FYI - Southwest Michigan's best family resource

SW Michigan’s best family resource

Sept/Oct 2014

Dare we say it?

Back to School!

• Tips for The Transition • Dealing with Learning Difficulties • Everyday Hacks to Simplify Life

Plus:

Fun Family Events Say Hello to Squash!

Craft Project: Edible Play Dough

And More!

Love where you live.

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2 • Sept/Oct 2014

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fyiswmichigan.com •

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SW Michigan’s best family resource

Marie Lee

Erik Holladay

Sept/Oct 2014

Dare we say it?

Back to School!

• Tips for The Transition • Dealing with Learning Difficulties • Everyday Hacks to Simplify Life

Plus:

Fun Family Events Say Hello to Squash!

Craft Project: Edible Play Dough

And More!

Publisher

encore publications, inc.

Our Family Man columnist, Jef is a writer and journalist whose work has previously appeared in SmokeLong Quarterly, Copper Nickel, SPIN Magazine, Village Voice and other news outlets. He also can juggle, but not well. He’s currently pursuing an MFA in creative writing at Western Michigan University and lives in Kalamazoo with his wife and two sons and is still a snappy dresser.

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As editor of Encore, Marie sees lots of great stories about families and kids around Southwest Michigan. She is excited to be able to bring those to a new audience through FYI. This month she tells us about Cool Kid Hannah Lane Davies who brought Little Free Libraries to Kalamazoo. The mother of an 11-yearold son, she is busy trying to understand Minecraft, go-karts and tween humor.

Editor

tiffany fitzgerald

Contributing Editor marie lee

Graphic Designer alexis stubelt

Contributors

erik holladay, jef otte, brian lam

Advertising Sales

Alexis Stubelt

Jef Otte

Erik wanted to be a tattoo artist in high school, but became an award-winning photographer instead. He spent the better part of the last 25 years working as a photojournalist across the state of Michigan working for the Grand Rapids Press, Flint Journal, Jackson Citizen Patriot and Kalamazoo Gazette. Currently the photographer for Encore magazine, Erik is lending his talents to FYI. He also freelances for commercial, media and wedding clients.

Like what you see in FYI? Then you have our designer Alexis Stubelt to thank for that. Not only has she been able to accessorize since a young age, she is behind much of the artistic and creative inspiration for FYI. Alexis, who graduated from Kendall College of Art & Design, also designs Encore magazine. She lives in Portage with her husband and 2-yearold daughter.

krieg lee celeste statler kurt todas

FYI is published 6 times a year by Encore Publications, Inc. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.

Editorial, circulation and advertising correspondence should be sent to Encore Publications, 117 Cedar St. Suite A, Kalamazoo MI, 49007. Phone: 269 383-4433. General email correspondence to publisher@encorekalamazoo.com FYI is distributed free of charge at locations throughout Southwest Michigan; home delivery subscription rate is $18 per year. Advertising rates and specifications at fyiswmichigan.com or by request.

FYI does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors; articles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect FYI’s opinions or those of the FYI staff.

To learn more about us visit fyiswmmichigan.com

Sept/O ct 2014

In Every Issue 3

From the Editor

4

Our Contributors

6

9

Fun for Free

Family-friendly fun for no charge!

Make This!

Lord over the gourd with this great Squash Bisque

10 Everyday Hacks

Prep for back to school

12 Creation Station

Edible play dough? You bet!

14 Is this Normal?

28 Kids’ Corner

Art and poetry created by kids

FEATURE

16 Dealing with Learning

29 Cool Kids

The girl who brought Little Free Libraries to Kalamazoo

Difficulties

A guide to helping you and your child cope with a learning difficulty at school.

Ac tivities 24 Family Events

You ask, our experts answer

Handy guide for two months of fun!

PARENT TO PARENT 20 Family Man

Parenting: A dad’s perspective

30 Last Laugh

New school year, new you. Not.

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Fun For Free FYI

Talk about being in the perfect place for the perfect season. Exploring autumn in Michigan is like living in your very own postcard paradise.

Thanks to Southwest Michigan’s plethora of farms, festivals, arts events and family-friendly

venues, there are tons of things to do in September and October. We’ve handpicked a short list of great free activities. With something for every age group, get out and enjoy the perfect fall weather before it’s, well, not so perfect.

Safe Halloween at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum

Trick or treat can be, for lack of a better word, tricky.

Maybe you live in a college neighborhood or apartment complex and the pickings are pretty slim. Or perhaps you just want a low-key, unintimidating environment for a little trick or treater. Whatever the reason, Safe Halloween, an event sponsored by Kalamazoo Valley Museum, is the answer. The event is free and offers costuming crafts, face painting, trick-or-treat bag decorating (with complimentary canvas bag, while supplies last) and many more hands-on crafts. The museum also offers free access to walk the haunted halls of the planetarium (Nightwalk) and to take part in a Spooky Space Mission.

Date: Oct. 25, noon — 4 p.m. (Spooky Spaceship Mission and Nightwalk run every half hour during this time) Place: Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 230 N. Rose St. Age: All ages — under 8 must be accompanied by an adult More info: kvm.kvcc.edu

Check out our full event calendar on page 24 for a complete list of family-friendly activities.

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Movie in the Park — The Hunger Games

Grab your tweens (and be sure to call them “tweens” a lot, because they love that) and head to Arcadia Creek Festival Place in downtown Kalamazoo for an outdoor showing of The Hunger Games.

Bring a blanket or a chair and steal a date night with your kids while you’re still the only person they’re allowed to hang out with this late.

Date: Sept. 5, 7:30 – 11 p.m.

Place: Arcadia Creek Festival Place in downtown Kalamazoo Age: 12 and up More info: DowntownKalamazoo.org

Wolf Lake Hatchery Tours

Wolf Lake Hatchery tours offer a great way to engage your family in the community, learn about Southwest Michigan ecology and better understand the vital role hatcheries play in the remarkable tale of the Michigan’s Great Lakes. During the tours, which are open to all ages, you’ll learn about different fish species, their life cycles and habitats and how the Department of Natural Resources works to preserve Michigan’s lakes, rivers and streams.

Date: Saturdays, 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m.; Sundays, noon and 2 p.m.

Place: Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery Visitor Center, 34270 County Road 652, Mattawan Age: All ages More info: Michigan.gov/wolflakevc

Josh Haas

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Featured Playground

Harbors West Park For a park that’s a little off the beaten path and offers something for all age groups, try Harbors West Park in Portage. Tucked back along an open space on Summersong Path, this park has everything from a basic play structure to nature walk trails, restrooms and picnic tables, making it the perfect place for an all-day family outing. Pack your in-line skates, volleyball or basketball, too — there’s a court for each sport at Harbors West.

Where: 3458 Summersong Path, Portage Hours: 8 a.m. — dusk Best age: Over 4

Amenities: • Swingset (one baby swing)

• Walking trails

• Basic play structure complete with three slides and monkey bars

• Picnic tables and benches

• Volleyball court

• Drinking fountain

• Basketball court

• Restrooms

• In-line hockey rink

KPL_FYI_SeptOct14_AD.pdf 1 7/15/2014 10:23:19 AM

1,2,3 Play with Me: A Parent Child Workshop Family Place Workshops

Mondays @ Oshtemo, 7265 W Main September: 15, 22, 29 October: 6, 13 10:30 - 11:45 am

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Wednesdays @ Central, 315 S. Rose September: 3, 10, 17, 24 October: 1 10:30 - 11:45 am

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Spend time together, play, make friends and talk one-on-one with specialists on child development during this enjoyable five week workshop. For children 1-3 years and their parents and caregivers.

Registration required. Call 269-553-7804.

Infant and preschool siblings may attend with a registered toddler.

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Make this! FYI

Family Dinner Squash Bisque

We’re Michiganders, which means we’re hardy folk who live off the land and sustain on fresh, local, seasonal produce we grow in our backyards, or find at the farmers’ markets and at the local grocery store.

But, eating like a Northerner means one thing come fall time: an uncomfortable abundance of gourds. If you’re currently staring down a pile of squash wondering how you’ll ever eat your way through, here’s a delicious recipe that can be produced in large batches and will make a sizable dent in your gourd pile.

Freeze some of it, give some of it away, invite a group over for dinner — this hearty, seasonal bisque serves as the centerpiece of an autumn meal, not just as a starter. Substitute pumpkin for squash or use a mixture, depending on what you have available to you. The recipe even uses an apple, and if there’s one thing we have more of than gourds here in Michigan in the fall, it’s apples.

Hints: •O vercooking the garlic during the sauté makes the bisque sour.

•G arnish with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and top with fresh herbs.

• Toast the gourd’s seeds and sprinkle on top, for extra garnish.

•S erve with homemade toasted garlic bread (and by “homemade,” we mean that you put garlic and butter on some bread yourself — don’t get crazy, here).

Want even more recipes? Visit FYIswmichigan.com for our favorite squash and pumpkin dishes.

Ingredients: • 1 Tbsp. butter (substitute 1 Tbsp. olive oil for vegans) • 1 Tbsp. olive oil • 2 butternut squash (or equivalent amount of other gourd) peeled, seeded and diced (4 cups) • 1 onion, diced • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 4 cups chicken or veggie broth • ½ cup to 1 cup heavy whipping cream (leave out for vegans) • ½ cup cut celery • 2 carrots, cut up • One large apple, cut up • ¼ tsp. cinnamon • ½ tsp. thyme • Nutmeg, to taste • Salt and pepper, to taste

How to: 1. Heat the oil and butter at medium heat in a large cooking pot. Add garlic and onion. Saute until garlic and onion are clear and fragrant.

2. Add broth, squash, celery, carrots, apple and spices, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.

3. Simmer 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

4. Blend mixture, either with an immersion (hand) blender or in batches in a food processer, until smooth.

5. Return to pot, add cream and salt and pepper (and any other spices) to taste.

6. Heat through, but don’t boil. Serve.

Serves 8 Nutrition (with ¾ cup of cream), per serving: Calories 145; Carbs 15g; Fat 12g; Protein 2g; Iron 3%, Sugar 14g

Do you have a delicious holiday recipe you’d like to share with FYI readers? Send it to fyi@encorekalamazoo.com!

fyiswmichigan.com •

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Everyday Hacks FYI

aday Erik Holl

Back-to-School

Innovate the transition back to school by using these tips, tricks, cheats and winning ideas for simplifying family life.

Baby wipes box hack With older siblings returning to school, you’re the sole entertainment source for your pre-kindergarten and prepreschool children. No pressure. Here’s a quick idea for helping to pass the time: Children under the age of 3 find few things more exciting than pulling every single tissue out of its box, which can be a great entertainment option for you — until you have to stuff 150 sheets of tissue back into the box (not an easy task).

Enter the baby wipes box hack. This hack uses a plastic baby wipes box (you probably have a few lying around) and scrap fabric. Even though a baby wipes box is a little harder to destroy, you could use a tissue box, too.

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For fabric, check out the clearance bins at craft and fabric stores or find an old sheet or T-shirts you don’t use anymore. Cut the fabric into tissue-sized squares with pinking shears (pinking shears prevent fraying). Put the fabric squares into the box and let your toddler pull away — ought to buy you enough time for a much-needed cup of coffee, until you have to stuff them all back in again.

Shoe hack What’s more fun than the early morning, before-school rush? Nothing stops the momentum faster than children with shoes on the wrong feet. Make it easier for your younger children to help get themselves ready in the morning with this shoe hack.

If your child is learning to put on her or his own shoes, help them determine the left shoe from the right with the help of a sticker. Pick out a sticker together, cut it in half

and affix either half on the insole of each shoe so that the image only matches up when the right shoe is on the right foot and the left shoe is on the left.

Your child can match up the image before putting on the shoes, ensuring that the right foot goes in the right shoe (and the left in the left). *Tip: The stickers might not last long in shoes that get wet or are used heavily. In that case, drawing an image on the sole with a Sharpie is the next suggestion.

Stain hack Going back to school means digging out all of your kids’ “good” clothes, reassembling uniforms and assessing what you have and what you need. Before you deem an article of clothing unusable because of a stain, try “bleaching” out the stain naturally. This solution also works on armpit/deodorant stains; use it to rescue any clothes you love but are too embarrassed to wear.

Create a natural bleach out of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Use equal parts of both, and apply to a stain with a sponge. For armpit/deodorant stains, gently scrub

the mix into the stain with an old toothbrush. Afterwards, rinse with water. For optimum stain-fighting natural power, hang the clothing in the sun to dry.

Back-to-School Schedule Hack Keep extra-curricular events, school schedules, work functions and family time in order by getting everyone on the same page by creating a family Google calendar that syncs as soon as someone adds an event. Start a calendar that gives you, your partner and your tweens and teenagers access to post events, schedules, chores and even weekly dinner menus.

Does this sound like a “Oh yeah, I’ll get right on that after I organize the junk drawer” hack? Well, we’ve got a hack for the hack: Try out the Google calendar for a week — start by putting school schedules, work schedules, dinner ideas and chores in ahead of time, to help give it a start. If, by the end of the week, no one has used it, ditch it and buy a large wall calendar or some form of planning system you’re more likely to use.

We believe in community.

mercbank.com fyiswmichigan.com •

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Creation station FYI

Peanut Butter Play Dough

What’s so great about play dough?

The squishy, modeling material allows kids to develop motor skills by pushing, pounding and molding it into shapes, provides a much-needed outlet for sensory stimulation and energy and acts as the perfect spatial skills playground. From their early ages through grade school, how kids play with dough evolves as children grow, advancing from babies’ and toddlers’ mushing and pounding to the creation of intricate and advanced worlds of pretend play by grade school children.

Yes, as our children engage with play dough, there is the worry that they will try to eat it. That’s why making your own play dough with peanut butter is a great option: not only does it save money and include your children in the fun process of mushing the ingredients together, but

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your kids can snack on their play dough without your worrying about what they’re ingesting.

Because it’s so delicious, peanut butter play dough is as universally loved by adults as it is by kids. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Here’s how to do it (note ingredient changes for vegans and kids with nut allergies): Hints: • Be sure the surfaces and hands are clean, since the play dough will be eaten.

• Put other foods on the table and let your child play with pushing those foods into the play dough and molding statues out of the materials.

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Ingredients: • 1 cup peanut butter

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• ½ cup honey

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• 2 cups powdered sugar Vegan option: • 1 cup peanut butter • 1 cup powdered soy milk • 1 cup honey substitute (Just Like Honey, for example, which is a rice nectar substitute) Nut-free option: •1 tub whipped topping, like Cool Whip

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• ½ box corn starch • 2 Tbsp. olive oil Directions: 1. Mix all ingredients together, regardless of chosen recipe.

2. Play (pretty easy, right?).

3.

Store leftover play dough in an airtight container.

4. Looking for some ideas for leftover peanut butter play dough? Check us out online fyiswmichigan.com.

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Is this normal? FYI

You Ask, Experts Answer The only thing “normal” about kids is that they will consistently develop strange new habits, ailments or changes in behavior that will leave you scratching your head.

Wonder no longer. We’ve brought some of your burning questions (anonymously, of course — no hard evidence for future therapy here) to our panel of experts from Child and Family Psychological Services, Comstock Community Learning Center and Bronson’s Children Hospital.

Q:

I caught my 6-year-old son squeezing a juice box along our baseboards the other day. When I asked him what he was doing, he said he was “feeding my little friends.” We’ve been seeing mice around the house, and so I asked him if he meant the mice and he said yes. We asked him to stop, but he thinks they’ll die without him feeding them so he keeps sneaking them food. What can we do? We need to get rid of the mice, but we don’t want to upset him, either.

— Parent in Portage

Alyssa Noonan, LLMSW, Private Practice at Child & Family Psychological Services Kalamazoo and Nichole Holliday MA, LLPC, LLMFT, Private Practice at Child & Family Psychological Services Portage: You seem to have a kind-hearted animal lover on your hands. It sounds like you have already begun the education piece. It may be helpful to continue the education to redirect his interest in caring for the mice into learning how to create a more appropriate home for mice outside.

Also, learning about mice and their natural food sources together could encourage him to see that there is food outside the home that is healthi-

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er for the mice. It may also be helpful to reinforce that when the mice are gone, it is because they moved and are happier in their proper natural home. Any termination efforts should be kept private, in order to protect his animal-loving heart and to avoid a potential increase in his efforts to protect them.

His animal activism may become more worrisome if it is accompanied by a preoccupation with death or an excessive worry about death and dying. Preoccupation and worrying can be sign of anxiety. Children often develop anxiety surrounding death when they have difficulty understanding loss and what happens after death. If you notice that his concern for the mice’s well-being began following a recent loss or separation, processing this may be necessary.

If, after you educate him, the behaviors continue or increase in intensity and/or frequency, his efforts may be more of a compulsion and require mental health assistance.

Q:

My 4-year-old son only poops once or twice a week. I suspect he’s holding his BMs because they hurt him and that doing this has caused him constipation. I’m beginning to really worry about the effect this might have on his system. Is there anything I can do?

Is there a reason he’s doing this?

— Parent in Plainwell

Russell Cameron, MD, Bronson Pediatric Gastroenterology: Your son may indeed be holding his bowel movements because he had a painful stool(s) that started a withholding

pattern. This often starts around, or shortly after, potty training.

Withholding could be causing constipation because he is not producing successful enough stools every day and so has started “backing up.” This can stretch out the colon and so he may have lost some sensation. If so, he may need a large amount of stool in his rectum before he can feel the urge to have a bowel movement, and the cycle continues.

I would recommend asking his primary care provider to help with softening his stools so that he is not scared of having painful stools. It is also important that your son sit on the

toilet multiple times a day, even if he doesn’t feel like he needs to “go.” The best time to do this is about 10 minutes after he eats, when the muscles in his GI tract are trying to move the food down. It is also important to try to discourage any withholding behaviors you see such as crossing the legs, sitting on the edge of a chair or hiding when he needs to have a BM. If the episodes of longstanding constipation continue, your son may start developing additional problems such as accidents, abdominal pain and/or vomiting.

(Accidents are most often the result of a large amount of stool sitting in the rectum, new stool leaks around it, and with a loss of sensation, there is little warning a BM is about to happen.)

Q:

Walk & 5K Run Sunday, September 28 Activities start at 11 a.m.

Walk & Run start at 1 p.m.

Bronson Methodist Hospital, downtown Kalamazoo Support the only children’s hospital in southwest Michigan.

Learn more and register now at

bronsonhealth.com/walkrun or call (269) 341-8100.

My 13-month-old daughter still uses crawling as her primary mode of transportation and she doesn’t show an interest in walking at all. I’m kind of worried.

Is it normal for children this age to still be crawling?

— Parent in Kalamazoo Comstock Community Learning Center Staff: Children walk at their own rate. A child will use the mode of movement that is the easiest for her to travel from one space to another. Your daughter’s goal is to get to her desired destination as quickly as she is able. Crawling appears to be her mode of travel at this time.

Signs that your child is preparing to walk: •S tanding on her own or holding onto something so that she has balance; • While holding someone’s hand she takes a few steps; • Pulls herself up utilizing furniture; • Walks along side of the furniture for balance; • Walks with a push toy; • Has taken steps independently.

These are the signs that your child is developing the muscle strength and coordination to walk. As her muscles get stronger and her confidence increases, she will begin to walk. Always discuss concerns with your child’s pediatrician because, as a parent, you know your child’s abilities.

This column is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Content provided here is for general information only.

Have a question you want answered by our experts?

Email it to us: FYI@encorekalamazoo.com.

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?

What Now

Working through learning difficulties, one step at a time

Erik Holladay

by

Tiffany Fitzgerald

Fear, anxiety and denial are normal reactions for any parent after finding out their child is not succeeding in his or her learning environment because they may have a learning difference or disability.

Because classrooms are more structured than home environments, engage more areas of learning and are where children spend a lot of time, they are the perfect environment to spot children’s learning issues. So teachers and school administrators are often the ones who point out children’s problems and struggles to their parents for the first time.

Even though she had suspicions her son Nick was different than “normal,” Kim Nelson, director of University Creative Services at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo resident and mother of three, says she still went through the gambit of emotions when educators told her Nick wasn’t blending into his preschool classroom environments and that he wasn’t behaving like other children.

“A lot of times I was really angry, because he was two years old and I felt like they were expecting too much,” she says. “Then I was upset when echolalia was mentioned because it’s associated with autism.”

The initial identification of echolalia, an involuntary repetition of a word, phrase or song, was one of the first steps to Nick’s eventual autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.

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Understanding the Lingo Learning disability: Varying disorders that negatively impact learning and may affect one’s ability to speak, listen, think, read, write, spell or use a computer.

Learning difference: Generally less severe than a disability and generally addressed within the school environment.

Autism Spectrum Disorder: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development, characterized in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors.

ADD/ADHD: Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder — a condition that makes it hard to sit still, control behavior and pay attention.

Dyslexia: Difficulty reading Dyscalculia: Difficulty with math Dysgraphia: Difficulty with writing Dyspraxia: Difficulty with fine motor skills Dysphasia/Aphasia: Difficulty with language Auditory Processing Disorder: Difficulty hearing differences between sounds Visual Processing Disorder: Difficulty interpreting visual information Sources: National Center for Learning Disabilities, Autism Speaks, CDC and CHADD

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When educators point out their child’s learning or behavioral differences or disabilities, parents may feel alone — but they aren’t, regardless of the cause.

Five percent of school-age children have formally identified learning disabilities, 1 in 68 children will be diagnosed with autism and 11 percent of children ages 4 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health.

In addition to feeling alone, parents may also be inclined to think the problem is worse than it actually is, because of fear or misinformation.

“My understanding of autism was limited to much more severe cases, in which kids don’t communicate verbally and lead a really isolated life,” Nelson says. “But once I learned about the spectrum, autism was easier to even think about.”

From early childhood development through high school, there are different processes educators use to determine if a student is performing socially, developmentally and behaviorally at his or her grade level. If they aren’t, there are steps parents can take — whether a child needs extra handwriting support, he or she has a learning disability or she or he has been diagnosed with autism or ADHD — to help children and their families survive the process.

1. Relax

It’s easier said than done, but the first step is to let everyone, parent and child, off the hook, even if a child is failing or falling behind.

“It’s not life or death,” says Laurie Assadi, practicing psychologist, owner of the Clinical Center for Learning and Development and board member of the Kalamazoo County CHAAD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). “Kids

are going to be who they are going to be. These little guys don’t come into the world a blank slate and we can’t take ourselves too seriously. A sense of humor is so important.”

Who a child is can’t be controlled, nor can his or her learning differences or disabilities or any other condition, says Assadi. Instead, focusing on what can be done is an important place to start.

2. Open communication channels with educators

Communicating with a child’s education team (teachers, specialists and administrators) helps establish early supports, before a child loses too much ground in the classroom or problems worsen.

“Be involved,” says Gail Van Daff, special education director for Portage Public Schools. “Ask questions, seek clarification and come together to look for ways to problem solve.”

Portage Public Schools has a comprehensive universal screening process that assesses pre-literacy, early literacy, reading, mathematics and behavior skills for children prekindergarten through high school.

The screenings occur three to four times an academic year and are usually when problems are identified and addressed, says Van Daff.

The Portage Public School district addresses learning differences through the Multi-Tiered System of Support, a system that has been adopted by 40 states and is currently being proposed in Congress as a standard mode of addressing disabilities and differences.

The system assesses learning differences on an individual basis, using the tiers as a guideline, with the goal of keeping children in the classroom (thereby decreasing disruption) while developing grade-appropriate support and skills. The type of support can vary: sometimes specialists come

into the classroom, sometimes an educator adjusts his or her teaching methods and sometimes children are supported outside of classrooms in specialized settings.

Before anything is done to address a problem, a team meeting occurs during which the parent, the educators and the administration discuss the issue and solutions together so everyone is on the same page. That’s when it’s important to be open.

“Just talk,” says Van Daff. “To the extent that you can let yourself be vulnerable, do. Speak candidly with your teacher and your principal — that’s how we best help the child. Parents know their children best, so share, ask, problem-solve, be open-minded and expect your school personnel to be open-minded, too. All the things that we want from a parent, we want that from our staff, as well.”

3. Become your child’s advocate

Armed with his or her best interests at heart, an advocating caregiver is one of a child’s best resources. Asking how to support the child at home is a great start.

“To an extent, a parent can work to supplement what is going on in the classroom — read with your kid, ask them math problems, for example,” says Van Daff.

“But oftentimes students with learning difficulties are done at the end of the day. So you can also support them by just letting them be a kid.”

If learning difficulties advance to a level that requires more intervention, Individualized Education Program (often referred to as an IEP) or a Section 504, for more severe cases (see above for 504 and IEP definitions), might be introduced. In this case, a caregiver’s role as an advocate becomes more complex, says Nelson.

Her son Nick has an IEP in place to accommodate to how he learns

and help him succeed in his school setting.

“Every year you start over with a new teacher,” she explains. “So, it’s up to you to go in and communicate what worked the previous year, what didn’t work, the personality of your child and any other pertinent information.”

For parents of children with autism, learning difficulties or disorders like dysgraphia, dyslexia or ADHD, learn-

RESOURCE BAR Kalamazoo Regional Education Service Agency

KRESA provides innovative and responsive educational services to educators and learners through leadership, collaboration and support. Info at KRESA.org.

Southern Service Area Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SSA - SEPAC)

Meetings and workshops are open to parents. Meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of every month, September — November and January — May, 6:30 p.m. at KRESA, 1819 East Milham Ave., Portage.

Kalamazoo County CHAAD

Michigan Alliance for Families

Autism Speaks

Parent to Parent

Meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of every month, September — November and January — April, 7 — 8:30 p.m. at KRESA, 1819 E. Milham Ave. Info at KazooCHADD.com.

A resource for caregivers and educators of children and adults with autism spectrum disorder. Includes information about ASD, links to resources and parent advocate groups. Info at AutismSpeaks.org.

Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan Info at LDAofMichigan.org.

Information, support and education for caregivers of children birth through 26 who receive or are eligible to receive special educational services. Info at MichiganAllianceForFamilies.org.

Nonprofit community organization offering no-cost services to families with children with disabilities or special needs.

Info at p2pswmi.org.

SLD Read

Nonprofit organization that teaches struggling readers how to read, write and spell. Info at SLDRead.org.

fyiswmichigan.com •

19 •

ing about the disability or condition helps parents to become empowered and effective advocates.

“When you understand what’s going on with your child, you stop mistreating it,” says Assadi. “There’s nothing worse than thinking there’s a problem you can’t solve. Understanding the complexities of what’s going on helps.”

4. Build a support system

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Because the role of an advocate isn’t an easy one, building a support system is a necessity.

One of the greatest support systems for parents entering the dizzying world of learning disabilities, differences and behavioral, developmental or attention disorders is other parents who are going through the same challenges.

“Who else is going to get it?” says Assadi. “Parents are in the trenches. They are the ones there at 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., when most meltdowns occur. Sometimes all a parent needs is sympathy and compassion and another parent who is going through the same thing can give that to them.”

Community support groups and organizations like CHAAD, Autism Speaks and parent advisory committees provide a backbone for families supporting children with learning differences and disabilities, as well. For a list of resources for parents in the Greater Kalamazoo area, see page 19.

5. Don’t let a learning difference define your child

SUNDAY

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SUNDAY

02.08.15

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Instrument Petting Zoo & children’s activities to be held prior to each Family Discovery concert.

Raymond Harvey - Music Director

KalamazooSymphony.com | 269.349.7759

•

20 • Sept/Oct 2014

When a child falls behind in school, a common reaction is to focus on the learning difference itself, but there’s no reason to expect a problem to be insurmountable.

“A learning difference, even a more severe one, is not a sentence,” says Van Daff, who points to the fact that children move between the tiers of support in Portage schools as they need to and don’t stay locked in one plan.

Any child with a learning difference can find the support they need, not just at Portage schools, but at any school in the entire Greater Kalamazoo area, explains Van Daff, because all districts share the common goal: helping students succeed.

Even if a learning difference is indicative of a broader condition, like autism or ADHD, which require long-lasting support, preconceived notions and fears probably don’t hold water. Every child on the autism spectrum is different, says Nelson, so there’s no way to apply a standard solution or prognosis. She works toward an important end goal with her son — self-sufficiency.

“Nick makes progress every year in school,” says Nelson.

“He’s doing things now that I thought he would never do and he will continue to surprise me.”

Family Man FYI

Do It Yourself by

Jef Otte

My 11-year-old is miserable. His chin sags into the palm of one of his hands while the other props his forehead, pulling the skin of his eye back to somewhere in the neighborhood of his ear, and if he had three hands, probably the third one would be tearing his hair out while simultaneously beseeching unjust gods. The taste of life has become odious to my 11-yearold. I have asked him to write.

Ah, summer, that time when the qualified professionals leave parents to the work of forcing their children to learn things. Don’t let the door hit you on your way out, summer, amiright? My son is also sighing repeatedly and heavily, sort of like Darth Vader. Still, I can relate to my hapless 11-year-old. I, like him, would rather be outside riding bikes and checking out weird bugs than watching him warp his face into a grotesque mask of psychic pain. Alas, however, it’s my responsibility. Or at least it is if I want last year’s poor marks in writing improved.

Which is not to imply that I believe in sacrificing myself at the altar of my children, or even that improving his grades is my job. I don’t. In fact, my parenting philosophy is not unlike Mr. Miyagi’s method of teaching of karate, which is to say that I believe in doing as little parenting as possible, instead fooling my kids

into expending the energy of doing the parenting themselves. Wax on, I tell them, sagely. Wax off. Then I punch them so they can feel my love.

That last part is not true, but what is true is that the main reason my 11-year-old is somewhere around the fifth ring of hell at this moment — I figure one ring for each draft — is that I’m actually not helping him. He wrote a story. I read it. I circled the errors. Now it’s up to him to figure out what the errors are and correct them in yet another draft while I sip a virgin daiquiri made from the victory-tears of great athletes and write this column, because to me writing is super easy and fun. It all plays into this equation about my parenting philosophy I made up just now: (Pain) X Leisure

(Time)

=

Look, it’s not A Beautiful Mind or anything, but it’s the science of habit — the way my friend and p a re n t i n g - m e n t o r Patrick puts it is, At first I do it because I have to, then I do it because I want to, and then I’m free. For example, I taught my 2-year-old to put on his own pants. At first, he was like, “Father, I deeply respect you and the responsibility you have bestowed upon me, and I shall from this moment try

fyiswmichigan.com •

21 •

I knew that to be a lie, but eating verily, yea, until I succeed, to bedoughnuts wasn’t as fun without him. queath these pants upon my blessed buns.” That lasted about two days. I was starting to waver. After all, it only takes me about four seconds to put Then the battle began.

“Okay, buddy, let’s go to the muse- on his pants for him, and wouldn’t it um. You want to go to the museum? be easier to just cave and let it go?

Great. Go ahead and put on your Was it really worth the fight, going into week two, and would it ever end? pants and we’ll go,” I said.

He took a fighting stance. “You do it.” And then it did. Now he puts on his pants and I save time.

“Nope. That’s your job now.”

Leisure, baby.

We did not go to the museum that Of course, the immediate advanday. Nor the day after. The thing was, though, I actually wanted to go to the tages of making my 11-year-old write museum, so I tried a different tack. are less clear. After all, even though “Let’s go get a doughnut. You want to I’m not really doing anything, the wind go get a doughnut? Great. Go ahead of his sighs is really whipping up the surface of my daiquiri, it’s unpleasant and put on your pants.”

He was ice cold. “I don’t like dough- to hear his moans, and it would be easier not to do it at all. He has nuts,” he KPL_FYI_SeptOct14_HUBAD.pdf told me.

1 7/25/2014 3:04:17even PM

the Ihub

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to write in school, so let the teachers teach.” He’s written pretty good drafts already — aren’t they good enough?

Nay. He may never write, as I do, for a living. He probably won’t. He’s much better than me, for example, at math. But to that I say so much the better, because maybe he’ll go into a field where they pay you in money instead of emotional validation and, having the tools of perseverance and respect for his own work this writing time will impart, he’ll succeed and have money left over to support me when I’m penniless and old.

And on that day, my friends, it’s leisure day.

your digital gateway

CY

CMY

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Preserve the past.

Create the future.

The Hub

kpl.gov/hub •

22 • Sept/Oct 2014

Businesses & Ser vices for Families

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Parent and Child Fusing FUN Based on Classic Children’s Books

Dr. Seuss’ One Fish,Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish SATURDAY Sept. 13 or Oct. 18, 9 – 11 AM

Where the Wild Things Are

SATURDAY Sept. 20 or Oct. 25, 9 – 11 AM

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Feb 20 – Feb 27

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belong laugh talk draw cry share remember love paint eat play sing

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A free program for grieving children, teens and their families. hospiceswmi.org/Journeys.php 269.345.0273

Event Planning / Birthday / Anniversary / Graduation / Corporate / Weddings

fyiswmichigan.com •

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LEGEND Ages:

Toddler, ages 1-3 Preschool (up to 4) School Age 4-11 Tweens & teens, ages 12-17 All ages Indoor activity Outdoor activity ost is free, otherwise cost C is indicated

org, KIA members, active military and kids under 12 free; $5 adult, $2 student.

Thru Oct. 31 – Get Lost in Our Corn Maze, 20-acre corn maze, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, Crane Orchards, 6054 124th Ave., Fennville, 561-8651, Adult $7; ages 6-10 $5; under 5 free.

SEPTEMBER Monday, Sept. 1

ONGOING Thru Sept 21 – Speed Bump, an exhibit of the Dave Coverly cartoons; Kalamazoo for the Union!

An Exhibit of Civil War, Civil War through the eyes of Kalamazoo County residents; Voices for Social Justice, explore race, equity and social justice through oral histories of Kalamazoo residents, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, 230 N. Rose St., 373-7990, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon-Sat; 1-5 p.m. Sun. Thru Sept. 19 – Cosmic Zoo, 30-minute planetarium shows touring the constellations, 11 a.m.

Mon-Fri; 1 p.m. Sat.; 2 p.m. Sun; Treasures of the Great Lakes, how Great Lakes navigators used the night sky and lighthouses for guidance, 3 p.m. Tues & Thurs; 2 p.m. Sat; Dawn of the Space Age, tracing the origins of space exploration, 3 p.m. Sun, Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, Kalamazoo Valley Museum Planetarium, 230 N. Rose St., $3.

Beginning Sept 20 – Big, a voyage past planets, spinning galaxies, and stars, 11 a.m. Mon-Fri; 1 p.m.

Sat; 2 p.m. Sun; Galaxies, all about galaxies, 3 p.m. Sun, Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, except Oct. 25; Measuring the Night, how astronomers measure the cosmos, 3 p.m. Tues & Thurs; 2 p.m. Sat, except Oct. 25; Kalamazoo Valley Museum Planetarium, $3.

Thru Dec. 31 – Tiger’s Experience: Tracking a Legend, exhibit on endangered Bengal tigers, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Sat; noon-5 p.m. Sun, Kalamazoo Air Zoo, 6151 Portage Rd., AirZoo.org, $10.

Thru Nov. 9 – The Arts of Japan and China, Japanese and Chinese art, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tues-Fri; 11 a.m.5 p.m. Sat & Sun; Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 S. Park St., kiarts.

•

24 • Sept/Oct 2014

WMU Women’s Soccer vs. Wright State, 4-6:30 p.m., WMU Soccer Complex, Parkview Avenue.

Wednesday, Sept. 3 Toddler Talk, toddlers play, parents chat, 10:30 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo, 7265 W. Main St., 553-7980.

Thursday, Sept. 4 Meet Slappy, Kalamazoo Wings’ mascot honors those in Slappy’s Summer Reading Program, but everyone is invited, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Central, 315 Rose St., 533-7999.

Friday, Sept. 5 Art Hop, art of varying media on display at locations in downtown Kalamazoo, 5-9 p.m., kalamazooarts.org.

Movie at the Park: The Hunger Games, bring a lawn chair or blanket, 7:30-11 p.m., Arcadia Creek Festival Place, downtown Kalamazoo.

Saturday, Sept. 6 Creature Feature: Aquatic Turtles, see animals up close, noon-1 p.m., Kalamazoo Nature Center, 7000 N. Westnedge Ave., NatureCenter.org, KNC, free for members regular admission for nonmembers.

Frontier Days, reenactments, shooting competitions, food and entertainment, 10 a.m., The Olde World Village, 13215 M-96, Augusta, 580-1290, $10, under 12 free.

form, 2:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Central.

ries about art, 11:15 a.m., Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.

Sayonara Summer 5k, community fun run/walk, games and contests, 1 p.m., Mayors Riverfront Park, 215 Mills St., 342-5996, $30 for 12 and older; $10 for 11 and under (price includes a shirt; free without shirt).

Sunday, Sept. 14

Sunday, Sept. 7 West Michigan Muscle Cars Show & Swap Meet, gathering of muscle cars featuring 1964-78 Mustangs, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Gilmore Car Museum, 6865 Hickory Rd., Hickory Corners, 345-2202, $10 for 12+; free for 11 and under.

Monday, Sept. 8 Slam Session, write, watch and experience poetry, 3:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Central.

Wednesday, Sept. 10 Toddler Talk, toddlers play, parents chat, 10:30 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo.

Preschool Explorers: Squirrels, learn about squirrels with your preschooler and hike afterward, 10-11 a.m., Kalamazoo Nature Center, free for members regular admission for non-members.

Friday, Sept. 12 35th Annual NSRA St. Rods Nationals North Plus, 2,600+ street rods, muscle cars & custom cars, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Kalamazoo County Expo Center, 2900 Lake St., nsrausa.com, $14 adult, $5 ages 6-12, free under 5.

35th Annual NSRA St. Rods Nationals North Plus, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Kalamazoo County Expo Center, $14 adult, $5 ages 6-12, free under 5.

WMU Women’s Soccer vs. Univ. of Illinois-Chicago, noon-2:30 p.m., WMU Soccer Complex.

WMU Men’s Soccer vs. Eastern Illinois, noon-2:30 p.m., WMU Soccer Complex.

Monday, Sept. 15 J-Pop Club, Japanese anime, manga, Pocky and food, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public LibraryCentral.

Pizza and Pages, discuss Maze Runner over pizza, 5:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo.

Tuesday, Sept. 16 Clifford the Horse, visit with Clifford, a Morgan horse who paints, 6 p.m., Kalamazoo Public LibraryPowell, 1000 W. Paterson St., Kalamazoo, 553-7960. (rain date: Sept. 30) Wednesday, Sept. 17 Toddler Talk, toddlers play, parents chat, 10:30 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library–Oshtemo.

Thursday, Sept. 18

WMU Men’s Soccer vs. Butler, 5-7:30 p.m., WMU Soccer Complex.

Jewelry Making with Meg Tang, learn to use jeweler’s tools and techniques, tools provided. 4:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public LibraryWashington Square, 1244 Portage Rd., 533-7970, registration required.

Saturday, Sept. 13

Friday, Sept. 19

35th Annual NSRA St. Rods Nationals North Plus, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Kalamazoo County Expo Center, $14 adult, $5 ages 6-12, free under 5.

Gazelle Sports Historic Walks,1.5mile walk lead by Lynn Houghton, WMU regional history curator, 8 a.m., Vine Street and Locust Avenue intersection, 342-5996.

LEGO at the Library, build, inspire and imagine, bricks provided, 10:30 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo.

Fall Fest & Music in the Woods, live music, giant mudpit, natural play area, slip and slide, zip line and learning stations, 1-5 p.m., Kalamazoo Nature Center, free for members, regular admission for non-members.

First Saturday, stories, activities and door prizes, Jeanie B! will per-

Be an Art Detective!, join Arty the mouse detective for children’s sto-

Saturday, Sept. 20 LEGO at the Library, build, inspire and imagine, bricks provided, 4:30 p.m. Kalamazoo Public LibraryCentral.

Ford Model A Day, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Gilmore Car Museum, 6865 Hickory Rd., Hickory Corners, 644-0758, under 11 free; 12+ $10.

Sunday, Sept. 21 WMU Women’s Soccer vs. St. Louis University, 2-4:30 p.m., WMU Soccer Complex.

Tuesday, Sept. 23 Eastwood Back to School Celebration, live music, Fresh Food Fairy, bouncy equipment, games and food, 6-7:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Eastwood, 1112 Gayle St., 533-7810.

Wednesday, Sept. 24 LEGO at the Library, build, inspire and imagine, bricks provided, 4:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public LibraryPowell.

Toddler Talk, toddlers play, parents chat, 10:30 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo.

Michael Jackson: The Experience, play the Wii, win prizes, dance to Michael Jackson hits, 4:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Powell.

Thursday, Sept. 25 LEGO at the Library, build, inspire and imagine, bricks provided, 4:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public LibraryEastwood.

Fresh Food Fairy, storytime with Fresh Food Fairy, smoothies made with her bike blender, 10:30 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Eastwood.

Bookworms, book club for kids and their grown ups; this month, Clara Lee and the Apple Dream

by Jenny Han is discussed; books available for participants the first of the month preceding the meeting, 4:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Central.

Friday, Sept. 26 WMU Men’s Soccer vs. Northern Kentucky, 4-6:30 p.m., WMU Soccer Complex.

Saturday, Sept. 27 Celebrate Comics with Paul Sizer, comic artist Paul Sizer discusses making your own comics, all materials provided, 5 p.m., Kalamazoo, Public Library-Washington Square. .1k, food, games and .1k run, noon, Gazelle Sports, 214 S. Kalamazoo Mall, 345-0273, $25.

Kalamazoo Reptile and Exotic Animal Show, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Ka-

lamazoo County Expo Center, under 6 free; Children $2; Adults $4; Family max $15.

WMU Volleyball vs. University of Toledo, 7-9 p.m., University Arena, 1903 W. Michigan Ave., 387-0973, $3 - $7.

Sunday, Sept. 28 Cadillac-LaSalle Club Museum Grand Opening Celebration & Fall Festival, car show featuring Cadillacs and LaSalles, 9 a.m.- 6 p.m., Gilmore Car Museum, children under 11, free; $10.

Tuesday, Sept. 30 Stuffed Animal Sleepover, bring a stuffed friend for a bedtime story & snack, then kiss your stuffed friend good night and pick him/ her up the next day, 6:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo.

Oakland Dr., Kalamazoo, 3852847.

WMU Women’s Soccer vs. Kent State, 1-3:30 p.m., WMU Soccer Complex.

Monday, Oct. 6 LEGO at the Library, build, inspire and imagine, bricks provided, 10:30 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo.

Teen Advisory Board, plan programs and service projects, discuss books, movies, music and websites, eat snacks, play games, 3:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Central.

Percy Party, celebrate Greek mythology with Percy Jackson, fun, food and prizes, 6:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo.

Wednesday, Oct. 8

OCTOBER Wednesday, Oct. 1 Toddler Talk, toddlers play, parents chat, 10:30 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo.

Read with Bailey, read to Bailey, the loveable Schnoodle dog, 4-5:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Eastwood, registration required @ 533-7810.

Toddler Talk, toddlers play, parents chat, 10:30 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo.

Read with Bailey, read to Bailey, the loveable Schnoodle dog, 4-5:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Eastwood, registration required @ 533-7810.

Saturday, Oct. 11

Friday, Oct. 3

Pumpkin Trail and Geo-Cache Tournament, a trail of decorated pumpkins and simultaneous GeoCache tournament, 10 a.m.- noon, Mattawan Park, corner of Front and South Main Streets, Mattawan.org.

Art Hop, art of varying media on display at locations in downtown Kalamazoo, 5-9 p.m., kalamazooarts.org.

Chemistry Day, explore candy, the sweet side of chemistry, 2-4 p.m., Kalamazoo Valley Museum.

WMU Womens Soccer vs. Ohio University, 4-6 p.m., WMU Soccer Complex.

Saturday, Oct. 4 Olde Tyme Harvest Festival, hayrides, pumpkins, husker shredder, blacksmithing, rope making, & more, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Scotts Mill County Park, 8451 S. 35th St., Scotts, 745-4628, children under 12 free; adults $5.

First Saturday, stories, activities and door prizes, featuring the Global Cardboard Building Challenge with the WMU McGinnis Collaborative, 2:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Central.

Sunday, Oct. 5 Olde Tyme Harvest Festival, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Scotts Mill County Park, 8451 S. 35th St., Scotts, children under 12 free; adults $5.

Philip Stead Reading and Book Signing, 3-4 p.m., Bookbug, 3019

Crescendo Academy of Music Annual Cafe and Open House, performances by Crescendo artists and students, instrument petting zoo, food, 1-4 p.m., Crescendo Academy of Music, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Ste.12, 345-6664.

Monday, Oct. 13 Slam Session, write and experience poetry, 3:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Central.

Tuesday, Oct. 14 S2 Games, S2’s Brad Bower discusses developing video games, 6:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Central.

Wednesday, Oct. 15 Toddler Talk, toddlers play, parents chat, 10:30 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo.

Read with Bailey, read to Bailey,the loveable Schnoodle dog, 4-5:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Eastwood, registration required @ 533-7810.

Thursday, Oct. 16 Lord of the Gourd, professional food sculptor Pat Harrison, 4-7 p.m., Kalamazoo Public LibraryCentral.

Research It!, research skills and library resources, 6:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Central.

Dreamcatchers, make dreamcatchers, materials provided, 4 p.m., Kalamazoo Public LibraryWashington Square.

Friday, Oct. 17 Lord of the Gourd, professional food sculptor Pat Harrison, 2-4:45 p.m., Kalamazoo Public LibraryPowell.

I Was a Rat!, a play about a furry little rodent magically transformed into a boy, 7:30 p.m., Parish Theatre, 426 S. Park St., KazooCivic. com for cost, ages 7+.

Saturday, Oct. 18 Crybaby Concert, Fontana Chamber Arts, 45-minute miniconcert for preschool children and their adults, 11 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Eastwood.

Lord of the Gourd, professional food sculptor Pat Harrison, 2-5 p.m., Kalamazoo Public LibraryOshtemo.

I Was a Rat!, 1 p.m. (ASL interpreted) & 4 p.m., Parish Theatre, KazooCivic.com for cost, ages 7+.

Read-a-Thon, 5-hour Read-a-Thon benefitting Loaves & Fishes, register ahead and gather pledges of non-perishable items,10 a.m.-3 p.m., Kalamazoo Public LibraryCentral.

WMU Men’s Soccer vs. Northern Illinois, 1-3:30 p.m., WMU Soccer Complex.

Sunday, Oct. 19 Birds of PreyLIVE!, meet a redtailed hawk and a Great Horned Owl, 1-2:30 p.m., Kellogg Bird Sanctuary,12685 East C Ave., Augusta, 671-2510, $5 children; $7 adult, ages 2+.

Discover the Raptor Ridge Trail, 2-3 p.m., Kalamazoo Nature Center, free for members, regular admission for non-members, (trail is difficult).

fyiswmichigan.com •

25 •

I Was a Rat!, 2 p.m., Parish Theatre, KazooCivic.com for cost, ages 7+.

Library-Eastwood, registration required @ 533-7810.

Monday, Oct. 20

I was a Rat!, 9:30 a.m. & noon, Parish Theatre, KazooCivic.com for cost, ages 7+.

Sweet and Spooky Gingerbread Houses, create a gingerbread and candy house, 5:15 p.m. & 6:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public LibraryOshtemo.

J-Pop Club, Japanese anime, manga, Pocky and food, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Central.

Tuesday, Oct. 21 Research It!, research skills and library resources, 6:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo.

Duct Tape Pumpkins, make a festive faux duct tape pumpkin, materials provided; 4:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Eastwood.

Wednesday, Oct. 22 Toddler Talk, toddlers play, parents chat, 10:30 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo.

Read with Bailey, read to Bailey, the loveable Schnoodle dog, 4-5:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public

Palamazoo Puppets, a fallthemed musical puppet show; space is limited; free ticket required; Kalamazoo Public LibraryWashington Square.

Duct Tape Pumpkins, make a festive faux duct tape pumpkin; materials provided; 4:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Powell.

Thursday, Oct. 23 Bookworms, book club for kids and their grown ups; this month The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo. Books available for participants the first of the month preceding the meeting, 4:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Central.

Sweet and Spooky Gingerbread Houses, create a gingerbread and candy house, 4:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Eastwood.

I Was a Rat!, 9:30 a.m. & noon, Parish Theatre, KazooCivic.com for cost, ages 7+.

Friday, Oct. 24

Tuesday, Oct. 28

I Was a Rat!, 7:30 p.m., Parish Theatre, KazooCivic.com for cost, ages 7+.

Sweet and Spooky Halloween Treats, make delicious Halloween treats, 6 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library—Washington Square, free, registration required @ 533-7970.

WMU Women’s Soccer vs. Bowling Green State, 3-5:30 p.m., WMU Soccer Complex.

Saturday, Oct. 25 Hello Kitty Day, celebrating Hello Kitty’s 40th birthday with a scavenger hunt and activities, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Kalamazoo Public LibraryCentral.

Nightwalk, take a spooky Nightwalk through a cemetery, caves and dark corridors in this planetarium program, every half hour from 11 a.m. — 3:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Valley Museum.

Safe Halloween: A Spooktacular Celebration, ghosts, goblins and a free canvas bag (while supplies last), noon- 4 p.m., Kalamazoo Valley Museum.

Ghostbusters Marathon, Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II showing back-to-back, 11 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Central.

I Was a Rat!, 1 p.m. & 4 p.m., Parish Theatre, KazooCivic.com for cost, ages 7+.

Creature Feature, meet an American Kestrel,1 p.m., Kalamazoo Nature Center, free for members regular admission for non-members.

Creatures of the Night: Mythbusters, a guided trail walk, crafts, snack and hot cider, 4-7 p.m., Kalamazoo Nature Center, members: $1 adult; $5 child; non-members: $2 adult, $7 child.

26 • Sept/Oct 2014

Wednesday, Oct. 29 Toddler Talk, toddlers play, parents chat, 10:30 a.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Oshtemo.

Read with Bailey, read to Bailey, the loveable Schnoodle dog, 4-5:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Eastwood, registration required @ 533-7810.

Mask Making, create a Halloween mask, 4:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Powell.

Music and Make Believe, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s string quartet, storytime and craft, 9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.,registration required @ 533-7804, Kalamazoo Public Library-Central.

Halloween Crafts, create spooky crafts, 3-5 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library — Washington Square.

Thursday, Oct. 30

Pinkalicious, the musical, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m., Miller Auditorium, 1903 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, $20, MillerAuditorium.com.

WMU Women’s Soccer vs. Eastern Michigan, 1-3:30 p.m., WMU Soccer Complex.

WMU Women’s Soccer vs. Northern Illinois, 3-5:30 p.m., WMU Soccer Complex.

Southwest Michigan Train Show and Sale, includes a hands-on children’s layout, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Kalamazoo County Expo Center, $6, children under 10 free with paid adult.

Need to know more?

Monday, Oct. 27

•

Music and Make Believe, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s string quartet, storytime and craft, 9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m., registration required @ 533-7804, Kalamazoo Public Library-Eastwood.

Music and Make Believe, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s string quartet, storytime and craft, 10:30 a.m., registration required @ 5337804, Kalamazoo Public LibraryEastwood.

Sunday, Oct. 26

erik@eholladay.com • 517.879.7427 www.eholladay.com

T-Bats in the Library, live bats, including a vampire bat, 5:30 p.m. & 6 p.m., Kalamazoo Public LibraryOshtemo, space limited, ticket required.

Sweet and Spooky Halloween Treats, make delicious Halloween treats, 4:30 p.m., Kalamazoo Public Library-Powell, registration required @ 553-7960.

Visit our online event calendar at fyiswmichigan.com/events.

Kids’ Corner FYI

Creative & Cool Art by Kids

Stuffies Stuffies, stuffies, alive as could be, In the car sitting next to me Soft and cuddly, warm and fluffy Stuffies, stuffies, alive as could be.

They cheer me up when I am sad They calm me down when I am mad.

When I’m at work and when I’m at play Stuffies love me every day.

I love them and hug them right back too, That way I make sure they never feel blue.

In the car sitting next to me, Stuffies, stuffies alive as could be.

Arianna Potluris

Age: 10 Kalamazoo Country Day Teacher: Aubrey Jewel Hardaway From the artist:

Caitlin B.

Age: 8 Hamilton Elementary School

“The art I create is digital art. I am currently working on a series of ballerinas. The reason I draw ballerinas is because I went to an Art Hop and saw these beautiful ballet dancers and my grandfather took photos of them.

The ballerinas first start out as sketches and then they work they way into being a beautiful digital painting. This has been a wonderful experience for me.”

fyiswmichigan.com •

27 •

Cool Kids

Local kids doing great things

Hannah Lane-Davies, 15 Kalamazoo Little Free Libraries Hannah first encountered a Little Free Library at age 13, when she and her mom were jogging through a neighborhood during a family trip to Minnesota.

“It looked like a big birdhouse with books,” she recalled. On closer examination, she found that it was a Little Free Library, where neighbors and friends leave books and take books. She thought her hometown of Kalamazoo needed just such a thing.

Now, two years after building and installing the first one in her neighborhood, Kalamazoo is home to more than 20 Little Free Libraries, mostly due to Hannah’s efforts.

Originally she and her father, Aaron Lane-Davies, built several libraries and contacted people they knew in neighborhoods where they felt it would be good to have a Little Free Library. After several news stories about her efforts, many people reached out to Hannah for information on how to start their own. Hannah’s efforts resulted in funding from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation to build and place additional libraries in the community.

“My original goal was 10, but we far surpassed that,” says Hannah, who estimated the greater Kalamazoo area has at least 30 libraries. “We have more Little Free Libraries in Kalamazoo than they do in New York City.”

Hannah has found that she has become the unofficial local organizer of Little Free Libraries, holding informational meetings for new and current stewards and maintaining a website (kalamazoolittlefreelibraries.com). The website includes plans for building a library and has been linked to and recommended on the national Little Free Library organization’s website.

She notes, however, more and more people in the area are installing these hyper-local lending libraries on their own.

“I’m very pleased that people are taking the initiative to set up their own Little Free Libraries,” she says. “I would love to know about those and feature them, so people are aware of the other little free libraries.”

Hannah’s next goal is create a better network for library stewards in Kalamazoo. “I’d like to help the stewards create a support system, network and share books and tips,” she says.

“The community aspect of Little Free Libraries is what makes it special.”

For info, visit kalamazoolittlefreelibraries.com

•

28 • Sept/oct 2014

Amazing Arachnid Creepy, crawly on a web far above the Earth god Geb. Sucking juices from a victim those fangs were made just to sic ‘em.

But underneath that bloody veil, there is another softer trail.

Using a touch of fine, soft silk there comes a web, not meant to wilt.

Using skill that’s quite divine it weaves a web of see-through twine.

And in a world so vicious and cruel it proves to be a handy tool.

Owen Quayle 4th grade Kalamazoo

Owen’s poem was a winner in the 2014 Poems That Ate Our Ears annual poetry contest for kids sponsored by the Friends of Poetry.

If you know a kid who’s up to great stuff, or a child who would like to share their artwork, writing, projects and more with FYI readers, let us know! Send all info to fyi@encorekalamazoo.com.

The Last Laugh (continued from page 30)

sible with the New Kid. Maybe he had kissed a girl before. Maybe he had killed someone! Clearly, he had seen some stuff.

“What are the schools like in Florida?,” the wide-eyed returning kids would ask the New Kid at the rusty, igloo-shaped climbing structure on the playground.

“I saw some stuff,” he would reply, his gaze so far off he was clearly staring at his former Floridian home.

New kid mystique was good for — easily — a month and a half. Even the kid with the mustache who liked to de-pants people would take a few weeks to size him up.

Eventually, of course, the New Kid would get a nasty nosebleed during dodge ball, or barf in the cafeteria or finally get de-pantsed and his shine would scuff. He had never killed a guy, he hadn’t kissed a girl (though

he claims his older brother had — twice!) and by Halloween, he’d be riding the pegs on your Mongoose to get to school. Everything would balance out. It always seemed to, year after year.

This fall, my 5-year old daughter is starting kindergarten at Winchell Elementary — the same elementary school I first walked into 30 years ago. A few weeks ago, they held orientation and registration for new students and, once again, I found myself heading back to school after a fairly pedestrian summer.

There was lemonade, cookies and a craft table in the cafeteria. As I watched my daughter glue some cotton balls to a tongue depressor, an old classmate from my grade-school days who was there enrolling his son approached me. “How’s the summer been?” he asked.

With a slight squint, I set my stare at 100 yards. “My summer? I don’t think I could explain it to you,” I said, and took a slow, knowing sip from my lemonade-filled Dixie cup. “I’ve seen some stuff.”

On cue, my daughter informed me that she had to go poopy and needed me to go with her. “We’re going to go poopy,” I said, holding my far-off gaze like a mad man. My old classmate wandered off, and as I took my daughter’s hand and walked her down those familiar hallways, I tried to recall what had ever become of that floppy-eared giraffe hat.

Brian Lam is a lifelong Kalamazoo resident. When not pursuing his creative interests, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter and coaching improvisation and youth soccer.

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fyiswmichigan.com •

29 •

LAST LAUGH FYI

New School Year, New You. Not. The start of a new school year always seemed to come at the perfect time for me. The old guy in the house behind ours had stopped throwing the baseballs back over the fence, that cheap water reservoir at the end of the Slip n’ Slide had long since sprung a leak and flattened, and the scabs were almost fully healed from being tossed off the handlebars or pegs of Mongoose dirt bikes. But most importantly, just enough time had passed where I believed I could effectively pull off completely reinventing myself on the first day of school.

Reinventing yourself was the best part of the first day back to school. It was the ritual we all participated in where we’d act like all the “wisdom” we’d gained during our summer travels or with our non-school friends had somehow had a magical life-changing effect on us. No longer were we the kid who got de-pantsed at the Nature Center in front of Mr. Nichols 4th grade class while wearing a floppy-eared giraffe hat. Not anymore! Now we were the cool, matured loner rebel who skidded his Mongoose to a stop in front of the school entrance with the 100-yard stare and fishbone-patterned skater shorts (a gift from Grandma).

The reinvention façade was always good for at least a quarter day of mild curiosity from a handful of classmates.

“My summer? I don’t think I could explain it to you,” I’d respond to inquiries, squinting to push the yardage of my stare out over 150.

Sometimes it was just a matter of getting depantsed again for the mirage to sizzle out, but there was always one sure-fire way to erode this front into crumbled reality: the New Kid. He didn’t just have a summer to reinvent; he had a lifetime. No summer experience or adventure could compete with the mystery that was the New Kid.

•

30 • Sept/Oct 2014

Bobbie Lam

By Brian Lam

Yeah, given the floppy-eared giraffe hat, reinvention was probably a good idea.

The New Kid never fell down the stairs during a fire drill. The New Kid never had an intercepted note read aloud in front of the class wondering whether someone was just a friend or more than a friend (check one). The New Kid didn’t have a floppy-eared giraffe hat. He didn’t even own an animal-themed hat! The New Kid hadn’t just been at another school, he had lived in another state.

And his stare was well over 500 yards. Anything was pos(continued to page 29)

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