Kidzbuzz April 2015

Sunday, April 26, 2015

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For Kids & Parents drawing with mark!

Let’s practice drawing FOOD FROM THE EARTH! Get a pencil and use the grid below to draw the picture as shown below. The grids will help you to line everything up.

Remember to take your time. You can always erase or put a new piece of blank paper over the grid and start again.

Don’t forget to keep practicing and keep smiling!

Saving water

Activity Write on a separate piece of paper four other ways to save water at home or at school. Be creative!

By Erika Enigk More Content Now

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Color it in, too, if you wish! Send us your drawings — we love to see them!

Watch Drawing with Mark!

Check your local listings: DrawingwithMark.com

Drawing with Mark Big City Publishing 230 Central St. Newton, MA 02466

Award-winning “Drawing with Mark” DVD episodes available at Amazon.com.

Word find Find these Earth Day words: Air Clean

Earth Litter

Nature Recycle

Smog Trash

Trees Water

ow do you help take care of your house?

Do you clean your room or do chores like washing dishes or folding laundry?

Your house isn’t the only home you need to take care of. Your home planet — Earth — also needs plenty of upkeep. That’s why we celebrate Earth Day every April.

One important part of taking care of the Earth is conserving water. And everyone can help — even you!

How can I help?

Why should I conserve water?

• If you like to run under the lawn sprinkler, do so while your parents are watering the grass instead of turning it on just to play.

At first, it seems like the planet has more than enough water. After all, about 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered in it. But people are only able to use less than 1 percent of that water. Most of the Earth’s water is in the oceans, meaning it has salt in it, and much of what’s left is frozen. The water that is usable has to be shared by more than 7 billion people!

But I need water!

Water is important to all of us. We need it to drink, to cook with, to clean with, to help flowers, fruits and vegetables grow.

But in doing these things, most of us waste thousands of gallons per year. Do you ever leave the water running when you brush your teeth? Have you ever dumped half a glass of water down the drain when you were done drinking it?

Here are just a few ways to conserve water: • Turn off the faucet while you wash your hands or brush your teeth.

• Tell adults when you see a faucet dripping.

• If you have a dishwasher, encourage your family to scrape their plates before putting them in, instead of rinsing.

• Put a rain barrel outside to catch water, and use that for watering plants. (Don’t drink it — it’s not clean enough.)

flickr photos: tom newby, gfpeck, roger mommaerts

angels from the attic

By Mark Marderosian

Food allergies More Content Now

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magine never being able to eat ice cream, pizza, or even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It might not be too hard, if you’re one of the millions of kids in the United States living with a food allergy.

What is a food allergy?

An allergic reaction occurs when your immune system mistakenly tells you that something you’re putting on or in your

body is dangerous.

If you’re allergic to strawberries, for example, you might get a rash. That’s your immune system telling you strawberries will hurt you. The strawberries won’t hurt you, but the allergic reaction might.

Allergic reactions take many forms. Some are relatively minor, such as a rash or hives.

Others are very scary and dangerous, such as trouble breathing.

How will I know if I have a food allergy?

Sometimes, your first clue is the allergic reaction. If something happens when you eat certain foods, your parents might take you to a special

kind of doctor called an allergist. The allergist will give you a test to be sure you’re allergic, and help you figure out what to do if you accidentally eat something you shouldn’t.

The good news is, many people outgrow their food allergies.

And if you don’t, there are many ways to avoid eating the foods you’re allergic to.

How can I live with a food allergy?

Most food allergies can be dealt with by just not eating the foods. And there are great substitutes. If you’re allergic to gluten (the proteins found in wheat), you can eat foods made with other

grains, such as rice or oatmeal.

If you’re allergic to dairy, you can drink soy, rice or almond milk.

While it can be a bummer to miss out on things like pizza or birthday cake, it’s important to remember that your friends and family want the best for you. No one should ever make you feel bad for not being able to eat something you shouldn’t.

What if my friend has a food allergy?

Some food allergies are so serious that people can’t even be in the same room as the food they’re allergic to. If you have Flickr photos

a friend with a peanut allergy, for example, you might not be able to take peanut butter sandwiches to school, because that could be very dangerous for your friend. Most of the time, however, all you need to do is be kind and supportive.

If you’re having a birthday party, it might be nice to provide your food-allergic friend something they can eat.

Never try to force your friend to have even a little bit of something they’re allergic to. This can make him or her very sick.

Activity: Unscramble these words related to food allergies: letugn rayid cytih lrligaset etinraoc yso ikml eisvh Answers listed below

word scramble answers: gluten, dairy, itchy, allergist, reaction, soy milk, hives

By Erika Enigk

THE RECORD

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Sunday, April 26, 2015

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Just for kids Home products for the younger set

By Melissa Erickson More Content Now

Kap Tap kaptap.com $4.99 Invented by 6-year-olds and sold by their dads, Kap Tap is an amazingly simple tool that turns any water bottle into a sports bottle. Simply place the Kap Tap on top of a water bottle, tap it lightly, and it punctures a tiny hole in the top to allow water to flow freely when squeezed. Even better, when that water bottle is tipped over or dropped, only a few drops of liquid spill — not the whole bottle. Available in a variety of colors, made-in-the-USA Kap Tap is made from recycled, BPA-free plastic.

Wheel Brightz brightz-ltd.com $8.58 Wheel Brights LED bicycle lights make your child’s bike more visible on the road when it’s dark outside. Waterproof, durable, flexible and easy to install, Wheel Brights create a halo of color on almost all standard bike wheels 20 inches and larger. They operate with standard batteries and are available in Cool Blue, Mean Green, Powerful Pink, Rocket Red and multi-color.

Le Petite Chef knife set

Chill Factor Original Slushie Maker thechillfactor.com $7 Freeze, fill, squeeze and enjoy. It’s that easy for kids to make a slushie in seconds.

No ice, blenders or mess required. Store Slushie Maker upright in your freezer, add any cold drink, squeeze with your hands and, in under a minute, enjoy your slushie.

Create slushies from juices, chocolate milk, soda and more. Refreeze Slushy Maker to use over and over again. Comes with a top and spoon-straw.

opinel-usa.com $49.99 Do your kids like to cook? Teach them how safely with Opinel’s La Petite Chef knife set, which is designed for children’s small hands. This set includes a finger guard, a peeler, and a kitchen knife with a rounded tip and educational ring to help position the fingers to prevent the hand from slipping onto the blade. Both the knife and the peeler have stainless steel blades, requiring no maintenance at all. The set can even be personalized.

Flatbox lunchbox flatbox-lunchbox.com $24.99 An innovation award winner at the housewares show, the Flatbox is smart, stylish and fully machine-washable. Created by a mom and former teacher, the Flatbox zips open on four sides to convert into a placemat. Roomy enough to hold a large lunch, Flatbox folds flat to store, is lightweight yet durable, and comes in a variety of fun colors and patterns. The bonus is that it creates a clean eating surface, shielding kids from germs and bacteria.

courtesy photos

Sunday, April 26, 2015

drawing with mark! “sTaging” OuR DRawings!

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Discover your brain

By Erika Enigk, More Content Now

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o you ever look for information on a computer? How quickly can you find things? Did you know you have something even more powerful than a computer in your own head? It’s called your brain!

What’s so great about the brain? What does it do?

The brain sounds important.

How can I take care of it?

Your brain is constantly working to find information and tell your body what to do.

Your senses — sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch — send messages to your brain about what’s happening in the world around you. The messages travel on your nerves to reach the brain. Then, the brain answers.

Let’s say you’re holding a flower. Your eyes, nose and fingers send messages to the brain about how the flower looks, smells and feels. The brain interprets those messages so your body knows how to react, and so you know what you think of that flower.

Your skull is designed to keep your brain safe and secure.

Inside the skull, the brain is surrounded by tissue and fluid to stop it from bumping around. But just like any body part, it can be hurt if you have an accident. You can help keep your brain protected by wearing a helmet when you ride a bike or play sports. You can also keep it healthy by getting plenty of sleep and eating good food.

Does the brain have different parts?

Watch “Drawing with Mark”!

Check your local listings at drawingwithmark.com, Award-winning “Drawing with Mark” DVD episodes available at amazon.com.

Drawing lessons, fun facts and animation! word find Find these brain words: Brain Cells Cerebellum Cerebral Cerebrum Cord Cortex Messages nerve spine

The brain has three main parts: the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the brain stem. The cerebrum receives those messages about things you see, hear, smell, taste and touch. The cerebellum controls your movements, like walking.

And the brain stem keeps the automatic systems of your body working. You never have to tell your heart to beat because the brain stem keeps it going for you.

Test your brainpower with this puzzle. Find the seven differences between the two images.

What are some other fun brain facts?

■ Your brain has around 100 billion nerve cells.

■ Like a computer, your brain stores many things in its memory from what you’ve experienced. It can also help find things in the memory, like your spelling words or how to do a math problem.

■ Just like you, your brain is not done growing. It will keep growing until you are about 20 years old. An adult brain weighs about 3.3 pounds.

■ The right side of the brain is best at creative things like art and music. The left side helps you with problem solving, math and writing.

Source: cyh.com vECToRSToCk, BiGSToCk

angels from the attic

By MARk MARDERoSiAN

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Kids ‘N’ Chores Brightly colored housewares can make chores more fun for the kids – and you!

By patricia Rivera

Parents know it’s a daily battle to get kids to do their chores. After all, with social media, streaming video, smartphone games and – don’t forget – hanging out with friends, it’s a tough sell to say that scrubbing down the house will be tons of fun.

Still, a touch of whimsy and a splash of color can help take the bore out of chores, for everything from washing dishes to recycling to helping cook nutritious meals.

“Kids want to participate, but we just have to make it easier for them,” says Martin Amado, Miamibased designer and host of the national home makeover

show Decorando Contigo, on the Spanish-language network Galavision.

Amado, for instance, created kid-friendly recycling bins during a children’s room makeover. He took inexpensive and colorful waste bins and hung them on the wall using drawer knobs (large cup hooks also work).

Each bin, a different color, carried decorative labels for what should go inside – paper, plastic or trash.

Kids can have fun tossing items into bins like shooting hoops.

“They also feel good about themselves because they know they are recycling and taking care of the earth,” he says.

By Erika Enigk More Content Now

“Eat your vegetables.” How many times have your parents said that to you?

Not everyone likes eating vegetables, but when you grow them yourself, they’ll always taste delicious! This spring, try planting a garden following these easy steps.

Sometimes getting kids involved in cleaning means finding products that look cool and are easy to use.

Casabella, a home cleaning products manufacturer in Rockland, N.Y., makes sleek and colorful cleaning tools that also are kid-friendly.

Casabella spokeswoman Susan Jardina says that some microfiber products (dusting cloths, dusters, mops) can be used with just water, no cleaning chemicals required. They encourage kids to take on some of the chores at home.

For kids, a dustpan and brush set is easier to

start your garden indoors with an egg carton

Pick what to grow Some people plant vegetables, while others like to plant flowers. You can do either, or both. Have your parents help you choose what will grow well where you live.

Pick a spot Some plants need lots of sun, while others can make do with just a little each day, and some like the shade best. Some things grow well in containers, while others need a big spot of land.

The instructions that come with your seeds or plants will tell you what kind of spot to plant them in.

Plant your garden It’s important to follow the instructions when planting. Your seed packet will tell you the best way. Make sure you have plenty of good garden soil. Don’t forget to wear gardening gloves — it’ll help your hands stay cleaner.

Maintain your garden Just like people and animals, plants need daily care to grow. You need to make sure your flowers and vegetables get enough water. If it hasn’t rained, you’ll need to water your plants every day or two.

You’ll also need to weed your garden. Weeds are nuisance plants that can stifle the growth of the flowers and veggies you’ve planted. When you see weeds popping up, pull them out, but be careful not to remove any of your own plants!

Planting and caring for a garden can be a lot of work, but it can be fun, too. And before too long, you can enjoy fresh vegetables or flowers that you grew all by yourself!

you’ll need: an empty egg carton (styrofoam is best) a packet of seeds garden soil water 1. have your parents help you choose seeds that will be in season and grow well in the climate where you live. herbs like chives and parsley are pretty easy to grow in most places.

Read the package instructions before you begin — you might need to soak the seeds or do some other treatment before planting them.

2. Poke a small hole in the bottom of each compartment in the egg carton. This will help water drain out. Then, fill the egg compartments with soil.

Plant the seeds according to the package instructions, and water them lightly.

3. Place your carton on a sunny windowsill inside a pan, so the water won’t get the windowsill or floor wet. Water your plants once each day, and watch carefully. in a few days, you might have seedlings!

4. When the seedlings get big enough, and the weather is warm enough, transfer your seedlings to an outdoor garden space.

vECTEEZy, kiM LovE/FLiCkR

manage than tall brooms, she adds.

Cooking with kids can be a way to get work done, have fun and teach some lessons.

Handstand Kids Cookbook Co. creates international cookbook kits that introduce children to the culture, language and cuisine of a new country. Kids can cook nutritious food and learn about a different culture.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Sunday, April 26, 2015

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Teaching Kids About Food to Cut Costs Planning lunches with children offers parents a teaching opportunity for both nutrition and cost-savings

By Bev Bennett CTW Features

Making school lunches gives you the opportunity to choose the most nutritious foods for your child while saving money. That’s fine for you, but your child probably doesn’t care that you’re providing vitamin-packed fruits or low-fat sandwiches.

He just wants a good-tasting lunch. And, if it’s too cool to trade, that’s even better.

You can accomplish all your

goals, including cutting costs, if you engage your child in the project, say nutrition experts.

“If you don’t want your child to toss the lunch, get him involved,” says Netty Levine, registered dietitian at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. Start the process early by featuring at dinnertime the kinds of foods you’d like to add to lunches.

Then include your child in shopping decisions and lunch preparation. Throw in an appropriate bribe and you’ve

got a winning formula, say nutrition experts. Serve whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta at home, says Levine.

“Introduce foods at home in the presence of your child’s friends. New foods are more acceptable that way,” Levine says.

Plan lunches from healthful dinner leftovers, says Marilyn Swanson, RD, Ph.D. “If you have an Asian salad, for example, you can use the leftovers for lunch.

Cold pizza, especially if it’s a vegetarian pizza, is good,” says Swanson, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.

Processed meats can be pricey and high in sodium.

Swanson gives a nod to peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread instead. She also suggests going beyond traditional sandwiches and offering whole-grain flour tortillas filled with beans and salsa.

Take your child shopping.

Read labels together so your child can spot true whole-wheat bread from brown colored imitations.

Whole wheat should be the first item on the ingredient list. Similarly look at the ingredients on juice packs, and opt for 100% fruit juice, not fruit drinks.

“Even though they [fruit drinks] may cost less than fruit juice, they’re more expensive in terms of nutrients,” Swanson says. Talk about convenience and cost, looking at the price difference between baby carrots and whole carrots you have to cut up, for instance.

“You don’t have to buy little packages of baby carrots.

You [and your child] can buy real carrots, slice them up on a Sunday night, pack in snack containers and use the savings to buy a book,” Swanson says. © CTW Features

Keeping Food Safe You may be concerned about food spoiling, especially at the start of the school year when the temperatures are still high. Freeze a bottle of water or a package of 100% fruit juice overnight. Drop it into the lunch box to keep other foods cold.

Freeze a carton of fruit-flavored fat-free yogurt.

“It will partially defrost by lunchtime,” says dietician Netty Levine, Los Angeles. Substitute salsa for creamy vegetable dips. Salsa is acidic so it doesn’t spoil as easily as creambased dips.

Make lunch foods such as vinaigrette-dressed pasta salad, the night before and refrigerate so the foods go into the lunch bag cold, Levine says.

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Sunday, April 26, 2015

By Erika Enigk More Content Now

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his year is the biggest for Cinderella since she first went to the king’s ball. With Disney’s animated feature turning 65 and a new live-action film, this classic fairy tale is seeing new life for a popular princess.

Believe it or not, Cinderella’s story goes back centuries and has many versions. In fact, many fairy tales have origins from long ago. The story of how fairy tales became popular is itself an amazing one.

By Erika Enigk

Origins of Cinderella

More Content Now

The first known Cinderella story dates all the way back to the ninth century, and comes from China. In that story, a girl named Yeh-Hsien befriends a magical fish after her parents die. Even though her stepmother has the fish killed, it sends her golden slippers. After she loses one, a powerful man finds it, and Yeh-Hsien becomes his wife. The story evolved over time until 1697, when Charles Perrault wrote the version we know today.

“Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener … ” Have you ever heard that song?

You might not wish to be a hot dog, but would you ever want to drive one? If you were a “hotdogger,” you could!

The history of the Wienermobile

The story of fairy tales

In 1936, Oscar Mayer’s nephew Karl came up with the idea of driving a hot dog-shaped car to promote their product. The original Wienermobile was 13 feet long and cost $5,000. The vehicle went through several redesigns, including making the bottom part look like a bun. Today, there are six Wienermobiles driving around. At 27 feet long, they’re more than twice the size of the original.

In 1988, Oscar Mayer introduced the Hotdogger program, where recent college graduates were invited to apply to drive the Wienermobile. Even today, only college seniors are allowed to apply for the job. Only 12 are picked each year out of more than 1,200! They get to drive the vehicle for one year only, participating in events and handing out Wienermobile-shaped whistles (called — what else — “wiener whistles”). They also write about their adventures on hotdoggerblog.com.

How to find the Wienermobile It used to be that to see the Wienermobile, you’d just have to be lucky. But thanks to the internet, finding the giant hot dog is easier than ever. Adults you know can look on Twitter (@Wienermobile) to find out when it will be near you. But sometimes the best way to find it is to keep your eyes open on the road.

activity: Make an octodog!

Disney

Did all this reading make you hungry? Make an octodog for lunch. you’ll need a hot dog, a knife, and whatever you like to put on your hot dog.

Disney has played a big part in fairy tales’ popularity. As far back as 1922, the Disney studio has been making films based on fairy tales. Frozen was its most popular animated movie ever, and in 2018, Disney will release Giant, based on Jack and the Beanstalk.

1. have an adult help you cut a hot dog the long way, stopping an inch from the top.

Modern day

2. Make a quarter turn and cut again. keep doing this until your hot dog has eight legs.

3. Boil the hot dog, and its tentacles will curl when it’s done.

4. Eat on a bun or however you like!

Just like they did in the old days, fairy tales continue to change as storytellers find fresh ways to tell them. The last several years have seen fun new twists on fairy tales. The movie Enchanted features a princess who is sent out of her kingdom and into New York City. The movie Into the Woods, based on a musical by Stephen Sondheim, has many wellknown fairy tale characters together in one story. And the TV show Once Upon a Time is about a modern-day town where people who don’t know they are storybook characters live.

PhoToS: PiXAJEN/FLiCkR, JENNiFER FRiTChER/FLiCkR

Activity Match the movie with the popular fairy tale that inspired it.

1. Frozen 2. Ever After 3. Tangled 4. hook 5. Maleficent 6. Mirror Mirror

A. Cinderella B. Peter Pan C. The Snow Queen D. Sleeping Beauty E. Rapunzel F. Snow White

Answers: 1 (C), 2 (A), 3 (E), 4 (B), 5 (D), 6 (F)

The Hotdoggers

Fairy tales began as part of what’s called the “oral tradition.”

Long ago, stories were told or acted out, not written down.

These stories were handed down from generation to generation. Over the years, many stories were changed to suit the tellers’ purposes, which is why the tales we know today may differ greatly from the originals.

Believe it or not, fairy tales were originally meant for adults, not for children. Many had violent endings, and the characters didn’t always live happily ever after.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

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STUFF TO DO Kudos Children’s Theatre Company presents Disney’s Mulan Jr.

Summer Camp at the Gym at Gymstars Gymnastics

Remaining performance dates:

June 1 – August 14

For more information or to register call 209-368-0969 or visit wowsciencemuseum.org

Sunday, April 26 - 2:00pm Friday, May 1 - 6:30pm Saturday, May 2 - 6:30pm Sunday, May 3 - 2:00pm

For more information call 209-957-1919 or visit gymstars.com

WOW Science Museum is located at 2 N. Sacramento Street, Lodi

Saturday, August 29

Father’s Day at the Zoo

WOW Science Museum is located at 2 N. Sacramento Street, Lodi

A big day for dads at Micke Grove Zoo!

Go Bananas Indoor Jump House Play Center

For more info and tickets go to www.kudosct.com or call 1-800-838-3006 Kudos Children’s Theatre Company is located at 1943 W. Lucile Avenue, Stockton

Kid’s Play Night: Heroes & Villains at Gymstars Gymnastics Friday, May 8 For more information call 209-957-1919 or visit gymstars.com Gymstars Gymnastics is located at 1740 W Hammer Lane, Stockton

WOW Summer of Science Camps For ages 7-12 June 8 – July 17

Gymstars Gymnastics is located at 1740 W. Hammer Lane, Stockton

Pixie Woods 60th Anniversary Birthday Bash

Sunday, June 21

Special guests, entertainment, and birthday cake!

For more information call (209) 331-2010 or visit www.mgzoo.com

Saturday June 6

Micke Grove Zoo is located in Micke Grove Park, 1793 N. Micke Grove Road, Lodi

For more information call 209-937-8206 Pixie Woods is located at Louis Park, Occidental Avenue & Shimizu Drive, Stockton

World of Wonders Science Museum Solar Day Lots of fun, interactive learning about the sun and solar energy!

For more information call 209-368-0969 or visit wowsciencemuseum.org

Open weekly Wednesdays through Sundays For hours and rates go to gobananasnow.com or call 209-858-1500 Go Bananas is located at 17918 Murphy Parkway in Lathrop

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Sunday, April 26, 2015

The BIGGEST ‘Lil Mud Runner

Eagal Lakes Resort

PhoTo CouRTESy oF EAGAL LAkES

A

s spring quickly approaches, Eagal Lakes is gearing up for their highly anticipated ‘Lil Mud Runner 2015.

It is the Central Valley’s hottest, family oriented, mud running event. Demand grew so much last year that Eagal Lakes had to extend it into a two-day event. In addition to MUD FUN, this year they are making it even bigger by including a kid’s carnival. Now kids can play carnival games, bounce in bouncy houses, eat treats, speed across the lake in a towable ski tube, and much more. ‘Lil Mud Runner 2015 is now packed with more fun activities than ever before!

“This is such a great event because it gives children an opportunity to get dirty and play in the mud without consequences, while parents can join in the fun or just sit back and watch the action,” said Anne Langley, sports and nature academy coordinator. “We expanded ‘Lil Mud Runner to a two-day event because we wanted all the children who had weekend obligations for sports or family to have a chance to participate.”

‘Lil Mud Runner 2015 will take place at Eagal Lakes Resort in Tracy, CA on May 16

and 17. This event will feature a one-mile obstacle course designed for children ages 4 to 13 with opt-out options and smaller obstacles for the little ones, and more challenging obstacles for the bigger kids.

We have also added the very popular “family wave” for parents that would like to run the course and compete with their children. The parents seem to really enjoy this addition.

All participants will receive an official ’Lil Mud Runner event shirt, custom race number, swag bag and a entry ticket for drawing for fabulous prizes. A percentage of the proceeds for the event will benefit Boys & Girls Club.

Eagal Lakes also urges people to bring their own pop-ups, sun umbrellas, and beach towels to settle down and enjoy the day. Learn more and register online at eagallakes.com Eagal Lakes 12 W. Lorenzen Road • Tracy, CA 95304 209-640-4252