California Kids - December 2017

December 2017

www.valcomnews.com |  WHO WROTE THAT, 4 |  BOOK REPORT, 5 |  TRAVEL, 7

Sacramento artist installed “Wingding”, the Crocker’s newest art spot for kids It’s not every day that a major museum invites young visitors to touch and shape its art installations, much less climb on them, but that’s exactly what the Crocker Art Museum offers with its newest Art Spot, Wingding. Created by Sacramento artist Sonja White, Wingding beckons children and their caregivers to step inside a giant, wooden, geometric landscape that encourages learning about the basic elements of art through play.

Funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and First 5 Sacramento, the Crocker’s Art Spots program features immersive installations designed for children age 5 and under and their caregivers. Each Art Spot is created by a different artist or team who has spent up

to a year participating in the Crocker’s ongoing early childhood program. During that year, the artists and teams have worked collaboratively with Museum staff, early childhood advisors, and with each other to gain a thorough understanding of children’s developmental needs as they design and create their installations. A parent and teacher as well as an artist, Sonja White is known for her work with Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera’s See the Music, Hear the Art children’s program as well as her series of symmetrical sculptures called Resonant Round. As she conceptualized Wingding for the Crocker, White took inspiration from nature and geometry as she created an installation that fills the Crocker’s light-filled Weborg gallery.

www.valcomnews.com Publisher: David Herburger Editor: Monica Stark Contributing Writers: Susan Roberts, Bitsy Kemper, Carmel Mooney Art Director: John Ochoa Graphic Designer: Annin Greenhalgh Advertising: Melissa Andrews, Linda Pohl - 916-429-9901 Cover art by Annin Greenhalgh California Kids! is published monthly and distributed to more than 1,000 locations in the Sacramento Valley, including all of Sacramento County, and portions of Yolo (Davis and Woodland), Placer (Rocklin and Roseville), El Dorado (Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills, Placerville) counties.

Subscriptions are available for $30/year. Mail prepaid check or money order to California Kids!, 2709 Riverside Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95818. Make sure to specify the person and address to which you wish issues to be mailed.

Wingding, which debuts at the Crocker on November 19, is comprised of sculptures made of hundreds of wooden shapes ranging from one to eight feet across.

Children can build, stack, and spin the shapes to create their own 3-D patterns on the walls. When viewed from eye level, the art can be appreciated from one perspective. But White has taken the experience into another dimension, placing mirrors on the ceiling of the Crocker’s Weborg gallery, to reveal the new form created overhead. As the children and caregivers design their own patterns and interact with each other, they naturally engage in what White describes as the highest form of creating.

“Children have many different types of learning styles where some are true creators, some are builders, and some are kinetic learners who need to move through something to understand it,” says White. “While Wingding is designed to appeal to individual types of learners, it also brings them together as they communicate using the universal language of geometry. I hope children will feel as though they have climbed right into the lap of a sculpture and know that it is made for them.”

A rich aesthetic experience, Wingding also creates opportunities for parents and caregivers to connect in new and meaningful ways with their youngsters as they ask them questions, share, and wonder together. Like the Crocker’s other Art Spots,

Above: a section of Wingding takes shape inside Sonja White’s art studio

there are even elements for babies to enjoy.

“Art museums are for everyone, and works of art like Wingding really help make this point,” says Crocker Art Museum Director of Education Stacey Shelnut-Hendrick.

“This installation is engaging on so many levels and each visitor, child or adult, will see it differently because each person brings a different experience to it. That’s what’s wonderful about art!”

Having opened Nov. 19, the Wingding exhibit will be up through March 4, 2018.

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More information about exhibits and programs at crockerart. org or (916) 808-7000. The Museum is open to the public Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Museum is closed Mondays, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Every third Sunday of the month is “Pay What You Wish Sunday” sponsored by Western Health Advantage.

Source: Crockerart.org

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Copyright 2017 by Valley Community Newspapers Inc. 2709 Riverside Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95818.

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CALIFORNIA KIDS! Family Fun Guide • DECEMBER 2017

Full of Love:

Sutterville Preschool celebrates 65 years and remembers teacher who passed away

By Sally King

Sutterville Preschool is celebrating 65 years of teaching “Children Through Play.”

Principal Kimberley Kiley Tuzer, a bubbly, energetic woman, who has been at Sutterville Preschool for the last 17 years, said the philosophy of their preschool and why it is so popular is they believe play is children’s work. The rules, said Tuzer are simple, “safe, kind and clean.”

Tuzer said they recently lost a wonderful teacher and friend, Susie Kay Jones, to cancer. To honor their friend, the school is creating a wall mural with the theme, ‘Full of Love,’ in celebration of the school’s 65th year. For a $100 donation, a family may purchase a 6-inch by 6-inch tile to paint as part of the mural. The only requirement is each tile must be full color and have at least one heart painted on it, keeping with the mural theme. There are a total of 308 tiles and the school has scheduled two painting party days to complete the mural. The mural will be installed

sometime after winter break in December.

Jones taught at the school for 14 years and was loved by everyone.

Jones served as co-director for a time.

Ana VanEngelen, who is currently the president of the preschool board said, “Susie had a wonderful sense of humor and she appreciated the kids who had a quirky sense of humor.”

VanEngelen has one son who attended Sutterville Preschool and is now in elementary school and a younger son who is still there. VanEngelen attended Sutterville Preschool as a child and loved it, so she absolutely had to enroll her children once they reached preschool age. VanEngelen said she has met some of her best friends at this school as a volunteer and her children have also made lasting friends.

“Susie was such a joy to be around,” said Kate David, acting vice president of the board.

David explained the teachers all came up with the idea of the mural and when Susie passed away. “It was

a no-brainer for the teachers to honor and dedicate the mural to Susie.”

David revealed that Jones' husband, who owns a construction company, built the porch for the preschool.

He is going to mount the mural on the porch wall facing the front of the street in honor of Susie and her love for the children.

David has three children. The youngest one attends the preschool and the other two attended the preschool when they were younger. David was told by friends that she had to get her children into this school, so she did. David has been at this school for six years.

Sutterville Preschool was started by a group of mothers in 1952. The

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preschool currently has 72 children enrolled, not all are full-time. The school has morning classes and afternoon classes, splitting the attendance in half for each session. Tuzer explained the school is a non-profit organization owned by the parents with 12 board members and there is a waiting list into the year 2020.

Most of the parents volunteer and those who do volunteer, receive a discounted tuition. There are usually 50 volunteers helping the teachers throughout the week.

Listening to the teachers, parents and the many children running around the school, one thing is obvious, this is a school Full of Love.

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Who wrote that?

KIDLIT CREATORS WHO MAKE KIDS WANT TO READ An interview with with Martha Brockenbrough

By Bitsy Kemper

Who Wrote That? is a monthly column that profiles talented authors and illustrators who are bringing children’s books to life.

“H

ere is a central mystery of the holidays—how something as delicious as eggnog got such a disgusting name. We call it candy milk.” So says Martha Brockenbrough (“rhymes with broken toe”), a funky author with an amazing new picture book LOVE, SANTA. The book was inspired by letters one of her daughters wrote to her about Santa, and contains some of the actual responses Martha wrote back. “It’s absolutely a book that wouldn’t exist if not for my daughter and her loving heart.”

Bitsy: Let’s talk about you.

Gimme two truths and a lie.

Martha: I wrote game questions for Cranium and Trivial Pursuit. I founded National Grammar Day. I once was extracted from a pair of leather pants by East German soldiers with blow torches.

BK: I’m going with the first two as true.

MB: COME ON. Leather pants.

I couldn’t handle the leg sweat.

Martha Brockenbrough

BK: Only in the summer! Hah. It would be a bigger problem if you lived in the Sacramento area.

You’re in the Northwest?

MB: Ah, yes, true. I live in Seattle with my two teenage daughters, my husband, and our elderly golden retrievers.

BK: Do you write from home?

MB: I do have an office in the attic, but I also love working in Seattle’s legendary cafes with other local writers, including Jennifer Longo, Mary Jane Beaufrand, Lish McBride, and Ann Haywood Leal.

BK: You’ve recently written a book with another writer friend, Samantha Berger, who

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was profiled in the “Who Wrote That?” September issue. What was it like working with someone else on Back to School with Bigfoot?

MB: It’s really fun to work on a book with a friend. If you can make your friend laugh, you know you’re onto something good, and a lot of our work—and even our frequent text messages—had that simple goal in mind. Make her laugh. It never gets old.

BK: That’s great. As a creator, do you think you HAVE to like what you’re working on?

MB: I think if you’re working hard on something you love, and doing your best to make it great, you’re going to be fine, even if you’re studying something that doesn’t seem “practical.” To me, there is nothing practical about disliking what you’re doing.

BK: Have you always loved what you’re working on? Or at least found it practical?

MB: I studied Classics and English, and my parents were very worried I hadn’t chosen something that was useful. I use what I learned in college every day, and my hobby during school was working for the school newspaper, which was also useful. I managed a staff of more than 100 people when I was the editor in chief, and learned a lot about printing and publishing that serves me well today.

BK: Were there other classes curiously relevant to what you’re doing today?

MB: I took a class in pottery repair. We reassembled amphorae that were broken in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It was meditative and fun and kind of mind-blowing. I mean, an object that’s already thousands of years old and was smashed in a legendary earthquake? That’s a lot of history to be holding. What’s more, I am really good at repairing the coffee mugs I sweep off the desk when I am pretending to be the characters I’m writing about. Everything is useful in this world. Everything.

BK: I like how that all ties in together. You must be a writer.

When did you figure out you wanted to be one?

MB: Oh, I have always wanted to be a writer. Or at least as soon

as I learned that every book hadn’t already been written by dead authors of yore. I create because I love stories and words and the effect they have had on me, and the effect I hope they have on others.

BK: Based on your ever-growing fan base, I’d say that effect is impressive! Thanks, Martha.

Bitsy Kemper is author of 16 children’s books. You may have seen Bitsy on CNN, heard her on national radio, noticed her quoted in a range of places from Parenting magazine to Writing Children's Books for Dummies, or seen her work in countless newspapers, radio and TV stations across the U.S of A. Busy with three kids (four if you count her husband), she happily finds time to present at schools and writer conferences from CA to NY. Find out more at www.BitsyKemper.com

find out MORE about author Martha Brockenbrough http://marthabrockenbrough.com

Favorite sayings: Alexander Hamilton’s motto: All for Love Picasso’s motto: Art is an instrument of war—except Martha changed it to “Art is an instrument of resistance”

BOOKS BY Martha Brockenbrough LOVE, SANTA Illustrated by Lee White, Scholastic ALEXANDER HAMILTON: REVOLUTIONARY, Feiwel & Friends BACK TO SCHOOL WITH BIGFOOT, co-written

SEE MARTHA

with Samantha Berger and illustrated by Dave

Martha will be talking about Alexander Hamilton at the Paramount Theater in Seattle in February 2018, as the city welcomes the musical. She’ll help put his life into perspective, talk about what’s true in the songs and what’s been enhanced for dramatic reasons, and what has even more thrilling history behind it.

Pressler, Scholastic SHARK WEEK, Feiwel & Friends THE GAME OF LOVE AND DEATH, Scholastic FINDING BIGFOOT, Feiwel & Friends THE DINOSAUR TOOTH FAIRY, illustrated by Israel Sanchez, Scholastic DEVINE INTERVENTION, Scholastic

CALIFORNIA KIDS! Family Fun Guide • DECEMBER 2017

THE BOOK REPORT

Holiday and Gift Books

By Susan L. Roberts

Holidays are a time to give those extra-special books. It could be a holiday book with Santa, dinosaurs, or holiday letters to open. Maybe it’s an extraordinary Mark Twain tale that wraps itself around a powerful message and can change—or create— a new belief. Explore these books that can enlarge your young reader’s world and instill in them a passion for reading.

Love, Santa, by Martha Brockenbrough, illustrated by Lee White (Arthur A Levine Books, ages 3-10) This book dispels the myth of Santa in a loving, affirming way. It will be a hit with kids, as half the pages invite children to open letters tucked inside envelopes.

Beginning when Lucy was five, she wrote a letter to Santa, and Santa wrote back.

When she was six, she wrote another letter, and Santa wrote back. When she was seven, she started a letter, but…asking for stuff didn’t matter as much. By the time she was eight, she suspected that Santa was not real and the presents had come from mom. Her mother wrote a letter back explaining Santa’s job is not to deliver presents, but to help us ‘believe’. Her mother tells Lucy she is now on Santa’s team. A touching story that reframes ‘Santa’ in a fresh, new way.

Santa Rex, by Molly Idle (Viking, ages 3-8) A boy and his mom are preparing for Christmas, when a T-Rex and his friends show up at the door. “The more the merrier,” they are invited in and the fun begins! Brontosaurus helps the boy string the popcorn, by eating it! T-Rex helps cut snowflakes for the windows, by cutting a gigantic snowflake out of the curtain. And helping decorate the tree is another laughing matter.

Each illustration, done in color pencils tells a piece of the story in a humorously shocking display. The book is a bit like Finding Waldo, searching for all the little nu-

ances the author/illustrator places on each page.

A World of Cookies for Santa,

by M. E. Furman, illustrated by Susan Gal (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ages 4-10) Expand a child’s understanding of Christmas traditions, when they follow Santa as he delivers gifts around the world.

The story focuses on the treats children leave out for their version of Santa.

Whether the jolly figure is called Sinterklaas (Indonesia), Kersvader (South Africa) or Ded Moroz and Snegurochka, Grandfather Frost and Snow Maiden (Russia). The treats include Riskrem, a sweet rice pudding in Norway; sweet, spicy Mexican hot chocolate to warm Santa when he heads up north in Mexico; and carrots, oats or apples for Pere Noel’s donkey in France.

Rich, colorful illustrations show the many different ways countries celebrate this December holiday.

The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine, by Mark Twain and Philip Stead, illustrated

by Erin Stead (Doubleday Books for Young Readers, ages 4-12) If you’re a Mark Twain fan, you’ll love his newest book—yes, his newest! An incomplete set of notes for a story were uncovered and Philp and Erin Stead were asked to complete the story and bring it to life.

Breaking all traditions, as only Mark Twain can, this 148-page picture book will take you on a meandering journey through a time long ago. A young, unhappy, yet imaginative, boy, Johnny, sets out to sell his best friend, Pestilence and Famine (a chicken) as directed by his dreary grandfather.

It’s a two to three day walk to the nearest market where a lot can happen, and, with Twain at the helm of the story, it does. A delight for the ears and the heart when Johnny saves the purloined Prince Oleomargarine and ends up transforming his own life.

DECEMBER 2017 • CALIFORNIA KIDS! Family Fun Guide

Zoo Scientists to the Rescue,

by Patricia Newman, photographs by Annie Crawley (Millbrook Press, ages 8-12) Written in kid-friendly terms, this book provides a fascinating, in-depth look at how zoo scientists are helping orangutans, black-footed ferrets and black rhinos, three animals on the Critically Endangered list.

Meredith Bastian studied orangutans in the field for several years, observing behaviors from the moment they woke, until they laid down to sleep. Jeff Baughman helped manage the revival of 130 ferrets. Rachel Santymire studied ‘poop; which provided invaluable information about black rhinos in Africa.

The book also provides zoo history, conservation, and career information about zoo scientists. The photos are outstanding and draw in both young and adult readers.

Susan L. Roberts (www.Books4theCuriousChild.com) lives in Sacramento, CA where she reads dozens of picture books each month and reviews the best to help parents and teachers find books that will inspire and develop a child’s curiosity, their dreams, and passion for reading.

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Holiday Magic continues in Old Sacramento with the 9th annual “Macy’s Theatre of Lights” Spectacular and free family-friendly performances continue through Christmas Eve An electrifying and familyfriendly holiday tradition, the ever-popular “Macy’s Theatre of Lights” performances will return to dazzle the Old Sacramento historic district again this season. Taking place on K Street between Front and 2nd Streets, the performances kicked off on Wednesday, Nov. 22, following a festive and fun tree lighting ceremony, complete with pre- and post-show entertainment. The free performances will continue for a total of 22 magical evenings ending on Christmas Eve. With the 60-foot tall holiday tree serving as a visually exciting centerpiece, “Macy’s Theatre of Lights” was conceived and created by Stage Nine Entertainment’s Troy Carlson and is produced by some of California’s finest talents in the field of light and sound: Sacramento Theatrical Lighting (STL), Associated Sound and Skywalker Sound, and Emmynominated voice actor Bill Farmer, the voice of Disney’s Goofy. The “Macy’s Theatre

of Lights” artfully mixes the historic charm of Old Sacramento with state-of-the-art sound and lighting technology to create a memorable holiday experience for visitors of all ages. Old Sacramento’s “Macy’s Theatre of Lights” blends a symphony of lights, sounds and visual effects that transport the audience back in time with a reading of the fa-

mous poem The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore. The narrated reading of the powerful and nostalgic poem is brought to life through theatrical elements and visually-exciting lighting choreography that takes place on the balconies and rooftops of Old Sacramento’s historic buildings. With updated props and show surprises including

“snow” falling on spectators below, the crowd-favorite villain Jack Frost returns this year (always with new tricks up his sleeve) to add dramatic tension and suspense to the show.

Two 20-minute performances are offered on Thursdays through Sundays at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and also on Tuesday, December 19 and Wednesday, December

20. With one performance only on Christmas Eve, the final “Macy’s Theatre of Lights” performance for the season takes place on December 24 at 6 p.m.

And, as a special – and often surprising – treat on many nights, local celebrities and influential community members will entertain the audience in the guest role of “papa” or “mama” wearing a stocking cap and oftentimes decked out in holiday pajamas. Community members are encouraged to make Old Sacramento a must-visit holiday destination to experience the magical “Macy’s Theatre of Lights” performances every season while also supporting the array of locally-owned businesses, shops and eateries available in Old Sacramento.

More information about the “Macy’s Theatre of Lights” performances or other events and activities happening in historic Sacramento is available by calling 916-970-5226 or visiting www.oldsacramento.com.

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CALIFORNIA KIDS! Family Fun Guide • DECEMBER 2017

Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, a family-friendly getaway in Reno

By Carmel L. Mooney

O

n our recent Atlantis visit, we enjoy upgrading to the concierge level where a consistently very friendly, kind, and attentive staff serve our family with delicious breakfast options like a dozen different teas and coffee, apple cider, fresh melon and berries, yogurt, eggs, cereals, bagels and pastries and a spectacular view of the city and airport below.

Kids will love the birds eye view of the runway at the airport below while they enjoy the great fare. In the early evening fresh cookies and fruit are a great refueling option along with cocktails for mom and dad. The attentive staff will offer you bottled water and fresh fruit along with fresh baked cookies to take back to your room as well.

Later in the afternoon sumptuous and more filling appetizers like loaded potato skins, kabobs, Chinese dumplings, deviled eggs, cheese and meat trays, and egg rolls are a fabulous way to satisfy after lounging by the pools and cabanas or after getting pampering at the Atlantis spa which is rated in the top 10 spas in the entire world.

With many varied private and public treatment rooms and elegant lounging areas, the spa is truly a pampering and relaxing full amenity spa.

Dad and the kids may have to play at the pool and linger a little extra long having fun just so mom can get recharged in sheer luxury at one of the top rated spas in the world.

As for pools, the Atlantis has a huge outdoor pool with cabanas where your tribe can relax poolside and even get wonderful specialties delivered when your appetites call for some special attention.

Indoors is another huge pool which is heated in the event that the high desert weather doesn’t fully cooperate with your outdoor pool plans.

One of the dining pinnacles, Toucan Charlie’s Buffet and Grille is outstanding at the

Photo Courtesy (My dad - Sudeep Mehta)

Atlantis. With many ethnic varieties and fresh carving station, a gigantic salad array, many homemade soups, sumptuous entrees and pizza, this is a fabulous buffet for all ages.

For kids, in addition to the fabulous gourmet desserts like pies, cakes and cheesecake, hungry little tummies will enjoy a large ice cream and candy bar and even freshly spun cotton candy.

If you have a birthday in your group they will even bring something extra special over to make the birthday person feel especially loved.

Should you visit on the weekend, the Saturday and Sunday champagne brunch will be a hit with the entire family.

Mom and dad can enjoy the bottomless champagne while the entire clan will partake in eggs Benedict, Belgian waffles, lox and bagels, oysters on the half shell, Dungeness crab, Manila clams and lots more of the usual weekly specialties and offerings.

Within a couple of blocks of the Atlantis Resort property are bowling alleys and movie theaters and many other fun family venues for laser tag and arcades. A large mall is just minutes away. Wonderful golf courses are also nearby.

Of course the Biggest Little City in the World of Reno, offers gaming and shows and all sorts of concerts, comedy and varied entertainment so there won’t be a moment lacking for options to suit anyone.

Many lovely nearby parks offer gorgeous hiking trails with the Tom Cooke trail at Mayberry Park being one of our favorites that winds along

DECEMBER 2017 • CALIFORNIA KIDS! Family Fun Guide

the majestic Truckee River and vibrant aspens and even provides a great place for a game of frisbee or a relaxing and scenic picnic. You can even rent bicycles at Sundance Bike Rentals to take a scenic ride along the serene Truckee River.

They even have lunch boxes available and provide free helmets so your family will be completely set for fun and safe exercise and adventure along a breathtaking nature backdrop.

While Reno has lots of great museums and attractions, a favorite of many families is the National Automobile Museum where the world famous Harrah Collection is displayed. AutoWeek Magazine has called it “One is the Five Greatest Auto Museums.” There are over 200 cars on display, audio and guided tours, theater presentations, and vintage clothing and memorabilia.

Atlantis is truly the perfect family friendly hub from which to enjoy a relaxing and fun family getaway. Many specials are offered throughout the year so it pays to ask what is being offered at the time of your proposed visit.

You may want to consider joining Club Paradise for some of the greatest deals and packages. Many times, depending on packages, you can even earn free nights.

Atlantis is a wonderful family venue and makes an excellent weekend getaway or even an extended week long destination vacation.

The Beauty of Nature Akshaj Mehta 7th Grade (NP3 Middle)

The famous scientist Albert Einstein once said “Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.” Nature is one of the few things that people have made songs articles and movies on. The seasons are the best way to appreciate nature. In fall leaves turn welcoming colors, which means we can break out our colorful jackets and coats. We see the beautiful snowcapped mountains in the winter. Breathe in fresh air during spring. Eat popsicles and cool down in summer. Nature can also be a form of freeing yourself from troubles. For example taking a walk and admiring the trees, and the plants, it calms people.

The fresh air reduces heart rate and blood pressure. In a nutshell bringing the words of Louis Armstrong, the songwriter “And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”

For more information, visit atlantiscasino.com or call 800723-6500.

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CALIFORNIA KIDS! Family Fun Guide • DECEMBER 2017