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Several free admission events have returned this fall at the Discovery Museum in Acton. Especially for Me events offer free admission for families with children on the autism spectrum, with hearing or vision loss, or facing other developmental challenges, during dedicated hours when the Museum is closed to the general public and building capacity is limited. Accommodations are also offered that increase access to museum exhibits during these times. Families can register online at discoveryaction.com/efm for one of the following Especially for Me events: h Sunday, Nov. 21, 3-4:30 p.m.: Afternoon for Families with Deaf or Hard of Hearing and KODA Children h Sunday, Dec. 5, 3-4:30 p.m.: Autism-Friendly Afternoon First Free Friday nights have also returned to the museum. All visitors can enjoy free admission from 4:307:30 p.m. on the first Friday night of each month through June. Advanced reservations will be required.
Instagram is postponing plans to release a kids version of its social media app following uproar from parents groups and lawmakers. In a recent post, Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri wrote they are “pausing” plans to build an Instagram experience for people under the age of 13 in order to work with parents, lawmakers and other critics to hear their concerns. This follows a coalition led by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and groups including the Center for Humane Technology, Common Sense Media and the Center for Digital Democracy along with dozens of researchers that sent a letter to Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, expressing their concerns back in April.
Updated breast milk storage guidance from American Academy of Pediatrics now allows for the mixing of cold and warm pumped milk, and notes that pooling milk pumped within 24 hours together could help “even out the variability of nutrients due to pumping time or breast emptying.” Previously, the AAP had advised that pumped milk different temperatures should not be combined. Freshly pumped milk is warner because of the mother’s body temperature, and the experts has advised that it be cooled in a separate container before being added to already cold stored milk. One less storage step makes things a bit easier on pumping parents. The main takeaway from the updated guidance is keeping it clean. “Mothers should aim for cleanliness but realize milk is a biologic substance and full of probiotic and commensal bacteria,” the AAP says. “Hand washing, using clean or new containers, minimizing milk transfers (which waste fat and calories) and pumping directstorage containers are recomed.”
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The group expressed concern that the platform’s focus on appearance and self-presentation could be harmful to teens. “Younger children are even less developmentally equipped to deal with these challenges, as they are learning to navigate social interactions, friendships, and their inner sense of strengths during this crucial window of development,” the letter said. But Mosseri stood firm on launching Instagram Kids, saying it provides an alternative for children who are already online and using apps like Instagram, YouTube or TikTok. “The reality is that kids are already online, and we believe that developing age-appropriate experiences designed specifically for them is far better for parents than where we are today,” he wrote.
Skip the crowds on Black Friday and go green, instead. Green Friday instead. Green Friday has emerged as a sort of Anti-Black Friday event, and it can mean a few different things. For some, it’s about shopping more sustainably on the busiest shopping day of the year, and making more mindful purchases. For others, it’s about skipping shopping altogether, and enjoying the great outdoors, instead. Chestnut Hill Farm in Southborough will host a guided Green Friday Hike followed by a campfire with hot cocoa and s’mores. Or, mark Green Friday by heading to your favorite local farm or nursery for Christmas trees, holiday plants, and holiday decorating needs.
Nov. 13 is World Kindness Day — the perfect day to do a little something to make the world a happier place. Get your child involved by encouraging them to do a random act of kindness, large or small. Need some inspiration? At kindness.org you can find a customized kindness recommendation.
6 | NOVEMBER 2021 | BayStateParent
