baystateparent magazine August 2019

AUGUST 2019

Take the Hassle Out of Homework The Bay State’s ‘Big Apple’ Reality Check on Teen Screen-Time

Back to School

2 AUGUST2019

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contents AUGUST 2019 VOLUME 24

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NUMBER 4

features 22

Apple Country: Take a Bite Out of Family Fun

30

In Case of Emergency: How Schools Prepare for the Worst

32

Pediatrician’s 5 Tips for Back-toSchool Success

33

Take the Hassle Out of Homework

34

State Nixes ‘Blizzard Bags’ at Bay State Schools

38

Local Photographer Captures Diverse Stories of Nursing

in every issue 6

Momma to the Max

8

Herding Goofballs

9

On the Agenda

24

Our Fave Four

25

Bites

36

Very Special People

40

Cyber Savvy Mom

41

Finally Forever

43

Take Eight with Howie D.

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baystateparent president PAUL M. PROVOST associate publisher KATHY REAL BENOIT 508-767-9525 kbenoit@gatehousemedia.com

CREATIVE editor in chief AMANDA COLLINS BERNIER 508-767-9526 acollins@gatehousemedia.com

momma to the

MAX

The Build-Up, and the Blur I’m writing this column as the newly minted mom of a 2-year-old. Just a few days ago, my son Max turned 2, and we celebrated with backyard party, cake, balloons, and the

creative director SHIELA NEALON 508-793-9121 shiela.nealon@telegram.com

ADVERTISING sales manager JEREMY WARDELL 508-767-9574 jwardwell@gatehousemedia.com account executive KATHY PUFFER 508-767-9544 kpuffer@gatehousemedia.com account executive REGINA STILLINGS 508-767-9546 rstillings@gatehousemedia.com

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100 Front Street, 5th Floor Worcester, MA 01608 baystateparent is published monthly and is distributed free of charge throughout Massachusetts.

like. The day flew by in a blur.

Oh, but the months beforehand. The to-do lists, the Pinterest boards, the DIYing.

The Amazon packages that piled up at my door, the late-night crafting and the days of baking. I had so many plans for this birthday party, I even took some time off of work to bring it to life. And just like that, it’s over.

Parenting is full of milestones – moments that we look forward to; big days to mark on the calendar. The first day of school, which is right around the corner, is one of them. Where did the summer go? How is it that the day marking the end of the season and the beginning of a new chapter in you and your child’s life is already almost here?

Looking back on my years as a student, I remember this time of year with a sense of nostalgia; the last weeks of summer melting into an excited expectancy. A “new year” on the horizon. Soon enough, I’ll be counting down to back-to-school again, but now as a mom. And I’m sure, once my little guy starts school, that first day will come with anticipation and butterflies of a different kind.

I’m sure it’s a milestone I’ll mark

on the calendar, plot out for weeks, and look forward to and stress about all at the same time. In fact, researchers have found that parents say the first day of school is one of the most emotional occasions in parenthood.

But, as I’m learning – and as I was just reminded in the aftermath of Max’s much built up but gone-too-fast birthday party – there are milestones, but there is no finish line. Yes, there are plenty of big occasions, but there are even more small, precious moments. And those are just as important -- maybe even more so.

Moms and dads preparing for back-toschool season, I can’t give you much advice.

I’m not there yet on my motherhood journey, and I can’t really compare planning for a backyard birthday party to planning for all the needs of my child as he prepares for a new school year. But I can offer this little tidbit, this recurring lesson I seem to always be on my way to learning: slow down and soak it up… the first day, the second day, the fiftieth, and so on. It may seem like a lot to get ready for now, but I’m sure it will all go by in a blur.

Enjoy these final weeks of summer, and happy “new year!”

Amanda

Editor’s Picks 3 Picture Books Perfect for Back-to-School The King of Kindergarten is

perfect to share with little ones just starting school. Full of bright, jubilant art, the book is about the first day of kindergarten where one one little boy, empowered by his parents, spreads his positive vibes and confidence to his fellow classmates. It’s sure to give new kindergarteners a confidence boost before their big day. $17.99.

Farmer Brown is invited to school for Farm Day and the animals are practicing some important rules for the classroom: sharing, lining up, and listening. But will they get to go to school after all?

Click, Clack, Quack to School

is a charming addition to the Click Clack series that’s perfect for little ones heading to preschool or kindergarten. $17.99.

Rosie spends the summer excited about starting school, but the night before her big day, anxiety takes over. Her mother calls her nervous feelings “butterflies,” and Rosie’s imagination takes off.

With each accomplishment—talking to a new friend, speaking aloud in class, and even reaching out to another worried classmate—Rosie’s butterflies flutter away one by one. Butterflies on The First Day of School will help little ones release their worries. $16.95.

ON THE COVER- JACK, AGE 5 • COVER PHOTO BY MAMARAZZI PHOTOGRAPHY IN CHICOPEE, MASS. • MAMARAZZI-PHOTOGRAPHY.NET 6 AUGUST2019

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Herding

Goofballs

An open letter to a Kindergartener

BY JOSH FARNSWORTH, ILLUSTRATION BY KIRA BEAUDOIN

D

ear Cooper, I hope this letter finds you well.

Since you are currently scooping up fistfuls of mac n’ cheese from your bowl right in front of me like a bear while I write this, I’ll assume things are good.

Summer still has a few more moments to reveal to us, but all-in-all, we are arriving at a time of year that will become quite familiar: back to school season.

You’ll soon be surrounded by autumn leaves, cooler air, football and an endless barrage of ads to convince you they alone have the best superhero backpacks in existence.

Don’t worry. You’ll have a cool one.

You are now a full-time student.

Let that sink in.

Actually, that direction is more for your mom and me. Please disregard our poetic waxing for the next few decades when we continually say, “I can’t believe Cooper is old enough to be [stage in school/life]!”

You successfully navigated your preschool year, but now you move on to the first, all-day step in a multi-year process of learning, discovering and building yourself socially and academically.

Welcome Kindergarten.

You might be wondering how to prepare yourself for such a landmark occasion. You might have questions like, “What is it like?” or “What did you do in Kindergarten a million years ago, dad?”

My experience started in the fall of 1987.

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It’s funny, the things you remember about school when you are young.

I remember walking into Mrs. Logan’s Kindergarten class at Northwest Elementary School in Leominster and gazing around at the layout of the room—mostly where the really cool toys sat.

There were the small, yellow pieces of lined paper to practice the alphabet.

I remember thinking the gym we had physical education in felt like a cavernous warehouse (and years later, upon returning, remembering it being much bigger than it actually was).

My mind’s eyes can still see the wide and bright bunny ties I handcrafted (you’ll never find a finer one, no matter how hard you look on eBay) for Easter that I then marched into the room during our parade.

There are a handful of other colorful images that snap-fire around in my brain every once in a while.

I can’t say I remember the exact color of the walls (though they were surely caked in student project samples and learning manipulatives). I don’t remember vividly the first time I correctly counted to 20 or glued together my art project without sticking myself to it.

Side note: Pretty sure they may have enlisted a classroom aide at one point just to help pry us 5- and 6-year-olds from the ponds of Elmer’s Glue forming on all the desks.

I remember the people: the teachers and the other kids. I would graduate with many of these peers several school years later, but always remem-

ber the first few times we ran around Mrs. Logan’s classroom without a care in the world.

It’s where I made my first few friends without the help of mom and dad and where I had my first authentic girl crush (she colored in those activity sheets like an angel).

I realize I’m lucky. Most of my memories were very positive.

However, my Kindergarten experience was mine, and you will have yours. As you step into your Kindergarten classroom for the first time, know that I will never force your experience to be like mine. Life just doesn’t work that way.

You’ll have your fair share of experiences I never had. I doubt classrooms still push in dusty, 100-pound video carts with a small TV/VCR combo on those special occasions right before vacation to watch instructional videos like one I vaguely remember about polar bears.

And honestly, if you have kids, they’ll probably be able to take field trips— teleporting back and forth from the Arctic Circle.

I know how daunting a full day of school sounds on the surface, but relax. Here is what you should do…

• Have fun • Listen to your teacher • Make friends • Make mistakes • Admit when you are wrong and give an honest effort to try better And here is the only thing you need to know…

• You’ve got this

You’ll have days where you feel like you don’t “got this.” It happens. When these days come by, try and remember my grandmother’s favorite story about my first day of Kindergarten: I came off the bus feeling excited but maybe just a touch overwhelmed by everything. In moments, any angst was squeezed into oblivion when my little brother sprinted out to greet me and hugged me like I had moved away several years ago.

In other words, as Grandma Farnsworth would remind me, if whatever happens seems to go wrong until 2:30, you’ll have a proud little brother, waiting for you at 2:31.

You got this.

Sincerely, Dad P.S. If your classroom needs a “glue remover guy,” you can volunteer me from time to time. It’s only fair.

Josh Farnsworth is a husband, father of goofballs Cooper and Milo, goofball himself, and award-winning writer and columnist living in Worcester. He can be reached for column ideas at josh. farnsworth@yahoo. com.

on the

agenda • FACTS & FREEBIES • AUGUST’S ADVENTURES • THE LIST

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on the

agenda

facts and freebies

monday

tuesday

wednesday

thurs

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6 {FACT}

National Night Out Day is observed the first Tuesday in August to promote police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.

7 {FREEBIE}

Ever wish you had somewhere to write down all the silly things your child says? Or a place to store your cherished family recipes? Write to Me creates beautiful journals and keepsakes centered around family time. We’re giving away two: “Funny Things My Kids Say” and “Recipes Passed Down.”

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12 & 13 {FACT} 14 {FREEBIE} 19 {FACT}

Happy birthday Aloysius Snuffleupagus! Today is Snuffy’s official birthday!

26 {FACT}

Celebrate your pooch today -- it’s National Dog Day! Studies have shown that children with pets have higher self-esteem, improved social skills, and are more popular with their peers.

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Look up! The Perseids Meteor Shower will produce up to 60 meteors per hour when it peaks August 12-13. The nearly full moon will block out the fainter meteors, but the Perseids are so bright and numerous that it could still be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight.

In need of one more family day before the kids go back to school? How about exploring the Discovery Museum in Acton? We’re giving away two family 4-packs of tickets! Go play!

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28 {FREEBIE}

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Want to add to your little one’s library? Today is your chance to win a stack of picture books!

Starting on the date the prize appears, go to our page to enter for your chance to win.

sday

friday

2 {FACT}

It’s Ice Cream Sandwich Day! Did you know? The first ice cream sandwich was sold in 1900 for a penny from a push cart vendor in New York.

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{FREEBIE} Today is World Cross Stitch Day! Ever wanted to give this classic art a try? Go to our Facebook page today for the chance to win a copy of “Do-It-Yourself Stitch People,” which has thousands of customizable cross-stitch characters and designs.

16 {FACT}

How do you get a tissue to dance? You put a little boogie in it! Tell a corny joke today for National Tell a Joke Day!

23 {FREEBIE} You should probably make some waffles this weekend, because tomorrow is National Waffle Day! In honor of this delicious “holiday” we’re giving away this handmade, scented waffle necklace

by Tiny Hands jewelry. It actually smells like butter and maple syrup… yum!

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august

ADVENTURES OUR TOP

5 PICKS

OF THINGS TO DO IN AUGUST

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12th Annual Barbara J. Walker Butterfly Festival.

Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center & Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Rd., Worcester. Saturday, August 10, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Celebrate butterflies with a day of naturalist-led walks, locally performed music, children’s activities, up close encounters, food, and more. Members $5, nonmembers $6, ages 2 and under free. massaudubon.org.

Salem Maritime Festival. Salem Maritime National Historic Site, 160 Derby St., Salem. Saturday & Sunday, August 3-4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Enjoy live music, dancing, harbor cruisers, interactive programs, arts, crafts, and more in this celebration of Salem and Essex Heritage. Free. nps.gov/sama.

16th Annual Peach Festival. Carlson Orchards, 115 Oak Hill Rd., Harvard. Saturday & Sunday, August 17-18. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Live bluegrass music, burgers, fries, fresh squeezed lemonade and more. Enjoy hayrides into the orchard to pick your own peaches. Free. carlsonorchards.com.

Make a Mess: Icy Artworks. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. Tuesday, August 20, 10-11 a.m. Explore and compare the properties of different types of frozen paint cubes and create original artwork as they melt. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Three County Fair. Three County Fairgrounds, 54 Fair St., Northampton. Friday & Saturday, August 30-31. Experience carnival rides and games, live musical performances, delicious food, animal and livestock viewing, interactions and competition, and more. Advance $10.50, day-of $12, ages 11 and under free. 3countyfair.com.

ADVENTURES 1 THURSDAY Rocket Wind Spinners. Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. 10-10:30 a.m. Blast off at story time before coloring an amazing rocket wind spinner. Recommended for ages 3 to 8. Register ahead. Free. leominsterlibrary.org.

Johnny Peers & The Mutville Comix.

Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. 3-4 p.m. This slapstick comedy dog show is like no other, bringing their experience from the Barnum and Bailey Circus, Big Apple Circus, and late night to the library.

Register ahead. Free. leominsterlibrary.org.

Evenings in the Yard Concert. Charlestown Navy Yard, Commandant’s House, Chelsea St., Boston. 5 p.m. Bring your picnic blankets or grab a lawn chair, and enjoy family fun and an outdoor concert beside the USS Constitution.

Free. ussconstitutionmuseum.org.

Summer Concert Series: The Love Dogs.

Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard. 7:15-9 p.m. Gather on the lawn for a beautiful music performance on the Fruitlands outdoor stage, with hot dogs and food vendors present, and plenty of space for blankets, chairs, and picnics. Member carloads $15, walk-ins $5; nonmember carloads $20, walk-ins $10. fruitlands.org.

2 FRIDAY Free Fun Friday. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation, take advantage of free admission to the following: Franklin Park Zoo; Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood; Chatham Shark Center; Children’s Museum at Holyoke; Concord Museum; International Volleyball Hall of Fame; Lynn Museum; Museum of Russian Icons; Naumkeag, The Trustees ; Old State House. Hours vary.

Stuffed Animal Sleepover. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Drop-off your stuffed animals at the children’s desk anytime during the day so they can spend a fun filled night at the library, before picking them up Saturday morning.

Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Music and Movement with Miss Bernadette. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 9:30-10 a.m. Explore sound through singing and playing, as you move, make music, listen, learn, and get a multi-sensory workout. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Backyard and Beyond: Forest Fridays.

Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton.

10-10:45 a.m. Join a nature-based activity and we enjoy the weather of the season in the Discovery Woods or adjacent conservation land. Recommended for ages 2 to 6. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar ‘Pop-Up’

Storytime. Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. 10-11 a.m. Enjoy a story-time filled with fun, songs, friends, and Freeze Pops.

Recommended for ages 7 and under. Register ahead. Free. leominsterlibrary.org.

Everyday Engineering: Stomp Rockets.

Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton.

2-4:30 p.m. Drop-in to design and make some simple stomp rockets with repurposed and recycled materials.

Summer Friday Nights Free. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 4:30-8 p.m.

Enjoy sweet treats and explore the museum for free. Food donations for Open Table of Concord and Maynard and the Acton Food Pantry will be accepted. Free. discoveryacton.org.

Free Friday Flicks: The Lego Movie 2.

Hatch Shell, 47 David G Mugar Way, Boston.

6 p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chair, pack a picnic, enjoy free games, and watch as Emmet and his LEGO friends face a new threat from a strange galaxy where everything is a musical.

Free. wbznewsradio.iheart.com/featured/ free-Friday-flicks.

3 SATURDAY Redcoats and Rebels. Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Rd., Sturbridge.

9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. See the largest military re-enactment in New England with nearly 1,000 soldiers portraying British, Scottish, French, and Colonial troops, as the Village is transformed to the time of the War of Independence. Free with admission. Adults $28, youths $14, ages under 4 free. osv.org.

film following a lonely robot fall in love, travel to space, and save humankind. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Family Film Festival: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St., Boston. 6 p.m. Enjoy entertainment, children’s activities, giveaways, and this animated adventure following Hiccup, his fellow Vikings, and their dragons on a new adventure. Free. prudentialcenter.com.

4 SUNDAY Redcoats and Rebels. Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Rd., Sturbridge.

9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. See the largest military re-enactment in New England with nearly 1,000 soldiers portraying British, Scottish, French, and Colonial troops, as the Village is transformed to the time of the War of Independence. Free with admission. Adults $28, youths $14, ages under 4 free. osv.org.

First Sunday Free. Museum of Russian Icons, 203 Union St., Clinton. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Explore the galleries and exhibitions during this day of open discovery. Free. museumofrussianicons.org.

5 MONDAY MFA Playdates: Helping Hands. Museum of Fine Arts: Boston, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston. 10:15-11 a.m. Enjoy story time and

looking activities in the galleries followed by art making. Recommended for ages 4 and under. Free. with admission. Members free; nonmember adults $25, youths 7 and up $10, ages 6 and under free. mfa.org.

Dots and Stamps Maker Space. Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster.

2-4 p.m. Drop in for some creative stamping, dot painters, and fingerprint art during this afternoon of fun. For ages 3 to 12. Free. leominsterlibrary.org.

Museum of Science: Night Sky. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 4-4:30 p.m. & 4:45-5:15 p.m. Explore the night sky, learn how to find stars, planets, and other celestial objects, and more. For children in grade K and up. Register ahead. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

6 TUESDAY Explore and Play. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 10-10:30 a.m.

Unstructured play time with age appropriate toys and sensory experiences. For ages 2 to 4.

Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Fairyborough. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Design, build, and explore a mysterious forest environment of fairy houses, gnome homes, and sprite skyscrapers constructed completed out of natural materials and creativity. Free with admission.

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august Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Pajama Storytime. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 7-7:30 p.m. Come in your pjs for stories and songs. Aimed at ages 4 and up. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Folk Open Mic. TCAN: Center for Arts, 14 Summer St., Natick. 8 p.m. Enjoy acoustic performers as they showcase their talents and partake in the area’s most vibrant folk and acoustic music community. Members free; nonmembers $5. natickarts.org.

7 WEDNESDAY Fairyborough. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Design, build, and explore a mysterious forest environment of fairy houses, gnome homes, and sprite skyscrapers constructed completed out of natural materials and creativity. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Play in the Park. deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, 51 Sandy Pond Rd., Lincoln.

10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Play, experiment, and engineer together in the 30-acre Sculpture Park during this collaborative large-scale project. Free with admission. Members free; nonmember adults $14, ages 12 and under free. deCordova.org.

Stuffed Animal Sleepover Breakfast.

Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 10-10:30 a.m. Pick up your animal friend from their night at the library, watch a slideshow of their adventure, and enjoy some donuts. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Everyday Engineering: Air Play. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Explore materials with different properties and craft your own contraptions to float and fly in a tunnel of swirling air. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Fantastagorey Day Children’s Festival.

Edward Gorey House, 8 Strawberry Ln., Yarmouth. 12-4 p.m. Celebrate reading, play, puppetry, storytelling, improvisation, treats, and more as you set forth on a Gashleycrum Tinies Scavenger Hunt, make masks and puppets, enjoy fortune telling, and more fantastically Edward Gorey fun. Free. edwardgoreyhouse.org.

STEAM and a Movie: Rocket Ships. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 1 p.m. Create your own rocket ship out of cardboard and then park them in the auditorium to watch Wall-E. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

WALL-E. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 2 p.m. Enjoy this Pixar animated BAYSTATEPARENT 13

Spaced Out Storytime. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 2-2:30 p.m. Shoot for the stars in this space-themed story-time. For ages 4 to 5. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Science Magic. Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. 3-4 p.m. The Boston Museum of Science presents the science behind the magic of several classic tricks. For ages 4 and up. Free. leominsterlibrary.org.

8 THURSDAY School Readiness Celebration. Worcester PopUp, 20 Franklin St., Worcester. 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. The EcoTarium puts on this celebration getting ready for the school year. Explore a “model classroom” and hands-on discovery tables that will help children and adults feel excited and ready for school. Parent and caregiver resources phighlight child development milestones. Free. ecotarium.org.

Family Sing Along. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 10-10:30 a.m. Join children’s librarians for songs and movement.

Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Fairyborough. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Design, build, and explore a mysterious forest environment of fairy houses, gnome homes, and sprite skyscrapers constructed completed out of natural materials and creativity. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Teddy Bear Checkup. Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. 2-4 p.m. Bring your teddy bear or favorite stuffed animal for a special check-up with a stuffed animal veterinarian and receive a certificate of good health.

Register ahead. Free. leominsterlibrary.org.

LittleBeats Yoga and Dance Party. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 4:30-5 p.m. Bring a yoga mat, meet outside, and enjoy an outdoor yoga and dance party. For ages 1 to 5. Register ahead. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Summer Concert Series: Vibra Tropical.

Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard. 7:15-9 p.m. Gather on the lawn for a beautiful music performance on the Fruitlands outdoor stage, with hot dogs and food vendors present, and plenty of space for blankets, chairs, and picnics. Member carloads $15, walk-ins $5; nonmember carloads $20, walk-ins $10. fruitlands.org.

9 FRIDAY Free Fun Friday. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation, take advantage of free admission to the following: Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park; Davis Museum at Wellesley College; Hancock Shaker Village; JFK Hyannis Museum; Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists; New Bedford Whaling Museum; Old Colony History Museum; Worcester Historical Museum; The Greenway Carousel. Hours vary.

Puzzling Drop-In Day. Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Come together to build a 300 piece Color-Me puzzle waiting to be completed. For ages 6 and up. Free. leominsterlibrary.org.

Fairyborough. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Design, build, and explore a mysterious forest environment 14 AUGUST2019

of fairy houses, gnome homes, and sprite skyscrapers constructed completed out of natural materials and creativity. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Bolton Fair. Kalon Farm, 339 Seven Bridge Rd., Lancaster. 12-9 p.m. Celebrate our cultural heritage through family fun, great entertainment, friendly competition, and educational experiences center around friends, agriculture, and creativity. Adults $10, ages 5-12 $5, ages under 5 free. boltonfair.org.

Family Fun. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 3-4:30 p.m. Drop-in for games, building materials, and other activities for families and friends to enjoy together. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Summer Friday Nights Free. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 4:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Enjoy sweet treats and explore the museum for free. Food donations for Open Table of Concord and Maynard and the Acton Food Pantry accepted. Free. discoveryacton.org.

10 SATURDAY Blueberry & Peach Festival. Lanni Orchard, 294 Chase Rd., Lunenburg. 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Pick your own blueberries and peaches, take a hayride around the farm, make a craft, let the children bounce in the bouncy house. lanniorchard.com.

Bolton Fair. Kalon Farm, 339 Seven Bridge Rd., Lancaster. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Celebrate our cultural heritage through family fun, great entertainment, friendly competition, and educational experiences center around friends, agriculture, and creativity. Adults $10, ages 5-12 $5, ages under 5 free. boltonfair.org.

Art and Action for Suffrage: Family Program. Concord Museum, 52 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Explore the activism and debate around women’s suffrage, design your own political buttons with pithy slogans and striking graphics, and more in celebration of 100 years of women’s right to vote. Free with admission. Members free; nonmember adults $5, youths $4, ages under 5 free. concordmuseum.org.

Fairyborough. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Design, build, and explore a mysterious forest environment of fairy houses, gnome homes, and sprite skyscrapers constructed completed out of natural materials and creativity. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. Discoveryacton.org.

Show Your Strength Day. SAC Park, 438 Lake St., Shrewsbury. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Central Mass.-based nonprofit Umbrella for Infants hosts their second annual festival. Celebrating the strength of families with babies in the NICU, participants can join in an array of strengthbased activities. Event also includes a kid zone, food, and raffle baskets. Free. umbrellaforinfants.org.

The Music Man, Jr. The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. 2 p.m. & 6 p.m.

The Hanover Theatre Pre-Teen Youth Summer program presents this adaptation on Meredith Wilson’s award-winning musical, featuring seventy-six trombones, as a conman arrives in River City, Iowa. $15. thehanovertheatre.org.

Especially for Me: Evening for Families with Deaf, Hear of Hearing, or KODA Children. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 5-8 p.m. A special evening of exploration, play, and learning, with ASL interpreters available and dinner provided. Register ahead. Free. discoveryacton.org.

Special Storytime: Renee Kurilla. Eric Carle Museum, 125 West Bay Rd., Amherst.

2 p.m. Join illustrator Renee Kurilla as she shares her new book ‘Right This Very Minute,’ a delicious celebration of food and farming.

Free with admission. Adults $9, youths $6, ages under 1 free. carlemuseum.org.

Family Film Festival: Smallfoot.

Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St., Boston.

6 p.m. Enjoy entertainment, children’s activities, giveaways, and this animated flick discovering what happens when a Yeti finds out that small-footed beings do exist. Free. prudentialcenter.com.

12 MONDAY

11 SUNDAY

Snip and Tear. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 9-11 a.m.Show off your scissor skills, try cutting for the first time, or use our hands to tear a collection of confetti. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Blueberry & Peach Festival. Lanni Orchard, 294 Chase Rd., Lunenburg. 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Pick your own blueberries and peaches, take a hayride around the farm, make a craft, let the children bounce in the bouncy house. lanniorchard.com.

Ready, Set, Balance! Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 12-2 p.m. Explore different stations where you can test what makes objects stay put or topple over, and enjoy movement challenges. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Bolton Fair. Kalon Farm, 339 Seven Bridge Rd., Lancaster. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Celebrate our cultural heritage through family fun, great entertainment, friendly competition, and educational experiences center around friends, agriculture, and creativity. Adults $10, ages 5-12 $5, ages under 5 free. boltonfair.org.

Improviganza. Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. 2-4 p.m. The Riverfront Family Theatre invites participants to learn the art of puppet making and how they can bring their puppets to life by performing fairytales and original stories. Register ahead.

Free. leominsterlibrary.org.

Fairyborough. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Design, build, and explore a mysterious forest environment of fairy houses, gnome homes, and sprite skyscrapers constructed completed out of natural materials and creativity. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Song and Dance Around the Planet.

Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 4-5 p.m. Dance to, sing along with, and experience traditional music from cultures across the world with Berklee Graduate and international performer Sagit Zilberman. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Yoga in the Park: Kids. deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, 51 Sandy Pond Rd., Lincoln. 10:30-11 a.m. Get moving as a family during this outdoor yoga class for all ages. Recommended for ages 3 to 12. Registration encouraged. Member children free; nonmember children $5. deCordova.org.

MAKEmobile. deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, 51 Sandy Pond Rd., Lincoln. 1-3 p.m. Take your imagination for a spin with activities that explore artistic and material processes through amusing prompts and challenges. Free with admission. Members free; nonmember adults $14, ages 12 and under free. deCordova.org.

13 TUESDAY Make a Mess: A FanFare of Colors.

Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton.

10-11 a.m. Create a colorful fan using a fun, whole-body painting technique with spray bottles and watercolors. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Star Wars Trivia. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Come join the fun and test the mastery of useful and useless information about all things Star Wars, for children, tweens, teens, and their families.

Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

BAYSTATEPARENT 15

16 AUGUST2019

Back to the Future Part II. Wharf District Park, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, Milk & India St., Boston. 7:30 p.m. Marty McFly and the Doc travel across the decades from 1985 to 2015 to 1955 and all over again in this time-traveling adventure. Rain Date 8/14.

Free. coolidge.org.

14 WEDNESDAY Spaced Out Storytime. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 2-2:30 p.m.

Shoot for the stars and join this space-themed story time. For ages 4 to 5. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

15 THURSDAY Doggy Days: Portraits of Abby. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 10-11 a.m.

Come visit with Therapy Dog Abby and take inspiration from her whiskers and fur, and create our own portraits of Abby to take home. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

All About Bees. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 12-3 p.m. Test our your bee vision, taste test honey from different locations, make a candle out of bees wax, and learn all about the importance of pollinators. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Summer Reading Finale. Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. 3-4 p.m.

Mad Science presents Destination Moon igniting your imagination with fun and learning in a highly interactive program full of space-filling wow. Free. leominsterlibrary.org.

16 FRIDAY Free Fun Friday. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation, take advantage of free admission to the following: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum; Berkshire Theatre Group; Cahoon Museum of American Art; Discovery Museum; Fruitlands Museum; Fuller Craft Museum; Paragon Carousel; Provincetown Art Association & Museum; USS Constitution Museum. Hours vary.

Free Friday Flicks: Captain Marvel. Hatch Shell, 47 David G Mugar Way, Boston. 6 p.m.

Bring a blanket or lawn chair, pack a picnic, enjoy free games, and watch as Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe’s most powerful leaders as Earth finds itself thrown into the midst of a galactic war. Free. wbznewsradio. iheart.com/featured/free-Friday-flicks.

17 SATURDAY Melon Festival. Lanni Orchard, 294 Chase Rd., Lunenburg. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Pick your own melons and learn how to pick a melon that is ripe and ready to eat. Try over six varieties of melons and see which ones are your favorites.

Enjoy snacks, crafts, hayrides, cotton candy, bouncy house and more. lanniorchard.com.

Gloucester Waterfront Festival. Stage Fort Park, 24 Hough Ave., Gloucester. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Bring your appetite for food, fun, and art, during this weekend featuring gourmet delights, traditional fair fare, ‘family style’ entertainment, crafts, and more. Free. castleberryfairs.com.

MFA Playdates: Helping Hands. Museum of Fine Arts: Boston, 465 Huntington Ave.,

Boston. 10:15-11 a.m. Enjoy story time and looking activities in the galleries followed by art making. Recommended for ages 4 and under. Free. with admission. Members free; nonmember adults $25, youths 7 and up $10, ages 6 and under free. mfa.org.

Happier Family Comedy Show. Eric Carle Museum, 125 West Bay Rd., Amherst. 3-4 p.m. Let creativity flourish in this on-the-spot based improv show for the entire family to enjoy. Member adults $9, youths $4.50; nonmember adults $10, youths $5. carlemuseum. org.

Family Film Festival: Alice in Wonderland. Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St., Boston. 6 p.m. Enjoy entertainment, children’s activities, giveaways, and this classic Disney animated film following a young girl as she falls down the rabbit hole on an adventure to Wonderland. Free. prudentialcenter.com.

18 SUNDAY Melon Festival. Lanni Orchard, 294 Chase Rd., Lunenburg. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Pick your own melons and learn how to pick a melon that is ripe and ready to eat. Try over six varieties of melons and see which ones are your favorites.

Enjoy snacks, crafts, hayrides, cotton candy, bouncy house and more. lanniorchard.com.

Gloucester Waterfront Festival. Stage Fort Park, 24 Hough Ave., Gloucester. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Bring your appetite for food, fun, and art, during this weekend featuring gourmet delights, traditional fair fare, ‘family style’ entertainment, crafts, and more. Free. castleberryfairs.com.

Everyday Engineering: Cup Towers.

Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton.

11 a.m.-2 p.m. Engage in some everyday engineering as we build one-of-a-kind tower made entirely out of cups. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Quincy August Moon Festival. Quincy Center, Coddington St., Quincy. 12-5 p.m.

Celebrate diversity and community spirit, during this day featuring traditional and contemporary performances, arts and crafts, a kid’s zone, and delicious food. quincyasianresources.org.

Bound for Glory: Woody Guthrie Tribute Concert. Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard. 2-4 p.m. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and afternoon picnics as the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston presents this annual Woody Guthrie Tribute show. Free. fruitlands.org.

Boston Area Chantey & Maritime Sing.

USS Constitution Museum, Building 22, Charlestown Navy Yard, Charlestown. 2-5 p.m. Listen, learn, and lift your voices, as you participate in your maritime heritage by joining a rousing chorus of sea chanteys. Suggested Donations. Adults $10-15, children $5-10, families $25-45. ussconstitutionmuseum.org.

19 MONDAY Rolling Down a Ramp. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 9-11 a.m. & 12-2 p.m.

Use a variety of materials and plenty of curiosity to find ways to test what makes things go faster or slower, test hypotheses, and explore concepts of force and motion. Free with admis-

sion. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

DW Counts Down to Kindergarten.

Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. 6-7 p.m. City Stage Co presents this traveling play featuring interactive play that will teach children about what to expect as they enter kindergarten. Free. leominterlibrary.org.

20 TUESDAY Dance Party. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 10-10:30 a.m. Move and groove to the music during this all ages dance party. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Make a Mess: Icy Artworks. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 10-11 a.m. Explore and compare the properties of different types of frozen paint cubes and create original artwork as they melt. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Cold as Ice: Exploring a 300lb Block of Ice. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton.

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Drop-in to make chilly discoveries when you put salt, coins, keys, and liquid watercolors on a 300-pound block of ice. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Folk Open Mic. TCAN: Center for Arts, 14 Summer St., Natick. 8 p.m. Enjoy acoustic performers as they showcase their talents and partake in the area’s most vibrant folk and acoustic music community. Members free; nonmembers $5. natickarts.org.

BAYSTATEPARENT 17

21 WEDNESDAY Rockabye Beats. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 10 a.m.-10:45 a.m.

Come dance, sing, and get a little crazy with this dance party featuring Spanish songs, freestyle dance, live guitar, and more. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Harvest and Salsa Making Party.

Leominster Public Library, 30 West St., Leominster. 10-11 a.m. Harvest from our library garden and make a yummy and yummy salsa. Registration recommended. Free. leominsterlibrary.org.

Backyard and Beyond: Cloud Gazing. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 10-11 a.m. Join for some cloud gazing in Discovery Learn, while learning the names of clouds you see in the sky and guess the weather from

what’s above you. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Play in the Park. deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, 51 Sandy Pond Rd., Lincoln.

10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Play, experiment, and engineer together in the 30-acre Sculpture Park during this collaborative large-scale project. Free with admission. Members free; nonmember adults $14, ages 12 and under free. deCordova.org.

A Boy Named Charlie Brown. Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St., Arlington. 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. The Peanuts come to life in this feature film following Charlie Brown as he enters a spelling bee and works with his friends and loyal dog Snoopy to face his fears. Adults $10, children $7. regenttheatre.com.

22 THURSDAY Family Sing Along. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 10-10:30 a.m. Join children’s librarians for songs and movement.

Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Make a Mess: Kinetic Sand. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 10-11 a.m.

Squish it, sculpt it, drip it, and more. Discover the unique properties of this special materials as you play, create, and experiment. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

23 FRIDAY Free Fun Friday. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation, take advantage of free admission to the following: The Institute of Contemporary Art; Berkshire Museum; Boston

Athenaeum; Buttonwood Park Zoo; Emily Dickinson Museum; Fort Devens Museum; Freedom Trail Foundation; Heritage Museums & Gardens; Museum of African American History; The Mary Baker Eddy Library & Mapparium.

Hours vary.

Backyard and Beyond: Forest Fridays.

Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 1010:45 a.m. Take part in a nature-based activity while enjoying the weather of the season in the Discovery Woods or adjacent conservation land. Recommended for ages 2 to 6. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Pop-Up Adventure Playground. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 1-3 p.m.

Enjoy cardboard, ropes, pulleys, art supplies, and more as you call the shots at our Pop-Up Adventure Playground. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Outdoor Family Fun. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 3-4:30 p.m. A session of family games, building materials, and other activities for friends, parents, and children to enjoy together. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Summer Friday Nights Free. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 4:30-8 p.m.

JEnjoy sweet treats and explore the museum for free. Food donations for Open Table of Concord and Maynard and the Acton Food Pantry accepted. Free. discoveryacton.org.

24 SATURDAY Clustertruck Food Festival. Kalon Farms, 33 Seven Bridge Rd., Lancaster. 12-6 p.m. Dig in!

More than 20 food trucks roll into the fields for an evening of food, fun, and live music. $10, children under 12 free. theclustertruck.com.

Bird Language with ‘PrimiTim.’ Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 1-3 p.m. Join Tim ‘PrimiTim’ Swanson to walk through the neighboring conservation land and learn to decode some of the bird language that fills the air. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Muppets From Space. Newton Free Library, 330 Homer St., Newton. 2 p.m. Gonzo the Great finds his family in this outrageously funny, family flick bringing all the Muppets back to the screen where they belong. Free. newtonfreelibrary.net.

Family Film Festival: Hotel Transylvania 3. Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St., Boston.

6 p.m. Enjoy entertainment, children’s activities, giveaways, and this animated adventure as your favorite monster family embarks on a luxury monster cruise ship. Free. prudentialcenter.com.

25 SUNDAY Everyday Engineering: Strike a Balance.

Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Build a tabletop seesaw using rulers, paint stirrers and paper towel tools, pile on pennies, and try balancing a bird on your fingertip. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

MAKEmobile. deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, 51 Sandy Pond Rd., Lincoln. 1-3 p.m.

Take your imagination for a spin with activities that explore artistic and material processes through amusing prompts and challenges. Free with admission. Members free; nonmember adults $14, ages 12 and under free. deCordova.org.

26 MONDAY Summer Reading Buddies with Bright Spot Therapy Dogs. Eric Carle Museum, 125 West Bay Rd., Amherst. Join Reading Buddy dogs who provide a gentle, comforting listener to readers as they practice their fluency and strengthen their confidence in reading. Register ahead. For ages 4 to 11. Free with admission.

Adults $9, youths $6, ages under 1 free. carlemuseum.org.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Noyes Park, 928-922 Saratoga St., East Boston. 8 p.m. Movies under the stars in Boston’s Noyes Park. Watch this animated flick 18 AUGUST2019

Bolton Fair. Fairgrounds, Bolton. following young Vikings and their dragon friends on a new adventure. Free. boston.gov/calendar.

admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

27 TUESDAY

Free Friday Flicks: Dumbo. Hatch Shell, 47 David G Mugar Way, Boston. 6 p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chair, pack a picnic, enjoy free games, and watch this live-action reimagining following a young elephant with oversized ears.

Free. wbznewsradio.iheart.com/featured/freeFriday-flicks.

Make a Mess: Paint Like Seurat. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 10-11 a.m.

Explore some of Georges Seurat’s masterpieces and then try your hand at creating your own work of art inspired by his techniques. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

28 WEDNESDAY Backyard and Beyond: Silly Sock Walk.

Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 11 a.m. Wear your silliest socks pulled up over your pant legs and walk into the woods. Learn about identifying ticks and poison ivy. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

29 THURSDAY Take Aparts Jr. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 10-11 a.m. Drop-in and grab some tools to discover the inner workings of household gadgets and gizmos. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Take Aparts. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 2-4 p.m. Grab a screwdriver and discover resistors, capacitors, and circuit boards as you uncover the inner workings of everyday electronics. Free with admission. Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

30 FRIDAY Free Fun Friday. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation, take advantage of free admission to the following: Old Sturbridge Village; Cape Cod Museum of Natural History; Griffin Museum of Photography; Hull Lifesaving Museum; Mass Audubon’s Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary; MASS MoCA; Museum of the First Corps of Cadets; Osterville Historical Museum; Capron Park Zoo; EcoTarium. Hours vary.

Backyard and Beyond: Forest Fridays.

Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton.

10-10:45 a.m. Join a nature-based activity while enjoying the weather of the season in the Discovery Woods or adjacent conservation land. Recommended for ages 2 to 6. Free with

31 SATURDAY Sunflower Festival. Lanni Orchard, 294 Chase Rd., Lunenburg. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Over 4 acres of sunflowers in a variety of colors to pick and take pictures with, plus the unveiling of the Space Odyssey Corn Maze. Tickets $10-$25. lanniorchard.com.

Muster Day. Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Rd., Sturbridge. 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Cheer on your favorite militia company as you listen to 19th century martial music, talk to members of volunteer militia companies, see a sham fight, and learn marching. Free with admission. Adults $28, youths $14, ages under 4 free. osv.org.

Play Date: Seaside Horizons. Institute of Contemporary Art: Boston, 25 Harbor Shore Dr., Boston. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Join a family tour of exhibitions, create art together, or enjoy a selection of short films, and enjoy the waterfront.

Free. icaboston.org.

Appleseed Country Fair. Red Apple Farm, 455 Highland Ave., Phillipston. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Delicious food and beverage vendors, crafters, and the Brew Barn for beer and wine lovers, plus lots of live entertainment. Tethered hot air balloon rides and the chance to take family photos in a breathtaking field of sunflowers. $10 per car. visitnorthcentral.com.

Make a Mess: Foamy Fun. Discovery Museum, 177 Main St., Acton. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dropin and have some good, clean fun. Experiment with shaving cream and paint to create unique, marbleized masterpieces. Free with admission.

Members free; nonmembers $14.50, ages under 1 free. discoveryacton.org.

Family Film Festival: Dumbo. Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St., Boston. 6 p.m. Enjoy entertainment, children’s activities, giveaways, and this live action reimagination of the classic tale of Dumbo, the amazing flying elephant.

Free. prudentialcenter.com.

BAYSTATEPARENT 19

1. Rice Fruit Farm

on the

agenda

the list

10 Spots for Farm Fresh

Ice Cream

BY ABIGAIL ROSENTHAL, GATEHOUSE MEDIA

There’s still plenty of summer left, and ice cream is a special part of the season. Few things are better than a cone at the end of a hot day. But not just any ice cream will do — summer calls for ice cream directly from the farm. Here are ten spots in Massachusetts to get farm fresh ice cream.

Rice Fruit Farm Ice Cream

20 AUGUST2019

757 Main St., Wilbraham The Rice Fruit Farm has some long-running history after Jesse Rice established the farm in the late 1800s. Now, the restored farm sells fruit and baked goods from muffin tops to apple cider donuts.

Ice cream is made in small batches directly on the farm. Take a trip in the fall for apple picking, too.

2. Kimball Farm 400 Littleton Road (Rt. 110), Westford (multiple locations) Kimball Farm has had 80 years to perfect its ice cream. The first Kimball Farm ice cream was sold in 1939 out of a converted woodshed. Now, you can get more than 50 flavors at the farm. Kimball Farm also has locations in Lancaster and Carlisle, MA, and Jaffrey, NH, but the Westford location has many kid-friendly offerings in addition to ice cream. Mini golf, batting cages, bumper boats and cars, a zipline, arcade, daily live animal shows and weekend pony rides provide enough to do for a full day of family fun.

3. Richardson’s Farm 156 South Main Street (Rte 114), Middleton In 1952, Ben and Hazen Richardson set out to make “One Perfect Ice Cream.” Today, you can visit the working dairy farm for a whole day of fun complete with mini golf, batting cages, a driving range and ice cream. Grab a half gallon to enjoy later.

4. The Ice Cream Barn Baker Farm, 289 Locust Street, Swansea A local partnership brought a dairy farm and an ice cream-making couple together. All of the Ice Cream Barn’s ice cream is made on-site using Baker Farm milk. Make sure to bring cash.

5. Gibby’s Famous Ice Cream Gibson’s Dairy, 50 Sunderland Rd., Worcester Just look for the red barn to find Gibson’s Dairy Farm’s ice cream. The farm, which also offers local milk delivery, offers dozens of flavors of ice cream from a family recipe. You can also find soft serve and frozen yogurt at the stand.

6. The Apple Place 540 Somers Rd., East Longmeadow Pick up some apples along with your cone. The family-run fruit farm has over 50 kinds of apples, an on-site bakery and ice cream from Massachusetts’ Maple Valley Creamery, made from local milk and cream. Soft serve is also available.

creamy ice cream is just one reason to visit this third generation dairy farm. Stop in the farm store for fresh produce and homemade pastries and jams. Their family-friendly goat petting zoo is fun for kids and adults, alike.

10. Hornstra Farms 246 Prospect St., Norwell You can get old-fashioned homemade ice cream and even farm-churned butter at this gem in Norwell. Their tradition of minimal pasteurization gives the milk a sweet farm flavor. The dairy store is open year round, but the ice cream season is fleeting. Get scoops from April through mid-October.

7. Smiarowski Farm Stand & Creamery 320 River Rd, Sunderland This farm stand offers fruit, vegetables and flowers for purchase alongside its ice cream. Grab some Polish food while you’re there as well for a precursor to the dessert.

8. Crescent Ridge 407 Bay Road, Sharon Crescent Ridge’s small-batch ice cream is definitely well known — National Geographic named it one of the top 10 places to get ice cream. The dairy stand offers dozens of flavors along with other treats, like cakes and ice cream bars called “Cressies.” You can also find it in stores near Boston.

9. Rota Spring Farm 117 Chace Hill Rd., Sterling Their tagline -- “a herd of flavor in every scoop” -- is no lie, but the deliciously

Kimball Farm

BAYSTATEPARENT 21

Apple Country:

Take a Bite of Family Fun

A

BY AMANDA COLLINS BERNIER

ll across America, roadsides are dotted with interesting attractions and oddities. Alabama is home to the world’s largest brick, Georgia has a 13-foot peanut statue, and in Vermont, you might drive past a giant gorilla holding up a Volkswagen Beetle.

Now the Bay State boasts its own roadside draw: the Big Apple -- literally.

Last month, Visit North Central Massachusetts, the marketing organization representing 27 communities in the area, unveiled a 10-foot apple structure off of Route 2 in Lancaster. Dubbed the Big Apple of New England, they are hoping the massive red fruit will become an icon of the region, one rich with history and steeped in all-things-apple. It’s home to scenic orchards and the birthplace of American folk hero John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed.

The new big apple sits outside the Johnny Appleseed Visitors’ Center, a local gem in itself. (We know what you’re thinking: a roadside visitors’ center a regional gem? But hear us out). The center has your usual roadside fare like coffee and snacks, but it also features a collection of unique items from across the region such as local jams, jellies and maple syrup, and even pink plastic flamingos, which have their roots in nearby Leominster. There’s also a large collection of historical items, including a vintage Iver Johnson Bicycle, old Wachusett Mountain Ski Area items, and a bench made from a ski chair. Outside, in addition to the Big Apple, visitors will find a bronze sculpture of the young Johnny Appleseed and 91 apple trees, including three that are direct descendants of the last remaining tree known to be planted by Johnny Appleseed.

Though it might not be the first place that comes to mind for a day trip, the region is booming with family-friendly fun and offerings both urban and country, historic and modern.

In Fitchburg, there’s a newly designated Arts & Cultural District, an area targeted to become a walkable, bikeable destination where arts and culture flourish.

22 AUGUST2019

It will add to the already robust arts offerings at the Fitchburg Art Museum, which features over 20,000 square feet of exhibition space. The museum offers Family Days —featuring hands-on art activities, performers, and family-friendly tours— periodically throughout the year.

Then there’s the farmland. North Central Massachusetts is home to an array of farms and orchards, many with deep, historic roots. Some have been working farms for over a century and still offer the agricultural gems they were built upon, but have reinvented themselves into family fun destinations. Take Red Apple Farm in Phillipston, for example. There, you’ll find a farmhouse and barn that date back to the mid-1700s, farm-fresh produce and a quaint country store, but it’s also a place for weekend barbeques, country weddings and annual festivals.

This Labor Day weekend, Red Apple Farm will host the 8th annual Appleseed Country Fair, featuring over 40 vendors, local food and food trucks, human-tractor pulls, a brew and wine barn, fiddle contest, live music and more. Tethered hot air balloon rides and a field of sunflowers will provide perfect family photo opps, and admission is just $10 per car load.

“It really showcases the agricultural heritage of the region, but it’s also just a lot of fun.

Think hayrides, craft beer, kids games,” said Roy Nascimento, President and CEO of Visit North Central Massachusetts. “It’s a great kick off to the fall season.”

The region is touted as a four-season destination -- you can hike to a hidden waterfall in the spring (there’s a few!), hit up Davis Farmland’s splash pad in the summer, and ski at Wachusett in the winter. But there is certainly something special about visiting in the fall... it is apple country, after all.

“No one does fall like we do,” said Nascimento.

Take a bite out of all the family fun that’s right in our backyard this autumn with a trip to our own Big Apple.

BAYSTATEPARENT 23

our fave

4

BACK TO SCHOOL

1.

Packing your child’s lunch shouldn’t be a chore. These four lunch boxes are cute and fun -- and they might just make your mornings a little easier.

2.

3.

4.

1. Pottery Barn Kids’ MacKenzie Lunch Box collection comes in an array of patterns (from camo to unicorns) and four varieties: classic, retro, cold, and the dual compartment, shown here. All are durable, easy to clean, and can be personalized with your child’s name. potterybarnkids. com, $25-$32.

2. No ice packs needed! The PackIt

Freezable Lunch Bag has a patented, freezable gel liner. It’s available in many styles, but we like the Uptown Bag, with its roomy wide base and messenger-style strap. amazon.com, $26.95.

24 AUGUST2019

3.

Got a kid who can’t stand to have one food touch another? You need a Bento box. The YumBox Bento Lunch Box can hold an assortment of snacks and comes in a rainbow of colors. It has just one latch, making it easy for little hands to open. amazon. com, $29.99.

4. The Flatbox is a soft-sided lunch bag with a handle on top. When you unzip its sides and lay it flat, it becomes a placemat, making it perfect for field trips. Plus, it’s machine washable. amazon.com, $16.99.

bites

FOOD FOR THOUGHT • NUTRITION • GOOSE’S GOODIES

BAYSTATEPARENT 25

Bites

Food for

Thought

Chefs in Schools Serve up Nutrition, Adventure and Culinary Fun Project Bread program brings food prep expertise to ramp up school lunch quality around Massachusetts

BY JOAN GOODCHILD

J

ust about every parent knows that kids can be notoriously picky eaters.

Getting children to eat vegetables can be challenging enough, but getting them to be adventurous and try unfamiliar foods from different cultures can seem almost impossible.

An initiative led by the non-profit group Project Bread aims to get kids to expand their palates and learn to enjoy all kinds of cuisine and flavors.

Through their Chefs in Schools program, they partner with public school districts across the state, working with cafeteria staff to help districts prepare and promote nutritious, kid-friendly, USDA approved foods. Weekly, the chefs and staff pilot different meals in cafeterias that they hope will be a hit with their young critics.

26 AUGUST2019

“We try dishes with strong, bold flavors, and look for ways to add texture and color,” said Sam Icklan, Director of the Chefs in Schools program. “When you are working within the context of a school meal pattern, you can’t rely too heavily on sodium and fat and you have to get creative to make it appealing. If kids don’t like it, they won’t eat.”

The result is dishes that are a bit more exotic than traditional school cafeteria fare, including Pollo Guisado, Bahn Mi with Chicken, and Korean-style tacos. When kids give a meal the thumbs up, and the dishes are a success, the districts are able to add it to their regular menu offerings.

“We have a lot of recipes that are popular,” said Icklan. “We look to great recipes that are culturally appropriate and relevant to the population we are working with and we rely on them to share with us what they would like to see, and how they want to see themselves represented on the menu.”

While encouraging experimental and nutritious eating is one goal, the other mission of the Chefs in Schools program is making healthy meals accessible for populations that may not have regular access. Project Bread seeks to work with districts with a high instance of students who qualify for free and reduced meals, typically above 40 percent. Districts must also self-operate their food services and not have programs run by outside organizations.

The reason for this criteria is because many children living in low-income households rely on their daily school meals as a primary source of nutrition.

According to Project Bread estimates, the food served in schools makes up half of the daily calories for more than 400,000 students in Massachusetts. It has a significant impact on their health, behavior, and their academic performance, so maximizing the value of each meal served in school is critical. The chefs provide education about healthy food preparation, but having them on campus also provides kids with an in-person resource to learn more about nutrition, which provides them with knowledge they can take home.

“Kids get excited about interacting with the chefs,”

said Icklan. “They ask great questions about the food.

I think kids have a more expansive vocabulary around food. We want school lunch to be something every child is excited about. It can be tasty and really meaningful.”

The school chefs also look for ways to help cafeteria staff with cooking skills, equipment use, time management, food storage, ordering, inventory control, and selling better choices with the overall goal of creating lasting change in the way food is managed in the district. Project Bread is looking at expanding the program to include school breakfasts in some districts, and is also piloting some new efforts around side dishes, with an emphasis on vegetable preparation. Vegetable dishes could be a tough sell for students, but Icklan isn’t letting that sway him.

“It’s about trying new things every time. Maybe you think you don’t like broccoli, but maybe you just haven’t had it prepared this way and you actually really like it,” he laughed. “We want to make sure we make school meals the best they can be.”

Joan Goodchild is a veteran writer and editor and mom of two living in Central Massachusetts.

Bites

ask the nutritionist

It May Be Time to Ditch the Fruit Juice

Q A

Fruit Juice: Yay or Nay?

: Today’s youth continue to battle obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the percentage of obese children in the United States has more than tripled since the 1970s.

Roughly one in five schoolaged children is obese. Obese children and adults are at a higher risk for chronic health conditions such as asthma, bone and joint problems, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

Although many factors can contribute to obesity among children, researchers with the American Academy of Pediatrics are now warning parents that fruit juice can be a contributor. In suggestions that overwrite previous recommendations from 2006 in which the AAP said children between the ages of six months and six years could have up to six ounces of fruit juice a day, fruit juice is no longer recommended for children under the age of one.

Plus, health experts say that older children should choose whole fruit sources in lieu of fruit juices whenever possible.

According to an article “Reducing Childhood Obesity

by Eliminating 100% Fruit Juice,” authored by Janet Wojcicki, PhD, MPH and Melvin Heyman, MD, MPH and

published in the American Journal of Public Health, excessive fruit juice consumption is associated with increased risk for obesity. There also is recent scientific evidence that sucrose consumption without the corresponding fiber is associated with metabolic syndrome, liver injury and obesity.

Obesity is not the only risk associated with fruit juice.

Although fruit juice in moderation can be a nutritious beverage, drinking juice from a bottle can lead to nursing bottle dental caries. Also, “toddler’s diarrhea” has been associated with juice consumption, particularly in juice with a high fructose to glucose ratio, according to data published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Many health experts are concerned by excessive fruit juice consumption that can lead to an increased caloric intake and obesity.

AAP researchers suggest parents of young children mash up fresh fruit instead of giving them juice. Water, milk and breast milk/formula should be the main liquid for children. Older children can have limited amounts of 100-percent fruit juice, but should be steered toward other low-calorie drinks instead.

BAYSTATEPARENT 27

Bites

goose’s

goodies

Yummy, Crunchy Granola Sprinkled on yogurt, served in a bowl with milk and fruit, or just on its own as a snack, this tasty, crunchy granola will be a kid-favorite in your house.

Ingredients • 4 cups rolled oats • 1 cup wheat germ • 1 cup slivered almonds • 1/2 cup sesame seeds • 1/4 cup brown sugar • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/3 cup vegetable oil • 1/3 cup honey • 1/3 cup water • 6 oz. dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, cherries, pineapple, etc.

Directions Heat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together oats, wheat germ, nuts, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the oil, honey, and water. Toss until well combined, then spread it evenly on a large, parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Bake granola until lightly browned, about 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to keep it from sticking. Let it cool completely, then stir in dried fruit.

Laurie Silva Collins, known affectionately as Goose by her grandkids, is a nurse, mother and grandmother who is happiest when she’s in the kitchen, cooking and baking for those she loves. She learned to cook from her parents, and has perfected her recipes over the years while raising three daughters… and spoiling seven grandchildren.

28 AUGUST2019

BAYSTATEPARENT 29

In Case of Emergency:

A

How Schools Prepare for the Worst

s August spins through its summer daze, parents will become increasingly barraged with backto-school notices, such as supply lists, teacher assignment, bus pickup location and time, or student drop-off procedures.

It ramps up on opening day when kids arrive home laden with notices and forms detailing school lunch, classroom rules, virtual backpacks and online parent portals.

What parents won’t see or hear, not even if they ask, is exactly

BY DEBBIE LAPLACA

what administrators and law enforcement are doing to protect the school and their children against an active shooter or violent intruder.

For the nearly 26,000 students in Worcester Public Schools this fall, $125,000 is budgeted for software, training and safety protocols designed to protect the kids and the about 3,000 on staff.

Additional monies are allocated to buy and install the hardware that tightens building security, such as panic buttons, cameras, and door locks. But detail on what hardware is

ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTIANA ANTICO 30 AUGUST2019

used and where is held from the public, with good reason.

Robert F. Pezzella, school safety director for Worcester Public Schools, says it best: “Everyday our procedures and protocols on safety are adapting and changing. We have to be able to adapt to a violent intruder in ways that keep our students and staff safe. To be public about that, or to tell parents what our protocols are, would be severely compromising our students’ safety.”

The decision to keep secret specifics on devices and the various response plans is founded on experience.

You may remember the moment you heard of the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999, when two seniors went on a shooting spree that killed 12 students and one teacher. More than 20 others were wounded before the teens turned their guns on themselves and committed suicide.

A shocked nation reeled and mourned for the victims and their families.

If you were too young to be aware then, as a parent today you’re certainly familiar with the fallout.

The Columbine shootings quickly changed the way school administrators and law enforcement handled school security.

Yet, the shootings have continued.

The Washington Post reports that 234 shootings in K-12 schools during the 20 years since Columbine, have killed 144 people and injured 302.

No region of the country has been spared the horror.

Closest to home here in Massachusetts was at Sandy Hook Elementary, where, on December 14, 2012, a 20-yearold entered the building and shot and killed 26 people: 20 children between six and seven years old, and six adult staff members.

This massacre is looked upon as a national turning point in recognizing lockdown-only protocols were not enough.

So, what can school administrators tell parents about their active shooter and violent intruder preparedness?

In one word, ALICE. Shortly after Columbine, law enforcement professional Greg Crane founded the ALICE Training Institute. It is reportedly the first program in the country to provide staff and students with an option-based response to an active shooter or violent intruder gaining entry to a school, a business or organization.

ALICE (alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evaluate) teaches proactive responses in addition to the traditional lockdown.

Worcester Public Schools is in its third year of subscribing to the fee-based training.

“Every staff member is required to take the ALICE e-learning course, followed by refresher courses,” Pezzella said.

ALICE drills, where a live active shooter scenario is played out, have been conducted after school with staff in 22 of the 44 Worcester school buildings. The plan, Pezzella said, is to grow that number

this year.

Attending each drill with Pezzella are eight Worcester police officers, who are certified ALICE trainers. Five of the eight are full-time school resource officers in Worcester high schools.

Administrators in each of the 44 schools are mandated to conduct two lockdown drills per year. For Grade 3 and up, one of the two drills is to be ALICE. For parents asking: Are the drills themselves frightening children and causing undue stress? Pezzella said, “We encourage principals and teachers to have age-appropriate conversations with their students when they have that ALICE lockdown drill. Principals notify parents in advance so they may also have conversations with their children about active shooter situations.”

According to ALICE, practice is the essence of learning – the more a group drills, the better the chances of successfully overcoming violent incidents.

Tens of thousands nationwide have taken the two-day training course to become certified instructors, according to the ALICE website. And more than 4,200 K-12 schools across the country have received the training to date.

Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School in Charlton is among them.

Vocational schools face unique challenges in that many offer services to the public.

For Bay Path, its Hilltop Restaurant is open for lunch, its cosmetology shop offers manis and pedis during school hours, and the building houses a bank.

ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTIANA ANTICO

Specifics on the training, drills, and security devices are also closely guarded at Bay Path.

“We don’t broadcast out what our steps are so everyone knows our plan. It makes it difficult to be safe when everyone knows what you’re going to do during an incident,” Principal Clifford Cloutier said.

Other than the need for extra measures to secure public access points at Bay Path, the school practices many of the safety and security protocols used in Worcester.

Its 1,125 students and 185 staff have participated in one active shouter ALICE drill.

“We try not to panic the kids on this,” Cloutier said. “Last year we did an active shooter in the building scenario with students, and the teachers explained the plan to the kids.”

Cloutier added the majority of training is conducted with teachers, along with separate sessions for other segments of adults, such as bus drivers.

Other shared security programs that both school administrators would talk about are IN FORCE911 and Stop the Bleed.

Both school systems subscribed to the IN FORCE911 service last year. It’s a computer and mobile device app that gives police real time detail down to the classroom number initiating an alert and school-specific information, such as a building schematic.

Building staff are alerted to a crisis through the app, which opens a chat room where live detail can be shared among

police, teachers and administrators, such as an intruder’s location in the building and whether it’s safe for students to flee.

Pezzella said the app, that compliments ALICE, was launched last year in the Worcester middle and high schools, with a plan to expand to the elementary schools this year.

The Stop the Bleed campaign was established in 2015 through a collaborative effort by the Department of Homeland Security, American College of Surgeons, as well as national organizations and corporations. The course gives bystanders, such as teachers and students, the training and tools to stop traumatic bleeding until professional help arrives.

In Worcester, the Fire Department has started Stop the Bleed training with administrators. At Bay Path, nine staff members on the school’s emergency response team have Stop the Bleed kits, which are also stationed throughout the building.

More information on Stop the Bleed is at https://delvalle.bphc.org/mod/wiki/ view.php?pageid=141 and more on ALICE training is available at https://www.alicetraining.com.

Debbie LaPlaca is a veteran journalist, photographer, and joyful mom of two living in Central Massachusetts.

BAYSTATEPARENT 31

BACK TO SCHOOL

Pediatrician’s 5 Tips for Back-to-School Success

A

BY SAAD AND RAY DINNO s fall approaches, many of our patients ask us what they can do to ensure that their child has a good start to the school year. To help you prepare for your child’s first day, we asked a local pediatrician, Dr. Charles S. Brown of Newton-Wellesley Family Pediatrics, who is also a father of six, to share his tips for keeping your child healthy and getting them ready for the return to school.

Start the Day off Right You’ve likely heard by now that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and there’s a reason for that. This is easy to forget though when kids are in a rush to catch the bus and beat the first bell of the day. And even when we do remember, “breakfast” is often a quick bowl of sugary cereal or another sweet treat. Loading up on sugar in the morning, however, will only lead to a crash later in the day. Consider instead a health-

32 AUGUST2019

ier alternative, such as oatmeal or Greek yogurt, both of which are filling and easy to prepare.

Remember that nourishing and protein-packed foods will help keep your child energized so they can focus throughout the day.

Set a Sleep Schedule Sleep can become irregular during summer vacation. While staying up late and sleeping in can be a nice treat, it can make for a tough transition when school starts up again. In a perfect world, we would stick to the same sleep schedule year-round. That is a tall order, so Dr. Brown instead recommends “getting back into routine at least two weeks before school begins.” Practice waking up your child when they would usually get up for school, and set a reasonable hour for bedtime.

While the first day of school can be exciting, it can also be nerve-wracking and stressful. A good night’s sleep will help ease these feelings, so your child can enjoy their time in the classroom.

Get Moving While the weather is still nice, encourage your child to spend some of their after-school hours outside. Whether they join a sports team, or opt to even go walk the dog around the neighborhood, getting some fresh air and exercise is important to their overall health and development.

Kids spend the majority of their days sitting inside the classroom, meaning they’re due for some after-school outdoor activities to give the brain a break and get moving. Keep this in mind next time your child asks to turn on the TV. Limit Time Online Social media, while it’s great for many reasons, can also become a distraction in and outside of the classroom. Even adults can sometimes be guilty of this distraction.

When it comes to homework and dinner time, encourage your child to put away their devices so that they can focus, and you can enjoy some technology-free time with

your family. When your child is on social media, remind them to be careful of what they post and share with their peers. What we post online doesn’t just go away when we press “delete,” and what we say in the cyber world can easily impact our real lives if we aren’t careful.

Get Ahead of the Flu Many students catch a cold once school is back in session, which is in part due to the free exchange of bacteria and viruses in the classroom. Before we know it, we’ve reached the late fall and flu season is officially underway. “A lot of people don’t realize that the flu vaccine actually becomes available in August, meaning you can get a head start and protect your child as early as this month,” says Dr. Brown.

Remember that even perfectly

healthy children are at risk of getting the flu and that the vaccination will keep not only your child healthy, but help decrease the risk of it spreading to others in the classroom. Be sure to talk with your pediatrician to ensure your child has received all the vaccines they need before the school year begins.

Planning ahead for the school year will help to ensure a soft landing for your student making this important transition.

Saad and Raied Dinno, brothers, are registered pharmacists and co-owners of Acton Pharmacy, Keyes Drug in Newton, and West Concord Pharmacy.

BACK TO SCHOOL

How To Take The Hassle Out Of Homework

BY SHANNON DEAN

M

ost parents have grappled with a scenario like this one: Your child is eager to put the school day behind him and promises that he’ll do his homework “later,” since it will only take a few minutes.

But as bedtime approaches, the homework has suddenly sprouted tricky components that now require adult help. Everyone is ready for bed, but the homework has seemingly become a group effort.

Understandably, it can be excruciating for parents to sit on their hands and watch their child struggle alone. Most experts say that you don’t have to watch from the sidelines, but should draw the line between supporting and doing. Here are some tips to avoid this type of frustration in this school year.

Why So Much Homework?

According to a study published by the American Journal of Family Therapy, elementary school students spend an average of 30 minutes on homework each night. Middle and high school students log in anywhere from 1 to 3.5 hours nightly.

Although the U.S. Department of Education stresses that children who spend more time on homework perform better than children who do not, teachers often assign homework out of necessity. Class size and academic standards may limit the time available to cover the required curriculum.

Therefore, schools must rely on homework to reinforce what may have only been an introduction in class. If there is any silver lining, it’s that homework gives parents an opportunity to see what their children are learning. It also allows one-on-one help in a non-hurried environment, a scenario that is not always available at school.

Be an ‘Advisor’ Although resistance to homework is understandable, educators say that it is an important way to reinforce your child’s education. Since a parent’s approach to homework can greatly influence a child’s attitude toward it, try to see it as an opportunity. Stephanie Donaldson-

Pressman, who wrote “The Learning Habit: A Groundbreaking Approach to Homework and Parenting that Helps Our Children Succeed in School and Life”, says that smart parents use homework to develop intellectual curiosity and establish learning routines that will serve kids beyond their school years. “The ability to learn is what will help them succeed in life,” she said.

Help your child by arranging the family schedule to allow plenty of time for both homework and the more enjoyable activities that will balance out this obligation.

When to tackle homework depends on the child. Some children need time to decompress while others need to get it out of the way before fatigue makes them ineffective.

Make sure that the studying environment is free of distractions and has all the necessary supplies. Many students respond well to a timer set for an agreeable amount of time. For longer assignments, 30 minutes is a good start before taking a short break.

Once you find a schedule that works, stick with it so that it becomes a habit. Offer incentives, rewards, or praise for a job well.

Both the national PTA and the U.S. Department of Education agree that it’s important to give children plenty of encouragement and even restrained help with assignments. Sometimes, your presence alone will be enough to motivate your child. Other times, your child may need your direct help. This might mean answering her questions, practicing spelling words, or listening to her read aloud.

Unless the teacher indicates differently, it’s usually acceptable to show her an example and then answer any questions about how you completed the task. However, experts urge parents to remember that homework is the responsibility of the child. Stick to the role of the adviser and be very careful not to contradict the methods taught in school.

Other Ways Parents Can Help Talk about tricky assignments: You can save time and frustration by going over tricky assignments with your child to make sure he clearly understands what’s asked of him. If there’s any doubt, have him complete the first part of the assignment with you. A child who enthusiastically completes something he must later erase will not be so enthusiastic the next time. If the assignment contains several parts, consider breaking it down into manageable pieces. If the instructions are vague, contact the teacher, a classmate, or, if your school has them, the homework helpline or tutor.

Help your child in the way he learns best: Parents who know how their child learns have a distinct advantage.

Teachers often don’t have the luxury of presenting a concept in more than one way, but parents can. For example, when reviewing fractions with a handson (or kinesthetic) learner, you might cut an actual pie into halves, fourths, and eighths. If your child learns visually, consider drawing a graph or picture. If your student prefers an auditory presentation, you could recite a story involving fractions. Imaginative children who are abstract thinkers may respond to personalized concepts. A child who loves Star Wars might be much more interested if asked what percentage of the Jedi Council is comprised of Jedi Masters. Don’t forget homework help websites. Many are free and specifically designed to be interesting, interactive, and relevant to children.

Wrap it up in a positive way: Once your child completes his homework, help him discover his own errors by asking him to explain his answers. If confusion persists, leave a note for the teacher so she knows where your child needs help.

Even when your child’s homework is perfect, make an effort to reinforce the material. Ask open-ended questions, let your child explain his favorite part of the assignment, or ask him how he might use what he just learned.

Make it a path toward healthy academic habits: Experts encourage parents to see homework as an opportunity to offer their child the extra attention and encouragement that will help him get the most out of school.

Parents can also reinforce important life skills like organization, time management, and the setting of priorities. More importantly, he’ll know that what he does all day is very important to you, that you’re proud of him, and that you highly value his lifelong education.

Homework Help Websites and Apps Some resources that may make homework a little more manageable: Khan Academy is a nonprofit that helps both kids and parents brush up on a huge variety of subjects. Content is presented through engaging educational videos, online courses, lessons, and practice. Users get personalized help with a self-paced interface that saves your progress. The site and apps are completely free. You only need to provide an email to create an account. Available through Google Play and iTunes and at www.khanacademy.org.

Parent Toolkit is a free resource to help parents understand “benchmark” expectations. For each grade, the app offers a glimpse into what your child will be learning and recommendations on how to support him. Experts provide helpful advice on homework, parent-teacher conferences, and facilitating learning at home. You can also use the app to set (and hopefully meet) academic goals. Available through Google Play and iTunes www.parenttoolkit. com.

“Ask Dr. Math” is a nonprofit website that offers math tutorials for all ages. Popular topics include dividing by zero, learning to factor, and rounding. Students can browse topics by age group (elementary, middle, or high school) or search by keyword. The site also allows students to submit specific questions. Online at mathforum.org/ dr.math/.

Scholastic.com offers a fun, free quiz to help you determine your child’s learning style. When you tally your child’s results, you’ll receive tips on how to best present information to each type of learner.

Shannon Dean is a freelance writer and the mother of two sons. She often customizes homework to reflect issues of importance to the Avengers.

BAYSTATEPARENT 33

BACK TO SCHOOL

State Nixes “Blizzard Bags” at Bay State Schools Department of Education ends program that allowed students to complete work from home in lieu of a snow day

BY AMANDA COLLINS BERNIER

L

ast winter when a particularly brutal winter storm closed down Massachusetts schools, Kate Gibson, a fifth grader at Veterans Park Elementary School in Ludlow, pulled out a folder and got to work. It may have been too snowy to go to school, but that didn’t mean it had to be a day off.

Ludlow Public Schools was among several districts in Massachusetts to embrace the state’s Alternative Structured Learning Day program, assigning work during snow days or other school closures in order to count them as days of school for purposes of meeting legal

34 AUGUST2019

requirements. Instead of tacking on days to the end of the school year to meet the mandated 180 days, “Blizzard Bags,” as they were dubbed, allowed teachers to create lesson plans and work to be taken home with students; the snow day still counting as a school day.

In 2015, Burlington Public Schools were the first in the Bay State to implement the program, with the concept catching on at districts peppered throughout the state in recent years.

Opponents of the idea said that blizzard bag assignments could not take the place of a full day of school with face-to-face instruction -- and that concern was especially relevant to parents of students on

Individualized Education Programs due to special needs. Still, many districts -- and students and parents -- found the opportunity to complete assignments remotely a positive solution to a pile of school closure to make up.

“As educators we are looking to change public education to be more responsive to the needs of our students and communities. We are trying to utilize technology in new and innovative ways in order to break down traditional barriers and extend learning beyond the classroom,” said Ludlow Schools Superintendent Todd Gazda. “We successfully utilized blizzard bags for two years in Ludlow, refining our practice each year. Surveys indicated that a little over 77 percent of our parents were in favor of it after the first year.”

Many kids, although perhaps begrudgingly, saw a boon to the Alternative Structured Learning Days.

“I liked them for the most part,” said Kate Gibson. “I liked that we didn’t have to go to school longer in the summer.”

But in June, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced it was pulling the program, putting a stop to Alternative Structured Learning Days in 2020-2021 school year. The decision came after a work group convened last fall to review ten school districts -- both those with locally approved “blizzard bags” programs and those without. Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education

Jeffrey C. Riley said the decision to end the program was based upon “a variety of factors.”

“Parents and other stakeholders have raised concerns about whether all students can have equitable access to these programs,” he said. “Additionally, concerns have been raised regarding whether such programs meet the standards for ‘structured learning time.’”

A spokesperson for DESE said they are unsure how many districts will be affected by the decision, as school systems utilizing Alternative Structured Learning Day programs were not required to notify the state. Schools with already approved programs may still utilize blizzard bags or e-learning days in the coming year.

Some district leaders are unhappy with the state’s decision to end the program.

Superintendent for Orange, Petersham and R.C. Mahar Regional districts Tari Thomas told the Greenfield Reporter that the move seemed “regressive,” noting that remote learning is becoming more and more mainstream.

“What are we supposed to take away from the department’s decision? That innovation is fine as long as it fits neatly within previously established parameters and doesn’t look appreciably different than what we’re already doing?” said Gazda. “No new idea is perfect. However, at a time when the Commissioner is encouraging innovation and expressing a willingness to work with us in the field, this decision is counterproductive. Rather than work with us to address any concerns about this idea and try to refine it, they simply decided to prohibit its use.”

In a memo regarding the program, the commissioner encouraged district leaders to look for other alternatives for meeting mandated learning days while dealing with school closures, such as rescheduling any lost days, and holding the first day of school prior to Labor Day. “Other possibilities include scheduling a one-week vacation in March instead of the week-long vacations in February and April,” he said.

BAYSTATEPARENT 35

Successfully Navigating very

special people with Your Public School

BY SARA KORBER-DEWEERD

I

t’s December 2013. My husband and I sit around a tiny table in a brightly decorated preschool classroom—we’re nervous newbies at our first IEP meeting for our son Kaleb, who has Down syndrome.

Joining us are Kaleb’s future preschool team and our speech therapist from Early Intervention, who has volunteered to help us navigate this huge transition. Unsure what my role is, I wait quietly for someone to begin, secretly wishing we could just go on enjoying therapy from the comfort of our living room.

Only days before I’d stood at the front door of our house, Kaleb in my arms, and watched our beloved EI coordinator walk away for the last time, my teary-eyed smile and tentative wave revealing how uncertain the future felt.

Ask any parent navigating this transition with their child with special needs and you will hear stories full of uncertainty. By the time Kaleb approached his third birthday (the age at which children transition from in-home to school-based services), we’d gotten earfuls of IEP tales from other parents, ranging from success to disaster. I wondered, what’s the secret to success? Five IEPs into Kaleb’s school journey, two things consistently stand out: Know your rights and

36 AUGUST2019

build trusting relationships with your child’s education team.

Know your rights Understanding what your child is entitled to can be complex, since an IEP is just what its acronym reveals— an individualized education plan.

It’s a legal document that outlines a child’s specific diagnosis and education goals. It also provides a “service delivery grid” detailing the exact units of service required for a child to reach these goals, along with any unique information about the child that might impact success.

Knowing how to read these documents can be hard enough; understanding your role in helping shape them can be even tougher. Many states have non-profit organizations that help parents make the first leap into the IEP process by holding workshops that teach basic rights and what resources are available at town, state, and federal levels. These workshops are indispensable when preparing for that first meeting with your child’s education team. We attended our first one through the Federation for Children with Special Needs when Kaleb was 2.

Since Kaleb received a diagnosis of Down syndrome at birth, we knew the IEP process was a certain part of our future. But what if you’re not sure if your child is eligible for IEP services?

You need a diagnosis first. Formal testing through your pediatrician and public school system help determine eligibility.

To determine eligibility, schools ask: Is there a disability? Does it impact access to the curriculum, access to the physical setting, or participation in the life of the school? If the answer to these questions is yes, special educators ask what instruction and supports are necessary to help students make effective progress. Greg Rosenthal, Director of Pupil Services for the Northbridge Public School system, says that educators rely on data to determine recommendations. “Data.

I preach data--and data from multiple windows,” he says. “Teams determine eligibility, but we gather data from formal testing, classroom teachers, families, and when they’re old enough, students themselves.”

According to Rosenthal, crafting an effective IEP means understanding the child first. “Families are the most important aspect of the process,” he says. “IEPs are question-based and the first things we talk about are parent concerns and vision statement.

Educators and parents both give ideas about accommodations and goals. At a certain age, I ask students to attend IEP meetings, too, so they can take ownership of their learning.” Once an IEP is in place and implemented, spe-

cial educators regularly collect data to measure effective progress. Rosenthal says that determining progress” is an art. It can be subject to interpretations. Disagreements with families typically come to this part. There’s an appeals process because of this. We always go back to the data because effective progress is individualized to the student.” Families need to know they have a voice when disagreements do arise.

Build trust-based relationships Once you understand the basics of special education law and your child’s rights, cultivating a relationship of trust becomes the single most essential element of a successful IEP process. Trust is built on the mutual understanding that both you and your child’s team of educators have your child’s best interests in mind. Does that mean you will always all agree what your child needs to successfully learn? No, it doesn’t. Does that mean that your child’s IEP will always be followed as it should? No, not that either.

What it does mean is that when you all stand on the same foundation—the positive growth of your child—you can navigate just about any conflict to reach a compromised solution. “We [educators] are not infallible. We do make mistakes,” says Rosenthal. “But we always work in the best interests of the child. If things aren’t successful,

we go back to the drawing board.”

At times, due to circumstances beyond everyone’s control, our school district has been unable to provide the specialized services Kaleb’s IEP specifies for an extended period of time. During one such time, the district physical therapy assistant had to step down near the beginning of the year and was not immediately replaced. Kaleb went three quarters of the academic year without physical therapy. We were frustrated, but choosing to avoid a blame game while still holding the school district accountable for the missed services preserved an essential relationship with our son’s team. Later, when the team proposed fewer units of occupational therapy over a summer than we felt Kaleb required, an honest conversation where we all heard one another out led to a mutual conclusion that Kaleb would benefit from more OT over the summer. When we disagree with each other, conflict doesn’t derive from contentious competition over limited resources (they are, of course, limited), but instead from a mutual desire to see Kaleb grow and learn under the best possible circumstances.

Even though the IEP process isn’t new to us anymore, we’re often still uncertain about what is best for Kaleb. There are things we wish we had known when we first started down this path. The first is that it’s okay not to have all the answers at the IEP meeting. Every year, there are always one or two details left unresolved because my husband and I aren’t sure what Kaleb should be entitled to or what the best course of action is. We’re okay with that. Our common response is, “Let’s just leave it for now, and we’ll check back in when we have more information.” Once we’ve had time to talk together or seek advice, we follow up with a phone call or email to confer again with the team chair.

Keeping open lines of communication helps us maintain a healthy, long term relationship with Kaleb’s team.

The second thing we now understand is that the IEP process is about eligibility determination, not necessarily diagnosis. Mandy Irwin, Student Academic Services Director at Whitinsville Christian School, says that “even if a child has genuine struggles that place him or her out of sync with peers, it may not result in IEP services due to the criteria used to make the determination. Even so, the process is often helpful, since evaluation includes recommendations that can be useful with or without a

diagnosis.” If your child is ineligible for services through your school system or receives fewer services than you think he or she needs, Rosenthal encourages families to seek outside resources to help address the challenges of a disability. “Sometimes families think the school is the only game in town, but not receiving services doesn’t mean there isn’t a disability. It just means the disability isn’t affecting the child’s ability to access curriculum, setting, and life of the school.” In those instances, your child’s pediatrician can be a helpful resource for identifying outpatient services like adjustment counseling or speech, occupational and physical therapies that are locally available. Our family has chosen to take this route since Kaleb was three. At school, Kaleb gets extra support navigating academic and social skills, but he’s also needed extra support in non-school areas, such as learning to pedal a bike and communicating his emotions at home. To meet these needs, we looked for an outpatient pediatric therapy program. Two days a week, Kaleb receives extra services, with different goals than the ones on his IEP. When I sit in the waiting room of our outpatient therapy clinic and chat with other parents navigating the world of IEPs, we swap stories of success and frustration. We love good news the best: heart-warming relationships we see develop with our kids’ 1:1 aides, the way our kiddos are finally tying their shoes after a year-long effort in occupational therapy, the way they’re reading now because an intervention program finally made things “click.”

There’s so much to celebrate even as we continue to navigate and advocate and negotiate. But we know this: at the center of each of these stories, at the center of the hefty legal document our school system redrafts each year, at the center of disagreements and successes is a child. One who will grow up and learn and thrive despite our mistakes, but even more so when we work together in relationship toward shared vision and common goals.

Sara Korber-DeWeerd teaches creative writing, tutors, and coordinates the online learning program at the Whitinsville Christian School in Massachusetts. She is passionate about shifting the narrative of disability in our culture and empowering young people to do good in their world. She and her family enjoy raising awareness and funding for people with disabilities through local organizations, including the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress.

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‘This Is How I

Breastfeed’

5 Facts for National Breastfeeding Month

This is Brittany and her daughter Willa. Willa is 2 and they are continuing their nursing journey.

In celebration of National Breastfeeding Month, which kicks off with World Breastfeeding Week August 1-7, here are five fascinating facts about nursing and breast milk.

• It’s alive! Breast milk is a living substance that contains live cells, including stem cells, which go on to become other body cell types like brain, heart, kidney, or bone tissue.

• The smell and taste of breast milk changes depending on the foods mom eats. Some say exposing babies to more flavors during breastfeeding can lead them to be less picky eaters later on.

• Mothers who breastfeed have a lower risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes, and postpartum depression. And, the longer a woman breastfeeds in her lifetime, the more protection she receives.

• Breast milk is constantly changing to meet the needs of a growing baby. From month-tomonth, throughout the week, day-to-day, and even throughout a single feeding.

• Breastmilk tastes like cow’s milk, but is nuttier, sweeter and almost vanilla-like. Hindmilk (at the end of a nursing session) is creamier, thicker and more like condensed milk.

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Tiffany nursed her daughter, Nadia, through her pregnancy with her son, Odin. She says sometimes it was hard for Nadia to share at first but now they’re “super sweet and supportive of each other having milky time.” She is proud of the commitment she’s made to nurse them both for as long as she has even though it wasn’t something she had pictured herself doing.

Local Photographer Documents Diverse Stories of Nursing

BY AMANDA COLLINS BERNIER PHOTOS BY CARISSA LYN PHOTOGRAPHY

W

e’ve come a long way when it comes to “normalizing” breastfeeding (yes, that is a term, and a movement, even though breastfeeding is perfectly normal). As of last year, every state has laws on the books protecting a mother’s right to breastfeed in public. We’ve seen celebrities like Alyssa Milano, Gisele Bundchen and Olivia Wilde share photos of nursing their children. Slowly, the culture around breastfeeding is shifting, and more and more women seem empowered to nurse their baby wherever they need to.

But we still have a way to go, especially when it comes to being open about the realities of breastfeeding.

Nursing may be natural, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Women can encounter all sorts of challenges on their breastfeeding journey. Some babies have trouble latching, some women have issues with their supply,

some use a nipple shield, some women pump.

Carissa Potterton, a Massachusetts

mom of two and a Spencer-based family photographer, encountered almost all of these issues when her son was born. Still wanting him to have breast milk, she exclusively pumped for him for 15 months.

“When people asked if I was breastfeeding I would sort of freeze,” she said. “I didn’t really know how to answer, and it always seemed a little taboo to talk about pumping.”

Flash forward to her second baby, and Potterton faced many of the same struggles – and again, found that no one was talking about them.

“I struggled nursing in public in the beginning because I really didn’t see anyone else doing it the way I was, and was frustrated at the lack of photos and discussion about the things I felt represented me. When I would ask in a Facebook group, I would hear that yes, others had the same struggles…but McKenna is Kaleigh’s third baby. She exclusively pumped first for her twins why weren’t we talking about it more? for five months, and them pumped for Why weren’t we sharing photos of it?”

And so began her passion project: McKenna, as well, after struggling with This Is How I Breastfeed. Through her supply and anxiety. She was able to pump for McKenna for over a year. business, Carissa Lyn Photography,

she worked with moms from central Massachusetts to document what breastfeeding looks like for them, putting together a collection of photos depicting all kinds of nursing scenarios.

The photos are featured in a gallery on her website and include a brief breastfeeding story of the women pictured. There are women who supplement with donor milk and formula, a same-sex couple who induced lactation so they could both nurse, women who pump, who use nipple shields, and some who are breastfeeding well past their baby’s sec- Alana is Meryl’s second baby and she breastfed both children for 16 months. With her first baby, ond birthday.

Potterton encourag- she lived in a foreign country and only her doces all nursing mothers tor spoke English, so they figured out breastfeeding without having the support system many of to take photos of women are fortunate to have. themselves breastfeeding – even if it’s just dialogue about it – to talk about for them. She often incorporates it when things are hard, or when into her Mommy & Me, newborn, things look different. I want everyor family sessions. one’s story to feel valid.”

“It’s vulnerable to put that out Want to see what breastfeedthere, so don’t share if you don’t ing looks like for all different think people will understand. mamas? See the photos at carisBut at the same time, I think it’s salyn.com, or follow the hashtag important for us to put this out #ThisIsHowIBF on Instagram. there. It’s powerful to see,” she said. “It’s important to open up the

This is Mo and Karla, and their boys. Mo carried their first baby, Rudy, and Karla was able to induce lactation so they could both breastfeed him. When Karla carried their second baby, Linus, Mo continued to nurse Rudy so they were both able to breastfeed for Linus, as well, including tandem nursing.

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cyber savvy mom

Research Offers a Reality Check on

Teen Device Use Have concerns (and maybe even some guilt) about your kid’s screen time? This survey from Pew offers perspective on what most teens are up to in the digital age – and how parents are dealing with it.

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BY JOAN GOODCHILD/CYBER SAVVY MOM

W

hen it comes to navigating parenthood, the first question we often ask ourselves is: Am I doing this right?

Parenting itself is challenging and overwhelming at times. But in the digital age, where we add in the new complexities of screen time, smartphones and internet behavior -- it can be downright terrifying.

We all want to know if we are guiding our kids appropriately when it comes to online access and device use. How can we teach kids to be smart, secure and civil online and on their phones? How are other parents handling these challenges?

A recent survey from Pew Research Center gives us some clarity on how others are tackling parenting today now that devices are in just about every older child’s life. Pew surveyed over 1,000 parents of teens. Here are some highlights to give you clarity on how your experience stacks up with other parents around the country.

Smartphones and social media are now part of life for most teens – and that has parents worried.

Did you toss and turn over the decision about when your kid was ready for a smartphone? Now that they have one, do you wonder if it was a mistake? You are not alone, as Pew calls smartphones an “almost universal feature of teenage life in the United States.”

The research found more than nine-in-ten U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 say they have access to a smartphone or use social media. And now that smartphones have taken over, 65 percent of parents worry their teens spend too much time in front of screens. Another 62 percent of parents said they worry their child is losing the ability to communicate in person.

Most parents feel online access poses some problems.

Social media sites are a common destination for most teens today, with Instagram and Snapchat being two of the most popular for this age group. But parents are concerned that their kids are not up to the responsibility that comes with sharing personal information on sites like these. Among respondents, 61 percent were worried their teens were sharing too much online.

Other concerns included that they were being harassed or bullied (59 percent) and that they were sending or receiving explicit messages (57 percent).

Parents are struggling with device use too!

As much as we wring our hands about how much time our kids spend with their phones, we are not sending a great message about managing our own digital distraction. Pew said 59 percent of parents report they at least sometimes feel obligated to respond to cell phone messages immediately, and 39 percent admit they regularly lose focus at work because they’re checking their mobile device. Another 36 percent admit they spend too much time on their cell phone. It’s a classic case of “Do as I say, not as I do!”

Not like the good ol’ days?

Of course, many of us are tempted to draw comparisons between childhood now and the childhood we experienced when electronics were far less common. Pew found parents are divided on whether today’s teens are facing different kinds of issues than we did.

When asked to compare the experiences of today’s teens to their own experiences when they were a teen, 48 percent of parents say today’s teens have to deal with a completely different set of issues. But the other 51 percent felt despite some differences, the issues young people deal with today are not that different from when they themselves were teenagers.

So what are parents doing about device use today?

Parents are using a number of strategies to curb unhealthy levels of device use and to control risky online behavior. Nearly six-in-ten parents say they often or sometimes check which websites their teen visits or look through their child’s cell phone call logs or messages (58 percent of parents say they do each of these things).

And 52 percent use parental controls to restrict which sites their teen can access.

Ever taken your kid’s phone away or cut off internet access after they do something wrong?

Those of us who have been there know it often sends a meaningful message. The Pew research found 57 percent of parents say they often or sometimes take away their teen’s cell phone or internet privileges as punishment.

But this is my favorite finding: The survey found that regardless of behavior, 57 percent of parents limit the times of day or how often their teen can go online or use their cellphone.

Why do I like this? Because these parents are doing exactly what they need to do to help their kids navigate childhood in a digital age. While devices are likely here to stay, and just about every teen has one, we are still the parents - and our rules are the ones kids must follow. Limiting device use to a level you are comfortable with sends a message that you are invested in their physical and emotional health – and that you want to teach them about a healthy, well-rounded lifestyle.

Talk to your child about appropriate time limits with devices. Show them research (like this!) that supports the need for a balance between device time and time spent doing other things that don’t require electronics.

Got a question or a topic you would like to see covered here?

Reach out at cybersavvymom@ yahoo.com or follow Cybersavvy Mom on Facebook. Read more news and information on staying safe, secure and civil online at cybersavvymom.com.

finally

’

forever

Because I Stay’

M

BY DEBORAH SWEET aybe someday I will get used to this place, this place where the need for adoption is born. Maybe someday, but not today.

On day one, I sat amongst a team of doctors, clinical staff members, interns, social workers, and the biological parent of a 3-year-old boy at our children’s hospital. They schooled me on his psycho-social needs and they spoke to me in the abstract and then in detail about his medical needs. I spent close to eight hours listening, asking questions, and being more than aware that I was being sized up and may not even make it more than two feet past the front gate. But I stayed. I smiled. I showed up. I was scared for this child. I was scared for me. It didn’t matter. I already knew he belonged in my life, in my home. I knew from the first phone call before I knew anything else at all. So I stayed.

On day one, I met him. We played with dozens of eyes on us, watching every interaction and gesture, looking for a clue into a future they didn’t yet believe in.

But I didn’t care. I already knew he belonged to me. Maybe not forever, but for now. And so I played like we were alone in his room on a rainy day with nothing else to do but to be together. I sat on the floor and built towers, and trust, and Mr. Potato Heads, and connections. The gate that was opening was the only one that

mattered and I was getting in.

Slowly. On his terms. With careful hesitation his hand brushed my leg, his eyes lingered on mine, he handed me a toy, he asked me not to leave. So I stayed.

On day two, I met my new little friend in the hallway on the way to his room and we danced. He called me George. We played with a toy hamster and he called it my bug. He was having trouble containing his big personality around me. He couldn’t fit it back inside.

My heart melted. And then broke.

And then melted again. There’s a term for that. It’s called parenthood.

On day two, I saw what a day in the life of this 3-year-old looks like. I heard about the 35 days he spent locked inside. And then I saw the hospital bed that they zipped him into not just night after night, but also day after day after day after day. And then I saw and heard things I cannot share. My eyes are too dry to cry after so many years of being wide open to seeing and knowing. Not knowing is no longer an option.

So I stayed.

the tenth floor and he was giddy with excitement that his term was officially over.

On day four I took this small boy home, where he will stay forever or until his fate is shuffled and manipulated one more time. Maybe someday I will get used to this place, this place that is unfair and hard and changes the trajectory of little lives. But not today. Today, I will roll my sleeves up and get to work on building a sense of security in a little boy who won’t believe me that he is truly safe, and on propping those gates open long enough for this child to let my love in. Today we are just short of strangers, but tomorrow we will be family. And forever, we will remember that we belong to one another, just as we did when that first phone call was placed asking me if I

would be the adult who would be willing to stay.

Deborah Sweet is a biological, adoptive and foster mama who believes parenting is best played as a team sport. She works hard as a foster parent ambassador and harder at raising community awareness for kids who come from difficult places. Deborah is a teacher by trade but now spends her time advocating for school districts to become trauma sensitive and provide wrap-around services for children who are challenged by developmental trauma and attachment disorders.

She lives in the Boston area with her husband and six(ish) kids, plus a couple of amazing animals that add to the calm of the house, not the chaos. You can read more of Deborah’s writing on Facebook at ”Because I Stay.”

On day three, I brought my daughter to the hospital with me.

We had a dance party or twelve, maybe twenty. We laughed when he dunked his banana peel into a basketball hoop. We felt his palpable relief at the realization that being silly did not lead to getting zipped back up into his bed. He bumped his head and let me hug him. After several hours, he got tired and let me carry him. And when I kissed his forehead and placed him into a chair, he whispered “I love you” just barely loud enough for me to hear. But it lingered in the air and in that whisper I heard the gates open wider. Because I stayed.

On day four, I cried with his birth mom.

I thanked the nurses and support staff. And then I thanked them again. He sat in his play car and got wheeled through a parade of grownups blowing bubbles and cheering him on. The super hero cape I had fastened around his neck caught the wind of a bubble machine and sailed behind him. Freedom was imminent. He had been the mayor of

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August’s Child: Meet Tresean Hi, my name is Tresean and I wish I was a superhero!

Tresean is a silly, energetic 11-year-old boy of African American/Caucasian descent. He initially presents as shy or quiet, however, once Tresean becomes familiar with you he is talkative and will begin to show his affection. Tresean has a great imagination and catches on quickly to anything related to video games, electronics and technology.

Currently, Tresean’s biggest interest is Marvel superheroes and action figures. He will play any game, or watch any television show that has to do with his favorite characters. Tresean also likes to spend time outdoors riding his bike or playing in the yard. He is known to be very helpful around the house, especially when it comes to cooking or doing yardwork. Tresean is currently in fifth grade and will be promoted to the middle school in the fall. When asked about his future, Tresean states he “wants a good, fun life like a superhero has.”

Tresean is legally freed for adoption and can

be placed in a one or two parent family. He would do best in a home with older children who could serve as positive role models. Interested families should be comfortable with Tresean’s ongoing relationship with his birth mother and siblings.

Can you provide the guidance, love and stability that a child needs? If you’re at least 18 years old, have a stable source of income, and room in your heart, you may be a perfect match to adopt a waiting child. Adoptive parents can be single, married, or partnered; experienced or not; renters or homeowners; LGBTQ singles and couples.

The process to adopt a child from foster care requires training, interviews, and home visits to determine if adoption is right for you, and if so, to help connect you with a child or sibling group that your family will be a good match for.

To learn more about adoption from foster care, call the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) at 617-964-6273 or visit www. mareinc.org.

A GOOD PARTY IS ALWAYS IN SEASON

42 AUGUST2019

take eight with Howie D. Decades after bursting onto the music scene and inducing boy band fever, Backstreet’s back (alright). The guys are currently on the DNA World Tour, but as 40-something dads, things are different than they used to be. One member, Howie D., is embracing this new chapter of life with the release of his new children’s album, “Which One Am I?” The album, which debuted last month, features a classic pop style with kid-centric, family friendly lyrics, and was inspired by Howie’s own childhood experiences growing up. The Backstreet Boy recently took some time to talk to us about the record, fatherhood, and bridging generations with music.

1.

2.

3.

4.

What inspired you to make a children’s album? Was it a natural evolution for you musically once you had kids?

About five years ago, when my oldest son James was 5 and I was trying to connect with him on a musical level, I had a hard time finding music that we could both enjoy together. I didn’t understand why, since they were so many great movies out there for kids and adults like Toy Story, Wreck-It Ralph and Minions. Then one day, when I looked out at our audience during a Backstreet Boys show, I realized that a lot of the parents who had grown up with us were now bringing their kids to the shows.

It dawned on me: Why not make a record that both the parents and the kids could enjoy together (in addition to our Backstreet Boys music, of course!).

What kind of childhood themes does the album explore?

The album explores themes of challenges that I went through as a young kid, which we felt were still very current and relevant today. The songs address topics such as being shy, worrying, feeling height-challenged, and being in your older sibling’s shadow. It’s truly a record about a young person finding himself.

Were your sons involved in the process creating Which One Am I? Did you get their feedback on different songs?

My kids were very inspirational to me while I was making the record. My oldest son inspired me to write the song “Monsters in my Head.” He woke up one morning, really scared and telling me that he kept having these monsters at night in his head and didn’t know how to get rid of them. I was able to help him understand that these were just bad dreams and he didn’t have to worry. After that I wrote the song, as I loved the title “Monsters in My Head.”

What’s your favorite song on the album?

It’s hard for me to pick just one song. I really love the energy of “Monsters in My Head” and “Worry.” “No Hablo Español” speaks dear to my heart since it’s about finding myself growing up as part of two different nationalities.

“The Me I’m Meant to Be” is by far the most heart-wrenching song on the album.

5.

Your son James stars in the video for “No Hablo Espanol.” Do you think he’ll be following in your footsteps as an entertainer?

I was so proud to see James play a role in the video for “No Hablo Español.” He truly is a little ham and has the bug to be an entertainer. It’s so awesome to see him following in his father’s footsteps.

6.

You’re currently on tour with the Backstreet Boys. Now that you’re all dads, how is touring different than when you first started out?

It’s so awesome to see all the guys now in the next chapter of our lives and having families. It truly is a different scene backstage. We really love having our families with us as much as possible. They truly balance us and inspire us to be the best dads we can be.

7.

How has fatherhood changed you – both personally and in your career?

Fatherhood has really added a new dynamic to the way I think of things in my work and also in my personal life, I truly believe that having a family balances you out. When we are writing music or planning our work schedules nowadays, we all take our families into primary consideration.

8.

What’s the best thing about being a dad? The hardest?

The best thing about being a dad is seeing all the love and enjoyment I can bring to my kids’ lives because of everything my work has blessed me with. The worst thing is being away from them when touring commitments mean that we can’t be together.

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