March-April / 2016

Page 1

LK

LAWRENCE KIDS

March/April 2016




CONTENTS 10 16

SEASON’S READINGS MAMA SPREER’S TALES ORGAN WISE GUYS FOR THE KIDS - CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION KINDERGARTEN COLLEGE F A M I L Y. D O C T O R . GET OUTSIDE: VERNAL POOLS D I Y: K E Y W I N D C H I M E

22 28 34 42 46 52

photo by Rebecca Zarazan Dunn

a project of

Four Birds Media

info@lawrencekidsmagazine.com (785) 766-5669

Thank you for reading.








BOOKS FOR THOSE LAZY, CRAZY DAYS OF SPRING from the librarians at the Lawrence Public Library Illustration from Weeds Find a Way by Carolyn Fisher



You can’t plant flowers all day, so the librarians @ the Lawrence Public Library have a list of great Spring books! When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek

Before spring comes, the trees are dark sticks, the grass is brown, and the ground is covered in snow. But if you wait, leaves unfurl and flowers blossom, the grass turns green, and the mounds of snow shrink and shrink. Spring brings baby birds, sprouting seeds, rain and mud, and puddles. You can feel it and smell it and hear it--and you can read it!

Mama is it Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure

A little boy who can’t wait for summer keeps asking his mama, “Is it summer yet?” Mama says, “Not yet, little one,” then points to the signs that spring is turning to summer--the softening of the earth, the nest-building of squirrels, the singing of birds--and encourages her son to savor the beauty of spring. Fine cutpaperillustrations.

Weeds Find a Way by Cynthia Jenson-Elliott, illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

From bright yellow dandelions popping through cracks in sidewalks to purple loosestrife growing rampant along roadways, weeds offer unexpected splashes of color and life to the least likely of places. Celebrates the tenacious temperaments of these pesky plants and have little ones chanting, “Way to go, weeds!”

Birdsongs by Betsy Franco, illustrated by Steve Jenkins

Celebrate neighborhood birds in this poetic picture book, and count their sounds backward from ten to one, until all is quiet in the yard again. Practice quiet and listening.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH / for middle grades: Non-Fiction / Rad American Women A-Z by Kate Schatz

Bold women, bold colors, and fierce black paper cutouts. Rousing tributes to 26 women who didn’t keep their heads or voices down, reserving “X” for “the women whose names we don’t know”. A fresh and diverse array of role models.

Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves And Other Female Villains by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple Meet another 26 of history’s most notorious women, each with a rotten reputation. Strong women have been a problem for historians, storytellers, and readers. They smack of the unfeminine, are called wicked and willful. Sometimes that is a just designation, but just as often it is not. Let’s use some critical thinking to reexamine them!

Fiction / The Evolution Of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Calpurnia has 6 brothers and no sisters, and is interested in the world of nature around her Texas home in 1899. With her grandfather’s mentoring, she learns to trust her senses and manage her investigations and her big family, during a time when girls were expected to cook and knit. A Newbery Honor Book.

Alanna: the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

Swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil. Alanna and her brother trade places, and as a boy she begins training to be a knight. This is the first book in the Song of the Lioness series.


Sign Up Now! Jazzercise Lawrence Fitness Center 1410 Kasold Drive Suite A 6 Lawrence, KS 66049 785-331-4333 jazzerciselawrence@gmail.com

No Enrollment Fee! Join before December and we’ll waive the enrollment fee!

CLASS TIMES Monday / Wednesday: 5:40 am, 7:00 am, 8:15 am, 9:30 am, 10:30 am, 4:30 pm, 5:45 pm, 6:45 pm Tuesday / Thursday: 5:40 am, 8:15 am, 9:30 am, 10:30 am, 4:30 pm, 5:45 pm Friday: 5:40 am, 7:00 am, 8:15 am, 9:30 am, 10:30 am, 4:30 pm, 5:45 pm Saturday: 7:00 am, 8:15 am, 9:30 am, 1:30 pm Sunday: 8:15 am, 1:30 pm, 4:30 pm Childcare is available at all 9:30 am classes Visit Jazzercise.com for full schedule and list of formats


® Unplugged and Connected—a developmentally-appropriate curriculum for an inspired, life-long love of learning

“The need for imagination, a sense of truth and a feeling of responsibility—these are the three forces which are the very nerve of education.” – Rudolf Steiner

The only Waldorf school in Kansas offering whole-child education for preschool through middle school students. 1853 E 1600 Rd, Lawrence, KS 66044 • Ph. 785.841.8800 • info@prairiemoon.org • www.prairiemoon.org


MAMA SPREER’S TALES One mom. Two daughters. Many, many stories. by Megan Spreer



Home court advantage

However You Define FAMILY, We’re Here When Yours Needs a HOME. Whether it’s a place practice your jump shot,Fortunately, display trophies or ice your knees, Familiestocome in all shapes and sizes. so do homes. I can help you find the perfect fit… for all the things that move you. When your family needs a new home, please let me help you find the perfect fit.


The lump in my throat kept rising to the back of my mouth as I tried to brush the knots out of HJ’s curls. Usually Sunday mornings were awful, but this one was taking the prize as the worst ever. There was milk and cereal slopped all over the counter. The girls running around squealing, I couldn’t find anyone’s shoes, and we were already 10 minutes late for church. I was not okay, but I was desperately trying to be. It was just two days after I lost my Grandma Jackie. Grandma Jackie was the last remaining grandparent I had, but she was the one whom I’d always treasured the most. She was the grandma who attended every major event in my life from my toddler dance recitals to the baby shower for my first baby. She taught me many important life lessons: how to make apple pie, play Dots and Boxes, to learn something new every day, and how to make real, fresh-squeezed lemonade. She sent me a birthday card every year even though she knew we’d be chatting on the phone or seeing each other that day anyway. Her love knew no bounds. You felt it in every hug she gave. Her presence and affection had become so entwined with my life that I had never imagined my life without her in it. So when she died, I felt like a piece of me had just died too and I was drowning in grief. Everything reminded me of her. Every song. Every commercial. Every funny joke made me think of her. But I’d quickly shut it out. I didn’t feel like I could allow myself the permission to try to swim through my pain because I was desperately trying to keep it together in front of my kids. I didn’t want them to see me hurt or cry because I didn’t want them to worry. I didn’t want them to think that Mommy had lost her mind and tell everyone that Mommy cries in the bathroom with her box of wine. So in exchange for a sobbing mess, I’d instead been distant, short, and angry. Great exchange, right? Except for this Sunday. This Sunday was the wave that made everything come crashing down like a waterfall on my head. I gathered the girls with shoes and coats finally on to get in the car, now 20 minutes late to church, and saw that the keys were missing from the hook. That was it. The dam burst and my sobs rolled out. I stood there and cried ugly cry face tears in front of my two stunned preschool-aged girls, for a good

two minutes. It’s okay, Mommy. Mommy, are you sad because Grandma Jackie died? It’s alright. It’ll be okay. I couldn’t even talk through the sobs. They totally knew what was going on. I’d been fooling no one. When I finally pulled myself together (and found the stupid keys), I apologized to the girls about my outburst. They again showered me with “It’s okays” and “I’m sorry you’re sads”. It helped my heart to know that my girls were in tune with human emotions and that I hadn’t been screwing them up yet. I was still mad at myself for losing it in front of them. Shortly after, I told one of my mentors at work about this event and about how I’d already lost Mother of the Year status so shortly into 2016. Her words still sound in my head weeks later. She said, “What a gift you gave your children; for them to see their mother love someone and mourn for their passing in such a real, raw way. That’s beautiful. They’ll be better people because of it.” It was one of those “Aha!” moments. She was so right. There is no reason I should have pretended I was fine. I wasn’t! I was far from it. They should know that it’s okay to fall apart when something sad happens. Why would I want to raise people who don’t cry when someone dies? That’s awful and also, really weird. I think as a parent, I get so wrapped up in trying to be what the world thinks I should be rather than doing “me.” I need to trust that I’m the parent of these little people and I don’t need to be act like anyone other than me. And I’m not doing a terrible job so far. So after this epiphany, I’m thinking about how much I’m rocking this whole parenting thing as a whole and feeling slightly smug. Then at my grandma’s wake, my sister tells me that HJ asked her if they gave Grandma Jackie a shot to be with Jesus like they did her dog Oscar. And with that, I’ll keep my parenting advice to a minimum, everybody. LK


At First Management, we have...

Something for Everyone!

888 New Hampshire

Open Late 2 ing 016

Voted Lawrence’s Best Property Management Company in 2013, 2014 & 2015, First Management has something for everyone! Whether you’re looking to rent an apartment, townhome, house or commercial property, think of First Management first.

www.firstmanagementinc.com (785) 841-8468




ORGAN WISE GUYS

FUN WITH GUTS!

by Karrey Britt / Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department



Nearly four years ago, the OrganWise Guys made their debut in Lawrence. Since then, they’ve been teaching hundreds of kids about good nutrition and healthy living through Lawrence Parks and Recreation programs and camps, preschools and the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence. When you look inside a Mr. OrganWise Guy, you can see his organs. The organs pop out and take on a life of their own. Each one is a fun-loving, stuffed toy character with a memorable name and message: • Calci M. Bone / “Make daily deposits in your bone bank.” • Hardy Heart / “Healthy foods and physical activity help me keep the beat.” • The Kidney Brothers / “Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Drink water, stay hydrated.” • Madame Muscle / “Use me, don’t lose me. Exercise every day.” • Pepto the Stomach / “I suggest you digest.” • Peri Stolic / “Good intestinal fortitude, high-fiber foods and physical activity really keep me moving.” • Sir Rebrum the Brain / “Breakfast keeps me firing on all cylinders.” • Windy the Lungs / “Fresh is my middle name. Fresh air, fresh fruits and vegetables.” • Peter Pancreas / “My job sure is a balancing act.” • Luigi Liver / “I am the master of metabolism.” “We want kids to know that these organs are counting on them to make good choices,” said Karen McNamara, co-founder of OrganWise Guys. The OrganWise Guys lessons includes hands-on activities and exercises. Instructors can adapt each

lesson as they see fit. For example, children might be divided into small groups and then sort out the foods that are good for Hardy Heart, like grilled chicken and an apple, versus those that are bad for him, like a hot dog and french fries. They also might participate in a group exercise where they do jumping jacks for good foods and lunges for bad ones. McNamara said the vision for the OrganWise Guys program is to have everyone understand that they are responsible for their health. They want to plant the seeds with children, who are like little sponges. They absorb the information and then pass it along to their parents and grandparents. “The kids get the messages. They are great advocates,” she said. The OrganWise Guys program began in 1993 in Georgia and has grown to include all 50 states, reaching more than 10 million children. The programming has shown significant improvements in weight, waist circumference, blood pressure and academic achievement among children, and the results have been published in several journals, including the American Journal of Public Health. Roger Steinbrock, marketing coordinator for Lawrence Parks and Recreation, would like to see the program expanded into Lawrence Public Schools. The hope is OrganWise Guys would be part of the curriculum in first or second grades. Additionally, Steinbrock would like to have a network of trained volunteers, who could use the OrganWise Guys to educate youth at nonprofit agencies, churches, Scout meetings or other places. “I saw the OrganWise Guys program as an opportunity to really make some inroads in teaching kids about good nutrition and making those healthy choices. That’s what it’s all about. I’m not an advocate for forcing change. I think you can do that through education.”


The perfect gift? A Downtown Lawrence Gift Card!

Redeemable at over 100 downtown businesses!

GET YOURSELF DOWNTOWN. downtownlawrence.com

Photo Credit: Melissa & Beth Wedding Photography

Purchase DLI gift cards at DLI office, The Granada Theater, Phoenix Gallery or online at downtownlawrence.com


Here’s to a safe and healthy spring. Let’s be honest: you don’t want to see us much this spring. That’s okay, we get it. You have baseball games, soccer matches and dance recitals to worry about. Remember, if you get bumps or bruises, or just need a check up, we’ll be here for you. Please eat healthy, get enough sleep and have a great season!

Lawrence

Pediatrics, p.a. COMPREHENSIVE PEDIATRIC CARE FOR YOUR CHILD 543 Lawrence Ave; Suite D www.LawrencePeds.com (785) 856-9090



for the kids

Douglas County Child Abuse Prevention Task Force Empowering the Community to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect by Amelia Arvesen



Silver and blue pinwheels bloom on the Lawrence City Hall lawn, one garden out of the nationwide movement to raise awareness of the prevalence of child abuse and neglect. “The pinwheel is a reminder of the safe, happy childhood that every child ideally should have and unfortunately so many kids do not,” Diana Frederick, director of the Douglas County Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), says. April is Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month and pinwheels are planted in all 50 states. A Douglas County task force is charged with organizing local events for the month and working with agencies to educate the public year round. Frederick and Jenn Preston, case management supervisor with Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, rallied in 2013 to form a centralized organization dedicated solely to child abuse prevention. There hadn’t been anything prior and Frederick wanted to collaborate with the dozens of agencies already supporting children and families. Pam Cullerton, a retired educator and counselor, was brought onboard in August 2014 as the volunteer community project leader to assist Frederick with activities and outreach. “Looking ahead, I would hope that we will become more part of the fabric of Lawrence community,” Cullerton says. In three years, the task force has indeed become more robust. More than 40 agencies, such as the Bert Nash Center and Lawrence Police Department, are involved. At monthly meetings, members evaluate the community’s needs and arrive at one motivating consideration: children and families need help. There were 1,118 reports of alleged child maltreatment assigned for investigation in Douglas County in 2014, according to Preston. And since the beginning of February, 119 Douglas County children are in out of home placement. Numbers have risen in recent years. Frederick says it’s difficult to pinpoint one contributing factor, but an increase in meth addiction proves to be a serious problem in the community. She said there is a correlation between child mistreatment and substance abuse, mental illness, homelessness and unemployment.

Preston said parents must be reminded that raising children isn’t easy but there are outlets that offer support for their struggles. “It’s not just pointing fingers at parents and saying do better,” Preston says. “It’s pointing fingers at ourselves and saying, what can we do to help?” Raising awareness is their main task. They want to empower other parts of the county and therefore, pinwheel gardens have spread to Eudora, Baldwin and LeCompton. At each planting, the task force declares a proclamation that children are key to country’s future success. “Children have a right to be safe and be provided an opportunity to thrive, learn and grow,” one point says. The task force educates the community with five core protective factors: Nurturing and attachment, knowledge of child/youth development, parental resilience, social connections and concrete supports for parents. Preston said there is still more to be done. Support for their tasks is expectedly in abundance; it’s the challenge of getting people to spend their time attending meetings. “In order for us to have longevity, we’re going to need to have some more concrete things we can rally around,” Preston says. “We need to hear from everyone.” With money from United Way of Douglas County, an organization advocating community partnership, distributed through CASA, the task force is recognizing members of the community for their service towards preventing child abuse. In addition, the task force has sponsored a Willow Domestic Violence Center counselor to attend a parenting training class that will cover the importance of a caregiver’s role in encouraging positive behavior in children. “Child abuse and neglect is so tragic and heartbreaking but what we want to do is look at the positive things we can do,” Frederick says. “We want to go from hopelessness to hope.” LK



photo by eXplore Lawrence


KINDERGARTEN COLLEGE How much is too much? by Megan Stuke




Kindergarten, once characterized by naps on braided rugs, endless rounds of “Duck, Duck, Goose,” and a heavy emphasis on finger painting, now more closely resembles an AP prep course. What was usually a half day of school, meant to introduce children to the notion of school structures and social skills, is now a full day, packed with academic instruction in math, reading, social studies, second languages, and science. The kindergarten, like all grades, is now test-based and entrenched with technology, with significant outcomes expected before promotion to first grade. Lawrence is no exception to this national trend. Kindergartens have changed. Most districts, USD 497 included, have moved to full-day kindergarten. What once looked like first grade curriculum now happens in kindergarten. There are several factors that might have influenced this trend, such as parents waiting to send children to school until they are older, pressure from No Child Left Behind and other standards, and expectations of parents that their child read above grade level or otherwise exceed traditional expectations. “Getting serious” about kindergarten appears to have influenced other grades as well. Kindergarten looks more like first grade, first grade more like second, and so on. On a national level, time for physical education, recess, and “specials” like art and music have been reduced to make more room for academic time.

What The Research Says According to The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAECY), brain research shows a relationship between physical activity and the development of brain connections. They also report improved test scores in schools that spend 1/3 of the day on “non-academic” pursuits such as art, music, and physical education, despite the reduced class time focused on the content areas. Nationally, 39 percent of African American students as opposed to 16 percent of white students do not have recess. This is an issue not only of pedagogy, but of equity. Lower-performing schools tend to eliminate recess or play in favor of stricter focus on academics and testing, but the effect of this is counterproductive. Children who have had adequate brain breaks and physical activity experience fewer behavioral issues, engage more fully in their tasks when the time comes, and socialize more appropriately with one another during class time. Educators agree that ideally, kids would be up, moving, engaging with each other as well as the teacher, and creating knowledge in various ways throughout the school day. Unfortunately, this


NEW LOCA TION

SAME GREAT FLAVOR

846 illinois st 785-856-9246


model is difficult to achieve. The Local Situation The Kansas State Department of Education allows two fifteen-minute intervals of recess to be counted as instructional minutes for Kansas public schools. Although recess times vary among Lawrence schools, most are providing the maximum time allotted by the state. Dr. Jared Comfort, principal at Schwegler Elementary, reports that “The district is working to increase physical movement within the school day, such as during classroom lessons and with movement breaks.” While progress is being made, it is important to note that seat work is still largely the order of the day. Lower elementary students complete between 5 and 10 worksheets every day. Parents are noticing fatigue in their small children. Megan Bost, a kindergarten mother, explains that “Starting school was a really big transition for my child. His preschool was 3.5 hours long and they spent at least an hour outdoors each day.” Most preschools structure their programs around the notion that children construct knowledge and learn through play. This means the transition to kindergarten significantly affects children and impacts their feelings about school. Fatigue and negative associations with school hinders learning, social skills, and creativity. Bost has done her research. She’s looking for increased movement and play for her child. “That’s were kids learn so much about social interaction, problem solving, team work, imagination time…Adults don’t like to sit at a desk for hours on end. What makes people think kids should do that?” Bost, who also has a job outside the home, is a kindergarten room parent, and is working within the classroom as much as she can to help her child’s teacher. Dr. Rick Doll, Lawrence Public Schools Superintendent says, “Kindergarten students cannot differentiate learning from play. It is all the same in their minds. We should be feeding their natural curiosity to learn.” In Doll’s opinion, too much emphasis is given to grade levels. He says, “When students enter school for the first time their needs should be met so they can progress.” He also notes that emphasis on standards-based assessments (No Child Left Behind) has impacted their entire curriculum. The Blended Classroom Lawrence Public Schools began integrating blended classrooms into their buildings in 2013 with a small pilot project that has expanded exponentially every year.

The goals of blended learning were simple: to increase student engagement and to provide resources that maximize teachers’ time with students. The blended classrooms utilize a variety of technologies to effectively differentiate instruction based on the individual child’s learning style, developmental needs, and academic progress. This is one way the district has attempted to move the needle forward for individualizing instruction and improving student performance. But it comes with a cost: increased screen time for children. Whether or not this is a truly a problem isn’t clear. Proponents say that blended learning actually increases the children’s mobility in the room as it makes it less necessary for children to sit still in their seats and listen to instruction or lectures. More self-directed learning means choosing how to accomplish a project or meet an objective in a number of different ways, which might include a project, watching a video, collaborating with a group of peers, working on a tablet, or working one-onone with the teacher. Still, a student in a blended room could potentially spend the entire class time in front of a screen. The Issue of Class Size Funding for public schools is a messy and widely debated topic, particularly in Kansas. Possibly the most tangible outcome of underfunded schools is large class sizes. Classes that once had 15 to 17 students now routinely house 25. This slows down the day. It takes longer to line up, use the restroom, wash hands, and do other routine tasks. Helping each student with his or her individual needs in the course of a project or a lesson takes twice as long. Also, allowing that many children to move around the classroom to stations or work in groups can lead to disruptions and negative behaviors. It is crucial to teachers that their classrooms remain as efficient as possible when they are so crowded. Learning through play is more time consuming and less streamlined than conventional teaching methods, and might take a back seat to maintaining an orderly classroom. Going to the Source Ask any first or second grader what his or her favorite part of the school day is. Ninety percent of the time you’ll hear “recess,” “lunch,” or “PE.” Can more of school at least feel like recess? Researchers say “Yes.” When children are allowed to make choices throughout the day about how they learn and what to study, school satisfaction goes up. When that feeling of being satisfied at school improves, test scores follow. Part of that is engaging young bodies as well as minds, unplugging, and letting children exercise their right to play. LK





FAMILY. DOCTOR. Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s Dr. Thomas Marcellino cares for all kinds of creatures, big and small.



Dr. Thomas Marcellino likes to take care of things. As a family care physician at Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s Mt. Oread Family Practice, Dr. Marcellino spends his days helping Lawrence parents care for their kids. When he pulls into the driveway of his family’s property west of town, he gets to work taking care of his own family, which includes wife Whitney, daughter Larson, son Thomas Jr. and dozens of creatures. “I’ve always loved creatures and trying to help,” Dr. Marcellino says. “I guess I’ve never lost that boyhood curiosity and fascination.” Dr. Marcellino grew up in McPherson, Kansas and was fascinated with his grandfather’s internal medicine practice. It was, according to Thomas, almost inevitable that he would go into family practice. “My grandfather watched and help generations of people in his life,” he says. “I remember, even as a kid, thinking about how neat that was. He cared for so many people that he became part of their families. I know he loved watching kids grow and helping keep families healthy. That always inspired me and I’m sure that’s how the seed of family care was planted.” Dr. Marcellino is board certified in Family Medicine. He received his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita in 2005, and in 2006 he completed his internship at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. In 2008 he completed a residency at Via Christi Family Medicine in Wichita before joining the team at LMH. From newborn care to geriatric medicine and all ages in between, Mt. Oread Family Practice offers complete primary care for the whole family. The LMH South location provides a wide range of patient services, including general physicals and wellness exams, lab tests, minor surgery, patient education and more. “I never really considered another type of medical practice,” Dr. Marcellino says with a smile. “I love the idea of continual care; of being able to care for someone throughout life and not having to refer to charts and introduce myself every time someone comes into the clinic. I know the history of my patients and I really enjoy watching families grow.” Dr. Marcellino says the opportunity to work in Lawrence was a dream come true for his family. “We always had Lawrence on our radar,” he says. “Whitney grew up in Tonganoxie so we wanted to be close to family. But Lawrence is such a great place to raise a family. We really like the sense of community in town and the opportunities in downtown. And of course being able to have this land, but only being minutes from the city, is the best.” The Marcellino home west of Lawrence is a Midwest kid’s dream come true. Sitting on top of a slight hill, the acreage is a work in progress for the Marcellino crew. Thomas has put in a pool and is converting a small field into a junior-sized baseball diamond. On any spring evening Thomas Jr. and Larson run around the property being chased by dogs and cats. They have two goats, bunnies, a horse, new duck chicks and many snakes (Dr. Marcellino breeds snakes as a hobby). “There’s still a lot of little boy left in me,” he says with a broad smile. “I just love being outside working on projects. I’ve always liked animals and the kids love the animals as much as I do. I guess I just haven’t totally grown up yet.” LK



GET OUTSIDE: VERNAL POOLS Story and Photo by Rebecca Zarazan Dunn





GET OUTSIDE: Vernal Pools When you hear the frogs singing, it’s a sure sign spring is here. If you happen to follow that song, you just might happen upon one of spring’s wonders, a vernal pool. Looking for vernal pools are a good excuse to pull those rainboots on and explore often overlooked puddles pooling with life. Vernal Pools Vernal means “appearing in spring” which is when you can find these wetland phenomena. Vernal pools can be as small as a puddle or as large as a pond and are unique, wet basins of melted snow and/or rainwater are brimming with nature’s curiosities. These pools have a cyclical life, occurring in the spring and typically dry up in late summer and early autumn, and are diverse habitats to many reptiles, amphibians, mammals, birds, insects, and plants. Where to Find Them Vernal pools can be found all over Lawrence, but a few sure bet places to look include Prairie Park Nature Center, Clinton State Park, and the Wakarusa Wetlands behind Haskell Indian Nations University. How can you identify a vernal pool? Vernal pools are ephemeral-- They dry up in summer and refills in late winter. Since vernal pools dry up every summer, they have no fish and don’t have evidence of flowing water. More or less, follow the chorus of frogs and look for a big puddle. What to Look For Vernal pools are a treasure trove of wildlife. In the spring, when the pool is full of water you can find frog eggs and salamander eggs, tadpoles, fairy shrimp, and an assortment of frogs, snakes, and turtles. When I took my girls out for a vernal pool adventure in early March, we spotted a great deal of tadpoles, mature tadpoles, frogs, and a few waterfowl, mainly ducks and Canadian geese. If you’re lucky, on a rainy spring night, you might even see salamanders. Vernal pools also serve place for mammals like deer and foxes to drink from. So many animals depend on vernal pools for shelter, reproduction, and food that you never know what you might find frequenting these unique habitats! Who knew so much excitement could take place in such a tiny pool of water? Books to Check Out The Secret Pool by Kimberly Ridley, illustrated by Rebekah Raye Frog Heaven: Ecology of a Vernal Pool by Doug Wechsler Squish! A Wetland Walk by Nancy Luenn, illustrated by Ronald Himler



DIY KEY WIND CHIME Story and Photo by Rebecca Zarazan Dunn

Welcome the Spring breeze with subtle chimes. Get the kids, get the supplies and soundtrack the season with a DIY wind chime. MATERIALS / Keys / A Stick / String / Scissors / Key Ring

HOW TO / 1. Search for a stick outside about the size of a ruler. 2. After you’ve found a stick, search your home for old keys that are no longer of use. If you don’t have a stack of keys waiting to be repurposed, local hardware stores are usually more than happy to get rid of discarded keys if asked nicely. 3. Cut a piece of string about 6-8’’ longer than your stick and tie each end to the stick. If you’d like to hang your wind chime from a key ring, slide your key ring on the sting before tying off the ends. 4. Lay your keys in the arrangement you’d like them to be hung and tie each key to the stick using string. 4. Double knot for durability, cut the excess string, and your wind chime is ready to ring in the spring season.


5.

1.

2.

3.

4.



Meet Dr. Lynley Holman LMH expands OB-GYN team Lawrence Memorial Hospital is pleased to welcome Dr. Lynley Holman to Lawrence OB-GYN Specialists. Dr. Holman is dedicated to providing personalized OB-GYN care to help women throughout life. From adolescence to motherhood, menopause and beyond, Dr. Holman addresses all aspects of women’s health and wellness with compassion and specialized expertise.

Introducing Lynley Holman, MD, FACOG Dr. Holman comes to Lawrence from Junction City, where she worked in an OB-GYN practice since 2010. She earned her medical degree at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 2005 before completing a four-year Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at Maricopa Medical Center/St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. She is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a Fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. A strong advocate for women’s health, Dr. Holman has volunteered for the March of Dimes Kansas State Project Service Committee since 2013 and has supported organizations related to perinatal and maternal health the past five years. Dr. Holman believes the best women’s health care is provided close to home. Learn more at lmh.org/obgyn For appointments, call 785-832-1424

Lynley Holman, MD, FACOG

Stay healthy. Stay close.

330 Arkansas, Suite 300 • Lawrence, KS • 785-832-1424


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.