January 2012 Issue of Northwest Kids Magazine by Emily Olson

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The bikes are all buried in snow...so check out local events

inside06 JANUARY 2012

PAGE 4 MASTHEAD

PAGE 5 EDITOR’S NOTE

DEPARTMENTS 9 Business Profile 06 OUR TOWN

Local events; School Profile by a Junior Journalist; Famous Faces; Q&A with Mermaids of the Lake

with so many great second hand clothing stores in our area there is no need to pay full retail again! Check out our GUIDE on gently used clothing stores in town

We look at local business, Petunia’s Marketplace and discover great local products around town

16 OUR KIDS

The Science of Snowflakes; Guide to Second hand Clothing Stores; Grub Club gets a new member; book review is back

The Power of the Pacifier; Learning to manage Youth Diabetes and who it can affect

25 OUR LIVES

The Art of Saying NO; Spill It Sister, our monthly column for women’s health advice from Shelley Northern, midwife extraordinaire

30 WHY NOT HERE?

This month we look at Free Skools as the topic of debate for our first issue

www.northwestkidsmagazine.com 3

inside06

20 shop smart

10 OUR PICKS

23 OUR HEALTH

BETHEL CHRISTIAN Individual Attention for Bright Minds

Loving care when you can’t be there. Preschool & Daycare Full and Part-Time Programs Ages 1-5 | Sibling Discount

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(509) 534-7755

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PUBLISHER Northwest Kids Magazine EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emily Olson CREATIVE DIRECTOR Emily Olson MEDIA/EVENTS DIRECTOR Rebecca Templeton CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tammy Marshall | Don Cutler | Shelley Northern | Kendra Robinson-Harding EDITORIAL INQUIRIES OR SUBMISSIONS Northwest Kids Magazine welcomes editorial inquiries and suggestions. Please contact Emily at emily@northwestkidsmagazine.com Northwest Kids Magazine is published monthly. 2600A E Seltice Way #306 Post Falls, ID 83854 www.NorthwestKidsMagazine.com

MAIN ADVERTISING OFFICE: 208.457.7211

SPOKANE | COEUR D’ALENE | SPOKANE VALLEY | POST FALLS | SOUTH HILL

4 northwest kids magazine

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from publisher. Photographs, graphics,and artwork are the property of Northwest Kids Magazine © 2011 Printed in the U.S.A. on Recycled Paper

editor’s

note

happy

new year!

HOW do i BECOME... A Career Path Guide for Students - One Career at a Time

As I sit to write this, my first editor’s note of 2012, I am blown away by the changes of just one small year. But my favorite element to the new year is always that of rebirth. With the flip of a calendar page, the sleep of one night...we are suddenly transported into a brand new, clean slate of a year. Resolutions have yet to be broken. Goals have yet to fall by the wayside (not that they will this year!). As far as any one of us knows, on January 1st, we mark the first day of the best year of our lives. What other Holiday or Celebration can boast such a thing? As you embrace your new year we hope you will also continue to embrace our magazine into your lives as the community resource it is intended to be. We’d love to be a part of your daily life, share in your children’s achievements by highlighting local events, news and stories. We also are eager to grow and expand our coverage of interesting health, education, a fun topics which matter here locally. With growth in mind, I am thrilled to introduce three new features you will find in every issue from this one forward. Check out the sneak peak of our new sections (at right) but be sure to flip to them and see how they came together in the end, too! I hope you LOVE the new additions as much as we do and as always...we look forward to hearing from you!

First there is our “How do I Become” section - brought about by one high schooler’s desire to learn more about different careers. Here we interview local professionals each month and show the when, where, and how they got there. page 15

Entomologist Ever look under a rock and discover an entire ecosystem of bugs? With creepy crawlies galore, with their many legs wandering just above the ground, insects of all shapes and sizes are hard at work. Also hard at work is your mind meandering with your eyes across the different life forms that breathe, eat and thrive under just a tiny bit of Earth. Now imagine a job where you get to do just that every day. A job where bugs are the top topic and discovering their biology and defining their different body parts and what they are used for is involved in every meeting and in most discussions. Melissa Scherr, Ph.D. Entomology, describes her job as simply amazing and constantly surprising. “I find new things every week about strange biologies or new applications and ecologies that literally take my breath away. Who wouldn’t love a job where you constantly find yourself saying ‘No freaking WAY!!’ when you read your e-mail?”, Dr. Scherr says. www.northwestkidsmagazine.com 11

Second, check out our “School Profile” section - Every month we reach out to schools in our surrounding neighborhoods to find new student voices interested in discussing what makes their school exceptional page 17

school profile Every month we reach out to schools in our surrounding neighborhoods to find new student voices interested in discussing what makes their school exceptional... this month it’s post falls High School in Post Falls, Idaho

Photo by Katie Brewer

Post Falls High School

P This month’s junior journalist is Jenny Sahli, a sophmore at Post Falls High

Emily Olson

players safety and personal goals. PFHS even has an athletic conditioning program for women which most schools don’t have. Bullying and fighting is intolerable at PFHS. There are not many confrontations that have to be dealt with since the students at the school are respectful of one another and of the teachers. If a conflict should occur the situation will be dealt with care and strict discipline. PFHS a safe environment to be in.

Even though the academics at PFHS are enough for any student to want to be a part of the school the athletic department is a bonus. Athletics at PFHS are sky rocketing. The sports here have dedicated players and coaches dedicated to the

Overall PFHS is one of the greatest schools in North Idaho. If a student were to come to this school they would have the best experience of their life here. Many faculty and former students alike highly recommend Post Falls High School as a

Why Not Here?

great ideas from other cities that we’d love to see here

EMILY OLSON Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Free Skool Have you ever wanted to master the art of knitting, using a table saw, planting a garden? Free Skool is an opportunity for people of all ages to come together and share knowledge in a non-commercial setting. Belief that education is a way to achieve equality, freedom, community and understanding is the foundation for a Free Skool. Everybody has something to teach and something to learn.

Last, check out our “Why Not Here?” section - Every month we report on something cool, innovative or exciting that we’ve found in other communities and pose the question to our readers...Why Not Here? page 30

The Idea

The open structure of Free Skool’s are intended to encourage self-reliance, critical consciousness, and personal development. Free Skools have their roots in Spain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when non-Catholics wanted access to education outside of the National School System there.. Free Skool’s are, at heart, non-institutional, non-authoritarian, cooperative learning environments. Generally, Skools are formed at a grassroots level by a group of individuals acting collectively and autonomously to create educational

opportunities and promote skill-sharing within their communities. Every month a new calendar is posted with class offerings and people show up and learn. No money changes hands, just knowledge.

student. You’ve heard people say that the most important lessons they’ve learned have been from their children...well, they too then are perfect teachers for us all!

The Players

With Free Skool’s popping up all over th eworld and the nearest to us being Olympia, WA it seems to be a no brainer that we would find the grassroots power locally to start our own. I am dying to learn how to can my own goods or make a proper compost for my garden. I wouldn’t think of myself as a wealth of knowledge but I would image

Everybody. If you have a pulse and have a perspective you have something to teach another person. If you have a desire to learn ANYTHING, you are the ideal student. The beauty of Free Skool is that it relies heavily on the principal that everybody is a teacher and everybody is a

The Bottom Line

No need to board an oldschool bus...Free Skool is all around you.

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www.northwestkidsmagazine.com 5

•

our community

LOCAL EVENTS

Riverfront Park Ice Palace Open through Feb. 26, Tuesday-Sunday Cost: $4.50, $3.50, youth; $3.50, skate rental. A day out at this premier outdoor rink will freeze smiles on your family’s faces throughout the drive home. Skaters of all levels are invited to visit the pavilion and take a turn or two, or three. Riverfront Park, 507 N. Howard St. Visit: spokaneriverfrontpark. com Call: 625-6601 Natural Childbirth Wednesday, Jan. 11, from 6-8 pm Cost: $25 Learn about non-medicated birth. Holy Family Health Education Center, 5633 N. Lidgerwood St. Visit: cherspokane.org Call: 2328138 Birth Options Class Saturday, Jan. 14, from 2-4 pm Free Learn about local birth options including hypnobirthing, mid wifery and about doulas. Sun People Dry Goods, 32 W. Second Visit: bloomspokane.com Baby Care Tuesday, Jan, 17, from 6-8 pm Cost: $25 Learn about the care of infants through the first year. St. Luke’s, 711 S. Cowley St. Visit: cherspokane.org Call: 232-8138 Thursday, Jan. 19, from 6-8 pm Cost: $25 Learn about common breastfeeding problems and about what to do when returning to work. St. Luke’s, 711 S. Cowley St. Visit: cherspokane.org Call: 232-8138 Sandpoint Winter Carnival Feb. 17-26 Celebrate all winter has to offer with ski joring, downtown rail jam and events at Schweitzer. Sandpoint, Idaho Visit: sandpoint.org

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Behind the Myths Tour Friday, Jan. 20, at 8 pm Tickets: $50, $75 and $100 Maybe you don’t want your kid to do what they do, but Adam Savage and Jamie hyneman will be putting on quite the show full of experiments and more. KBBX Kids’ Concert Saturday, Jan. 21, from 1-2 pm Free The Spokane Children’s Theater will perform songs from the stage and screen.The Bing, 901 W. Sprague Visit: kpbx.org Call: 328-5729 Best of Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 26-29 Tickets: $33-$73 The classic cartoon movie comes to live during this enchanting performance from Jan. 26-29. INB Performing Arts Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. Call: 800-325SEAT Banff Mountain Film Festival Sunday-Monday, Jan. 29-30, from 6-9 pm Tickets: $13, $15, at the door Films from all over the world fueled with adrenaline-raging sports and adventure will be shown. Kroc Center, 1765 W. Golf Course Rd., Coeur d’Alene Call: 208-667-5503 The New Shanghai Circus Saturday, Feb. 18, at 3 pm Tickets: $12.50 and $25 A spellbinding show where performers execute death-defying feats. Tickets: $12.50 and $25. INB Performing Arts Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. Call: 800325-SEAT

Every pet deserves to be loved!

grow

getting the most W

e all know that we are what we eat...but sometimes enforcing good eating habits onto our children can be a little more challenging than we’d like. With the New Year and all the resolutions that accompany it we’ve compiled a list of healthful snack items for our kids whether at home or at school and think your kids may be surprised with just how yummy these are! Happy Eating!!! • • • • • • • •

Fresh fruits and vegetables Nuts, seeds, peanut butter, and other nut butters Crackers with whole grain Cheese sticks Granola bars, cereal bars, and tortilla chips Low fat plain or flavored milk or milk alternative Salsa with tortilla chips Low fat, low sodium popcorn

• • • • • • •

Trail mix made with whole grain, nuts, and dried fruit Pretzels and pita chips with 2 or more grams of fiber Refrigerated yogurt Pudding Frozen 100% juice bars or 100% ”juice-sicles” 100% fruit or vegetable juice Cooked, dried, or canned fruits

www.northwestkidsmagazine.com 7

Q&A At the Table with online publication founders, Debbie Nania and Shelly HePpLer, who live and create

Mermaids of the Lake by Tammy Marshall

What is your definition of a mermaid?

Mermaid is uniquely feminine and embodies the attributes we embrace: beautiful, playful, creative, thoughtful and bold. How does your definition of a mermaid fit into your online magazine Mermaids of the Lake? Mermaids of the Lake is an online women’s magazine with a mission to INSPIRE! (Breathe life into the dream of another) It is a creative and lively publication for women containing information that women find interesting, helpful, and fun! What is it that your magazine and you bring to the table for women and families around the world? It is our greatest desire to breathe life into the dreams of women; to encourage them to follow their bliss, and to celebrate them when they succeed. Each issue has topics highlighting family, careers, beauty, health, relaxation, cooking, organization, facing life’s challenges, and so much more. We can’t forget the Merman. How do they fit in with your publication? We are grateful to the men who read and love Mermaids of the Lake. What better way to understand women than to read what they read! We also have a Merman on staff, who writes his own column, Ask the Merman. Our merman is wise, kind, and humble. He answers questions, usually written by female readers, who want advice or just a man’s perspective. http://www.mermaidsofthelake. com/merman/ It’s Tuesday evening, you just picked your kids up from school and in 4 hours you’re taking

8 northwest kids magazine

them to your eldest’s last basketball game, what do you cook for dinner? We both have children and love to cook, making simple, healthy, and often creative meals. If we had planned ahead, we would have a hearty, soup in the crockpot. It is a wonderful comfort to walk in the house after a busy day and smell a delicious dinner ready for you! If we simply had been too busy to plan ahead, then dinner would be a go-to type of meal, using ingredients we try to keep on hand, such as pasta, rice, tortillas, fresh vegetables, canned beans, and chicken tenders in the freezer, which are quick and easy to defrost. How has publishing an online magazine changed your life, your family dynamics? Publishing Mermaids of the Lake brings us JOY every day! As best friends, we love working and playing together. This adventure into the world of online publishing has enabled us to meet and connect with hundreds of thousands of women all around the globe. We love that!! At this time, we publish our e-zine from our in-home offices. While that brings its own challenges, it does allow us to be available and accessible when our children need us! Our families are truly the most important things in both of our lives and we honor them by doing something we love that enables us to also spend time with them. What were you both doing before Mermaids of the Lake? Shelley had a Washington State government job and Debbie was (and still is) an artist, working from her home studio. We were actually business partners for almost 8 years in another fun and creative venture, called Beading Babes. We taught beading workshops in people’s homes and businesses. We also created our own beaded jewlery and sold it in Trunk Shows and some local arts and crafts shows.

What advice would you give to someone interested in starting their own online publication or blog? We have both an online magazine and a blog that supports the magazine. As strange as it may sound, we have found that the online world of Social Media is all about building relationships. The internet allows you to connect with people you would never otherwise know. A blog is basically an online journal. Blogging allows you to talk about what you love and to connect and cross-link with other bloggers. A blog is a wonderful way to bring more readers or business to your website or online shop, such as Etsy. Bloggers tend to be supportive and loyal. If you are thinking of blogging, we would advise visiting other similar blogs and then email a request for mutual linking. Leave comments and show support to other bloggers and they will do the same! We are also experiencing great success with Facebook and would recommend getting a Facebook account for your business and get to work building relationships! Regular posting on both a blog and Facebook are essential. However, there is a fine line between posting too infrequently and posting too often! Find that balance. What is your proudest Mermaids of the Lake moment? This past August, we were honored to be in a position to host a grand

event called If The Shoe Fits, Wear it! The event was a fashion show and musical fundraiser for Shoes For Kids. Our goal was to bring shoes to underprivileged children in the Spokane area. Through donations of money and shoes, we were able to put brand new shoes on the feet of over 600 kids! That felt great and we hope to do it again this next year and at least double that number! See the mermaids and read their online publication at www.MermaidsoftheLake.com.

Scott Ralph, DDS MS Orthodontic Specialist

509.892.9284 South Hill at Lincoln Heights E 3154 29th Ave â&#x20AC;˘ Spokane, WA 99223 Valley at Liberty Lake E 23505 Appleway Way, Ste 204 â&#x20AC;˘ Liberty Lake, WA 99019

Actual Patient

www.DrScottRalph.com www.northwestkidsmagazine.com 9

h o p l o c a l

Connecting Community With Food at petunia’s marketplace by Tammy marshall

y favorite part of summer is when my carrots and beets start to ripen. Up to my elbows in manure and soil, I’ll yank the orange and pink veggies from their ground homes and put them in my fresh produce basket. After their bath and while resting on the kitchen counter I pick them up one by one and bite into their colored flesh and I devour them. After weeks of planting, waiting and weeding, in one delicious moment they are gone and I am satisfied. That’s the kind of food relationship that Stacey Blowers of Petunias Marketplace wants for everyone. Except for she lets local farmers deal with the manure, waiting and weeding. That leaves you with the devouring part-and devouring you will. “The person who wants to shop at Petunias is the one who wants a true connection to their food and where it comes from,” Blowers says. Besides the locally grown food like milk, eggs and produce, Blowers sells organic flours, nuts, spices, olive oils, condiments, canned fruits, locally made pasta and sauce, chocolates, teas and more.

Photos by Your Beautiful Photo Studio

More than just a gourmet market, Petunias works with the customer with their meal planning. Looking for something completely different? There’s a good chance they have the spice or ingredient you need and they’re not afraid to show you how to use it. In addition to stellar customer service they hub in the North Central neighborhood and they provide a nice colorful center full of bright life that is in contrast to the many boxed-in strip malls that dot around NW Blvd. Their garage has been converted into a green house and in the summer time their raised garden beds are burgeoning with fresh produce that they provide to the neighborhood. Looking for a one-of-a kind item for your spice rack or just want to have that local connection to food? Petunias is where it’s at.

Be sure to check out Petunia’s yourself next time you’re in town! Located at 2010 N Madison St in Spokane.

Friendship Tags

Handmade with vintage elements, creatively designed into flower gardens and deco designs. Each piece is a work of art & hand signed by the artist. Finders Keepers 309 W 2nd Ave Spokane, WA 509-838-4590 $49

found locally Perplexus

3D, gravity defying brainteaser labyrinth puzzle. Flip, twist and turn the sphere and get the metal ball through the maze. Ages 6 and up. Uncles Puzzles and Games 404 W. Main, Downtown Spokane 509-456-4607 $22

BUMBLE BARS

Gluten, Wheat and Dairy Free Organic Snack Bar. Deliciously full of calcium and rich in fiber. Bumble Bar was the first organically certified sesame bar on the planet earth! Available in Spokane at the Rocket Bakeryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Thomas Hammer Coffee shops. www. Bumblebar.com $1.99 each

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h o p l o c a l

faces FAMOUS

laila renee

carsen, emery & nolan michael jade

amelia & nicholas

anna

michael & mary

Would you like to see your child here? Email your favorite kid photo to our editor at

Emily@NorthwestKidsMagazine.com 12 northwest kids magazine

WINNING PHOTO

ellie, adeline & lily

maliah

brysen

Submit your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photo to be entered into our random drawing... great prizes for those who win! Start submitting today!

paige

Maliah is this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winners and will receive a FAMILY PASS to SKY HIGH SPORTS!

chloe

1322 E Front Avenue Spokane (509) 321-5867 www.northwestkidsmagazine.com 13 15

Reader Review

Has your child recently read a great book? Submit their book review at www.northwestkidsmagazine.com.

Boogie Knights Lisa Wheeler Rose Blachard

As Reviewed by Rose Blachard age 14 This is a beautiful hardcover book with wonderful illustrations and a fun story. I enjoyed reading it and I will share this with my nieces. This book is fun, interesting, and it has great pictures. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a story about knights coming out to dance at the yearly Madcap Monster Ball. Slightly spooky, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perfect for a cozy evening read in the cool weather with my nieces and some hot chocolate.

14 northwest kids magazine

www.northwestkidsmagazine.com 21

HOW do i BECOME... A Career Path Guide for Students - One Career at a Time

Entomologist Ever look under a rock and discover an entire ecosystem of bugs? With creepy crawlies galore, with their many legs wandering just above the ground, insects of all shapes and sizes are hard at work. Also hard at work is your mind meandering with your eyes across the different life forms that breathe, eat and thrive under just a tiny bit of Earth. Now imagine a job where you get to do just that every day. A job where bugs are the hot topic and discovering their biology and defining their different body parts and what they are used for is involved in every meeting and in most discussions. Melissa Scherr, Ph.D. Entomology, describes her job as simply amazing and constantly surprising. “I find new things every week about strange biologies or new applications and ecologies that literally take my breath away. Who wouldn’t love a job where you constantly find yourself saying ‘No freaking WAY!!’ when you read your e-mail?”, Dr. Scherr says. cont on pg 12 www.northwestkidsmagazine.com 15

Remedial Life Lessons

Still, studying bugs wasn’t really a consideration when in high school. Her passion then was music and music was going to be her major in college. However, science lay never too far in the background. Always curious and determined to find the answer to whatever question crawled around in her mind at that moment, taking science classes throughout high school was kind of a no brainer. It was in her last science class during her senior year that a biology teacher lit a spark for Scherr that grew into a flame, that eventually launched her like a rocket into the world of entomology and the red hot career she has now. “It was my last science class that year which changed my path, and a biology teacher who showed me that I could take my natural curiosity about the natural world and make it into a career— that simply asking questions about the world around was something I could do every day of my adult life.”

Primary Hurdle Jumping

Working as a professor at Oregon State University and the Executive Director of the Northwest Entomological Research Center, which works in many capacities with ecosystem-based industries and conservation efforts, the exciting and successful road she’s currently driving isn’t the only road she’s been on. Scherr drove on a lot of bumpy roads when getting her undergrad and at times literally had no money and took plenty of research projects that weren’t her passion. Yet all those roads led to where she sits currently, “I think the most important thing I had to learn to get here is that you can’t always be what you want

16 northwest kids magazine

to be from the beginning,” Scherr says. “I’ve had plenty of people tell me along the way that I should do something different, easier. I don’t think this is a unique experience, either, I think everyone meets barriers when becoming the person they most want to be, and it’s up to the person to decide how much they really want to be that person,” she continues.

Staying the Course

Graduating high school with an approximate 3.5 GPA Scherr wasn’t at the top of her class, and is hesitant to say that high school grades have much measure in achievement in higher education. Self effacing about her own intelligence, Scherr claims that it was more sheer determination than mega brains that got her where she is today. “I just know what I want , and I’m stubborn enough not to give up until I achieve it. I know a lot of people smarter than I who simply don’t have the same drive. Determination can take a person a very long way, maybe not all the way without some natural talent, but a very long way for sure,” Scherr says.

Measure of Success

While not done dreaming, all her hard work has landed her on a pretty good road. Currently continuing to challenge herself, setting and achieving goals has become a pleasure unmatched by the fact that she now gets to work in a pretty interesting and unique field. So what is Dr.Scherr’s measure of success? “I feel that success comes when you’re happy with your choices, and you have no excuses left to make and nothing more that you can ask from yourself. I’m not there yet. I have so

many aspirations for the future, and I’m always revising the challenges I set. I know I’m on the right path, though, and chasing my dreams gives me a fierce joy that is as yet incomparable,” she says.

Tips On Building Determination *Help your child set small goals like saving a portion of allowance ect. for something they want to purchase. When they’ve purchased the item with their own money it will build their self esteem and their belief that they can achieve. *Praise. Praise. Praise. When they deserve it. According to LiveStrong.com, and SAMHSA’s National Mental Health information this builds positive character traits. It also says that effort should be praised too. *Provide unconditional love *Teach positive self statements. If a child is constantly saying they’re bad at sports or a subject at school, they are less likely to feel they can have determination to live their dreams. If your child does say they are bad at a subject, redirect them and help them through the subject and inform them that they’re not bad at it, they just struggle with it more than others.

Photo by Katie Brewer

Post Falls High School

P This month’s junior journalist is Jenny Sahli, a sophmore at Post Falls High School.

ost Falls High School is a place where young adults can grow into mature and responsible citizens. The academics are excellent with a spectacular staff and teachers to educate the students. The teachers encourage the students to be the best they can be and to be successful in whatever they choose. The education system is flexible enough for the students to direct their schedule towards the career of their choice. Even though the academics at PFHS are enough for any student to want to be a part of the school the athletic department is a bonus. Athletics at PFHS are sky rocketing. The sports here have dedicated players and coaches dedicated to the players safety and personal

goals. PFHS even has an athletic conditioning program for women which most schools don’t have. Bullying and fighting is intolerable at PFHS. There are not many confrontations that have to be dealt with since the students at the school are respectful of one another and of the teachers. If a conflict should occur the situation will be dealt with care and strict discipline. PFHS a safe environment to be in. Overall PFHS is one of the greatest schools in North Idaho. If a student were to come to this school they would have the best experience of their life here. Many faculty and former students alike highly recommend Post Falls High School as a truly amazing school.

www.northwestkidsmagazine.com 17

LEARN

Water is one of the most common substances on the planet, covering about three quarters of the surface. Water is not made, but recycled though the water cycle which moves water from the planetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface to the sky and back again. You could be drinking the same water that dinosaurs drank millions of years ago! the life of a snowflake

environmental learning labs teach by doing. Learn more about the SCIENCE OF SNOW this month

by Kendra Robinson-Harding, M Ed.

Water is a liquid. When it freezes, it becomes ice. When it evaporates, it becomes a gas, more commonly known as water vapor. Water from oceans, lakes and rivers is constantly evaporating into the air. Plants put water into the air in a process called transpiration. Even people and animals help. With every exhale you take, you are putting water vapor into the air. The story of a snowflake begins with this water vapor. When you take air and cool it down, at some temperature the water vapor will begin to condense. When this happens near the ground, the water will condense on the ground as dew. Up in the sky, the water vapor condenses onto dust particles in the air, creating tiny droplets. A cloud is just a giant collection of these tiny water drops.

18 northwest kids magazine

In the winter, when the clouds get cold, the tiny drops of water begin to freeze, creating snow crystals. A snow crystal is a single crystal of ice, usually formed from a single drop of water vapor. A snowflake is an individual snow crystal, or several crystals stuck together. Now, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get confused. A snow crystal is not the same thing as sleet, which is not the same thing as freezing rain. Freezing rain is wet rain that freezes after it hits the ground. Sleet is formed when a rain drop freezes on its way to the ground. It does not have any of the same crystalline properties as snow, and is more related to hail. Snowflakes form when water vapor condenses directly into ice, which happens in the clouds.

The Geometry of Snow When water crystalizes, it tends to form a hexagonal lattice. This is a fancy way to say that it forms into a sixsided figure. The most basic form of a snow crystal is a hexagonal prism. Snow crystals come in all shapes and sizes, but all shapes are derived from this basic six-sided hexagon. There are many different forms that snowflakes can take,

ACTIVITIES AT HOME Make your own snowflake! You will need:

• including simple prisms, stellar plates, sectored plates, stellar dendrites, hollow columns, needles, and more. In fact, scientists have developed an entire classification system to help identify different types of snowflakes. Dendrites are the “fancy” snowflakes, and usually what we see on holiday decorations. Dendritic means “tree-like”, so stellar dendrites are plate-like snow crystals that have branches and side-branches. What is interesting is that the type of snow crystal formed depends on the temperature and the humidity. At the South Pole, for example, the air is very dry and cold. The snow crystals found there tend to be small, nearly perfect, hexagonal prisms. You would never see a stellar dendrite snow crystal at the South Pole. In fact, dendrites only occur in a small temperature window: between 32 and 27 F°, and again from roughly 14 to -7 F°. The largest and fanciest dendrites need the colder temperature window, and high humidity levels, to form. Why snow crystal shapes change so much with temperature remains something of a scientific mystery.

• • • •

•

White paper or origami paper Scissors Pencil

Start with a square piece of paper. If you have a normal 8.5x11 piece of paper, simply fold the paper diagonally from one corner (matching the edges) and cut off the strip at the bottom so that you have a square. Fold the square diagonally to form a triangle. Fold this triangle in half to form a smaller triangle. Imagine this triangle in thirds, and fold the right third over the middle, followed by the left third folded on top, creating a 30° angle. Cut off the uneven edge of the paper at an angle, so that all remaining layers of paper are equal. Experiment with cutting the paper at different angles; this is what makes the points of the snowflake. This next step is the fun part! Use your imagination to cut away from the sides of the paper. It is common to cut triangles into the sides, but experiment with circles, zig zags, and anything else you can think of. Kids might find it easier to cut if an adult draws shapes with a pencil for them to cut out. Carefully unfold the paper. Hang in the window, and enjoy your creations!

New Year’s Resolution... Live like there are no leashes!

Dog Grooming 509.489.2886 corner of Wall and Nebraska

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GUIDE

Second Spin Guide to Local Second-hand clothing stores by Emily Olson

I can’t recall a more thrilling shopping experience than the one I recently had at Other Mothers in the Valley during their monthly “Quarter Sale”. When I say that I walked out of that store with a garbage bag full of clothes...I’m not exaggerating! Have you ever gotten such a good deal on something that you actually felt as though you earned money during the transaction? It’s a strange sensation but one that bears repeating and passing along . Check out these great stores in Spokane & Kootenai Counties for great gets.

EASTERN WASHINGTON Savvy Moms 1510 N Argonne Ste E Spokane Valley, WA 509.892.4371 www.savvymomsale.com CLEAR OUT THE CLUTTER & EARN CASH with The Savvy Mom Sale! Tackle that growing pile of untouched toys, children’s clothing, & furniture and easily turn it into extra spending money!!! It’s the perfect solution for today’s economy! Other Mothers 2727 S Mt. Vernan St Spokane, WA 509.443.5349 10208 N. Division Spokane, WA 509.465.9499 www.othermothers.com Other Mothers stores have top-quality, gently-loved used and new women’s, children’s, baby and maternity clothes, baby furniture and toys. Other Mothers’ customers love being able to immediately get either exchange credit or cash for items their children have outgrown. Once Upon A Child 14401 E Sprague Spokane Valley, WA 509.927.3001 www.onceuponachildinlandempire.com Once Upon a Child is the nation’s largest children’s resale franchise. We buy and sell new and gently used clothing (Preemie - size 16 girls, 18/20 boys), furniture, equipment, and toys.

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Lollipop Lemondrop 23129 E Mission Ave Liberty Lake, WA 509.927.2005 www.lollipoplemondrop.com Bug-a-boos 8022 E. Green Bluff Rd. Colbert 509.238.6742 http://bugabooschildrensresale.weebly.com A consignment shop for children. We accept clothing sizes new born to size 10, we also accept maternity apparel, toys, books, furniture and equipment.

NORTH IDAHO Trader Tots 740 N Cecil Ste 112 Post Falls, ID 208.773.7506 www.facebook.com/tradertots Your consignment shop for babies, tots, tweens & moms-to-be! Babies & Beyond 4025 N Government Way Ste 7 Coeur d’Alene 208.676.8687

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G R U B C L U B

WELSH Pancakes

directions • heat together 1 cup milk and 2 tbsp. butter • when slightly cooled, beat in 2 beaten eggs • Next sift together 1\2 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1\2 tsp salt • beat into liquid mixture until smooth. • pour into heated 4 to 5 inch skillet and cook about 1 minute or until able to flip then cook another 30 to 60 seconds.

ingredients • • • •

milk • Salt Eggs • Baking Flour Powder Butter • Sugar

Butter and sugar then roll up and enjoy!

The Grub Club AUGUST

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your child here

garret

taylor

mason

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sara

kylee

evan

FEBRUARY

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your child here

HEALTH

One Dentist’s advice regarding pacifiers by Dr. Jared Evans DMD

the POWER of a PACIFIER I am regularly questioned by concerned parents about pacifier use. Some of them approach me with a shamed expression, clearly embarrassed about the situation they are in. As a dentist, I understand these parents’ concern. Others openly profess their love for their child’s fixation and assign pet names , such as “bubba,” “ginky,” “jar jar” or “pluggerdoodle,” to the one item they claim protects their sanity. As a father, I understand this affection. I often respond to both types of parents with the sentiment “there is a time for everything . . . even the binky. But, once that time has passed, move on. ” I completely support the use of a pacifier by infants. The action of rhythmic sucking optimizes an infant’s breathing and heart rate. This explains why pacifiers are recommended to help prevent SIDS. The use of a pacifier soothes a newborn. In hospital nurseries, infants

cry significantly less if they are given a pacifier between feedings. Muscular movements of the digestive tract work most efficiently when a baby is sucking. Sucking on a pacifier helps to re-regulate intestinal rhythms in babies with colic or digestive difficulties. There is a point, though, when too much of a good thing spells trouble. Children who have continued a sucking habit beyond infancy are regularly affected with crooked teeth, misaligned jaws and even speech impediments. Problems with prolonged sucking can appear beyond the mouth, too. One study has shown that children who did not use a pacifier had nearly one third less occurrence of ear infections. Prolonged sucking habits can also affect a child’s interaction with others. Children with a pacifier in their mouths can’t talk and for children who are shy, the pacifier creates an excuse to avoid expressing themselves.

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the POWER of a PACIFIER cont.

This can stunt a child’s emotional and social growth.

So when is the right time to give up the binky?

toddler, a parent can introduce limits to the availability of a pacifier. Offering a pacifier only at naptimes and at bedtime is one way to start the weaning process. If a toddler seeks out his pacifier at other times, a parent can present distractions to help him engage in other, healthy activities. As a toddler matures and starts to hone his reasoning and negotiating skills his parent can reinforce his lack of pacifier use with praise and rewards. A parent can also foster an excitement about the process by introducing ceremonies to usher the child to a more mature and “grown up” phase of life.

Not during infancy. There are both physical and psychological reasons to encourage the use of a pacifier through and beyond a baby’s first year. Once a child has reached preschool age, however, there is no benefit to sucking. Parents of children this age who haven’t given up the habit already should take measures to stop the habit before Kindergarten, especially if there are protruding, Resolve now to determine what crooked teeth or their child’s lips you, as a parent, should do to help are flaring and are difficult to your child move away from the use of a pacifier. In the close. Another sign spirit of New Year’s of an excessive habit There are steps resolutions, our office is the continuation that a parent can will be inviting the of sucking vigorously take at all stages Pacifier Fairy to help throughout the of their child’s encourage children at night. If a sucking development. whatever stage they habit continues into are in. Children who a child’s school years, visit KiDDS Dental it is unlikely that the during the event can meet the effects can be fixed without the fairy, hear her read stories about help of an orthodontist. other children who have stopped There are steps that a parent can a sucking habit, and leave their take at all stages of their child’s pacifier on the Binky Tree in development. Introducing the exchange for a gift. Even if a child pacifier in the right way, early in isn’t ready to let go of his binky, life, sets up a child for successful it is an opportunity for parents to weaning later in life. Parents of introduce the idea of weaning and infants should not offer a pacifier to expose the child to others who unless their baby is fussing. When have succeeded. It’s a positive a child is fussing, they should first experience where we emphasize spend a moment to evaluate if the excitement of growing up. something other than a pacifier might solve the problem. To Jared D. Evans DMD, Pediatric Dentist discover the underlying difficulty practicing at KiDDS Dental, 1327 N. Stanford and then address it teaches Lane, Suite B in Liberty Lake, WA. even the youngest infant to deal with distress by problem-solving instead of mouth-filling. Once a child has reached the status of

24 northwest kids magazine

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Don’t Hate Me Because I Say No!!! by Shelley heppler

aying “no” is one of the most difficult things for women to do. Why? Traditionally women have been trained to be caretakers. How many families expect the mother to take care of everything from making everyone’s beds to balancing the checkbook to organizing the school fundraiser? If you are feeling overwhelmed and tired or you wonder where time for you fits in, maybe new attitudes and behavior patterns need to be developed. Recognize the limits of your time and energy. Make a list of your commitments and prioritize them. Ask yourself, “How much do I want to do this?” Rate it on a scale from 0-10. Then ask, “How important is this?” Again, rate from 0-10. If you get a combined score of 10 or more, then do it! If your score is less than this, consider saying no. If saying no is not currently in your vocabulary, it may take time and determination. The change will feel uncomfortable for many; some will encounter resistance and frustration. It may take months or even years to feel okay about saying no, refusing to clean up others’ messes, not always driving the soccer team to practice, delegating responsibility to others. It will not be easy to hold fast when others try to manipulate you into giving in and going back to your “old accommodating self.” However, it is necessary to break these habits. The alternative is burnout at best, physical or mental breakdown at worst. Who in your life do you need to say no to? Is it the neighbor who “guilts” you into watching her children while she gets her nails done? How about your forgetful child who constantly needs you to bring lunch money to school? Maybe it’s the manager who flatters you into planning the office holiday event.

gruent to your agenda usually happens when you are caught off guard? Someone has some how convinced you to get involved in their project or they desperately need your expertise for an urgent assignment. It’s women’s tendency to want to be helpful. How often after you have spontaneously said yes to someone’s request, you say to yourself, “Oh, why did I say yes again?” Practice an answer before you are ambushed. You might memorize something like this, “Let me give it some thought and get back to you.” This gives you a time-out, time to think before you commit yet again. If you decide you want to help and it’s important, feel free to say yes. If you choose no, you might say, “After looking at my commitments, I realize that I will not be able to give you a hand at this time.” or “With the commitments I have already made to others, I can’t do it justice.” Practice these phrases over and over until they become second nature to you. Consider using technology to help you. The caller ID function on your phone is there for a reason! Use it to screen calls. You are under no obligation to answer your phone, let the caller leave a message. This is another way to take a time-out, giving you an opportunity to plan your response according to your needs. How do you say no to a child or a spouse? Sometimes a simple no is appropriate. However, there will be times when you need to describe why you cannot say yes. Express why no is your answer; be specific in giving your reason, and explain the consequences if you were to say yes. Resist the urge to be all things to all people! Sometimes saying no is a good thing.

Have you found that committing to something incon-

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Juvenile diabetes Diabetes Doesn’t Discriminate. how to Get an “A” on Managing Diabetes by LISA Randall

hildren, like adults, have different personalities, even within the same family. We often see this with their attitudes and habits about homework, schedules and chores around the house. As with many things, the way children approach diabetes management is influenced by their personality. It is interesting to think about how the personality of the child has the potential to impact how they deal with the daily requirements of diabetes. In the case of homework, there are kids who wouldn’t consider turning their homework in late. Then there are kids who struggle to complete their homework and get it in on time. The need for an assignment to be done doesn’t go away if they don’t do it on time; they still need to complete the task. Even if they do a bang up job and turn it in late, they still won’t get the full credit because it wasn’t done in a timely manner. As parents we may argue “If you have to do it anyway, why don’t you do it in the timeframe allowed?” Now translate these common behaviors to kids with type 1 diabetes. What happens if they choose not to check their blood sugar and dose their insulin this Thursday morning? Thursday afternoon there may be a problem with blood sugar. Or what if they get busy and don’t think about what that dance is going to do to their blood sugar levels? There may be a problem at 2 a.m. with a low blood sugar. Or what if they just get tired of counting carbohydrates at every meal and choose not to? They may not know what their blood sugars are. This makes diabetes difficult to control.

26 northwest kids magazine

Type 1 diabetes is a 24/7/365 disease; it doesn’t go away. Everyday decisions need to be made about food, exercise, sleep and insulin. On top of this, every decision a person with diabetes makes, whether conscious or unconscious, will impact what decisions need to be made later. Even if the decision is made to do nothing it will require another decision to be made later; all decisions are interrelated. There are many tools and resources to help a kid with type 1 diabetes make good decisions, including newer insulin’s that function closer to the way normal insulin in the body works, insulin pens, insulin pumps and carbohydrate counting tools, as well as community and national resources for support. All of these tools help improve the ability to control blood sugars, but the overall effectiveness of the tools falls with how they are used. It can be complicated to control blood sugar for a child with type 1 diabetes. This is true whether they are 4 or 14. Children don’t have the capacity to think like adults and they have trouble relating long term consequences to current behavior. Sure, some kids are better than others at this, but we can’t expect a child to make the kind of decisions an adult would make. Just when you think you have figured out the routine stuff with diabetes, you have to consider the things that happen in life that you don’t have control over, like catching a cold or eating something that didn’t agree with you. There are many events in life that people who don’t have diabetes have happen to them and it may make their day or week inconvenient, but they don’t have to make major adjustments to a daily (or even hourly) schedule that may already be imperfect.

ment when times are good makes the unplanned events a little less overwhelming. Understanding the best insulin dosages, methods of delivery whether pen or pump, changes in therapies that need to be made when there are changes in routine will all help. Also, understanding what resources are available in the community for assistance with questions and support are invaluable. Most primary care physicians do not have classroom settings available in their practices to provide education. However, they can refer patients to locations throughout the Inland Northwest that provide excellent education on diabetes management given by certified diabetic educators (CDE) who have valuable clinical experience in educating diabetics and family members.

This is where the role of parent or guardian needs to take action to help set youngsters with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes off on the right foot. Children have no concept of the long-term negative health effects of diabetes. The parent needs to mentor them along with other responsibilities that they face in life. This places immense pressure on the family, but none the less, evidence proves that good educational training, early on in diabetes management will yield enormous health benefits for the child later on in life. Parents of diabetic children need to help mentor the child in proper ways to measure food, treat low and high blood sugars, learn carb to insulin ratios, calculate proper insulin doses based on blood sugar levels and diet. The list goes on and on. The key here is that parent needs to take a role in the training early on and set the stage for the child to take care of themselves as they get older. Children typically will not grasp the seriousness of this disease until they themselves mature into their late teens. There are exceptions of course. There also is no question that stewardship of a diabetic teenager’s selfmanagement is influenced by the care and mentorship given to them as a child. Please notice the word “mentor” is mentioned quite frequently here. There is a fine line between mentoring and caretaking. Mentorship sets the child up to take care of themselves successfully in their later years. This will not happen if parents overly protect and care for the diabetic child by not making the child take some responsibility for their own care as early as possible.

Aside from the medical community and local chapters of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), there are online organizations and websites with chat rooms and blogs to discuss anything from someone else’s experience with different insulin to what to consider when you travel out of the country. There are opportunities to vent frustration, get emotional support, see where others are and identify opportunities to help other people. All of these activities are important to people with diabetes to consider and, depending on their personalities and what they need for support, offer opportunities to become more informed and improve their diabetes management. Type 1 diabetes doesn’t discriminate against personality types. It doesn’t pick and choose from those with organization skills. Life is often less of a struggle if making decisions about food, activity and insulin is done in an organized and thoughtful way. We often see children with diabetes grow up faster, they are often more mature at an earlier age because of the responsibilities type 1 diabetes puts on their daily life. This becomes necessary for good diabetes management. The ultimate goal is to see a child grow into a young adult and maturely deal and handle themselves with the disease. _________________________________________________________ Lisa Randall, RD, LD, CDE Registered Dietitian, Licensed Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator with the CHER Diabetes Education Center. Lisa received her degree in nutrition from Oregon State University and completed her dietetic internship at Indiana University Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN. Lisa has practiced in the field of nutrition for 27 years and has been a diabetes educator for 8 years. Ken Seymour Engineer and type 1 diabetic Ken received his BSEE degree from the University of Portland and has been a type 1 diabetic for over 50 years, since age 4. Ken practices intensive diabetes management.

The goal is to do everything possible to minimize long-term complications. In a poorly controlled diabetic (continual high blood sugars and high A1c levels) complications can start in as little as 10 years or sooner depending upon the genes, health profile of the patient and how well-controlled they are. Children are not concerned with long-term complications. Sure, they may feel sick when their blood sugar is high for a while. But they will typically forget, move on and not stop to think about good control and future complications. On the other hand, another goal of the parent is to impress these issues subtly on their children without ever using pressure or guilt tactics. Some of the major complications of uncontrolled diabetes include: heart and kidney disease, eye and foot complications, high blood pressure and peripheral arterial disease. These are but a few of the challenges a diabetic faces later on in their life. That is why it is critical to “properly” educate parents and diabetics on the detriments of not starting good management techniques soon after their diagnosis. Using the best tools available and being consistent with manage-

Lisa Randall

www.northwestkidsmagazine.com 27

“This year I promise to eat better.”

Help your dog live up to her New Year’s resolution! We provide expert advice about pet nutrition.

Prairie Dog: Only holistic pet food and treats!

and

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beautiful photo studio whimsically elegant photography

yourbeautifulphoto.com 28 northwest kids magazine

ADVICE

Every month readers can ask our expert the how, why, when and is this normal of any situation. by shelley Northern

spill it sister... Shelley Northern earned her Bachelor Degree in Nursing from Johns Hopkins University in 1994 and her certificate in nurse-midwifery from the University of Washington in 2008. Is currently a practicing Midwife at Sacred Heart Hospital and is the keeper of all the secrets related to women’s health!

One of the things I have learned providing health care to women over the years is the labor and birth process is undeniably demanding. At no other time in your life will you be expected to withstand extreme physical challenges for a prolonged period of time; while consciously or subconsciously sort through internal emotional roadblocks; and at the finish line be handed life’s greatest gift which demands every ounce of your body and soul for the next 18 years. If you ask me, this makes the Valley Girl Sprint-Triathlon look like a walk in the park. I don’t know about you but I would not show up to the Valley Girl without some forethought, training, and a strategy to finish the race intact. Childbirth is no different. Whether you are choosing a home birth or hospital birth, natural birth or an epidural, take the time during your pregnancy to educate yourself about your options.

In the 1970s one of the first formalized childbirth preparation classes known as Lamaze gained quick popularity in the United States. Lamaze instruction, which is rooted in natural childbirth preparation, offered American women an opportunity to educate themselves about their bodies and the natural process of labor and birth. Since the 1970s several additional forms of childbirth preparation instruction have been created such as the Bradley Method, Hypnobirthing and Birthing From Within. Our generation is fortunate to be birthing during a time in which there are many options to educate and inform ourselves in an effort to have a safe and positive birth experience. In addition to being an informed “birther” it is equally vital to having realistic expectations and obtainable goals during labor. I often tell my patients you never know what deck of cards you will be dealt when you go into labor. If you go into the process with a regimented plan you may be disappointed and feel let down about your birth experience to say the least. On the contrary, taking the time to inform yourself of your options, dedicating energy to preparing and keeping an open mind as you maneuver through your labor will in the end serve you well and make for a very satisfying and safe birth experience for everyone involved, including your provider, your partner and most importantly you and your baby.

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Why

great ideas from other cities that we’d love to see here

Not Here?

The Idea

The open structure of Free Skool’s are intended to encourage self-reliance, critical consciousness, and personal development. Free Skools have their roots in Spain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when nonCatholics wanted access to education outside of the National School System there.. Free Skool’s are, at heart, non-institutional, non-authoritarian, cooperative learning environments. Generally, Skools are formed at a grassroots level by a group of individuals acting collectively and autonomously to create educational opportunities and promote

No need to board an old-school bus...Free Skool is all around you.

30 northwest kids magazine

skill-sharing within their communities. Every month a new calendar is posted with class offerings and people show up and learn. No money changes hands, just knowledge.

The Players

learned have been from their children...well, they too then are perfect teachers for us all!

The Bottom Line

jumP By the hour

CorPorate Parties

airoBiCs Classes

dodgeBall

“Best Birthday Party in sPokane County!” - Zack Olson, 15

Family PaCks

(509) 321-JUMP www.JumpSkyHigh.com

1322 E Front Ave Spokane

Ditch the Binky in 2012!

Meet the Pacifier Fairy Feb 4th 10-11:30 am

509-891-7070