XYZ Summer 2010

[ everything for Topeka families ]

first tee golf swing + life skills

Mulvane education in NOTO the picky eater goes out to eat

ultimate bargain hunter: how your family can save hundreds SUMMER 2010

$3.95 FREE Premiere Issue xyztopeka.com

XYZ xyztopeka.com

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SPECIAL DELIVERY Topeka’s Only Neonatal Intensive Care

“When I see other expectant parents, and they ask where to go, I definitely say Stormont-Vail.”

-Sara Du Toit, mother of twins born at Stormont-Vail

With Topeka’s only Neonatal Intensive Care unit,

You may not need newborn intensive care, but just in

Stormont-Vail is the best choice for high-risk deliveries.

case, you can rest easier knowing that when you deliver

It also makes us the best choice for natural, routine

your baby at Stormont-Vail, the highest level of care

mother and baby care.

available is there if you need it.

• A Neonatologist in-house 24/7 means a doctor with special training in newborn intensive care can be there to care for your baby at a moment’s notice.

• Our specialized Neonatal Intensive Care department

Stormont-Vail HealthCare is proud to be recognized as a Magnet™ organization by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

features 27 private rooms, providing privacy for the family and the opportunity for the best outcomes for babies.

• Our experienced, specially trained nurses care for newborns with intensive care needs with the perfect blend of clinical expertise and caring touch.

1500 S.W. 10th Ave. • (785) 354-6000 www.stormontvail.org

XYZ Magazine | Vol. I • Issue I | Summer 2010

[ what’s inside ] arts + entertainment lifestyle 26 a little stage savvy

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local threads

TCTA is offering summer classes to pull your little Molly started with tutu’s and now her local business, TuTu Cute by Molly, has drama queen or king out of a summer slump. gotten so popular, she’s providing whole wardrobes for little ones.

40 birdhouse for the soul “The Birdhouse Project,” a book by local author Jeff Fouquet, seeks to help teens overcome loss by funneling emotion into creating functional and poignant works of art.

10 first tee

The First Tee program teaches youngsters to swing like the club is simply an extension of their arms. But it also teaches them to treat golf like it’s an extension of The Mulvane Art Museum reaches out to bring art life. Learn about First Tee and decide, is instruction to kids at the Topeka Rescue Mission. golf right for you (and your kid)?

40 reaching out

local flavor 18 smell your way

For kids, the Farmers’ Market is two-bagillion times cooler than the grocery store. How to make it even cooler? Turn Saturday morning forays into a treasure hunt.

18 compromise

At O’Dooley’s, the Guinness flows and the entertainment provides the best version of “Twinkle, Twinkle” you’ll hear in T-Town. When Kyler Carpenter sings at the pub, kids and parents win.

IN EVERY ISSUE

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23 splash

An ex-lifeguard and self-proclaimed public pool master gives the skinny on dips at the public pool. Everything from dress code to, um, water contamination – it’s all in the guide.

42 girl, you know I’ve got a coupon for that

“Bargain Sister” Winter Ball saves thousands every year on groceries. How does she do it? A steel trap mind and a patience for cutting out coupons. Sound monotonous? She’ll teach you how to make it an art.

4 letter from editor 16 resource feature 6 community events Parents as Teachers is a Everything lively to do resource for local parents this usmmer in Topeka, who want to learn how to without breaking the bank be their child’s first teacher, or breaking a sweat. Wait, and have a little fun in the it’s summer. You’ll definitely process. break a sweat.

28 cd reviews 30 the picky eater goes out ABBA and They Might Be to eat Giants.

30 cool kid’s rooms the bouncy space Camp’s room, with its handmade “rocking bird,” original, ethereal artworks and lizard lamp, make for one bouncy and colorful space, just like Camp himself.

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44 37 cool bday parties The Jet Ultra Lounge 38 recipes 44 imagination section Includes an art project, what to read now, find the photo differences, heard + noted and create the story.

Do the projects together and have fun.

[ everything for Topeka families ]

[ letter from the editor ]

kids in tow

Kerrice Mapes Publisher

W

hen you ask my three-yearold daughter Sylvia what her mama does for a living, she provides a disinterested, recited response: “She makes a magazine.”

I forgive her for her lack of enthusiasm, because I usually help to create a magazine that has little to do with Sylvia’s priorities.

In four years of seveneightfive magazine, we have covered lifestyle, art, entertainment and local flavor without giving too much consideration to how children fit in. But time and time again, they are towed to the ArtWalk, the concerts, the restaurants, the Farmer’s Market and the theater. Families are very much a part of the fabric of this town. Topeka has a thriving arts and entertainment community that contains parents who want to educate their kids about the arts while enjoying it themselves.

Our staff represents just a small portion of that demographic – we are people with kids in our lives who want to share with them what we already know about our city. If you want a date night complete with drinks and dancing or want to read up on

Leah Sewell Editor-in-Chief Writers Ande Davis Melissa Sewell Cale Herrman Bailey Marable Janice Watkins Photographers EJ Drake David Kitchner Colin MacMillan Brie Martin Matt Porubsky Art + Production Karli Davis Kerrice Mapes Justin Marable Leah Sewell

Sylvia + Me

cultural happenings in Topeka to the soft static of the baby monitor, seveneightfive is there for you. We’ve got you covered. But if you want to experience the city from a child’s eyes – your child’s eyes – well, simply read on. I am proud to introduce XYZ magazine to Topeka families.

And I think Sylvia just might be proud of this magazine, too.

on the cover Summer 2010 photo by Colin MacMillan / Nathan Ham Photography A class of fourth graders display the varying colors of sand they’ve chosen for their art projects at the Mulvane Art Museum’s ArtLab.

Advertising Kerrice Mapes Brie Martin Melissa Sewell Jennifer Falley Matt Porubsky xyztopeka@gmail.com 785.249.3126 calendar Heather McKee Marketing / Website Social Media / Distribution Andrea Austin Jay Bachman Rio Cerventes-Reed Alice Hunt Leah Sewell Kerrice Mapes Erin Wynkoop Administration Elizabeth Bell Reprints + Permission No part of XYZ may be reproduced in any form without prior consent from seveneightfive designs. For permission requests, call 785.249.3126 or email kerrice@seveneightfive.com Opinions or advice of columnists are not necessarily those of the publication.

XYZ MAGAZINE xyztopeka@gmail.com P.O. Box 750491 Topeka, KS 66675

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xyztopeka.com XYZ

XYZ Contributors

[ our gang ] 1

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5. colin macmillan Colin is a professional photographer right here in Topeka, where he currently heads the Wedding Division for Nathan Ham Photography. You’re sure to bump into Colin, his wife Grace, and 2-year-old son Liam at any of the numerous events going on in Topeka.

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6. heather mckee Heather was born and raised in Topeka, moved away for 8 years and then came back. It was the best decision she ever made. She is a stay-at-home mom of three. She is also the founder and web editor of TopekaParents.com

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7. cale herreman Cale Herreman is a Topeka-based father and writer. He is left-handed and enjoys cookies.

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8.david kitchner David likes his middle name a lot, which is Louis. He works for Gizmo Pictures and dances ridiculously when nobody’s looking.

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9. melissa sewell (pictured with sister Leah) Melissa is a writer, editor and poet, but mostly a mother to a sassy three year-old girl.

Melissa grows her own tomatoes, purposely embarrasses herself at social events and rearranges her furniture when she’s upset.

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10. Janice watkins Janice is a Topeka-native and mother of two. By day she is a non-profit guru and by night she is the bearer of many hats, including aspiring writer.

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13 1. kerrice mapes Was born with a thick-head of dark brown hair and vocal cords that wouln’t quit. In school, checkmarks quickly became her favorite glypth. She has always pushed the rules and socializeed too much - things that don’t get her into as much trouble now. She is also an honorary, self-proclaimed “cool” aunt.

2. leah Sewell Leah used to make magazines out of construction paper, glue and cut-up family photos. She was grounded a lot as a kid. Today she’s the editor of seveneightfive magazine, XYZ magazine and mother to Sylvia, 3, and Oliver, 1.

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3. brie martin Brie is a born and raised Kansan who is a corporate office monkey by day and a hobbyist photographer by night (and any other times she can fit it in).

She’s also a pseudo-aunt to many of her Topeka friends’ awesome kids.

4. matt porubsky Matt is a born and bred Topekan, codirector of “Porubsky’s - Transcendent Deli” and sometimes drives a choochoo train. He is daddy to Sylvia, 3, and Oliver, 1.

11. justin marable Justin currently resides in the Kenwood neighborhood of Topeka with his wife and two daughters. He works full time at his home as an artist, husband and father.

Visit www.justinmarable.com to see more of his artwork.

12. bailey marable Bailey is mother of Ginger/Finn (due in December), Willow and Kassy, and an Art Teacher at Royal Valley High School. She teaches metalsmithing classes for adults, makes jewelry and is very involved with the ReThink Topeka Movement.

13. ande davis Ande enjoys playing with Legos and GI Joes, eating pizza, reading essays on comparative literature, and recently completed potty training. When he grows up, he wants to edit magazines and teach English.

14. karli davis Karli has long since kicked her apple juice addiction, and today is a productive member of society, contributing her design skills to XYZ and seveneightfive magazines. She’s married to a much hairier version of Ande Davis these days, chasing their cat and dog around the house.

15. EJ Drake Born and raised in Topeka, EJ loves the art of photography.

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community events mppiilleedd bbyy H Heeaatthheerr M MccK Kee ee •• dd ee ss ii gg nn ee dd bb yy K K aa rr ll ii D D aa vv ii ss ccoom

2nd Annual Annual 2nd Topeka Treasure Treasure hunt hunt Topeka Now through through July July 19 19 Now

fiesta Mexicana July 13-17

Thee Topeka Topeka Treasure Treasure Th Huntstarts startsby bypicking picking Hunt up aa starter starter packet packet at at up Visit Topeka, Topeka, 1275 1275 Visit SW Topeka Topeka Blvd, Blvd, Monday Monday –– Friday, Friday, 7:45am 7:45am –– 5pm.

5pm. Th Thee starter starter packet packet SW includesthe thefifirst rstclue, clue, to to get get you you started started on on an an adventure adventure that that will will take take includes you to 15 locations around the city.

At each location, fi nd the treasure you to 15 locations around the city. At each location, find the treasure chest, take take aa photo photo at at the the designated designated site site and and continue continue the the journey. journey. chest, There ere isis aa special special prize prize for for the the fifirst rst 100 100 participants participants who who return return their their Th photo album album to to the the offi office, ce, and and all all entries entries returned returned by

by July July 19th 19th will will be be photo enteredin in aa prize prize drawing. drawing. entered Alllocations locationsare arefree, free, and and the the rate rate at at which which you you do do the the treasure treasure hunt hunt isis All up to to you. you. itit can can be be done done in in one one day, day, one one weekend, weekend, or or over over the the course course up of aa week. week. Th Thee Topeka Topeka Treasure Treasure Hunt Hunt isis great great for for kids kids of of all all ages, ages, and and of especially fun fun for for the the entire entire family. family. www.visittopeka.com www.visittopeka.com especially

huff huff ‘n ‘n Puff Puff hot hot air air balloon balloon rally rally September September 10-12 10-12 As As part part of of the the annual annual Huff Huff ‘n ‘n Puff Puff Hot Hot Air Air Balloon Balloon Rally, Rally, children children can can experience experience the the thrill thrill of of hot hot air air ballooning ballooning with with the theBalloon BalloonDiscovery DiscoveryWorkshop, Workshop,September September 11, 11, 1:30-4:30 1:30-4:30p.m. p.m.Designed Designedfor forfourth fourththrough throughsixth sixth graders, graders, participants participants will will learn learn the the fun fun physics physics of of hot hot air air rising rising as as they they construct construct their their own own miniature miniature hot hot air air balloon. balloon. Registration Registration costs costs $25 $25 and class size is limited.

All Huff ‘n Puff events and class size is limited. All Huff ‘n Puff events take take place place at at Tinman Tinman Circle Circle at at Lake Lake Shawnee.

Shawnee.

Visit Visithuff huff-n-puff -n-puff.org .orgfor formore moreinformation. information.

Jazz Jazz in in July July July July 18, 18, 6:30 6:30 p.m. p.m.

Now in in its its 77th 77th year, year, the the Fiesta Fiesta Mexicana Now will be be taking taking place place again again at at Our Our Lady of will Guadalupe Church, Church, 201 201 NE NE Chandler.

Chandler. in Guadalupe addition to to the the great great food, food, the the Fiesta Fiesta has addition musicians, traditional traditional dancing, dancing, aa carnival musicians, and an an art art show. show. Don’t Don’t forget forget to to check out and the Kids’ Kids’ Zone, Zone, where where children children of of all all ages can the see what what the the Fiesta Fiesta has has to to off offer. er. Th This year’s see theme, “Heart “Heart of of the the People, People,”” keeps keeps alive the theme, love and and spirit spirit that that we we all all possess possess as as children, love with eyes eyes wide wide open open to to the the world world that that awaits with them and and with with each each passing passing day day excited them about the the joys joys of of life. life. about For more more information, information, visit visit the the offi official Fiesta For Mexicana website website at at www.olg-parish.org/ www.olg-parish.org/ Mexicana esta. fifiesta.

8th 8th Annual Annual Grant-Bradbury Prairie Jaunt June June 24, 6:30 p.m.-Dark Directions: Directions: Take Take Topeka Topeka Blvd Blvd south, south, past past Pauline, Pauline, to to the the University University Blvd Blvdintersection intersection(stoplight), (stoplight),take takeaaright. right.Take TakeUniversity Universitywest westabout half half aa mile mile -- when when the the road road curves curves south, south, you you are are at at the the driveway driveway to the the park park gate. gate. Th There ere isis aa small small building building at at the the driveway. driveway.

Bring Bringthe thewhole wholefamily, family,join jointhe theKansas KansasNative Native Plant Plant Society Society (KNPS) and and enjoy enjoy an an evening evening at at Topeka’s Topeka’s premiere premiere prairie prairie park. park. This 80acre acre pristine pristine tallgrass tallgrass prairie prairie contains contains over over 300 300 plant plant species. species. Jeff Hansen, Hansen, wildfl wildflower ower expert, expert, will will lead lead the the tour tour where where you you will learn and andsee seethe theplants plantsand andanimals animalsof ofthe theprairie. prairie.Bring Bring aa camera camera because the the spring spring wildfl wildflowers owers will will be be at at their their peak. peak. Wear Wear long long pants and sturdy shoes.

Contact Jeff Hansen, handjd@cox.net, sturdy shoes. Contact Jeff Hansen, handjd@cox.net, or or (785) (785) 8066917 6917 ifif you you plan plan to to attend. attend. www.kansasnativeplantsociety.org www.kansasnativeplantsociety.org

Craig Craig Treinen Treinen Jazz Jazz Quartet Quartet will will perform perform at at the the Ted Ted Ensley Ensley Garden Pergola.

Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, a Garden Pergola. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, a snack, snack, and and your your family, family, to to enjoy enjoy this this great great jazz jazz band band at at one one of of the the most most beautiful beautiful places places in in Topeka.

Th Thee Ted Ted Ensley Ensley Garden Garden isis located located at at SE SE 37th 37th Street Street and and West West Edge Edge Rd Rd at at Lake Lake Shawnee.

Shawnee. http://scprfoundation.org/foteg http://scprfoundation.org/foteg

stone Nature center Live at the Library July 1, 3:45 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Come to the Topeka Shawnee County Public Library’s Marvin Auditorium and meet some of Stone Nature Center’s animal residents up close.

Wildlife naturalists from the center will be there to help you separate animal fact from fiction. The library is located at 1515 SW 10th Ave. For more information call 785-580-4565 www.thevillagesinc.org

summer safari Nights at the Zoo June 25 & July 30, 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

Join Friends of the Topeka Zoo for a night of fun including enrichment activities, behindthe-scenes tours, inflatables for kids, and elephant painting from 5 to 8 pm. Dinner will be available on-site from 5 to 7 pm. for $5 per person.

This will be great fun family entertainment!

Admission to this special event is free for FOTZ members., and $15 per person for non-members. Memberships will be available for purchase at the gate. The zoo is located at 635 SW Gage Blvd, inside Gage Park. http://topekazoo. org

sundown film festival July 16, 23, & 30, 9 p.m. (movie starts) This is one of the community’s favorite summertime family events! Films are projected on a giant screen on the lawn of the Kansas Historical Society. This year’s festival films include: 7/16 The Muppet Movie(G),7/23 American Graffiti(PG), 7/30 Rebel Without a Cause (not rated).

Bring your blankets and/or lawn chairs *Come early (the plaza fills up fast!) * Set up on the grass, then stroll over to the museum to visit the main gallery for free from 5 to 9 p.m. The movie starts at sundown, usually around 9 p.m. Bug spray is always a good idea on a muggy summer night. Concessions are offered until about 30 minutes into the film.

Support the festival by buying concessions and/or making donations! in case of rain, the event will be moved inside to the museum lobby. The museum is located at 6425 SW 6th Ave. www.kshs.org/news

imago dei June 28 through July 2, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

This annual art workshop is hosted by the Mosaic Youth Group at Lion & Lamb Church, and is held at Cair Paravel Latin School, 7th and Clay.

Middle-school and highschool age students are welcome to join this years workshops in; collage, stopmotion animation, recycled art and music. There will be a reception Friday night at World Cup in the Washburn View Shopping Center at 21st & Washburn. The cost is $5 per night or $20 for the week.

summer sunset concert series at Old Prairie Town July 10, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

Enjoy the beautiful Old Prairie Town and watch the sunset while listening to some great local artists. Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, and family to dance the evening away under the blue skies. Old Prairie town is located at 1st and Clay.

Cost is $2 at the gate, 10 and under free. www.topeka.org/parksrec

got an event you want listed?

We want to get your family-friendly events listed in our calendar. it’s free! Just contact us at mckee.xyz@gmail.com with your event info and a logo if you have one. Please keep in mind that we publish on a quarterly schedule, so we try to fit a season’s worth of events into each issue.

XYZ xyztopeka.com

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[ lifestyle ]

local threads

Y

by Leah Sewell • photos by Chelsea Dekok | ACM Photography or contributed by Molly Hall

Clothes as unique as your child.

ou fork over hard-earned cash to buy clothes for your little ones that they grow out of too soon, and it’s too often that you’ll show up to the playground and find that several other kids are wearing that same graphic tee from Old Navy that your kid is wearing. One small business in Topeka is providing an option for kids’ clothes that is the exact opposite of run-of-themill outlets like the GAP and Old Navy.

burp cloths, tutus, headbands and “ruffle-butt” bloomers

TuTu Cute by Molly email: tutucutebymolly@yahoo.com

Molly Hall’s business, TuTu Cute by Molly, arose out of one mom’s desire for originality. When Molly began creating her own children’s and babies’ clothing designs in her Topeka home and gave them as gifts at baby showers, she realized that one-of-a-kind pieces were highly sought out by parents.

“Anytime I gave a gift, it was a huge hit, and everyone wanted to know where I got it and how much it cost,” she said.

She noticed a prevalence for tutu’s on sale for babies and small girls. With this design as her first big item, Molly named her business TuTu Cute. Today, she admins a Facebook page and runs a Blogspot site that drum up enough business to keep her sewing during the moments in between.

blog: tutucutebymolly.blogspot.com facebook: TuTu Cute by Molly

Molly Hall, designer

that can be worn in different ways as the girl grows or shirts that are adaptable to all seasons. As a mom, she knows how much you can spend on a child’s wardrobe and thinks you ought to get your money’s worth.

Molly’s interactions with her clients are on a personal level which makes for ease in ordering customized clothing that reflects the child’s true personality and big events in their life.

“If someone tells me their child has a third birthday coming up, they might want the number ‘3’ and a personal image, like a lollipop or a cupcake,” she said. “I’ve had special orders for matching shirts for siblings’ pictures.”

“I do it during nap time and in the evenings, sometimes on and off throughout the day,” said Molly.

Molly has a booth at the Downtown Topeka Farmers Market every Saturday from 7:30 a.m. – noon where she’ll take special orders and also has the full line on display and pieces for sale.

The line includes tutu’s, of course, pillowcase dresses, nice burp cloths, rosettes, bows, tiered dresses, onesie dresses, nursing covers, customized appliqué tees for boys and girls and even a few things for Mama.

If you “like” her page, TuTu Cute by Molly, you will become aware of monthly specials and join a community of parents and grandparents who love unique and locally-produced clothing for their kids. It beats heading to the mall yet again to buy factory-made clothing at the GAP.

“Moms love to buy things for their children, but I think they also need to buy some things for themselves,” she said.

She also tries to design clothes for longevity, making dresses

“It isn’t anything you’re going to find in a store,” said Molly. “It’s all handmade, boutique quality that you can’t find anywhere else.”

XYZ xyztopeka.com

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first tee

b y J a n i c e Wa t k i n s • p h o t o s b y C o l i n M a c M i l l a n / N a t h a n H a m P h o t o g r a p h y

[ feature ]

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xyztopeka.com XYZ

“Fore!” A perfect chunk of grassy green flies through the air, with a shiny white ball chasing its tail and then taking flight across the course. With the gusto of the hit and command of the forewarning, you would expect to see a semi-professional standing at the helm of the nine-iron.

around the green

While she could certainly pass for a semi-professional given her current skill-set, 13-year old, Taylor Holmer, daughter of Shawn and Michelle Holmer, Topeka, stands with a small frame and a gleaming smile of braces, surprising those around her with her commanding presence and knack for the game that you wouldn’t expect many teenage girls to learn with such dedication.

“I’ve learned all the rules of golf and learned to respect other people on the golf course, “ notes Taylor of her more than three years of participation in the First Tee Program of Shawnee County.

First Tee, an initiative of the World Golf Foundation and a program of Topeka’s Community Action, Inc., is designed to aid in youth development by teaching program participants about life skills and discipline via the game of golf. It focuses on promoting character development and life values, while teaching the rules of the game.

Taylor took up the game of golf in her early youth by participating in programs offered through Shawnee County Parks and Recreation. When her dad called around the next summer to see if the program she participated in previously was going to be offered for a second year, he was informed of First Tee. Taylor, a participant of the First Tee Program of Shawnee County since its inception in 1997, has grown in both her life and golf skills since that first year.

“They made me shake hands with other people and be really outgoing and I didn’t want to do it. At first they didn’t teach us about golf. They taught us about life skills.”

First Tee sets certification goals for its participants by allowing them to meet their golf skill goals and life skill goals, which are cleverly named to match the strokes of a golf hole. Taylor, once par-certified, is now at birdie level and striving for eagle in the near future.

She strives to meet her goal by participating in First Tee for twelve weeks each summer, once a week for two hours. The group first learns a lesson and then heads to the golf course.

“We meet in front of the pro shop and meet in groups of girls our age and then golf nine holes. It’s a lot more fun when you golf with friends.”

Mother, Michelle, has noted many positive improvements in Taylor since she joined First Tee and believed it helped when Taylor started middle school this past fall.

“I felt like it helped her with leadership skills and increasing self-esteem.”

The Holmers noting the positive experience that Taylor gained from her experience with First Tee, have now enrolled son, Jared, 9, in the program, as well.

• Interested in enrolling your future PGA member in the First Tee Program? Contact Elmer Robinson, Site Coordinator, 621 SE Swygart, Topeka, 785235-9296 • Great Life Golf and Fitness (Berkshire) offers a Junior Golf League for children, age 5-17.

For more information visit www.greatlifegolf. com, or contact Garrett Rediker, at 785-2004447.

• Interested in just a relaxing day with the iconic dinosaur and a hold where your kids will run screaming from a spider? Head on down to the Topeka Sports Center for a round of “goonie” golf - 6545 Southwest 10th Avenue, Topeka, 785272-5522

learn more ab out kids’ golf on the next page>> XYZ xyztopeka.com

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get swinging is golf the right sport for you (and your kid)?

by Ande Davis photo by Colin MacMillan / Nathan Ham Photography

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e asked Scot Weller, General Manager of Cypress Ridge Golf Course and PGA Class A member, a few questions about getting your child involved in golf.

What’s a good age to get your kid on the course?

It’s based on their maturity factor and attention span, but a good age to start can be anywhere between five and eight. “Ideally around seven or eight is good,” says Weller, “but some kids do mature faster and can start a little earlier.” In other words, unless your kid’s name is Tiger, getting them out on the putting green at two might not help too much.

How can I cut down on equipment costs?

Topeka has seven 18-hole golf courses and two 9-hole courses

Look around for used clubs. Check area used sporting goods stores, or the internet has fantastic deals on used gear. “Whatever you do,” says Weller, “don’t cut an adult club down to a child’s size, because it just makes it an incredibly stiff club and hinders their ability to make good contact.” A used beginner set can be around $100-$125 for that age—that includes around three irons, a putter, a wood driver and a bag.

18-hole:

How should my kids dress on the course?

Cypress Ridge Golf Course 2533 SW Urish Road Lake Shawnee 4141 SE East Edge Road Topeka Country Club 27th & Buchanan Shawnee Country Club 913 SE 29th Street Western Hills Golf Course 8533 SW 21st Street

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xyztopeka.com XYZ

Berkshire Golf Club 3720 SW 45th Street Prairie View Golf Club 9840 SW 45th Street

9-hole:

Forbes Field Golf Course 700 SW Capehart Road North Topeka Golf Center 350 NE US Highway 24

For young golfers, t-shirts and jeans should be just fine. Courses have different dress codes for their links, however. “Some facilities are more lax on how they want juniors to dress, some more strict.

You’ll want to make sure and always check the dress code of whatever course you’re playing at,” says Weller. And don’t bother with golf shoes just yet. Sneakers are fine for kids.

How do I get my kids into golf? Should we just get them into lessons or let them run crazy on the course?

Typically, you’ll want them to do both. First thing, though, is you’ll want to find out if your kid’s interested in golf. Lesson prices vary depending on the facility, the teacher and the age of the student.

Every facility generally has a junior camp, too, which gives you several hours of instruction time at a lower cost. “We want them to start out with good habits instead of bad habits, so it’s important to get them instruction early on,” says Weller. “The thing about golf is that as individuals age, the different sports they play tend to drop away, but golf is a lifetime sport.”

[ expert corner ]

summertime blues b y To m B a r t l e t t , P s y. D . d i r e c t o r o f t r a i n i n g + e d u c a t i o n , Family Service and Guidance Center photo provided by FSGC

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keeping a routine can help your family make the most of summer

ummertime usually means a much more relaxed routine and fewer rules at home. For some children and parents, that can turn three months of fun and sun into three months of struggle and frustration.

Remember: children crave routine. Structure helps children make more sense of their lives. Once school’s out, parents want to relax, so they ease up on the routine that provided the basis for their children’s daily habits all school year long. Later bedtimes, inconsistent mealtimes and lax rules can cause problems not just for the kids but for Mom and Dad, too.

Here are some tips for taking control of the leisurely summer pace and maintaining the peace that everyone worked so hard to achieve during the school year.

Keep your child’s schedule consistent. It’s not easy, but do your best to stick to the same bedtimes, mealtimes, etc., you followed during school. If you drift from your schedule, behavior problems will probably arise; that’s normal. Return to your schedule as soon as possible and praise your child for even the slightest improvements.

Maintain clear expectations. Clear expectations make your child’s life – and yours – easier. When rules get relaxed, children usually push the envelope to see how far they can push Mom and Dad. Keeping consistent household rules all year long can help keep this from happening.

Kids need plenty of sleep. Children still need plenty of sleep, even during summer break. Most experts recommend nine to 10 hours per night for children aged 7 to 12. Getting children to bed on time during the summer months can be tough, especially when the sun is out until 9 p.m. Try using heavy window shades to darken your child’s bedroom.

Practice, practice, practice. Like any other skill, the more a child practices good habits and actions, the better they get. Spend time talking about situations that could cause them to act up, and talk about how they might best react when these situations arise. Try role plays and practice sessions, and make them fun and exciting. These sessions also present opportunities to connect with your child.

Praise your child. Catch them being good, then reward them. Hugs, kisses and pats on the back show that you notice their positive behavior. Don’t dwell on the negative. Do your best to limit your words when your child struggles and be generous with your attention when they succeed.

Keep their brain engaged. Visit the local library and sign your child up for the summer reading program. Read to and with your kids, and be a good role model by doing some reading yourself.

If your child’s behavior gets out of hand, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Family Service & Guidance Center is the Midwest’s leader in children’s mental health services and provides a wide range of programs and services to help your child develop the skills they need to be successful at home, at school and in the community.

[ local flavor ]

by Melissa Sewell • photos by David Kitchner

the picky eater

T

he folks at Via’s Pizzeria are no fools - they know with vegetables your kid has refused to touch since who they’re marketing to. The floor layout is October. The best part: you may be able to finish an entire bright and airy, and red checked tablecloths sentence without interruption. There’s no crayons and are sealed with plastic laminate. Family coloring sheets at Via’s. photographs bedeck the walls, Better: an entire designated kids’ and the servers have a degree in dodging Better: an entire corner with a pint-size table, crayons, ping-ponging children while hefting hot pizza. All pizzas, calzones and breads can designated kids’ a shelf full of books, and a toybox stuffed with toys. It solves the be made with whole-wheat flour, and there quandry of whether you really want corner with a is real Parmesan in shakers on the tables: as to juggle kids + food in an public rare a sighting as the Loch ness monster. pint-size table, environment.

Our server, Andy Grollmes, doesn’t even crayons, a shelf “The horrible thing about taking your flinch as a slice of cheese pizza slides off of a plate and onto the floor – he full of books, and children to a restaurant is that they deftly retrieves it and throws it away. a toybox stuffed don’t want to be confined,” mother Angie Nolle says. That’s why the small “We’re used to kids here,” he laughs. kids’ corner is like a goldmine for with toys.

Kids are definitely touted as valued (albeit parents of young children. The trick, messy) customers at Via’s, but there’s no parent neglect happening here either. There is a sizeable she confides, is to request a table in the back corner – and list of imported beers, as well as Blind Tiger and Tallgrass then it’s essentially like you’re eating at home. brews. And specialty pizzas - like the Orto - are heaped 14

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Picky Eater Sophie Marie Nolle age: 3 1/2 height:39 in weight: 34 lbs eyes: the most innocent, unblinking blue hair: light brown and perfectly pigtailed certified picky: she refused to try a banana until last week

Via’s Pizzeria

goes out to eat

738 SW Gage Blvd.

(785) 215-8421 Dine-In / Pickup Delivery Available

Another tip from Angie: If you have hungry children, call your order ahead – Via’s pizzas are handmade and baked fresh, so it takes longer than your child may be able to handle with a growling tummy.

And when it’s served, it’s hot, so much that Sophie requests “a fan to blow my pizza off.” Besides its temperature, it earns our picky eater’s seal of approval: “It had really much cheese in it!”

For those with small children, the bathroom is almost as important as the highchairs: this one is complete with a changing table, as well a potty seat and stepstool for fiercely independent little toddlers, like Sophie, who adamantly chose her pastel Easter dress and a white cardigan to dine on pizza with red sauce. Because you can’t reason with fashion. Or three year-olds.

do you know of a restaurant that has significant amenities for picky eaters?

Don’t keep that secret! Email us at xyztopeka@ gmail.com and clue us in.

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[ lifestyle ]

ParentsasTeachers

by Cale Herreman • photos by Brie Martin

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P

arenting is tough. There is no interview, no license, no test, no training, but huge responsibilities, high expectations and constant judgment. It is all too easy for parents to feel lost and frustrated, and this is no good for the children involved. Mothers and fathers need support, and can falter without it.

Enter Parents as Teachers (PAT), a national program that was started to get children ready for Kindergarten. The founders realized that young children did better in school when their parents acted as their first teachers. There is a lot for the kids in PAT, but it’s really all about supporting the parents.

The core of PAT is the home visits from a parent educator. Brandi Hubener, Program Coordinator for Topeka Public Schools’ PAT program, explains: “It’s once a month individualized contact with families that really focuses on how their specific child is growing and developing and what kind of things they can do to help support them.”

The visits include playing games with the child, tracking their developmental progress, and making a toy out of household materials. Hubener says that it’s the part of the program parents like most, and that, “Research has demonstrated… that it makes a significant difference.”

Another big part of the program is the playgroups, which Melanie StuartCampbell, a parent in the program, calls “a wonderful opportunity for the kids to not only interact with each other, but play with a great variety of toys.”

There are general playgroups, and a few specialized ones, including a bilingual Spanish-English group, a dads-and-kids group, a gross-motor skills group and a baby group.

“I just wish they provided free babysitting services,” Stuart-Campbell jokes, “then it would be phenomenal!”

The Topeka Public Schools PAT program is for every family with children from birth to three years old, but their funds and personnel are limited, so there is a waiting list for home visits. The playgroups are open to all, though a few do require advance registration. The phone number is 2713662, and their offices and most playgroups are at the Capper Foundation, 3500 SW 10th Ave. For those outside the Topeka Public Schools area, the Auburn-Washburn, Seaman and Shawnee Heights districts each have their own PAT programs.

(

“[PAT] really focuses on how their specific child is growing and developing and what they can do to help support them.”

-- Brandi Hubener, Program Coordinator, PAT

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[ local flavor ]

smell your way How to turn the Farmer’s Market into a treasure hunt

Your children are already relieved to escape the shopping cart as it wheels around under the fluorescent lights at the supermarket. But the farmer’s market is so much more than a better view: it’s a celebration of all the senses, and an amazing opportunity to teach children about some of the best things in life. You can appeal to the natural curiosity of young ones by turning your Saturday morning market forays into a treasure hunt.

by Melissa Sewell photos by David Kitchner and Jeff Carson, Gizmo Pictures 18

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find the scent If you’ve rolled out of bed to get out early (which is when you’ll have your pick of the produce), let the kids follow the smells to find breakfast: the taco carts, burger trailer or burrito stands.

At Elotes Mexico (run by the people that owned the former El Coyote), where they specialize in homemade breakfast burritos and pork burritos, cooks will happily make you anything you want, using any ingredients they have available – including vegetarian burritos. If all you’re looking for is a snack, it won’t be hard to follow the smell of popcorn, accompanied by the telltale rumbling of The Five O’s Kettle. They make their popcorn fresh every morning at the market, which is why you won’t see them on rainy days. “The corn oil and the rain react dangerously,” Katrina O’Harris explains with wide eyes.

Spot the apple Spot the apple: If your child is like mine, they shake their piggy bank upside down to stack up the $1.50 that will buy them a bottle of Rees farm’s apple cider. Let them choose their bottle from the ice-filled cooler, and fork over those hard-earned quarters. The tent awning is white, with a red apple on top. It is a treat you can feed your kids without guilt - made purely from local apples (with a touch of preservative, so that the taste of last fall’s apples are just as crisp in the summertime).

find the dance party From 9 to 11, your children can seek the beat at the Music at the Market booth, with bands that rotate weekly. What’s music good for? Uh, dancing! And working off all those calories from the chocolate chip banana bread you just ate. Don’t think we didn’t see you. (view a full music schedule at seveneightfive.com)

detect the mismatch

Detect the mismatch: Help your kids learn about seasonal produce and climate by teaching them about what’s in season in Kansas. If you see asparagus past May, something is amiss. Same with the presence of pineapples, oranges, avacadoes - these things take a long, oil-necessitated trip to get to the Midwest, and it’s odd to see them in booths next to homegrown tomatoes or just-picked strawberries. continued on the next page

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Farmer’s Market treasure hunt cont. shake hands with a farmer Encourage them to ask questions, or just see you engage with the farmers about the produce. Where does it come from? How does it grow? The opportunity to converse with the person that grew your food is one you don’t get when you shop the mysterious produce aisles at the grocery store.

local

organic

handmade

homegrown

Learn to read The signs at the farmers market have words you’ll want to embed in your children’s psyche: local, organic, handmade, homegrown. Focus their attention on the signs or help them spell it out - these words are why we’re all here.

Other Kid-Friendly Stands + Activities stands at the market are committed on a weekly basis, so they might not always be there. Warn the little ones.

•face painting •clown balloon animals •personalized cookies (movie characters or our favorite, the I Heart Topeka cookies)

•mariachi music at the Fiesta bake sale tent •handmade wooden toys set up for “testing out”

Your Most

bring it home If you have a sunny ledge, you can have a garden.

Nurture your children’s love of living things by growing a few herbs or an upside-down tomato plant. They can water it, sing to it, shower their carbon monoxide love onto it, and rejoice as it grows and thrives (or, if it doesn’t, take advantage of the opportunity for that important talk about death and compost).

Important

Haircut

Brynn Spencer

is FREE @ Envy Salon

Baby’s first haircuts are free, and we help you keep the lock of hair for your baby book

Full Service Salon for the whole family

Brylee Meier, 3 & Kaylee Greg, 3

Revel in the fruits of your labor: pick up a carton of fresh eggs, a package of homemade tortillas, a sprig of cilantro and a few ripe tomatoes, and you can come home to a delicious Kansas-grown brunch.

785.233.5577 17th & Medford XYZ xyztopeka.com

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[ seen + noted ]

compromise

by Melissa Sewell • photo by Matt Porubsky

The ultimate child-parent compromise: tolerate some Twinkle Twinkle while sipping on a pint of Guinness.

On Monday nights at Francis O'Dooley's Irish Pub and Grille on Westport, librarian/songster Kyler Carpenter plays music to a gaggle of shimmying kids who take bites of their grilled cheese in between songs.

Kyler Carpenter plays at ReThink Topeka

The food is beyond decent, especially their homemade potato chips and dip. Meals range from fish to steak to sandwiches If children's music makes your ears bleed, Kyler's got your back. and salads, and most importantly, there is a kids' menu.

With his tasteful song choices, deep voice and single acoustic On Monday nights, children take their pick from grilled guitar, he's kind of like Elvis. But without the pelvic gyrations. cheese, hotdogs, fried macaroni & cheese and others He performs from 5:30-6:30p.m. “ You can tell he really enjoys for 99 cents (including a drink & cookie). This weekly it,” Will Maize says. Will is father to two boys, one of which event is well-attended, so get there early to pick a good seat he insists is Kyler's number one fan: “Colin [5] loves getting and ensure swift food delivery to your hungry little ones. up there and singing and dancing with Kyler, he'll even give The magnanimous Kyler, who is actually not really him high fives.” His other son, Aidan, who is 2, usually just like Elvis at all, is pretty great at remembering kids' runs amok, but no one seems to mind. “Sometimes when names, which alleviates some of the stranger danger.

Aidan's running around and we're looking for him, Kyler will “He has made it a point to shake almost every parent's say, 'He's over there!' in the middle of a song and then just hand after he's done playing,” Will says. And then the parents return their hands to their pints of Guinness. keep on playing,” Will laughs.

Kids will dive into anything with reckless abandon, but we prefer to do a little research.

splash

by Kerrice Mapes • photos by EJ Drake

an ex-lifeguard shares insider tips for navigating the city pools Amarion, 6

My perfect summer day: I’m nine and racing my banana seat bike to Crestview Pool. I’m dressed in my swimsuit and armed with my pool pass, displayed like a Brownie insignia. I’m first in line and greeted by name. I race through the locker room, letting a trickle of water hit my suit, complying with the “shower before entering the pool” rule and in my quickest walk/ run/but not running/I’m walking tempo - I beeline for the deepest water adjacent to the lap lane and SPLASH. Summer utopia.

So when I turned 16, naturally I joined the ranks of summer workers who called the Topeka City Pools their home from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Rhyian, 3

Rhyian, 3 + Kaden, 7

During seven years working at the city pools, my titles varied from lifesaver to manager, swim teacher to babysitter, pool maintenance to “I’m not going to ask what that is” clean-up duty. Still today, there is always at least one day every summer where I miss lifeguarding… or maybe it’s just the ease of the uniform and the golden bronze tan.

You could say I’m a master of all there is to know about public pools. I’ve had this information in my head for a decade, and it’s high time I shared it with the people who need it most: families with endless humid summer days stretched before them like the pristine aquamarine plane of the public swimming pool. So here it is, sunbathers and chlorine-lovers: my insider’s guide to Topeka public pools.

proper attire

What to Pack

Sunscreen Look for waterproof and something that is 40 SPF

Flip Flops / Sandals

the concrete gets really hot

Towel Water + Snack Lock Hand Sanitizer (there is rarely soap in the bathroom) Pool Toys (label)

Goggles 24

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While guest-managing at Blaisdell Pool, I was shocked when a young boy asked me for a pair of scissors - to cut up his swim trunks. The guard behind him explained he would have to wait, because they were being used by another kid. The boys were cutting the metal rivets out of their shorts, in order to go down the water slides. Who knew? It’s a rule at the pool that you can’t go down the water slides with any metal or plastic rivots on your attire because it will scratch up the slides.

Tip: Make sure you purchase swim trunks that are rivet-less. Especially look at the back pockets. If your kid’s shorts have them, then d.i.y. the rivet removal at home. I wouldn’t trust the seamstress skills your son has while impatient to go down the slide.

swimmers

“It’s no big deal,” said Bill Muray after having a bite of the Baby Ruth that was mistaken for doodie. Nobody needs to live this infamous scene - yet every year while I worked at the pools, we had to close at least once due to contamination.

Tip: For your safety and everyone else’s (and to avoid the finger point) you must put your child in proper swim pants. Huggies Little Swimmers are perfect and will keep your child comfortable and safe. The pools advertise that they have these for sale, but in my days, we were out of them about 90% of the summer. So don’t count it and make a trip to the store prior.

swim test

Everyone needs to do one, and so does your child. Kids must be able to swim the width of the pool (average 20 meters depending on the pool).

Prepare your child and practice with them prior to taking the test. When you arrive, ask a lifeguard (even one in the stand) if they can have someone conduct a swim test. Once they pass, the diving boards and slides are their playground.

Personal Pet Peeve: I understand that you (the parent, aunt, brother...) might be a strong swimmer - but you are probably not a trained lifeguard. Never let your child jump off the diving board into your arms. Not only are you encouraging bad habits and unsafe practices, but they could freak out and cause you to go under. Additionally, just because they have arm flotation devices on, does not mean they should go into water that is too deep or off the board. Safety first.

lessons

The city pools employ a number of young high school and college students, almost all who have been or are on swim teams. While they may not have years of teaching experience, they do have energy and enthusiasm that make them some of the best swim instructors around.

Tip: Understand that your child may have to take swim classes a few times. Rarely do students pass the first time. If your child is hesitant or still doesn’t like to get their whole head underwater, a pool with a zerodepth might be ideal. This includes Blaisdell and HIllcrest. I personally think that Crestview has some of the best swim programs in the city.

Etiquette: Stay far away from the side of the pool during lesson time. If you’re child is clingy, you might even consider leaving the pool area and “hiding” outside the gate. I have found that most children excel in lessons when they have little parent distraction during class. I know it can get hot during lessons, but you can not let your other children sit on the edge of the pool, even to just get their feet wet. The teachers need to pay attention to the class, so if it’s too hot, leave the other little ones with a caregiver.

this is a public pool The city pools are like Sonic during

Happy Hour, except this is Monday – Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. Hundreds of kids come in waves from almost all city camps. If you are wanting some space and a lounge chair, either get in line before 1 p.m. or wait till after 3 p.m. to go to the pools.

Your belongings: Unfortunately, some people are rude and steal things...and the chances of one of these awful people to be at the pool is likely. Bring a lock and use a locker (Blaisdell) or leave valuables at home. Hide your phone deep in your bag and if your child is riding their bike to the pool, you must have a lock.

That is, if you want your child to return with their bike.

food + drink

Blaisdell and Crestview have more extensive concession stands, while Oakland and Hillcrest have soda and candy. Pack a lunch and some juice boxes. You can bring a small cooler into the pool with you and most have a shady area where you can eat. You cannot bring glass, aluminum, alcohol, etc. You know the drill.

safety break Safety break is a time for anyone under the age of

16 to get out of the pool and rest. For 10 minutes before every hour, the pool clears and adults take the time to relax and swim. If you have a little, little one, you can also take them into the pool with you during safety break.

My fondest memories growing up took place at the pool. Swimming is fun and good for you. Enjoy, be safe and I hope these little tips help you navigate the pools this summer. whistle, whistle NO RUNNING.

Topeka Pools All pools (sans Blaisdell) close August 8th. Cost breakdown is Adults [16+] Youth [6 - 15] and then 5 and under. Pools open till 5 pm on July 4th

Blaisdell Pool: Hours: 1 - 8 pm Blaisdell (or Gage Pool) has numerous aquatic center features including a 50meter pool with 1, 3 and 5 meter diving, zero depth entry, separate baby pool, 4 water slides, fun floatables, sprays, family change room, shade structures, picnic areas, party room and more.

Season: Open till September 6. Look for a pool day following for your K9 family members.

After August 9, only open Sat + Sun. Cost: $4.50 / $3 / $1.50 Crestview Pool: Hours: 1 - 6 pm Located on Shunga Drive, Crestview has 2 diving boards and a separate baby pool. Tennis, volleyball and BMX track close by.

Admission: $2.25 / $1.50 / .75¢ Garfield Pool: won’t be open in 2010 due to renovations Hillcrest Pool: Hours: 1 - 6 pm Located in Hillcrest Park, features zero depth entry, frog slide, drop slide, diving board, rain-drop waterfall, grassy and shade picnic areas.

Admission: $2.25 / $1.50 / .75¢ Oakland Pool: Hours: 1 - 6 pm Located in Oakland / Billard Park at Sardou and Poplar streets. L-shaped pool with low diving board, transfer tier and wading pool.

Admission: $1.50 / $1 / .50¢ North Aquatic Center: Hours: noon - 8 pm Featuring a huge lazy river Admission: $5 / $4 [2 +under Free]

[ lifestyle ]

a little stage savvy

by Melissa Sewell • photos by Brie Martin

Any camp can teach your kid to sit “Native-American style,” make keychains from lanyard or use the buddy system. The Topeka Civic Theatre & Academy will teach your kid self esteem. As well as a little stage savvy.

O

ver the course of July’s three week camp, children ages 7-17 will meet with choreographers, design their set, create their costumes and absorb all the other ins and outs of performance. “They don’t just learn about acting,” education direction Jennifer Van Bruggen says, “they learn about costuming, props, designing, lights, sound and set.”

The one-week camp, for children aged 4-6, simply emphasizes creative play and acting out stories to perform for friends and family at the end of the week.

What kind of kids come? All kinds of kids. In her eight years, Jennifer says she’s seen children who know they’re going to be doctors or lawyers learn something invaluable to their self awareness. “I remember one girl who was 8 or 9 that came in – shy, shy, shy – but I took a chance and cast her, and she really blossomed! She ended up having several leads and her personality just broke out,” Jennifer grins.

Being part of a larger production creates strong bonds between the children, who feel a new sense of self-worth. “The kids feel accepted,” Jennifer explains, “They’re part of a family, a team, working for a common goal. They learn how to rely on each other, how to cooperate and communicate.”

These popular summer camp programs fill up fast and often have a waiting list. Missed the curtain call but still want a piece of the action? Enrollment begins in mid-August for the fall academy, which consists of eight and 10-week after-school classes beginning in early September for ages 4-17.

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FSGC and you

workinG toGether to unloCk

your Child’S potential

catch an act July 12 at 7pm. Laughing Matters Jr., an improv comedy group | TCTA August 15th at 4p.m. 14-19 year olds auditions for Laughing Matters Jr | TCTA August 13-22 Willy Wonka | Helen Hocker (Gage park, youth ages 1418) July 23 & 30 at 1:30pm, July 23, 24, 30 & 31 at 7pm, and July 25 & August 1 at 2:30pm. Disney’s My Son Pinocchio | Helen Hocker (Gage Park) Tickets will be $10 all ages and will go on sale beginning July 6.

June 25, 26, July 2, 8, 9 & 10 at 7pm, and June 27 & July 11 at 2:30pm. The musical “13” | Helen Hocker (Gage Park) Tickets will be $10 all ages and will go on sale beginning June 7.

Under the best of circumstances, raising children isn’t easy.

Throw in the everyday problems and crises that all families experience and it gets even tougher. plenty oF Good parentS do all the riGht thinGS and Still have Children who need our help.

Family Service & Guidance Center has been improving children’s lives since 1904. Today, FSGC offers a wide range of mental health services designed for children and families just like yours who want to be happier and healthier.

Children can be a challenge for even the best parents. remember that Family Service & Guidance Center is here to help.

Topeka Civic Theatre & Academy 785.357.5213 topekacivictheatre.com

Helen Hocker 785.368.0191 topeka.org

“...because every child deserves a happy childhood.”

If you or someone you care about needs help, call Family Service & Guidance Center today.

785.232.5005 • www.fsgctopeka.com 325 SW Frazier Ave • Topeka, KS 66606 XYZ xyztopeka.com

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[ entertainment ]

just go with it

Albums the whole family can dig.

by Cale Herreman

Lately, my four year-old son has been walking around singing, “Dancing Queen! You are the Dancing Queen!” Should I be proud? ABBA and I go way back; I remember their songs from when I was a little kid myself. For many years, I denied them, dismissed them and insisted that no right-thinking person could actually enjoy them, because they make nothing but disposable pop music. p h o t o c o u r t e s y a b b a . o r. a t

But it’s useless to resist them—there’s a reason those songs get lodged in your melodic memory. They are a gourmet snack of popular song. Each one has layers of strong rhythms, robust music, hook-laden lyrics, bright vocals and each is short enough to keep from wearing out their welcome.

And they’re good to dance to. Try not to. Try not to when an excited toddler is bouncing along, orbiting the stereo, following the path of the song to wherever it takes her. She has no idea what the words mean (and on some songs, I’m not sure either.

Maybe they’re translated from the Swedish), and it doesn’t matter. The song is running along—go after it!

So I’ll admit it now: I like ABBA. So does my wife, and so do my kids. Their album “Gold” is a compilation of their biggest hits, and if you were born before 1976, you’ll probably remember a lot of them. If you’re younger than that, or if you are a kid, you don’t need to think about how these songs captivated the world for a time. Just let go, bounce along and dig the Dancing Queen.

They Might Be Giants are miracle workers.

That might sound strange in an article about the makers of a series of science-lesson songs, but how else could one describe musicians who make a very catchy tune about the Periodic Table of Elements? How is that even possible?

The Brooklyn-based duo, specialists in quirky, nasal rock, have another entry in their growing library of kids’ music, the CD and DVD set “Here Comes Science.” Each of the 19 songs is a small, information-packed lesson on a scientific topic, such as blood, the planets, evolution and the like. The miraculous part is that the lesson gets stuffed into a pop song with a photo courtesy wired.com highly singable refrain.

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sonic science

by Cale Herreman

So these songs get repeated, they get stuck in the listener’s head, and all that data soaks into the brain. The music was made for kids, but lots of adults have learned from these songs, too; that’s the super-sneaky part.

The Giants, masters of detail, give each song its own character, from the peppy brass of “Electric Car” to the sleepy electric guitar of “What Is A Shooting Star?” so the music never settles into a routine. The same can be said of the accompanying videos, each animated in a different style, but each imbued with a buoyant humor.

For any who remember “Schoolhouse Rock,” which also aspired to teach lessons through hook-laden songs and breezy cartoons, the Giants’ work is better, by virtue of their more polished work and their catchier songs.

“Here Comes Science” is a great CD to share with curious kids who like music. Their parents might like it, too.

rock band Your kids can take their love of music to a whole new level. Live Music Institute provides private and group lessons for kids Live Music Institute [and adults] in piano, bass, 5224 SW 17th Ave 785.408.5111 guitar, vocals and drums. M-F: 11 am - 9 pm Sat: 10 am - 7 pm Kids can get in tune with their inner rockstar during LMI’s School of Rock classes.

Classes are offered year-round, with a multi-week camp in the summer. Students are placed in groups where they learn to play as a group and songs of their liking. Theyour band wraps up the camp with a live performance on LMI’s stage. In addition guide to the Summer Rock School, LMI has instrument sales, to a nice collection of vinyl that makes any adult giddy and a coffee Topekashop [serving PT’s Coffee] to help you pass the time while your little rockstar is learning “Starway to Heaven.”

music

magazine

art

entertainment

lifestyle +local flavor

pick me up www.seveneightfive.com

your place stories you want. information you need. connections you seek.

1515 SW 10th Avenue | Topeka, KS 66604-1374 | 785 580-4400 | M–F 9 am–9 pm | Sat 9 am–6 pm | Sun 12 pm–9 pm | www.tscpl.org XYZ xyztopeka.com

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[ lifestyle ]

the bouncy space

cool kid’s room

by Leah Sewell • photos by Brie Martin

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Camp’s room is a mix of handmade toys, original art and store-bought fixtures. The result is colorful, fun and, like Camp, full of bounce.

B

rad, a high school art teacher and Candice, a graphic designer, are parents to Camp, 2, whose room is as artsy as it is fun.

“We think highly of the arts and we try to reflect that in him,” says Brad.

From the rocking bird his dad made him (a 20-hour labor of love in his woodworking shop) to the one-of-a-kind handmade stuffed shark (Camp’s favorite toy) and paintings by some of Brad’s students, Camp has an imaginatively decorated space to play and grow in.

He loves dinosaurs, sharks and listening to Jack Johnson on the iPod docked atop his cube compartment shelf, and maybe even playing along on his drum kit, with the sticks upside-down for maximum volume.

The stuff that makes up Camp’s room are ecclectic purchases. The family recently moved to Topeka from Nashville, and hit up their nearest Ikea for a few of Camp’s things, like the bed spread and the mesh stuffed animal sorter. Others are varied purchases - a crawling lizard lamp from a small shop, a cow bank from Urban Outfitters, a

carpet from Nebraska Furniture Mart. Brad made Camp’s bed and rocking bird, and acquired some of the art through trade with other artist friends.

One of the art pieces behind Camp’s drum kit is

by Travis Jenkins, a Nashville artist whose soft, ethereal scenes seem fitted to a child’s limitless imagination, but with a suggestion of bigger ideas that may grow a deeper appreciation over time.

For some ideas on purchases for your own bouncy space, check out the sites at a couple places where Brad and Candice shopped: www.ikea.com www.travisjenkinsart.com www.nfm.com XYZ xyztopeka.com

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exciting summer

MULVANE ART MUSEUM

exhibits

Special events and classes make the exhibits come alive

17th & Jewell | 785.670.1124 | Museum and ArtLab Hours: Tues 10 am -7 pm, Wed-Fri 10 am-5 pm, Sat-Sun 1-4 pm | Admission: Free

June 5 - Sept. 26 Dali’s World

A selection of prints by Salvador Dali from the Museum’s Permanent Collection.

Dali - Day July 24 1-4 p.m.

Joelle Ford, from Recent Work

Stephen T. Johnson, from Literal Abstractions

June 5 - Sept. 26 Reinventions

Visit the Dali’s World exhibition!

Come to ArtLab to create a Salvador Dali-inspired print!

Stickwork through November 2011 Internationally known artist Patrick Dougherty’s site specific sculpture with native tree saplings, Topiary with a Twist, will be shown on the Museum’s grounds through 2011.

Joelle Ford’s work finds new purpose for mundane and discarded objects.

June 19 - Sept. 19 Literal Abstractions

Stephen T. Johnson’s visually arresting and conceptually rich body of work forges connections between words, objects and ideas.

June 19 - Sept. 19 Art of the Robot

Works by regional and national artists using a variety of media.

visit the ArtLab during First Fridays July 2, Aug. 6, Sept. 3 5-8 p.m.

First Friday ArtWalk information and gallery location maps are available from ARTSConnect: www.artsconnecttopeka.org

summer classes enrolling now!

ArtLab Look, Create, Understand

July 12-16

10 a.m. - 12 noon

My Story

A flying cow??? One picture is worth a thousand words. What is your story?

Learn about storytelling art and artists as you tell your own stories by making pictures. ages 4-6

Visit our web site for a full listing. www.washburn.edu/mulvane

July 12-16

10 a.m. - 12 noon

Art Along the Underground Railroad

Create works of art inspired by the arts of the Underground Railroad. Works created in this class will be displayed during the Underground Railroad Conference, July 28-31. ages 7-9

A hands-on art experience center for people of all ages.

July 12-16

10 a.m. - 12 noon

Woven Worlds: the Art of Patrick Dougherty

Practice drawing, painting and creating assembled and woven sculpture inspired by Topiary with a Twist, Patrick Dougherty’s sculpture on the front lawn of the Mulvane Art Museum. ages 10-13

b

[ feature ]

reaching out

by Leah Sewell photos by Colin MacMillan / Nathan Ham Photography

How the Mulvane Art Museum brings art education to children in disproportionately low-income neighborhoods and the plans for bringing art to homeless youths in NOTO. XYZ xyztopeka.com

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Children in groups can file into any space and fill it with an energy that can be felt, heard and seen. In the hallowed galleries of your usual art museum, the exclamations of children over the art that they see might be frowned upon. Not so at the Mulvane Art Museum on the campus of Washburn University. Curator of Education Kandice Barker leads enthusiastic groups through exhibitions, urging them to think, speak and exclaim over the artworks.

As a casual observer of these tours, you become aware of the visceral response that kids inherently have when viewing art, and the good in asking them to slow down and reflect on an object and share their interpretations. It is an experience that can’t be replicated with an image on a computer screen or a page in a textbook. The Mulvane quite literally puts kids in touch with art.

Barker led a fourth grade class through Washburn’s student art exhibit, asking them to identify organic and geometric shapes and lines. The group was led downstairs to the eclectic and colorful ArtLab, where sand, glue, paintbrushes and paper awaited at work tables.

“They are getting to create artworks based on what they saw at the gallery,” said Barker. “They can become viewers and doers.”

The Mulvane reaches thousands of children, from preschool age and up, with their children whose schools don’t offer hands-on approach a regular art curriculum or who are to art. Kids learn a lot in disproportionately low-income by getting their hands neighborhoods. Instructors travel to dirty, and the recent “Here, we deal with the mind, body and spirit, all those aspects which make a child whole. ” the schools and bring the materials trend in school budget and the know-how right to the cuts has left many children. Or they provide visiting hands bereft of the instruments of artistic expression. The Mulvane fills that gap classes at the ArtLab with a day’s tour and instruction. The with the ArtLab and its outreach programs, Art Beginning in idea is that kids benefit tremendously from exposure to art. It isn’t just a hobby. At its most basic level, it is a powerful form Childhood and Art After School. of expression.

“The low things on the totem pole that don’t seem to be the most important are the ones being eliminated, even though “Arts tend to be less accessible in areas that are there’s research that says doing art makes a more creative targeting their finances elsewhere,” said Barker. community member,” laments Cindi Morrison, director “So that’s why we are able to pick up the slack of the Mulvane Art Museum. “You can find art in science, and bring art in to where young people may not in math, in history. It’s a shame that they don’t see that as a have as easy access to art. I think art’s important necessary element in the curriculum.”

at the hope center

The Mulvane has been providing fine art instruction along with hands-on art projects to thousands of students in USD 501 School District since the 1990s. Their programs reach 34

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for every child, so accessibility and availability should be equitable.”

One area where the Mulvane’s arms haven’t yet reached is the area of the city quickly becoming known as NOTO. The

NOTO is the moniker for a neighborhood in North Topeka that is quickly becoming known as the future arts district for Topeka. The Topeka Rescue Mission rests at the end of North Kansas Avenue’s business district, where Topeka Heartland Visioning and other organizations, including the Mulvane, hope to revitalize the once thriving area

North Topeka business district, a neglected part of town which encompasses a three-block stretch of North Kansas Avenue between Gordon Street and the Great Overland Station, is the new focus of community efforts, spearheaded

by Heartland Visioning, to create a condensed arts district.

The area will include subsidized studio space for local and national, recruited artists as well as become the home to galleries, community arts education centers and perhaps, in the distant future, a satellite school for the Mulvane’s outreach programs.

“We really want to help the children that are in that area of Topeka,” said Morrison. “What we thought with the NOTO Arts District being developed, was that the children need to be involved in this as well.”

at the Topeka Rescue Mission, a 24,000 sq. ft. facility at the south end of the NOTO business district.

“We have a program that is already developed. We have the instructors, the lesson plans, the materials. All we really need to do is incorporate it into our schedule,” said Morrison.

“We’ve identified that there’s groups of families at the HOPE center and children who would benefit from getting some art exposure,” said Barker.

The plans for NOTO are in early development phase, with the Heartland Visioning committee in charge of organizing The HOPE Center, they believe, will be the starting point. still working with the city to determine codes and other basic USD 501 employs teachers in the Topeka Rescue Mission foundations for the buildings in the complex, which serves area to be brought up to speed for homeless and needy studios and businesses, as well as A condensed arts district in North Topeka. families that come to applying for major grants. But in the The Mulvane Art Museum is excited to bring their programs, the HOPE Center for meantime, the Mulvane is working instructors and art lessons to the area. guidance, help and to move into the area now, starting shelter.

noto

Ace and Lola Cleavinger are the facility’s two teachers. Ace and Lola are proud of the program that they have at the Rescue Mission.

“The idea is to provide various kinds of instruction to the kids as well as activities that are certainly educational. Very often we use field trips to meet that goal,” said Mr. Cleavinger.

Groups of preschool children all the way to high school youths have benefited from the attention and oversight that Ace and Lola take to help them become successful in their academics.

During the school year, the married couple sees the children off on the buses, welcomes them back to HOPE Center in the evening, corresponds with teachers to see what areas of their studies need improvement, helps with homework and does XYZ xyztopeka.com

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The Topeka Rescue Mission / HOPE Center

tutoring. They even work with parents to provide transportation and guidance to get their kids enrolled in school.

In the summer, the curriculum is far more hands-on. Field trips to the KU Natural History Museum and Alan Fieldhouse, to name only two, are very popular among the kids, and they oversee a garden where sunflowers grow, and fennel serves to attract butterflies to lay their eggs.

Although Lola is an avid arts and craft proponent and an artist herself, according to husband Ace, she thinks that the children at HOPE Center could benefit from fine art instruction from the teachers in the Mulvane’s outreach programs.

“We do art projects as they come and go and as we have time,” said Mrs. Cleavinger. “We go down there to the ArtLab, and that’s fun, we go there and do art projects with them. When we have time and no schoolwork, we do art things.”

At the idea of the Mulvane coming into the facility to provide supplemental art education, Mrs. Cleavinger says, “That would be wonderful.”

According to Morrison, the plan is to get the scheduling and logistics figured out before the next school year. In the meantime, the HOPE Center will continue to provide educational services to the children who wind up in their care.

Debra Sabb, the director of HOPE Center believes that it takes special educators like the Cleavingers, who have unending devotion to the children and strive to make a difference in their lives, especially at a crucial time when they find themselves and their families in a state of hardship.

“We take education seriously,” said Sabb. “Here, we deal with the mind, body and spirit, all those aspects which make a child whole.”

With the addition of art education, a new world of possibilities will be presented to the children at HOPE Center.

“It’s another avenue,” said Sabb. “It will open up another line of study for them, something they may want to do. If you’re not aware that it’s there, it’s like being in the dark.”

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The Topeka Rescue Mission is a nondenominational Christian organization dedicated to helping the homeless by providing emergency shelter, meals, clothing and other needed items, programs and services, to homeless men, women and families, as well as providing food and other necessities to the needy.

How your family can help.

•Check with The Topeka Rescue Mission’s web site, www. trmonline.org to see what the current donation needs are, which may include things like household cleaners, pots and pans, clothing, food and furniture.

•Volunteer at the Mission Help is needed for food service, distribution of donations and people with medical skills are also needed. Check with www. trmonline.org to see the specific needs and to complete a volunteer application.

•Donate. Last year, 72% of the Mission’s income came from individual donations. It is absolutely essential for the Topeka community to have a part in caring for the city’s homeless. Donations can be made online.

cool bday parties

Have a dance party at the Jet - Bonus: You can bring in your own food and you have space to invite the whole class.

by Alice Hunt • photo provided by Jet Ultra L ounge

Venue: Jet Ultra Lounge 4117 Southwest Huntoon St., Topeka, KS 66604 (Gage Center) Amenities: Catering: No catering on premises, but can be brought in from the outside.

Costs: $500 rental minimum; can cost up to $1500 if deejay and additional staffing is provided.

Decorations: Not provided by the club for rental minimum, but may be brought in from the outside. Additional decorations may be provided.

Contact: (785) 783-8363 Website: www.thejetultralounge.com

T

he Jet Ultra Lounge in Gage Center is used to host graduation parties, dance parties and fashion shows.

But now club owner Rico Garcia is getting into the birthday-party business, starting with his own children’s birthday bash.

Because the girls were born on the same day a year apart, it makes sense to host their parties at the same time, Garcia said, and his daughters, Versailles (10) and Isabella (9), knew exactly what they wanted.

“Last year we had a high school graduation party at the Jet and a couple of the little brothers and sisters were with the Hayden High School kids,” said Rico. “When the girls went back to school the siblings were like, ‘Your dad owns the Jet? That’s so cool!’ and the girls decided they wanted to have it at the club.”

While the club doesn’t have on-site catering, they can accommodate food for large groups, Garcia said. For his own children’s party, he used HyVee and got two cakes, one for each child.

“I decorated the place myself for my daughters’ birthday party, and they sent out the invitations. There were about 200 to 300 people there, and it was really sweet,” he said. “Really it was their idea and I just put it together.”

The dance party included a deejay playing his daughters’ favorite music—including a lot of Justin Bieber.

For parties for others, there’s usually one staff member and a bouncer on premises to help, Garcia said, although additional staffing can be requested. While the club has a bar, alcohol is not served unless requested upon by the parents, he said, and regular carding procedures are followed. And the requests keep coming. “I just had my first 18-year-old birthday party this last Sunday,” he said.

The parties can be held most days, he said, depending on what the club has planned at night. “We don’t get busy until 10 or 11 o’clock. My girls’ was between five and nine-thirty, and I had the biggest party we ever had from 10 till two. I was pretty stressed out by the end of the night, but it all went off without a hitch.”

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[ local flavor ]

recipes

Two very different pasta dishes from two generations.

Both = happy eaters

at Grandma’s house

recipe from C ecilia Pierson • photos by Matt Porubsky

C

ecilia Pierson is a familiar face down at Porubsky’s Deli and Tavern, a Topeka landmark that serves comfort food at its finest – homemade chili, cold cuts and ham salad. When she’s not manning the register at the deli, Cissy loves to cook for her grandkids, Logan (6) and Austin (10) and is always happy to provide them with something they won’t poke at and shift around on their plates. Comfort food for her boys means Papa Bill’s sauce and noodles. It’s her husband Bill’s recipe, one that he once used to feed 150 people at a Moose Lodge event. To the kids, it’s a gobble-fest, complete with a humongous pile of parmesan cheese covering their plates like the aftermath of a blizzard. Grandmas have a knack for pleasing little bellies.

Papa Bill’s sauce + noodles serves 4 abundantly

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Let us do your dirty work.

House cleaning services by Merry Maids provides a service that is thorough, dependable and worry-free. Call today for a free quote.

785-273-3422 www.merrymaids.com

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The recipe originates from Cecilia’s motherin-law Wilma. It’s an amazingly simple feat to create this dish, requiring only two pots.

The chili powder adds a southwest flair and the Tabasco sauce gives it a little kick (Cissy recommends you leave out the Tabasco until after the kids have been served).

1 chopped onion 1 lb. ground beef 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp Tabasco sauce 1/2 tsp black pepper 2 cans tomato soup 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1. Sautee onion + brown ground beef, drain.

2. Add other ingredients and simmer 45 minutes.

3. Cook noodles according to package directions (use any kind of pasta you wish).

4. Spoon sauce over pasta and serve with lots of parmesan.

Serve with garlic bread, cream corn and vanilla cupcakes with real butter frosting for dessert, if you’re going to do it Grandma-style.

summer noodles

recipe from Melissa Sewell • photos by David Kitchner

XYZ

staffer Melissa Sewell is mama to Marie, a stubborn and sassy three-year-old whose nutritional choices, if she were to fend for herself, would lean toward purple popsicles and plain spaghetti noodles. Dinner can oftentimes be an epic struggle. Melissa’s recipe for cold peanut noodles satisfies both of their tastes. Melissa likes the nod toward Thai flavors, and for Marie - it’s pretty much like slathering her favorite toy/food, noodles, with a taste most toddlers can recognize from the staple PB+J, plus it throws in the least offensive of vegetables: cucumbers and carrots. And the noodles are cold, which is just how Marie likes to eat them on a hot day, straight from the tupperware, standing bathed in the light of the open refrigerator, wearing nothing but a pair of lemon yellow Hello Kitty underpants.

Cold peanut noodles Why this recipe rocks: The texture is lovely, it’s mostly healthy and preparing it takes almost no time spent hovering over heat-producing appliances.

You’ll be kissing my feet mid-August.

1: Cook noodles to desired consistency, transfer to strainer and rinse with cold water. Toss with sesame oil + set aside.

1 lb whole wheat spaghetti 2: Whisk together sauce ingredients in a 2 Tablespoons sesame oil large bowl. Go easy on the red pepper -flakes for sensitive tongues and tummies.

2/3 cup natural peanut butter The water/vinegar/broth/soy sauce 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce are negotiable - it just needs to be wet 2 tbsp water enough to douse the noodles.

1-2 tbsp broth/red wine vinegar 3: Add spaghetti to the sauce and toss. This 3 tbsp brown sugar works best when noodles are added in increments.

3 tbsp sesame oil 4: Peel + cut cucumber in half, then use 3 garlic cloves, minced a spoon to deseed before dicing. Add 1 tbsp fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ground) cucumber and shredded carrot to pasta 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes and toss.

2 carrots, shredded 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced 5: Garnish on the plate with chopped peanuts and green onions.

1/2 cup peanuts, chopped 6: Eat and feel good about yourself. You 2 green onions to garnish are actually pretty fabulous.

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[ art ]

a birdhouse for the soul how kids learned to heal from loss by creating, and the hands-on book that began their journeys.

When sixteen-year-old Blake Munsch died in a tragic car accident in 2005, his father had no idea how to move beyond his grief. Fast forward five years, and Kris Munsch, an industrial arts teacher for Bonner Springs High School, would tell you that everything changed when he decided to do something positive with his feelings of loss.

In May of 2009, Munsch approached English teacher and Topekan Jeff Fouquet to ask him to collaborate on a projectbased healing book titled The Birdhouse Project; neither could have imagined where they would be just one year later.

After publishing the first book and promoting their way into independent bookstores across the state, the two find themselves developing a series of books and filling orders from Seattle, Chicago, Ireland and Germany, while simultaneously juggling an ever-expanding schedule of presentations and conferences.

In the first book, readers learn about Munsch’s struggles to go on after his son’s sudden death. Using the birdhouse as a metaphor for rebuilding their own lives, readers are taken through the steps of expressing their emotions in words, art, or pictures on each piece in order to make sense of what they are feeling. The idea is that by facing these feelings, they are able to map a clear direction for moving forward.

The team also has two books in the works aimed specifically at helping teens express common feelings of loss or hopelessness. The first, due out this summer, tells the true story of a teenager’s struggles with bad decisions made in

story provided by Bailey Marable • photo (top) by Leah Sewell, others courtesy Birdhouse Project 40

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unfortunate circumstances. “This book will help teenagers cope with the loss of hope or direction; it really has a lot to do with setting goals and creating the future you desire,” says author Jeff Fouquet.

The second book aimed at teens will be a project for which the two have no shortage of passion. It mixes the best of social networking with traditional writing and encourages teens to share their stories of rebuilding after tragedies or crises of all kinds. While the authors say the details of the book are “top secret,” the legwork, or woodwork, as it were – has already begun; birdhouses built by Royal Valley, Bonner Springs and Washburn Rural students was featured at Warehouse 414 (414 SE 2nd St.) during the First Friday Art Walk in June and will be shown at 414 throughout the remainder of the month. The book is available for purchase at 414 as well.

More information is available at www.thebirdhouseproject.com.

The group of five Bonner Springs students won a birdhouse contest and attended the ADEC (Association of Death Educators and Counselors) conference where they displayed their birdhouses and shared their stories of loss < Carter, an Edwardsville Elementary student, paints his house a vibrant green “so my dad can see it from heaven.”

young artists’ review Each month, Warehouse 414 (414 SE 2nd St., Topeka) features the work of a young artist, 18 and under, in a section of the gallery called the “Young Artists’ Review.” July’s featured artist: Kyler Thomann

Kyler Thomann is a recent graduate of Lawrence High School, where he was highly involved in learning about and promoting filmmaking.

Early in his high school career, Kyler thought that he would focus solely on art, but changed his gears when he discovered his love for film.

He plans to attend Eckerd, a private liberal arts college in Florida, and to minor in art. >> “Louisiana Street House,” pastel + charcoal pencil

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[ lifestyle ]

girl, you know I’ve got a coupon for that

by Melissa Sewell • photos by Brie Martin

How much does your family spend on groceries in a month? Take a minute - add up all the snacks, drive-thrus, convenience store runs, restaurant dinners, as well as the produce, boxed and canned foods that make up the weekly meals. Do you have that number? Okay. Now Bargain Sister Winter Ball can teach you to cut that number in half. The average American family spends $8,600 per year on groceries, so you could probably use the extra $4,300 a year. But how? With coupons.

Wait! Before you roll your eyes and flip the page, hear this: A recent article on Yahoo Finance reported that people can earn $100/ hour just clipping and using coupons.

Okay, now that we have your attention: A beginner’s class is $25, and believe me, you’ll need it.

Using coupons is more than clipping the little suckers and handing them to the store clerk. Winter Ball will let you in on some advanced coupon secrets - after all, she deems herself a Couponese to English translator.

Winter woke up from the bad dream of spending $1,200 42

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$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ a month on her family of 7 (plus two dogs). After three weeks of extensive coupon research, as well as a pretty serious coupon binder, she is down to $500 a month - “but ask me again once my little ones are out of diapers,” she says wistfully.

The woman loves a deal. Some of her best stories include the time she bought $200 worth of chili for $5, or when she bought milk so cheap that she stuffed 12 gallons into the freezer and got her kids addicted to milk with ice chunks in it.

As she stands in front of a room full of rapt ladies very excited about saving money, and hanging off her every word, she wears a shirt that cost her... (drumroll)... 64 cents. “I love to buy fabulous things for 64 cents,” she beams.

The two hour class - held in her home, or that of fellow Bargain Sisters, or potentially in your home - covers all the basics.

How to..

1: Stack and double coupons - Winter says she gets many things for free this way.

2: Hand your clerk coupons in the order that will keep their register from crashing. Because some registers just can’t handle that much thrifty awesomeness.

Learn The Secrets of The Bargain Sisterhood!

Next workshop: July 15, 6-8 p.m.

August 16, 6-8 p.m.

2400 SW Shunga Drive, Topeka $25.

Visit bargainsister.blogspot.com for directions, coupons, deals and info about Winter’s workshops

3: Choose the right clerk. “Don’t be shy,” Winter chides, “profile your checker. You want the one who’s going to applaud rather than curse.”

4: Keep your eye on the circulars and sales ads. “A BOGO sale is music to my ears,” she chirps. This is your opportunity to stock up on your staples, so that there are never any frantic, last minute runs to the store.

There is more, of course, more than you thought you needed to know about the tedious clipping of those little squares of paper. Take it from the busy Bargain Sister herself: “I have anything but free time. If this wasn’t worth it, I wouldn’t do it.”

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[ imagination ]

what to read It is never too early to start reading to your kids. Holding them on your lap, pointing at pictures, and asking them “What’s this?” questions all help them develop a connection to books and builds their pre-reading skills. List by LeAnn Sevy, Youth Services Supervisor, Shawnee County Public Library.

Rattletrap Car Age 3-8 Phyllis Root The hilarious attempt of Poppa and the children to get to the lake on a hot summer day Feathers for Lunch Age 2-5 Lois Eahlert Can the cat catch a meal? A great book for identifying common birds and plants

Over in the Meadow Age 3-8 Ezra Jack Keats A classic, rhyming, nature tale with beautiful illustrations In the Tall, Tall Grass Age 2-5 Denise Fleming Search through the grass way down low.

What can be found?

Flower Garden Age 3-8 Eve Bunting Bold, colorful flowers are what mom needs as a surprise.

heard + noted Upon receiving her first fortune cookie, my three-year-old daughter proclaimed, “Mama, this cookie has a tag in it!”

I was having a particularly stressful day and my four-year-old son remarked about the frown on my face, “Mommy, your mouth is the shape of a rainbow.”

My seven-year-old son had to write an essay about Abraham Lincoln in the form of a letter for President’s Day and ask him questions about what the civil war was like, etc.

Gabe wrote “Dear President Lincoln: You’ve got to tell me one thing – What was it like to be assassinated? I’m sure it was awful. Love, Gabe.”

Did your kid say something irresistably cute, witty, insightful, repulsive or astonishing?

Send it to us at xyztopeka@gmail.com and we’ll print it or put it up online at www. xyztopeka.com

what’s the story?

by Justin Marable

Keeping older kids reading can be difficult. It is often about finding stories that appeal to their interests.

Long Way from Chicago Ages 10-12 Richard Peck Staying at grandma’s for the summer is an unexpected, eye-popping experience.

Al Capone does my Shirts Ages 10-12 Gennifer Choldenko In 1935, 12 year old Moose moves to Alcatraz so his father can work as a prison guard and his autistic sister can attend a special school in San Francisco. Warm, engaging, and light-hearted Schooled Ages 9-12 Gordon Korman Cap has always been homeschooled while living on an alterative farm commune. Now he’s attending public school!

Will the boy who’s never tasted pizza fit in?

Imagine the story that goes with this illustration. Make up some dialogue for the characters, then write out the whole story. Email it to xyztopeka@gmail. com and you may see it in our next issue or on our website: xyztopeka.com

[ art ]

blue hullaballoo

by Bailey Marable • photos by Matt Porubsky

three girls on a rainy evening with blue markers, blue paint, blue crayons, blue fingers, blue toes - but no one was complaining about the monochromatic nature of this project.

With littler kids, if you give them a range of colors, it’s likely that they will mix and glop it all into the resulting dark brown. For the background to a seascape, blue was the obvious choice, and the girls used a variety of blue hues to come up with sweet little oceans each their own.

What You’ll Need: 1) Everything and anything blue - paint, markers, crayons, pastels.

2) scissors (child-safe ones for older kids) and glue or glue stick 3) cut-out fish and seaweed shapes - cereal box cardboard works well 4) a sheet of white paper to use as background and colored construction paper to use for fish and plants 5) cautionary stuff - aprons, a big sheet of butcher paper or an old, unwanted sheet for catching blue drips and splashes

the First Step:

fill the white sheet of paper with blue. With younger kids, direct them to fill up all the white, but older kids might enjoy creating wavy, squiggly designs as the water backdrop.

the Second Step:

While the blue sheet dries, Use kid or parent-created fish and seaweed stencils to trace and cut out the sea life that will populate the blue water. Encourage them to draw silly faces on the fish. Give those fish some character!

the last Step:

Paste the creatures and plants onto the waterscene sheet of paper.

Don’t forget to sign and date the creation.

[ imagination ]

keen eye

by David Kitchner

There are 8 little differences between these two photos. Can you tell what they are?

Summer Theatre Camp 2010 Topeka Civic Theatre & Academy

Come see what YOU can be!

Summer camp students get use of our lovely theatre facilities and also get plenty of â&#x20AC;&#x153;outdoorâ&#x20AC;? time with lunches, theatre games, and some rehearsals held outside in the sunshine creating the perfect camp experience.

One week camps for pre-K through first grade Three week camps for second grade and up

For more information call (785) 357-5211 or visit TopekaCivicTheatre.com