Info Night, More than Words Bookstore 242 East Berkeley St., 2nd floor, Boston.

This informational event is open to anyone considering adoption from foster care. Come hear about the adoption experience from a panel of LGBT parents and an adoption professional. For more information, contact dianet@mareinc.org.

Friday, June 9: Sunday, June 11: Foster Care and Adoption Information Weekend.

Any Massachusetts or New Hampshire

Jordan’s Furniture Store. Drop in to speak with professionals and experienced families at the Adoption/Foster Care Table in the main entrance.

Wednesday, June 14: Central Region Adoption Info Meeting — ADLU Worcester.

13 Sudbury St., Worcester. 6 p.m.-7 p.m.

(508) 929-2413.

Thursday, June 15: Southern Region Adoption Info Meeting, Morton Hospital, 88 Washington St., Margaret Stone Conference Room, Taunton. 6 p.m.-8 p.m.

RSVP: (508) 894-3830.

Monday, June 19: Southern Region Adoption Info Meeting, Canton Police Department Conference Room, 1492 Washington St., Canton. 6 p.m.-8 p.m.

RSVP: (508) 894-3830.

Wednesday, June 21: Boston Region Adoption Info Meeting, DCF Boston, 451 Blue Hill Avenue, Dorchester. 4 p.m.5:30 p.m. 617-989-9209.

If your group or organization is presenting a program for adoptive families, and you would like to include it in baystateparent magazine, please send information to editor@baystateparent.com 28 JUNE2017

30

New Thrills and Hidden Gems at New England’s Top Family Attractions

33

Tall Ships Return to Boston This Month After 17-Year Absence

34 36 40

8 Surprising Educational Benefits of Family Travel

41

Facts About the Zika Virus Every Woman Should Know

42

14 Top Tips for Traveling With Baby

Summer Gift Guide ’17 Highland Street Foundation Kicks Off Free Friday Family Fun This Month

OF 93 Summer!

DAYS

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93 DAYS OF SUMMER

Discover New Thrills and Hidden Gems at New England’s Top Family Attractions

BY JENN SHEEHY EVERETT

Canobie Lake Park Salem, N.H. canobie.com

The countdown to summertime and school vacation has begun. And with it comes the rush to fill the family calendar with warm weather adventures. Filling that calendar in New England is an easy task with the wealth of family-friendly parks and attractions that excite young and old, whet the appetites of thrill seekers and the more mild-mannered, and set the stage for family memories that won’t soon be forgotten. Consider what’s new at popular area parks this season and hidden gems that shouldn’t be missed!

30 JUNE2017

New for 2017: With a wonderland of over 85 rides (including the wild roller coaster, Untamed), games, live entertainment, attractions, and water fun at Castaway Island, Canobie Lake Park kicks off its 115th season with even more new adventures to excite guests. Guests of all ages can test their critical thinking and creativity in two new “Puzzle Rooms” located in the Wooden Nickel Arcade near the park’s Pirate Ship. Groups of two to six people can enter each room for 6-minute challenges — either to unlock a treasure of gold in the Policy Pond Mining Company room or to beat the warden in a game of chess and other puzzlesolving challenges in the Warden’s Escape Room.

Guests who enjoy gaming can also travel to the center of the park to enjoy a brand-new, open-air pavilion of high-end arcade games (including a unique four-person air hockey experience). Adjacent restaurant seating is available for the cafeteriastyle BeBop Diner, as are amenities such as cell phone chargers to keep guests connected.

This summer also brings new live entertainment experiences to Canobie.

A Tribute to Bruno Mars and a 30-minute extreme sports and stunts show join the summer calendar, along with a Country Music Festival launching in September.

Hidden gems: Guests should be sure to venture to the Dancing Bear Canteen restaurant during a visit to the park for a delicious BBQ meal that promises to slather the whole family in BBQ sauce whether from

full racks of ribs or tasty sandwiches and burgers.

Next door is the answer to every sweet tooth at the Old Canobie Candy Shoppe. Here, guests can buy candy by the pound and sample sugary concoctions created by the park’s executive chefs. Find both at the far end of the park across from the Timber Splash Water Coaster.

“Probably the most surprising gem for Canobie Lake is our location,” said Chris Nicoli, marketing and entertainment manager. “People hear ‘New Hampshire’ and think we’re farther away. We’re only about 30 miles from downtown Boston and close to everywhere from Portland to Providence to Worcester and everything in between.”

Photo courtesy Canobie Lake Park

Admission: General admission $38; $29 for guests 60+ or shorter than 48”. Ages 3 and under admitted free. After 5 p.m., all tickets are reduced to $26.

Unique ticketing specials are advertised on the park website and shared directly with members of the Canobie (email) Club.

Lake Compounce

Visitors can park RVs at Bear Creek, pitch tents, or rent deluxe tipis, huts, or one- and two-bedroom cabins.

“Bear Creek makes it easier for families,” says Sara Frias, Lake Compounce’s director of marketing. “Families can take their time getting up in the morning, follow their usual routine, make their way over to the park, return to the campsite for lunch and a nap, and then head back to the park a bit later.” Free tram service runs between the campground and park from May through September, and guests can drive personal vehicles to and from the park at no additional charge.

Bristol, Conn. lakecompounce.com

New for 2017: As it kicks off its 171st season, Lake Compounce is thrilled to celebrate the joy it has brought generations of families as the longest continuously running amusement park in North America. It also boasts Connecticut’s largest water park, featuring multiple wave pools, water slides, special areas designed for young children, and even a lake.

This season, guests will enjoy various upgrades across the park, including track improvements to two of its popular wooden roller coasters, Wildcat and Boulder Dash, voted the world’s #1 wooden roller coaster by Amusement Today with its unique journey snaking between trees and rocks atop a mountain. Lake Compounce’s Phobia Phear Coaster, the first triple launch steel coaster in New England, will also surely remain a hot attraction for the 2017 season with speeds of up to 65 mph, a cobra roll 150 feet in the air, and a staggering height of 15 stories.

The allure of Lake Compounce isn’t limited to thrill seekers. A large section of the park is dedicated to those under age 5, with rides mirroring larger attractions in the park and giving younger children a taste of the experiences of older family members

Admission: General Admission $43.99 for guests 52 inches and taller; junior admission $33.99 for children under 52 inches tall; Seniors 60+ $22.99; ages 3 and under admitted free. A limited quantity of $10-off tickets is also offered online for Tuesday visits to the park.

Various season passes are also available.

Photo courtesy Lake Compounce

and friends. Kiddie attractions include a miniature carousel, bumper cars, and drop-zone ride.

Hidden gems: Four years ago, Lake Compounce opened the Bear Creek Campground three-quarters of a mile from the park to host families interested in lengthier visits or hailing from further distances.

Santa’s Village

hunt that promises a prize and diploma from Elfabet University for children who successfully traverse the entire park.

While Santa’s Village provides families with much hustle-andbustle during their visit, it also pays homage to the real meaning of Christmas. Visitors may be surprised to encounter a lifesize nativity scene and adjoining chapel for quiet reflection.

“Pure Joy — Family Style is what Santa’s Village is all about,” Miller said. “It’s not about one thing you did here or one ride. It’s about family time spent together, and there’s real value in that.”

Jefferson, N.H. santasvillage.com

New for 2017: Recognized as one of the Top 25 Amusement Parks in the U.S. for three years in a row by Trip Advisor, Santa’s Village offers a magical Christmas theme park of 20 amusement rides, the Ho Ho H2O water park, live and animated shows, visits with Santa and real reindeer, and other memorable surprises in a unique evergreen forest setting. This season, visitors will be treated to a major renovation of the Stocking Stuffer Exit Gift Shop, an iconic building that has served as a landmark at the park since 1961. “We’re preserving charming aspects of our past, including the igloos that kids love to see and walk through at the park, but we’re giving them a fresh new look and modern feel,” said Santa’s Helper Jim Miller.

Hidden gems: A trip to Santa’s Village isn’t complete without a visit to the park’s Reindeer Shoe Shop to receive a complimentary, custom-made good-luck ring, a signature tradition at the park for

Six Flags New England Agawam, Mass. sixflags.com/newengland

New for 2017: Six Flags New England bills itself as the “Coaster Capital of New England,” and this season it delivers two new coasters sure to wow any thrill seeker. The Galactic Attack Virtual Reality Coaster brings an interactive, video-gaming, virtual reality experience to the park’s iconic steel coaster of 20 years, Mind Eraser. Riders wear Samsung Gear Virtual Reality headsets to launch themselves into the cockpit of a fighter spaceship to battle flying drones firing lasers and missiles with wild

more than 60 years.

“A lot of people make it a point to get rings over the years, save them, and see how their kids’ fingers have grown,” Miller added.

Children can also enjoy a free Elfabet scavenger

Admission: General Admission $32, reduced to $27 on Guest Appreciation Days of June 3, 4, 10 and 11, and during Halloween events on October 21 and 28.

Children 3 and under enter free with a paid adult.

Two-day passes, season passes, and discounted senior tickets are also available.

Photo courtesy Santa’s Village

abandon. Each rider travels a different virtual path during the ride, arriving at unique endings based on their performance during the drone battles.

The Joker, New England’s first 4D Free-Fly Coaster, is being unveiled as the 13th coaster at the park and one of the most exciting thrill rides in the park’s history. It challenges riders with a massive and twisting track, a 120-foot elevator lift to kick off a highly unusual sensory journey, two beyondvertical free falls, and up to eight head-over-heels flips. While guests Photo courtesy Six Flags New England

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do not wear headsets like Galactic Attack, they enjoy a unique dimension free-floating on the outside of the coaster track.

Six Flags keeps the fun alive into the holiday season, as it premieres Holiday in the Park — a wonderland of millions of LED lights, themed areas, interactive holiday characters, and home to Santa and Mrs. Claus, combined with more than 30 of its popular attractions, including the Batman, Mind Eraser, and Joker coasters and various family-friendly rides.

Hidden gems: A day at Six Flags can deliver a thrill-a-minute, but the park recognizes that

guests may need an occasional break in the action to pause and recharge. Guests can venture to the peaceful Six Flags Relaxation Station in Looney Tunes Movie Town to enjoy beautifully landscaped gardens, shade, and seating to balance a high-energy day at the park.

A “hidden” secret for navigating Six Flags: The entire park is one big circle, so guests should head to the left once they reach Main Street to follow the complete circle of the park. This will maximize available time and ensure that all park attractions are enjoyed.

“Our goal at Six Flags is to take each guest’s breath away at least once, whether from riding

Story Land

Glen, N.H. storylandnh.com

New for 2017: A theme park entertaining families of children ages 2 to 12 for more than 60 years, Story Land excites guests with 22 themed rides (including its first wooden roller coaster added in 2014), live shows, interactive play areas, storybook characters, and favorite nursery rhyme animals on 35 landscaped acres in the Mount Washington Valley. This season brings exciting events to Story Land, including a Summer Kick-off and Book Drive on June 17 with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Christopher Robin from Hundred Acre Wood. Guests who bring a new children’s book to the park that day (for donation to Believe in Books Literacy Foundation, an organization supporting literacy initiatives in Northern New England) save $5 on admission.

Families may also enjoy participating in the second Autism Awareness Weekend and Walk around Story Land with partner Autism Speaks June 24-25, and on Sept. 23, the all-new “Scavenger

Water Country Portsmouth, N.H. watercountry.com

New for 2017: New England’s largest water park has been providing fun for the whole family for over 30 years as a New Hampshire landmark. Young children can enjoy their first water slide down the slippery arms of Ollie Octopus, and teens will love the challenge of a 300-foot trip through Dr. Von Dark’s Tunnel of Terror.

This year, guests visiting the Pirate’s Pool & Lagoon will enjoy a brand-new pirate ship with new and improved slides and water cannons that will be a blast for younger explorers. Guests will also enjoy enhancements to Water Country’s food locations and general facilities throughout the park.

The park’s event schedule is also sure to please. This summer brings the return of the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson on June 22 and visits by race car drivers and their vehicles from NASCAR’s Lee Speedway on July 11, 25, and Aug. 8.

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Hunt to Grant a Fairytale” hosted by Story Land and pediatric cancer support group One Mission.

The event raises funds to provide all-expenses-paid weekend getaways to the Mount Washington Valley in 2018 for up to 10 families with children fighting pediatric cancer.

a major coaster, watching a world-class show, experiencing a beautiful day in our Hurricane Harbor water park, or having a nostalgic experience with mom and dad on one of our carousels or our classic wooden coaster Thunderbolt,” Park Representative Jennifer McGrath said.

Admission: General Admission $65.99; children under 54” $55.99; children 2 and under admitted free. Reduced admission tickets available if purchased online at least one day before a visit.

Season passes, a Thrill Pass offering unlimited visits through Sept. 17, and park membership are also available.

Hidden gems: “Our most unique ride at Story Land and the gem of the park is the trip to the castle in Cinderella’s Pumpkin Coach to meet Cinderella herself,” said Director of Marketing Lauren Hawkins. “Beyond that, a lot of the magic of Story Land comes from our location in the White Mountains. When you walk through Story Land, you’re going up and down hills and can see Mount Washington from a lot of spots. And when you get to the top of a ride, you see nothing but mountains across over 30 acres. We’re not your typical pavement park — there’s a whole experience to enjoy.”

Families with young children may also appreciate air-conditioned baby bungalows now attached to the majority of the park’s bathrooms for Photo courtesy Story Land ever-important rest and relaxation (or feedings and diaper changes).

Admission: $33.99 for a one-day ticket and $54.99 for two-day flex passes for guests ages 3 and over.

Ages 2 and under admitted free. Season passes and special packages are also available.

is again the goal, guests can tackle a hidden gem such as the Thunder Falls & Wild Canyon tube slide that sends four-person rafts through the twists and turns of whitewater rapids.

“This is a great ride for guests who love thrills, but also a fun experience for those who aren’t ready for drop rides,” said Water Country representative Meghan Jones. “Water Country has something amazing for everybody: New England’s largest wave pool for families, drop slides for thrill seekers, a separate area for younger kids, and a lounge area where parents can sit back and watch.”

Admission: One-day General Admission $39.99 for 48” and taller, and $27.99 for juniors under 48” Photo courtesy Water Country tall and seniors 65+. Guests can also purchase discounted “Smart Day” tickets that Hidden gems: Guests can reserve in advance and require attendance on specific days. Season passes relax in style in one of Water Country’s private are also available. cabanas near the Wave Pool, Whirl Pool, and Pirates Pool. Once relaxation is achieved and excitement

Photos courtesy Sail Boston

93 DAYS OF SUMMER

TALL SHIPS RETURN TO BOSTON AFTER 17-YEAR ABSENCE

BY MICHELLE PERRAS-CHARRON

Families can immerse themselves in the maritime history of Boston this month when the Tall Ship fleet sails into Boston Harbor June 17-22 — the first time they have visited the city in 17 years.

A fleet of more than 40 Tall Ships is taking part in the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta — a 7,000-nautical mile trans-Atlantic race that began April 13 in Royal Greenwich, UK, sailing to ports in Portugal and Bermuda before a stopover for Sail Boston 2017. From here, the Tall Ships will head to Québec City and other destinations as part of the five-month regatta. The race ends when the winning ship cruises into Le Havre, France, the last week of August.

A Tall Ship is a traditionally rigged sailing vessel. They can be categorized by the number of masts/shape of the ship, according to Sail Boston.

Some modern-day examples of Tall Ships are barques, brigs, brigantines, and topsail schooners. The tallest and longest ship attending Sail Boston 2017 is the Peruvian Navy training ship Unión, which is a barque.

Sail Boston will kick off with opening ceremonies at Rowe’s Wharf at noon, Friday, June 16, with performances

by the United States Coast Guard Band, the Boston Gaelic Column of Pipes and Drums, and the Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes and Drums.

“This event really seems to capture the hearts and minds of New Englanders,” says Robin Reibel, spokesperson for Sail Boston 2017.

The showstopper event occurs on Saturday, June 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., when the Tall Ships sail into Boston Harbor for the Grand Parade of Sail. During the parade, participating Tall Ships will form into flotillas and be led by the United States Coast Guard Barque Eagle through Broad Sound into the main channel of the harbor. The ships will then make a turn at Charlestown prior to proceeding to their berthing areas.

According to organizers, public viewing of the parade will be best from Castle Island, the Seaport District, the Boston Waterfront, East Boston, the North End, and Charlestown. There is also a spectator anchorage map available on sailboston.com.

“There has not been a parade and sail of this magnitude in 17 years,” Reibel notes. “With almost 50 ships, this is an opportunity not to be missed. This is an opportunity to

really connect with Boston’s seafaring and maritime history that is really special.”

Boston’s history is married to the water, and this event will give families a chance to explore not only United States maritime history via educational programming throughout the event, but also international maritime history, as many of the Tall Ships come from other countries, including Germany, Spain, Finland, and Chile.

The Tall Ships will be berthed all around Charlestown Navy Yard and Boston Fish Pier, where festivities will be taking place throughout the week. Free public boarding of the ships will be available on Saturday, June 17, from 3 p.m.-10 p.m., and June 18-21, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. During public boarding hours, families will have the opportunity to chat with cadets and crewmembers about the ships, home countries, culture, and sea experiences, Reibel says.

“It’s a very hands-on, interactive experience,” she adds.

Additionally, great entertainment is on tap as spectators will have the opportunity to see the Boston Gaelic Column of Pipes and Drums perform Saturday, June 17, at Charlestown

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Navy Yard. Organized in 1992, the Gaelic Column is the Boston Police Department’s bagpipe band. The Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes and Drums will also perform that day, and both organizations will make multiple appearances throughout the week of festivities and entertainment.

Spectators can also enjoy an evening of musical and military entertainment with the Sunset Salute from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20, and Wednesday, June 21, at the Charlestown Navy Yard and the Fan Pier, respectively.

Reibel cautions this is a “know before you go” event, as there will be limited parking, restricted travel, and road closures throughout the festival.

One option for getting into the area is the reservation-based Sail Boston Express (sailboston.com/gettinghere), which will provide service into Boston from Park & Rides throughout eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.

For more detailed information about the Tall Ships participating in Sail Boston 2017, the schedule of free festivities, and how best to travel into Boston to enjoy this family event, visit sailboston.com.

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93 DAYS OF SUMMER

8 Surprising Educational Benefits of Family Travel

BY KRISTIN GUAY

F

amily travel is a time for some much-needed relaxation and family bonding. It is also a wonderful opportunity to exercise and subtly support educational skills.

Parents can use a family vacation to bolster your child’s strengths and strengthen weaknesses. If your children like science, have them research the natural environment, animals, or attractions of your destination and keep a journal on the trip. If math is their strong suit, have them help with the budget, determining costs of travel, accommodations, food, and events. This budget exercise can also be helpful for someone who struggles with math because it demonstrates how math is important in everyday situations. The key is to make your child’s participation in the family vacation enjoyable and rewarding — and maybe throw in some educational components as well!

tion and organization are necessary, and it is important to have your child involved in this process. Start by gathering reading material about your destination; you can get books and travel guides from your local library. Look through the material with your child and write down areas of special interest: nature areas, exciting excursions, historical landmarks, or interesting museums, shops, or restaurants. Get your children invested in the vacation by having them select one specific area they want to explore. Some families find it helpful to let each of their children select one activity for the family (baseball game, white-water rafting, fishing excursion, special museum, etc.) and have that child be in charge of gathering the information for that event. Not only does the child become more invested in the vacation, but they also have a comfort knowing they will do something important to them.

Preparing for family travel

Using the internet

It doesn’t matter if you’re going away for a weekend visit or a twoweek European vacation — prepara34 JUNE2017

Children are accustomed to playing games online, but they may not have experience using the Internet for research. Working with your children allows them to see the benefits

of the internet beyond gaming and can be very helpful in the planning stages of a vacation.

Start by showing your children how to find photographs, and even virtual tours, of the area you plan to visit.

Many popular family travel destinations have virtual tours (national parks, museums, theme parks) and this not only helps to prepare for the trip, but also builds excitement and enthusiasm.

Have them sit with you while you research reviews and ratings of activities, restaurants, and accommodations. Impress upon your children that gathering all necessary information is important to a family vacation, and demonstrate how the Internet can be used to help with this purpose.

Let them help you check some of the “fine print” when reviewing details. For example, some B&Bs have a minimum three-night stay and some European hotels have a fourperson minimum per room. Having your child search for this information reinforces the idea of careful reading comprehension. Learning to fully understand the small details of reading material is something that is taught in schools across all subject areas, and this can be reinforced

while planning your vacation. If a younger sibling is too young for a white-water rafting excursion, this is important information that the family needs to know while planning.

Use this research time to emphasize the importance of these small details with your children.

Travel guides Check your local library or bookstore for travel guides about your destination. You can also get travel guides and maps through AAA. This might be the first time some children are exposed to non-fiction reading material.

Read through this information and have your children select an event, excursion, or activity they would like to do. Put them in charge of gathering all necessary information about this event (with parental guidance).

For example, if they want to zip-line in the Smokey Mountains, help them research the cost, restrictions, reservations, and any other necessary information. Doing this with your child shows them the importance of reading comprehension skills and how these skills are not only used for reading fictional stories but also for understanding information that is

important to them. Show them a map of the area and explain how to use the map key and calculate miles.

Non-fiction reading material, especially travel guides and maps, are loaded with text features that are important for children to learn.

Common text features found in travel material include a table of contents (heading of the different sections of the book); index (where to find information); bold print (signals something is important); photographs (shows how something looks in real life); maps and size comparison diagrams (shows things in relation to each other); heading (provides information about a particular section); captions and labels (information about pictures); glossary (important words); and a diagram (a labeled picture detailing parts of a subject). Children will learn about these features in school, but this is an opportunity to see the value and application of these text features in a real-life situation.

Research interesting facts about A destination There are many ways parents can encourage children to learn about a destination. Driving routes and flight plans are perfect opportunities to pull out maps and discuss states, countries, time zones, oceans, and continents. Spend some time learning about the history of the area, special historic landmarks, and interesting people and events. Some children might even enjoy learning about important people and issues in politics of the area. Depending on age of the child, parents could have the children earn spending money for the vacation by gathering important information about the trip. Children can be responsible for learning about special events or activities, history, interesting people of the area, historic architecture, and any other important information.

Also have them research the area’s natural resources (wildlife, conservation areas, plants, trees, and flowers).

They can present their information to the family in order to receive their spending money.

Use vacations to teach children about money Have children involved in planning a budget, including their own spending money. They can help you determine various costs such as travel (gas for car, bus fare, plane ticket, etc.), hotel accommodations, costs of excursions and other activities, meals, and general spending money for gifts and souvenirs. Give your child a spending budget of their own that they can use for souve-

nirs, snacks, etc., and let them keep track of their expenses during the vacation. This can be similar to a checkbook so children can see the money they have in the beginning of the trip, what they spent, and how much is remaining. When they see the amount they have to spend dwindling down, this can help eliminate the “gimmies” for every vacation-related souvenir they see and encourage them to really think about each item they want to purchase.

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Packing Make sure to provide your child with a few necessary supplies to help them record the family adventure.

A small journal, markers, crayons, pencils, and a disposable camera can help them capture special moments.

Pack a few good books (maybe throw in a few new ones as a surprise) and some simple board games. Travelsize games are great for car rides, restaurants, and quiet time in the hotel room. Children need to slow down after a busy day of travel, and a new bedtime story might do the trick. This is a special surprise at the end of the day and helps make the transition from a day filled with adventure to a good night’s sleep.

During the trip

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Talk with your child at the end of the day and ask about their highs and lows. Encourage them to record this information in a journal so they can remember every aspect of their vacation. Get postcards and encourage children to write messages to friends and family (either with your assistance or on their own if they are able). This activity prompts them to articulate their thoughts about their travels and record any important information they want to remember.

Be sure to gather any informational brochures (with pictures) from the trip that can be used in scrapbooks or journals after the vacation.

After the trip Help your children create their own memory book. Develop some pictures (or cut some out from various brochures) and create a scrapbook with information and comments for each day and activity. Have them use their journal to refresh their memory of everything they saw, people they met, and activities they did during their trip. After the trip, it is fun to look back at a travel guide of the area and make comparisons on specific destinations, restaurants, and historic landmarks. Many times, vacations go so fast and all the adventures become a blur. Creating a memory book gives children an opportunity to write their own thoughts about their vacation and reflect on all their adventures BAYSTATEPARENT 35

93 DAYS OF SUMMER

summer gift guide ‘17

ON THE GO

1. Little Monsters Trolley, lassigusa.com, $80.95. Kids can travel in style with their own fun luggage. Measuring 11”x18”, this “Bouncing Bob” rolling suitcase features an outer zip pocket in front, a separate shoe compartment, a two-stage, heightadjustable handle, and more.

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2. Motorola Talkabout T6000 H20, motorolasolutions.com, $119.99. These two-way radios are a great way to keep in touch when out of cell range, especially on the water given they’re waterproof, float, and feature a flashlight that automatically activates when it hits water.

3. Tri-Fold Mini Stroller, target.com, $99. This lightweight wonder from Baby Trend ensures parents can enjoy full stroller functionality and a small footprint. It can fit in the smallest of vehicles or be carried over a shoulder with the included carry strap.

4. Tenba Switch, tenba.com, $79.95 and up. Protect your DSLR or mirrorless camera, lenses, and even an iPad on the go with this rugged camera case. Available in a variety of sizes, the Switch earns its name with its faux leather flap, which can be swapped out from basic black to a variety of fabrics, colors, and patterns to change up the look. Each bag includes myriad prolevel features, including a top zipper that allows you to access your gear without opening the bag.

5. Lugabug, lugabug,com, $64. This mom-invented child travel seat secures in seconds without taking up extra space and ensures an easy glide through a busy airport. Geared for children 2+ and a max weight of 60 lbs., it can also be used as an extra pocket when hung over luggage or as a camp chair/sitting pad, and the top strap can be adjusted and worn over the shoulders to carry extra belongings.

6. Barbie and Fisher-Price Learning Tablets, shop.nabitablet.com, $79.99 and up. These 7-inch, full-featured Android tablets promise fun wherever they roam in styles loaded with kidsafe, brand-specific apps and content, videos, games, music, and more. Each tablet is equipped with a rubber bumper and parental controls. Other tablets include American Girl and Hot Wheels.

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summer gift guide ‘17

OUTSIDE UNPLUGGED 1. Roo Hammock, kammok.com, $99. Kids love hammocks (parents do, too, if they can get a turn). This 10-foot-long ripstop hammock is tear-resistant, comfortable for two, can support up to 500 lbs., and packs down into a 5x6-inch, 24-ounce, integrated stuff sack.

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2. Giant Net Swing, svan.con, $99.99. Hung from a tree or metal frame, this sturdy swing supports multiple passengers (up to 220 lbs and two children) and features a steel frame with foam safety padding for extra security. It also comes apart for easy storage during colder months.

3. Rainbow Kite, agreatlifebrand.com, $12.50. Designed to be stable and easy to launch in nearly every type of wind, this 43-inch flyer makes it easy to make great memories and learn the ins and outs of kite handling.

4. Balance Bike, purecycles.com, $119. Make learning how to ride a bike more fun, faster, and easier by eliminating the pedals and allowing kids to scoot around using their feet first. Approved for riders 18 months and up.

5. GeoSafari Solar Rover, educationalinsights.com, $29.99. Harness the power of the sun and cast shadows to drive, turn, and stop the rover. Take the show on the road with an included activity guide and three training course cones to create a rover challenge course.

6. Giant Tumbling Tower, svan.con, $99.99. Great for indoor and outdoor play, this wooden 60-piece set can stack up to 4 feet high and comes in its own carrying bag.

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summer gift guide ‘17

ON THE WATER

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1. Snapper Rock, snapperrock.com. Keep kids safe — and stylish — this season with this children’s swimwear line that offers UV50+ protection and super cute designs. From babies and toddlers to teens, kids will enjoy everything from ruffle sets and skirt swimsuits to reversible bikinis and board shorts.

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2. Bendiware, bendiware.com, $16.95 (set of two), $24.95 (set of four). You belong by the water, but glass doesn’t. Enter this line of lightweight, ultraportable silicone wine glasses that will fit in any bag. Freezerand dishwasher-safe, they’re also 100% BPA-free.

3. Aqua Rider Squirter, swimways.com, $14.99. Kids will have a blast riding this fun new pool noodle toy, featuring a built-in squirt gun that automatically refills with pool water and shoots water out of the character’s head. Characters include Hammerhead, Dolphin, Dragon, and Walrus.

4. Beachmate, mybeachmate.com, $98.50. This innovative carryall organizes everything you need for a day at the beach — food, toys, supplies, and more — and fits it all over your shoulder. It features sturdy shovels that won’t break, five buckets for building sandcastles, a cooler for food and drinks, a tote bag with pockets to protect cell phones, electronics and wallets, and Velcro straps for attaching an umbrella, beach chair, or towels.

5. Inflatabull, amazon.com, $48.88. You’ve never seen a pool float like this one from Intex. Fun for riders ages 9+, Inflatabull features durable construction, three air chambers, and hours of rodeo bull riding fun in your own backyard.

6. Drink Dock, swimways.com, $7.99. These floating drink holders are made of durable foam that supports bottles, cans, and cups. Puzzle shaped, they can be used solo or interconnect to create a floating drink station.

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Free or Low-Cost Ways to Make Summer Memories With Your Child

BY ATTY. ANDY P. MILLER

Keeping children occupied during summer vacation is a challenge for all parents. And it can feel greater when you are a separated or divorced parent. Ideally, you and your child’s other parent will cooperate in developing a plan that keeps your child safe, while also providing an enjoyable summer vacation filled with memory-making opportunities for all of you.

The key to a successful summer experience is planning ahead.

1. The most important things to consider in making summer plans is to ensure your child is supervised, safe, and having fun! This likely entails lining up childcare and/or camps, if you haven’t already. Many communities offer a variety of low-cost options, including programs at local schools, libraries, and places of worship. Each of these options can provide childcare during some or all of your working hours. Also consider swapping childcare duties with other single parents, taking turns caring for each other’s children. Make sure young children, especially those under age 12, are supervised at all times.

2. Try to schedule a memory-making experience at least once a week. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on a lavish vacation. Think back to your favorite childhood memories, which most likely are simply times spent with family and friends. These can include a cookout, a trip to the beach or lake, a nature walk or hike, or any other activity that you and your children enjoy. Spend a night stargazing. Download an app that helps you identify the stars and planets in the night sky. Seek out fireworks shows, which are offered in many communities throughout the summer. Many communities also offer free concerts and movie nights, where you can pack a picnic dinner and join other families for a night of free entertainment.

3. Consider joining a local pool club, where you and your children can spend time hanging out with other friends and families. It’s often easy to find teenage babysitters willing to spend the day with your children in

a safe, fun environment, providing them — and you — with a variety of activities and opportunities to meet new friends instead of sitting around the house all day. An added benefit to joining local pool clubs is that many offer swimming lessons and sports opportunities, such as swim and tennis.

4. Take advantage of the many free and low-cost activities available in your community. Contact your city or town parks and recreation department to see what they offer. Check your local library for free or low-cost admission to a variety of attractions, including museums, zoos, and events. baystateparent offers an extensive listing of free family events in its calendar each month. Highland Street Foundation’s Free Fun Fridays schedule can be found on page 40.

5. Go nostalgic. Introduce your children to the summer activities you enjoyed: croquet or badminton in the backyard, hide-and-seek, water balloon and squirt gun fights, hopscotch, dodge ball or any other activities you think they may enjoy.

6. Grow a garden — flowers or vegetables. Teach your child how to sow seeds, weed, water, and nurture plants to develop a life-long love of nature. If you don’t have a yard, let them plant their gardens in planters, or better yet, seek out a community garden, where you’ll join other likeminded nature lovers.

There are many low-cost summer adventures out there, especially here in New England where there is so much nature to explore! Climb Blue Hill or follow the entire trail into Boston, or pack a picnic dinner and head to the beach to body surf or watch the sunset. Walk the Freedom Trail in Boston to introduce your children to the American Revolution.

Take a bike ride or walk along one of the numerous bike paths that crisscross the state.

The most important thing is to make summer fun for your child. Don’t let separation or divorce stop you from creating special memories. The key is to plan ahead to make summer a

special time for you and your children, making memories that will last a lifetime!

Attorney Andy P. Miller is the founder and managing attorney of Miller Law Group, P.C. (apmillerlawgroup. com). A father himself, Miller focuses

on children and their best interests by helping guide parents through the divorce process. Having practiced in nearly every county in Massachusetts, he has a wide understanding of the various courts in Massachusetts and experience before many judges.

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Highland Street Foundation

H

ighland Street Foundation’s “Free Fun Fridays,” a summer program that provides free admission to dozens of treasured cultural institutions throughout Massachusetts, kicks off its 2017 season on June 23.

For 10 consecutive Fridays, admission to multiple participating venues statewide, including museums, historic houses, performing arts centers, and zoos, will be free.

“Since its inception in 2009, Free Fun Fridays has drawn more than 1,000,000 visitors to venues throughout the Commonwealth. Last year alone, the program reached more than 160,000 people, with many partner institutions, such as The Mount in Lenox, The Old State House in Boston, the Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich, and the EcoTarium in Worcester, experiencing record-breaking attendance,” said Blake Jordan, Highland Street Foundation executive director. He expects those numbers will increase again this year with the program’s expansion to 85 locations.

The Highland Street Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation established in 1989 by The McGrath family. Since its creation, the family and the foundation have contributed more than $170 million to hundreds of non-profit organizations and programs, such as Free Fun Fridays, benefitting veterans, youth, and families.

To learn more about Free Fun Fridays and Highland Street Foundation, visit highlandstreet.org or facebook.com/ HighlandStreet and on Twitter @HighlandStreet.

The following institutions are participating in Free Fun Fridays 2017:

40 JUNE2017

Kicks Off Free Fun Fridays This Month

June 23

July 14

• JKF Hyannis Museum

• Lyric Stage Company of Boston • Mary Baker Eddy Library (Boston) • The Sports Museum (Boston) • Clark Art Institute (Williamstown) • The Mount: Edith Wharton’s Home (Lenox) • Worcester Art Museum • Peabody Essex Museum (Salem) • The Discovery Museums (Acton)

• Larz Anderson Auto Museum (Brookline) • Provincetown Art Association and Museum • Edward Gorey House (Yarmouth Port) • Museum of Russian Icons (Clinton) • Cape Ann Museum (Gloucester)

August 11

June 30 • Boston Children’s Museum • MIT Museum (Cambridge) • Normal Rockwell Museum (Stockbridge) • Springfield Museums • EcoTarium (Worcester) • Maritime Gloucester • New Bedford Whaling Museum • The Gardens at Elm Bank (Wellesley)

July 7 • Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum (Boston) • New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston) • Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum (Lenox) • Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center (Great Barrington) • Amelia Park Children’s Museum (Westfield) • Falmouth Museums on the Green • Pilgrim Hall Museum (Plymouth) • Children’s Museum in Easton • The Hall at Patriot Place

July 14 • Edward M. Kennedy Institute (Boston) • The Metropolitan Waterworks Museum (Chestnut Hill) • Harvard Museums of Science & Culture (Cambridge)

July 21 • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston • Tanglewood (Lenox) • Boston Athenaeum • The Museum of the NCAA (Boston) • The Fruitlands Museum (Harvard) • Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History (Weston) • Lynn Museum • Hancock Shaker Village • Sandwich Glass Museum

July 28 • John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum • Commonwealth Museum (Boston) • Arnold Arboretum (Boston) • The Eric Carle Museum (Amherst) • Berkshire Theatre Group (Stockbridge) • Historic Deerfield • Cape Cod Museum of Art (Dennis) • Wenham Museum • Tower Hill Botanic Garden (Boylston)

August 4 • Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (Boston) • Old State House • The Greenway Carousel (Boston) • Fort Devens Museum • Children’s Museum at Holyoke • International Volleyball Hall of Fame (Holyoke) • The Old Manse, The Trustees (Concord)

• Franklin Park Zoo (Boston) • Fuller Craft Museum (Brockton) • Cape Cod Maritime Museum (Hyannis) • Worcester Historical Museum • Griffin Museum of Photography (Winchester) • Fitchburg Art Museum • Jacob’s Pillow Dance (Becket) • Smith College Museum of Art (Northampton) • Naumkeag (Stockbridge)

August 18 • The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston • Old Sturbridge Village • Freedom Trail Foundation • Buttonwood Park Zoo (New Bedford) • Cape Cod Children’s Museum (Mashpee) • Concord Museum • Berkshire Museum (Pittsfield) • Emily Dickinson Museum (Amherst)

August 25 • Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park • USS Constitution Museum (Charlestown) • Plimoth Plantation • MASS MoCA (North Adams) • Nantucket Whaling Museum • The Children’s Museum of Greater Fall River • Museum of African American History (Boston) • Cape Cod Museum of Natural History (Brewster) • Heritage Museums & Gardens (Sandwich)

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• The virus is spread by mosquito bites. It enters the bloodstream of the infected person and can be transmitted through sex, even if the infected person does not have symptoms. In fact, 80% of infected people do not show symptoms. Zika symptoms include fever, a rash, conjunctivitis (red, inflamed eyes), and pain in the joints.

• The virus can be transmitted from mother to fetus and can cause birth defects. If you are pregnant, do not travel to areas with Zika.

This includes Brownsville, Texas, south Florida, and many areas in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.

If you do travel to a country that has a Zika travel alert, be sure to take these precautions: • Prevent mosquito bites by using an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved insect repellent.

EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective, even for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

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Last summer, the Zika virus received a lot over media coverage, which has all but stopped. Yet that doesn’t mean the virus has gone away and women aren’t still at risk.

In fact, Brownsville, Texas, was added to the Zika travel guidance as a place to avoid in late October 2016. As late as February 2017, there have been 30 reported cases of Zika in 11 states.

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cated, but before you do, be sure to pay close attention to the label for any warnings. All insect repellents, including products combined with sunscreen, should be used according to instructions on the label.

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• Insect repellents can be used in all ages unless it is otherwise stated on the label. As long as you read and follow label directions and take proper precautions, insect repellents with active ingredients registered by the EPA do not present health or safety concerns.

• Keep mosquitoes outside by staying in places with air conditioning and with window/door screens.

• Protect yourself during sex.

Women: consider using condoms or abstaining from sex for at least eight weeks after travel (if you don’t have symptoms) or for at least eight weeks from the start of symptoms (or Zika diagnosis) if you develop Zika.

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• Finally, avoid areas where there is standing water because they attract mosquitoes.

For more tips on Zika, refer to the Centers for Disease Control’s Zika Resource website: cdc.gov/zika.

Dr. Lisa Masterson M.D. is a specialist in obstetrics, gynecology, infertility, adolescent gynecology, and family planning. She is also the Emmynominated co-host of the syndicated daytime medical talk show, The Doctors. At healthinheelswithdrlisa. com she shares information about health, wellness, parenting, and more.

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93 DAYS OF SUMMER

14 Top Tips for Traveling

With Baby

BY LISA FURULAND

V

acationing with a baby?

Don’t panic! Whether you’re headed to a beach getaway or a low-key but busy stay with extended family, the best thing you can do to ensure a stress-free vacation is to plan ahead. Here are some tried-and-true tips for traveling with babies and toddlers.

Airplane travel Fear of airplane travel with a baby is definitely a thing for new parents.

But, if you are well prepared, it’s no sweat. Here are a few key tips for plane trips: • Bring an extra change of clothes for baby. Accidents happen, especially when you travel. In case you 42 JUNE2017

have a milk spill or diaper explosion, always pack an extra set of clothes for baby. We love the cheap, white onesies you can buy in sets.

If there’s a diaper explosion or a major spit-up, you won’t feel bad just tossing the onesie in the nearest trashcan.

• Bring an extra change of clothes for yourself. If poop or throw up lands on you, you’re going to want to get those clothes off pronto, otherwise you’ll be stuck in your smelly clothes or with an expensive souvenir T-shirt purchased in the airport gift shop.

• Invest in noise-canceling headphones. There’s nothing worse than a sleeping baby being awoken by a loudspeaker announcement informing everyone that the seatbelt sign is off. If your baby is old enough to

wear headphones, pick up a set for babies/children before your trip.

• Book flight times that coincide with baby’s sleep schedule. If you have some control over your flight times, try and book flights according to when you think your child will most likely be napping.

• Bring a well-packed diaper bag.

It may sound fairly simple, right?

But in the rush of getting ready to leave for a trip, things sometimes get overlooked. Write out a complete list and cross check it with your diaper bag before you leave.

And always bring extra pacifiers, burp cloths, diapers, books, quiet toys, etc.

• Reserve your seating. If possible, reserve your seats ahead of time. Ideal seating is the bulkhead

with extra legroom and aisle seats, making it easy to get up and walk around with baby.

• Car seats and strollers. If you have a baby, it’s easiest to check the car seat and keep baby in a smaller stroller that can be checked at the gate before you board the plane. When baby’s not riding, the stroller doubles as a handy holder for your handbag, diaper bag, and more.

Dealing with nap time While it’s tempting to stray from baby’s nap schedule while away from home, don’t do it. Proper sleep

is so important to a child’s growth and development. Rather than sending your entire family back to the hotel room for each naptime, here are some ways to enjoy your trip while making sure baby gets proper sleep: • Trade off nap-sitting times. Take turns nap sitting with your significant other. One of you watches the baby while the other gets to cross something off their personal vacation bucket list or spend time with your other kids. It’s a great time to sneak in a little nap yourself or have some “me time” to watch a movie or read a book.

The best thing you can do to ensure a stress-free vacation is to plan ahead.

• Multi-purpose rental car. If you’ve rented a car, take a scenic drive during naptime while baby snoozes in the car seat.

• Plan naptime around meals. Plan mealtime to coincide with baby’s naps. Make sure to bring a reclining stroller so baby can snooze while you enjoy a long and relaxing adult meal.

Setting up changing, feeding & sleeping areas • Create a diaper-changing area.

Once you arrive to your destination — hotel, rental, Airbnb, or friend or family’s house — pick a spot that will be your changing area and stock it with diapers, wipes, diaper cream, and whatever else you need to easily change your little one. Make sure to pack disposable changing pads.

• Don’t over-pack the diapers.

Regardless of where you’re going, there will be a store that sells diapers, so you don’t need to overstuff your luggage.

• Make a meal zone. Lay out bottles, baby food, and formula in one area, either in the actual kitchen if you have one or a makeshift area near a sink.

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• Find a sleeping spot. Find an ideal place for baby to sleep that will be safe and quiet.

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44 JUNE2017

MASSive Comic Con Offers Free Admission for Kids 10 and Under MASSive Comic Con, featuring celebrity guests, A-list comic creators, famous cosplayers, and more, is coming to Worcester’s DCU Center this month offering one major family perk — free admission for children 10 and under with a paid adult admission.

Running Saturday, June 24, and Sunday, June 25, the weekend features WWE Hall of Famers Diamond Dallas Page and Booker T, and actor and musician Chester Rushing, best known for his role as Tommy H. on Stranger Things. Kids will have the opportunity to participate in their own Kids Con track, with programming specifically designed for them, and a Kids Costume Contest.

“MASSive Comic Con is an amazing value and great experience for comic fans, families with kids, and those looking to attend their first comic con,” said Chris Proulx, event co-founder. “Fans can easily interact with our celebrity guests and comic writers and artists, and participate in the many on-site activities, which are included in their ticket price.”

The weekend will also feature some of the world’s top comic creators, including a team who helped build the Harley Quinn series for DC Comics: husband-and-wife team Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, Frank Tieri, Stéphane Roux, Paul Mounts, and John Timms.

“The Harley Quinn comic creators will be prominently featured at MASSive Comic Con to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the hit comic series,” Proulx said. “Our attendees will have lots of opportunities to meet and greet the creators and to find out what goes into making great comics.”

Other attractions on tap include movie car appearances by the Massachusetts Ghostbusters, Hero Army cosplayers, and the 501st New England (Star Wars characters), exclusive panels, tabletop gaming, video game tournaments, light saber training classes, and a Pirate Scavenger Hunt that enters participants into a raffle to win a treasure chest of great prizes.

For more information, visit massivecomicon.com.

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Best-Selling Au Coming Out That’s About So

BY ALEXANDRA TOWNSEND

Coming out of the closet is tricky for anyone. It gets even worse when you’re already dealing with terrible grades, your parents’ decision to divorce, and a pregnancy scare with the guy you just dumped!

That’s the way things stand for Ash in best-selling author Liz Kessler’s first young adult novel, Read Me Like a Book.

Ash, 17, is a tough girl who has never done well in school and doesn’t see the point in trying. She’s already got plenty to worry about as between the problems with her parents, her boyfriend, and her distant best friend, it feels like her life is falling apart. Then school suddenly becomes a lot more interesting when Ash gets a new English teacher, the lovely Miss Murray, and falls in love.

Miss Murray sees potential in Ash like no one ever has. She makes Ash think and listens to her worries. She helps Ash learn more about herself and realize what she really wants in life, even if a student/teacher love affair isn’t actually on the menu.

Read Me Like a Book is a beautiful, insightful, and very realistic story. It shows the hurdles of first love and coming out while not just being a coming-out story. Ash’s journey is especially touching because so many other things are going on in her life.

She feels like a complete person and connects more with the reader.

Liz Kessler, a New York Times best-selling author of the popular Emily Windsnap series, steps outside her traditional middle-grade (ages 8-12) audience with this, her first novel for young adult readers.

Kessler spoke to baystateparent about Read Me Like 46 JUNE2017

a Book and what its themes mean to her.

Read Me Like a Book is being largely discussed as a comingout story, but Ash’s orientation doesn’t come into question until halfway through the story. Instead, she’s more focused on things like her parents’ divorce, trouble with friends, a pregnancy scare, and getting by in school. Do you think of your novel as a coming-out story or more of a slice-of-life/coming-ofage story? Is the distinction important to you?

I prefer not to think of it purely as a coming-out story. Young people who are going through a time of coming out (to themselves as well as to others, like Ash is) have all sorts of other things going on in their lives, too, and I wanted this book to reflect that. I see it as a year in the life of a young person going through all sorts of things, including coming out, and hopefully it is more realistic because of that. I am, of course, aware that the main thread is the coming-out story — but, yes, I would love people to see it as a slice of life/ coming-of-age story first and foremost.

What value do you think there is in kids reading LGBTrelated stories? How is it important for LGBT kids versus straight/cis kids?

I think the value is enormous, to all of us. It’s the “windows and mirrors” things. For young people going through any of the issues that are touched on in a book, it is enormously vali-

dating for them to be able to see themselves reflected in its pages — especially if that experience is, or has been, rare.

For everyone else, it opens a window for them to see issues beyond their own lives, which I hope helps to open their minds, too. Having said this, when I write, the story always comes first, not the issue — and that is very important for me.

In Read Me Like a Book, Ash develops very strong feelings for her teacher, maybe even feeling in love with her.

However, she also feels very infatuated with her boyfriend Dylan earlier in the novel.

Why did you decide to characterize Ash strictly as a lesbian by the end of the story? No one seems to consider even for a moment that she might be bisexual or pansexual. I suspect this might be because the book was written years ago when bisexual people weren’t given as much visibility in the LGBT community, but I’ve read that other parts of the book have been updated for modern times. I’m very curious as to why bisexuality has been excluded.

This is an interesting question, and one which — I agree with you — would probably not have come up in quite the same way had the book been published when I originally wrote it, back in 2000. I don’t feel that the issue of bisexuality has been “excluded.” More that this wasn’t what was happening for Ash. I do get that the way we talk about sexuality is hugely different nowadays from how we talked about it 20 years

uthor Pens t Novel Much More ago and, yes, I agree, perhaps there could have been more discussion — from others — about whether Ash was bisexual. But for her, this wasn’t a consideration. Her awareness of her sexuality is partly driven by the fact that she never felt “right” about the sexual side with Dylan (or any other boy). It wasn’t that she is attracted to men and women. It was that she had always gone along a path that she assumed was the right one because that was the done thing — but that she realizes it wasn’t right for her at all — and that she identifies as lesbian.

As the teacher, Miss Murray, takes such a strong interest in Ash and is only a few years older, there is a point in the novel where it really seems like they could have a romance. If it isn’t right away, it could be a few years down the road when Ash is out of school.

What made you decide that it was better to draw a very definite line against that?

I wanted the book to be very much about Ash and her emerging awareness of her sexuality, and not muddy the waters by going down a route that could have brought a different kind of attention to it. In the book’s very early stages, I actually did have a kiss between Ash and Miss Murray! As the process went on, I realized that this wasn’t a road I wanted to go down. It’s not a book about crossing professional boundaries and the issues involved in that — it’s about a young person’s growing awareness of her sexuality, and I wanted to keep the focus quite clearly on that.

Miss Murray really changes Ash’s life in more ways than just romantically. What role do you feel teachers have in shaping kids’ lives?

A good teacher can change every-

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thing. I was quite a badly behaved child at school, and then I had an English teacher who somehow made me realize that I might have more to offer to the world than my bad behavior! She made me think that I might have some talent and some ability, and in helping me to want to work hard and do better, she changed my life. This book is as much a thank you to teachers like that as it is anything else.

It seems like Ash could have had a much easier time realizing she was interested in women if she’d had a more supportive home environment. What advice do you have for parents who want to be supportive of their LGBT children (or even just children they suspect to be LGBT)?

I’m not sure that I agree with this.

I think her journey would still have been hers to make, even if her parents hadn’t been going through a tough time themselves. And I think her home environment ends up being very supportive — especially her relationship with her mum!

Having said this, it’s always a good thing if anyone is asking how they can support LGBT children.

I am not a parent, so I wouldn’t like to think I’m telling anyone what to do — but I guess my advice would be quite simple. Just let your children know that you support them, whoever they are, and that whoever they love and whoever they turn out to be, you’ll love them just the same.

If parents have any issues with it themselves, there are support groups for families and parents of LGBT children, so maybe get in touch with these — but I think the main thing is just to let your children know that you support and love them for whoever they are. I’m pretty sure most good parents do this anyway!

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SUMMER CAMP: C’MON, LET’S GO!

Tips for Ensuring Your Child’s Health and Safety at Camp

BY JENNIFER MASSA

Now that you’ve decided where your children will be attending camp this summer, it’s time to think about how to best prepare them for a fun, healthy, and safe experience away from home.

From determining what to pack to obtaining a camp physical, there’s a lot to consider. And it’s only natural for parents and campers to have some anxiety — especially for firsttimers and those who cope with chronic health issues.

As a family nurse practitioner, I’ve completed hundreds of camp physicals and talked with parents and children as they prepare for summer.

Here are some key recommendations and tips.

Camp physicals can be obtained from your child’s pediatrician or at a walk-in retail clinic like MinuteClinic. Health care insurance providers will not cover camp and sports physicals, so be sure to inquire about the cost before you visit; prices can vary quite a bit.

A proper camp physical should include: a review of health history and immunizations, height and weight check, thorough physical exam, and a stamp or signature on exam forms. Parents should remember to bring a copy of their child’s immunization records.

Health policies and camp physicals

If your camper has asthma, diabetes, serious allergies, or other chronic health care concerns, there are added considerations you need to factor into your preparation.

I advise parents who have children who require daily care to contact the camp in advance to understand how medicines and preventive treatment are handled. Determine what care can be expected from the camp nurse or athletic trainer (in the case of sports camps) and what medications your child can administer on their own. This could include inhalers for asthma treatment, insulin injections, and other prescription medication.

If your child has food allergies, speak with the camp nutritionist or cook to ensure that menus are tailored to meet their dietary requirements. And if they have a peanut allergy or are allergic to insect stings, determine whether your camper can

Start by taking some time to review and understand the camp’s health care policies and practices well in advance. This information should be readily available on the camp’s website or in your camper’s registration materials. If you can’t find it, make a list of questions and call the camp staff to obtain the answers you need.

Most camps will require a physical and request medical records be submitted several weeks prior to arrival. It doesn’t take a lot of time to complete this physical, yet I frequently see parents and campers who wait until the last minute and are unable to obtain an appointment with a primary care provider.

Chronic health issues

carry their own EpiPen to defend against anaphylaxis shock. Make sure that camp counselors are equipped with an extra auto-injector on site and are trained to administer care.

You should also know how the camp will notify you if your camper has an issue and where the nearest emergency facility is located. Providing home, work, and mobile phone numbers for yourself and back-up contact information for another family member is key.

Lastly, when you drop your child off at camp, meet with the appropriate staff members and go over these details one last time so there is no miscommunication about what is necessary and expected for your child’s care.

What to pack Begin early by putting together a camp packing list. Some of the items that I remind parents to include in their child’s duffel bag are: • Hiking boots and athletic shoes (which should be broken in advance) • Slip-resistant water shoes for showers and the pool • Lightweight, long-sleeved shirts and pants for hikes and activities (to protect against ticks, poison ivy and the sun’s rays) • Adhesive strips for cuts and blisters

for easy cleanup • Athlete’s foot medication • Lip balm • Necessary eye care items, including sunglasses, protective goggles for sports, extra contact lenses or glasses.

Sun block and insect spray are essential items and many choices exist.

For sun block, you should choose a broad-spectrum product with an SPF of at least 30, which blocks 97% of UVA and UVB rays (a higher SPF, 50 for instance, only blocks an additional 1% to 2%, so it’s probably not necessary). Spray options are often easier for children to apply on their own.

Insect repellent containing DEET is most effective, but some parents prefer a non-DEET herbal choice without chemicals. Repellent wipes or towelettes often work best for younger children.

As a parent, your careful planning and preparation should help to ensure an enjoyable experience for your camper, but always remember that the goal is for your child to have fun!

Jennifer Massa is a mother of eight living in Easthampton and a family nurse practitioner at MinuteClinic in West Springfield. MinuteClinic offers camp physicals at locations inside select CVS pharmacy throughout Massachusetts.

• Hand sanitizer or antiseptic wipes BAYSTATEPARENT BAYSTATEPARENT 49 49

YOU’LL HAVE THE BEST SUMMER EVER!

SUMMER CAMP: C’MON, LET’S GO!

S O D S of e h T ON’T &D

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PREP FOR SUCCESS Literature, writing, math, or E.S.L. for rising 7th and 8th graders

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ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE English immersion, intensive TOEFL preparation, and experiences in American culture for rising 9th—12th graders

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our kids have gone to camp. Now comes the hard part: Parenting them while they aren’t living at your house!

While they are away, we know there are myriad thoughts going through your head. Are they having fun?

Are they making friends? Are they eating enough nutritious food? Are they learning something new? Did they shower today? All of these thoughts are perfectly natural, but it’s how we act on them that is the important part. Kids go to camps or summer programs for many reasons — to learn, to meet new friends, to navigate life “on their own.”

Giving them the proper space to do that is a very hard thing to do, but it is the key to a successful experience.

Here is a list of recommended “Dos and Don’ts” of summer camp parenting:

Do give your child pictures of home to hang on their walls.

Home is important and it is important for them to have reminders of their amazing family back home.

Don’t call, text and email every day. It is important that they focus on being fully present at their program. Too much contact with home can take away from that.

Do discuss real, actionable goals for the summer with your kids.

It helps them focus on each day while they are gone.

Don’t be too critical of them if they fall a little short on those goals. Part of summer is meant to explore new things and have some fun.

Do allow your kids to experience the general ups and downs of their experience. There can be some homesickness, especially if this is their first time away from home. This is a growing experience that you should allow to happen.

Don’t tell them that you will come pick them up if they are unhappy.

G N I T N PARE 978 929 9997 HTTP://COMMUNITYRECREATION.ORG/LANCASTER.HTML Knowing this is an option can prevent children from overcoming very important challenges they will certainly encounter while they are away.

Do give them spending money.

There are definitely times when they will need it.

Don’t give them a limitless budget.

Do wonder how your kids are doing. It is a natural thing for a parent to do.

Don’t worry. Know that if you have made it all the way through the process and actually sent your kids away for the summer, you have made that decision because you trust the program you have chosen.

Do follow your child’s program on social media. Following a program on social media can provide insight into how much fun your child is having.

Don’t read too deeply into the pictures you see. Summer programs try to catch the highlights throughout the summer. When you see a picture of your child

and they aren’t smiling, don’t assume the worst. Have you ever tried to keep a smile on your face for 24 hours? It is not natural!

Keep in mind that a photo is a snapshot of one moment in a very long camp day.

Do empower your child to selfadvocate. If they need something, be it a pillow or toothpaste, encourage them to ask their residential counselor, instructor, or director on their own.

Don’t call the director for your kids. There is probably little you can do from wherever you are.

Do enjoy yourself while your kids are away. Take a break, do something you love but don’t usually have the time to do.

Steve Robinson is CEO of Julian Krinsky Camps & Programs (jkcp. com), which has been helping families from more than 40 states and 40 countries create amazing summer experiences via sports, academic, art, pre-college, cooking, and business summer programs for 39 years.

BAYSTATEPARENT BAYSTATEPARENT 51 51

Worcester Public Library

Summer Reading Program Build a Better World

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June 23 – August 19

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Read books, win prizes!

Fun programs and events all summer long.

52 52 MAY2017 JUNE2017

Visit MyWPL.org for details.

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ROAMING RAILROAD & RACEWAY • Fairs & Festivals • Town Days • Grand Openings • Fundraisers • Corporate, School & Church Events • Block & Birthday Parties

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Do you STAND OUT in the crowd? baystateparent

is looking for a standout MULTIMEDIA ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE who is a leader in the field Send your resume to Regina Stillings, director of sales at regina@baystateparent.com and stand out with our award-winning print, online, and digital products Full and part-time positions available

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Thank You to the following businesses who support our publication each month!

Please support them as well.

Without them, we wouldn't be able to bring you this FREE magazine!

Big Joe Productions 55 Big Y Foods, Inc. 11 Black & White Grille 9 Bonaparte Magic 54 Boston Paintball 55 Breezy Picnic Grounds 35 Camp Clio 52 Camp CRAFT Lancaster 51,53 Camp Invention 50 Children’s Development Network, Inc 6 Cherry Hill Ice Cream 9 Christopher’s Ice Cream 9 City of Leominster 23 Community VNA 15 Cornerstone Academy 4 Cushing Academy 50 Davis Farmland 25 Driscoll Production 55 Ecotarium 24, 35 Fletcher Tilton PC 18 FMC Ice Sports 48 Gibson’s Dairy 9 Gymnastics Learning Center 32 Happy Face Painting 54

Heywood Hospital 13 Kimball Farm 9 Lanni Orchards 39 Legoland Discovery Center Boston 27 Lowell Summer Music 22 Madulka’s Ice Cream 9 Mall At Whitney Field 10 Mary Baker Eddy Library 28 Mike’s Moonwalk Rentals 55 Millbury Federal Credit Union 19 New England Cord Blood Bank Inc 45 Pinecroft Dairy and Restaurant 9 Reliant Medical Group 43 Roaming Raceway & Railroad LLC 55 Rosalita’s Puppets 54 Scoops n Bites 9 Shrewsbury Children’s Center 41 Skyrise Theater 54 Smuggler’s Notch Resort 47 South County Pop Warner 19 Springfield Museums Corp. 44 St. Vincent Hospital 3 Swings & Things 41 The Bread-N-Butta Diner 9,17 The Children’s Workshop 52 UMass Memorial Medical Center 17,22 Unplug & Be Mindful Yoga 14 Violet the Clown 55 Wachusett Mountain 8 Wachusett Theatre Company 5 Worcester Art Museum 2 Worcester Center for Crafts 53 Worcester JCC 28 Worcester Public Library Foundation 52 YMCA Central Branch 51

BEST DAD EVER CONTEST! Send us your Best Photo of dad for a chance to win a $500

Father’s Day Package from Cast your vote today.

VOTE FROM JUNE 1ST - 10TH Go to baystateparent.com/bestdad or themallatwhitneyfield.com For a chance to ENTER and WIN a Father’s Day Package.

Valued at $500.

Winner announced in July issue of baystateparent BAYSTATEPARENT 57

TAKE EIGHT

with Betsy Bird

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Librarian and author Betsy Bird is on a mission: to let girls ages 8-12 (classified in the literary world as “middle grade”) know they can survive adolescence with humor. To that end, Bird edited the recently released Funny Girl, a compilation of hilarious stories, comics, and more from top female middle grade authors, illustrators, and others.

“Funny girls can become funny women,” Bird says, “and funny women can rule the world.”

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How did the idea for this compilation come about? I’m a children’s librarian by training and over the years I’d notice that if there’s one kind of book that boys and girls love equally it’s books of the hilarious genre. Diary of a Wimpy Kid wasn’t a “boy book,” it was a book for everyone. So when a kid would come up to my desk asking for something funny, I had a bunch of other authors I’d recommend. I always made sure to include lots of female, as well as male authors, but after a while I thought it would be easiest if there was an anthology of funny female writers and illustrators for kids.

How did you choose the authors? First, I made my dream list — and boy howdy was it crazy. Big crazy names were on that list like J.K. Rowling and Kate DiCamilllo. Then there were the women I’d encountered over the years and just found hilarious. My editor at the time, Sharyn November, came up with the idea of including different kinds of humor in there, so we got stand-up comedians, YouTube stars, and more. Then I just started asking people. Sometimes they said no. Sometimes they said yes. Always they were supportive of the book, even when they couldn’t do it.

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5

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Why do you think there’s a lack of funny books or material for middle grade readers? It’s tricky. Funny books are out there, absolutely. But they don’t normally win the big literary awards for the same reason that comedies don’t win Oscars. [Children’s author] Jon Scieszka once explained it to me this way: Everyone can read something sad and say, “I felt sad after reading this.” But everyone has a different sense of humor. Two people can read the same story and have completely different reactions to it. Humor is so subjective that it doesn’t always make it to publication. The result is we get a slew of serious books every year, with a sprinkling of funny ones.

It seems like parents are confident finding books for our children up until the middle grade years, then we’re stuck. What’s your best advice for navigating middle grade offerings and helping kids find good books? I’m going to plug for my own profession here, but get thee to a library. If you can find a librarian who knows their stuff then you are set. Children’s booksellers who love their job are the same way. Find an expert in the field willing to give you great suggestions. And while you’re at it, why not follow some blogs that offer great middle grade suggestions? There are a bunch out there worth mentioning: educating alice (medinger.wordpress.com), 100 Scope Notes (100scopenotes.com), Nerdy Book Club (nerdybookclub.wordpress.com), and Fuse #8 (blogs.slj.com/afuse8production).

58 JUNE2017

Do you see a possible sequel in the future? Absolutely! I’ve already mentally started collecting even more women that I’d like to include. No joke.

How did you pitch the authors on your idea, and what were their reactions? I made it clear to them that getting girls to realize that women are hilarious is imperative in this day and age. Here’s a fun test: Poll a group of kids and ask them to name the funniest women they can. Now count how many of the people they list are related to them, how many are comedians, and how many actually write books. I bet your bottom dollar you’ll get next to zero literary gals. So I told my contributors that Funny Girl wasn’t just some sweet little anthology. It’s a bloody mission to show the world that women are freakin’ funny.

What do you want readers to take away from Funny Girl? On the surface, it’s just a bunch of funny stories. But dig down a little and you’ll see my sneaky little subversive theme.

Do you know how you survive adolescence? It’s the same way you survive life itself. With humor, as a weapon and a shield, you can distinguish yourself. Protect yourself. Arm yourself.

Funny girls can become funny women, and funny women can rule the world.

Do you have a favorite story in this anthology, and why is it your favorite? That’s like asking which of my children I love the most. I can’t do it! But what I can say is that there are two that I think read aloud to groups really well when I present the book. The first is the story by Carmen Agra Deedy, which may or may not feature a flaming bathtub. The second is by Shannon Hale and contains what may be the creepiest twins this side of the girls in The Shining. And yet it’s hilarious!

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BEST? Tell YOU Us

Who’s The

Here’s your chance to nominate who you think is THE BEST of THE BEST! in more than 70 categories!

Cast your nominations NOW thru June 15 at baystateparent.com/bestof17 Voting begins June 26 and ends July 14 Our categories include: FAMILY FUN New England Vacation MA Beach Destination Family Indoor Attraction Family Outdoor Attraction Fair, Festival or Special Event Movie Theatre Museum Hiking Trail Place to Picnic Orchard - Pick Your Own Campground Ski/Boarding or Tubing Place PARTIES, ACTIVITIES, LEARNING Local Gym or Exercise Facility Skating Rink Birthday Party Venue Birthday Party Entertainer Party Rental Private School Parochial School Childcare Preschool Gymnastics Studio Parent/Child Class

PARTIES, ACTIVITIES, LEARNING Dance Studio Art Studio Theatre Program/Camp Music School Martial Arts Studio Afterschool Program Children’s Library Day Camp Sleep Away Camp SPECIAL NEEDS Museum/Attraction After School Program Camp Therapy Facility Advocacy Organization Speech-Language Therapy Special Needs Services BUSINESSES AND SERVICES Car Dealer Tire Store Health Insurance Company Home/Auto Insurance Company

BUSINESSES AND SERVICES Bank Credit Union Mom’s Salon or Spa Women’s Boutique Shopping Center/Mall Haircut for Kids Consignment Store Store for Kids’ Clothes Flower Shop Book Store/Independent Children’s Photographer Bike Shop Jewelry Store Car Wash Pet Store DINING Hot Dog Stand Burger Place Pizza Parlor Bakery Ice Cream Stand Buffet Frozen Yogurt Shop Restaurant

DINING Kids’ Meals Restaurant for Families with Allergies Place for Family Dinner Breakfast HEALTH AND WELLNESS Pediatric Dentist Orthodontist Pediatrician Optometrist or Ophthalmologist Fertility Practice OB/GYN Practice Hospital Veterinarian Dog Groomer Boarding/Kennel Animal Hospital

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