Wichita Family Magazine June 2014

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june 2014

MAKE SUMMER SENSATIONAL FUN BUILDING BONDS BETWEEN DADS, KIDS STAY SAFE THIS SUMMER

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june 2014

Inside: 6 8

Building bonds between dads and kids News and Information from our partners at Wichita Public Schools

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Kid-friendly activities for the whole family

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Tips for keeping your children safe during the summer season

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Come for some

relaxation, adventure, and a whole lot

Success begins at an early age

of fun.

Call for a free consultation about your child’s development.

Sedgwick County: 316.945.7117 • Butler County: 316.320.1342

Early Intervention Services

Get away to Lincoln, Nebraska

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published by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC 316.295.8465 Publisher Todd Vogts Advertising inquiries contact:

Lincoln.org

Publisher Todd Vogts publisher@wichitafamily.com

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Wichita Family Magazine is published 12 times a year

by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. Wichita Family Magazine is available free, at schools, stores, restaurants, libraries, retailers and local attractions, as well as other places families frequent. For a complete list of where to find Wichita Family, or for subscription rates, email us at publisher@wichitafamily.com or visit our website at www.wichitafamily.com.

Copyright 2014 by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Wichita Family Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or contest fulfillment from third parties. Reproduction in part or in whole without written permission is strictly prohibited. Wichita Family is distributed free of charge. The magazine’s advertisers make this possible, so support them! We reserve the right to edit submitted material. All submissions will be considered for publication, but we reserve the right to refuse material. Materials will not be returned. Any editorial content or advertising published is the property of Lucky 7 Publishing LLC.

SUMMER @ WAM hot glass cool doings GENEROUS EVENT SPONS ORS

Friday, June 13 | 7 pm Tunes + Tallgrass on the Terrace Free outdoor screening of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with live music by Tulsa-based band, The Whiskey Misters

Saturday, July 19 | 2 to 4 pm Allen, Gibbs & Houlik, L.C. CPAs and Advisors

Summer Birthday Bash Free, old-fashioned ice cream social

Friday, August 22 | 8 pm Night at the Museum View Méliès’ film A Trip to the Moon, imbibe cool ades, and enjoy party antics

June and July Hot Art For Cool Kids Summer camps for kids ages 6–12 on Wednesday and Friday afternoons

Visit wichitaartmuseum.org for more information

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Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Family Conflict Disputes among family members may also keep a father away. When conflicts arise with a mother, grandparents or other family members, a child should know he or she is not the problem, Dr. Taylor cautions.

Doubts about paternity can be an especially trying source of family conflict. A paternity test can help eliminate this uncertainty. To help address paternity questions, Identigene offers an affordable DNA paternity test kit that is sold in drug stores and supercenters and is 100 percent accurate.

Dr. Taylor advocates for fathers to make an effort to spend time with their children in the midst of conflict, even if circumstances dictate that time together is in a group setting rather than one-on-one.

Failed Personal Connections

Building Bonds between Dads and Kids FAMILY FEATURES

F

or many adults, the times spent with their fathers are among their most treasured memories.

However, today as many as one in three children in America live in a home where a biological father is not present.

The reasons for paternal absence can vary. For example, fathers may stay distant from a child out of fear of being inadequate or failing the child. Despite difficult circumstances, in many cases there are solutions that allow fathers to maintain an important presence in their children’s lives.

The following are many of the common reasons for

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fathers’ absences along with guidance on how to help resolve the situation, provided by Dr. Janet Taylor, an author and community psychiatrist.

Guilt Many fathers have guilt for not having the financial means to buy things for their kids. Fathers need to understand their children love them because they are their father and not because of the “things” they give them.

“A father’s time and involvement in a child’s life is a true gift,” Dr. Taylor says. “Give the gift of your time and it will mean the world to them.”

Another reason a father might stay away is the result of a lack of a father figure in his own life. Dr. Taylor calls parenting the ultimate “on the job training.” She recommends working to make a connection to break the cycle from repeating in the next generation.

Fathers Have Value “Fathers also need to recognize their value in their kids’ lives,” Dr. Taylor says. A recent survey sponsored by Identigene found that most Americans who are looking to address a paternity issue understand there are many benefits of having a biological father in a child’s life, including providing the child with a sense of family and self (73%), enhancing the child’s self-esteem (70%) and offering the child with a masculine parental figure (69%).

According to Fatherhood.org, children who do not have a father figure in their life are more likely to endure financial hardship, use drugs, quit school or engage in criminal behavior.

“This data serves as a testament that a father’s active participation does make a difference,” Dr. Taylor says.

“Hopefully it encourages those fathers who have not had a role in their child’s life to develop a bond that can truly re-shape a young person’s entire childhood.”

Why Dads Have Always Mattered P

sychologists and sociologists have long studied the motherchild relationship, but it’s only been the past few decades that the outcomes — including cognitive ability, educational achievement, psychological well-being and social behavior — that fathers have on children have been given much attention.

It’s become so important, however, that the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services maintains the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse website, chockfull of “dad stats” and President Obama issued a call to renew a national conversation on responsible fatherhood and healthy families.

Where Have All the Role Models Gone?

For decades, our television media portrayed a stereotyped vision of fatherhood. In the 1950s, father Jim Anderson knew best. In the 80s, Cliff Huxtable doled out wisecracking fatherly advice. And then in the 90s, Al Bundy showed us that even cynical dads knew a thing or two. But today, who is defining the role of fathers, and who do kids look up?

Although too many people have thought of dads as “the other adult” in the house, we need to challenge that perspective and give awesome fathers the recognition they deserve.

There’s an Involved Dad behind Every Strong Kid

Being a devoted dad goes beyond Father’s Day, it’s about bringing fathers and their children closer together and give them the greatest gift of all: the dedication of time, which has been proven to create more confident kids with stronger skills, ready to take on the world.

Did you know?

Preschoolers with actively involved fathers have stronger verbal skills.

Girls with strong relationships with their fathers do better in mathematics.

Fathers’ involvement seems to encourage children’s exploration of the world around them and confidence in their ability to solve problems.

If I had it my way, dads wouldn’t be defined by TV sitcoms, and kids would look to their own fathers for fun, education and adventure.

That’s why I want to introduce you to this new campaign. It’s called “Dad and Me,” and it’s simple: Kids download a commitment letter from the fodada website (www. fodada.com) and give it to their dads.

They both sign it, pledging to spend three hours per month doing things together that are “totally fun and silly,” educational, and active and outdoors.

We at fodada will recognize dads who sign the pledge by sending them a specially design t-shirt from our collection.

This idea goes beyond a simple

Father’s Day gift. It even goes beyond a year of dad-kid activities. The “Dad and Me” campaign is a way for dads to reclaim their roles in the modern family and set up their children for a lifetime of healthy development.

As a father of two boys (5-yearold, Pierce, and 2-year-old, Royce), I left my career to focus on my true passion – my kids – and developed fodada, a cause-driven casual wear brand to leverage my fatherly pride and create avenues for other people motivated by their passions.

We are keen to start a revolution that celebrates what being a great dad means by being an involved dad, and we’re introducing the “Dad and Me” campaign to spark a radical change that sweeps the country.

Join us!

About the author: Bobby Barzi is the chief dada and founder of fodada, a cause-driven clothing label that affirms what fatherhood means. fodada wraps a tangible product — comfortable, hip and premium clothing — around its core cause: celebrating fatherhood. The sale of fodada clothing not only reinforces this message, but also funds no-cost programming important to dads and families in the United States and abroad. Find out more information about Bobby and fodada at www.fodada.com.

For more information about the “Dad and Me” campaign or to download the commitment letter, visit fodada.com. wfm 7

News and Information from our partners at Wichita Public Schools Gardiner student named Fuel Up to Play 60 State Ambassador

Piper Hartzler, fourth-grade student at Gardiner Elementary, was named a State Ambassador for the Fuel Up to Play 60 program. She is pictured with P.E. teacher Jeff Arellano, who encouraged her to apply for the program.

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Piper Hartzler, fourth-grade student at Gardiner Elementary, was selected as a 2014-15 State Ambassador for Fuel Up to Play 60. As a State Ambassador, she will represent Kansas and the Fuel Up to Play 60 program next school year. To be considered as an ambassador, students earn points based on how many minutes of physical activity they do and how many fruits and vegetables they eat. She earned more than 20,000 points. She also submitted an essay about leadership and teamwork.

“You have to encourage others to be a leader,” Hartzler said. “You can’t be just the boss. You also have to have others help you because you can’t do everything yourself.”

She has been very active at Gardiner to encourage others to be healthy. Gardiner is part of the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables grant and she encourages her classmates to try the new foods.

She often leads physical activity programs and has written brain break activities for teachers to use in class.

Gardiner’s P.E. teacher, Jeff Arellano, was named Kansas’ Fuel Up to Play 60 Program Advisor of the Year in 2013 and he encouraged her to apply to be a state ambassador.

The Fuel Up to Play 60 program, sponsored by the National Football League and the Midwest Dairy Council, encourages students to be active at least 60 minutes per day and to eat healthy foods.

Minneha fifth-grade students dedicated the sculpture they worked on with Washington, DC artist Kevin Reese.

Minneha 5th grade students dedicate sculpture

Fifth-grade students in Erin Martin’s art class unveiled a sculpture that beautifies the front of their school. The students worked with Washington, DC artist Kevin Reese for a week to make the 15-foot sculpture titled Lift.

Reese worked with the students to use math, geometry and physics to cut wood, paint and assemble the sculpture. The students sent him 100 drawings and he used them to draw a plan

for the artwork.

During the dedication, Reese praised the students about their creativity and told them now they have a lasting legacy of their work.

Reese has helped students across the U.S. create unique pieces of art. Minneha’s project was supported by their PTO, parents and community members.

Online enrollment will be offered for 2014-15 year

Online enrollment will be available for the 2014-15 school year. All parents will be able to complete standard enrollment forms, pay for enrollment fees and school meals, and fill out free and reduced price lunch forms from a computer. Parents are encouraged to use this service in order to streamline the enrollment process. Online access will be available Monday, July 14.

Enrollment information is online at www.enroll.usd259.org.

Parents can find information about

online enrollment, school supplies, immunizations, and other enrollmentrelated items. Parents new to the Wichita Public Schools can download and print out forms before they go to their child’s school to enroll.

Enrollment for the 2014-2015 school year is July 25 – July 31. The Wichita Public Schools will have consistent enrollment times at all schools to make it more convenient for parents who enroll multiple children at different schools. The

enrollment times are:

• Friday, July 25: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

• Monday, July 28: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

• Tuesday, July 29: 12 - 7 p.m.

• Wednesday, July 30: 12 - 7 p.m.

• Thursday, July 31: 12 - 7 p.m.

The first day of school for all students is Tuesday, August 12 with a half-day orientation for 6th and 9th grade students on August 11.

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Make Summer Sensational

Fun, kid-friendly activities for the whole family to enjoy (Family Features) Celebrate unlimited sunshine and bask in those carefree summer days with kid-friendly activities that bring the family together.

For many parents, it’s the same routine each and every year.

After weeks of anticipation for the end of the school year, those lazy summer days finally arrive for your children.

But soon after, the newness wears off, leaving behind sad faces and the dreaded phrase heard by parents across the country, “I’m bored.”

But all it takes to battle summer boredom is a little preparedness and a few clever ideas to make this summer the best one yet.

Kid-approved activities The summer fun experts at Bomb Pop serve up these awesome, fresh ideas to bring loads of memorable moments to your family all season long.

Go on a Park Crawl

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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Research all of the parks in your town and visit each one.

Your kids will love pointing out their favorite attractions

at each location. When the activity is over, have each child pick their favorite park so you can visit regularly.

Be sure to load up on sunscreen, drinking water and bug spray.

Also, make sure you have a map or smartphone handy to help you navigate to the next park.

Make it memorable by taking a picture at each stop.

Those treasured moments can be printed and pieced together into a summer scrapbook they’ll cherish for years.

Make a Splash Backyard water games are synonymous with smiles.

Enjoy the classic warm weather activities of water balloon fights, squirt gun wars, playing on a slip and slide and, as always, swimming in an outdoor pool. Younger kids will love ice excavating, too.

Simply freeze plastic toys in a large bowl and let them chip away at the ice.

Be sure to have everyone wearing swimsuits and plenty of sunscreen. Backyard fun also means your freezer is just a few

steps away, so stock it with cool treats, such as the six fins of fun in Bomb Pops frozen treats.

Your kids will love the waves of flavor in the Original Bomb Pop, or the new Watermelon flavor.

Make it memorable by making a game of your water activities.

Whether it’s a water balloon toss or squirt gun tag, kids will be more involved when you throw in some friendly competition.

Be sure to have a lot of summerthemed prizes, such as cool beach towels, sunglasses or splash balls.

Catch a Cool Movie by Car Relive the nostalgia and simplicity of seeing a movie at a drive-in theater.

Your kids will love the experience of catching a movie under the stars, and because many allow you to pack your own summertime snacks and beverages, you’ll love the savings.

Your family can view a movie that’s just to their liking, with many venues offering blockbuster hits, while some even bring back the big screen classics from your own youth.

Be sure to bring plenty of lawn chairs, pillows, blankets and bug repellent for the whole gang.

Make it memorable with each family member dressed in their favorite 50s or 60s drive-in attire, or in a costume that represents the movie.

Score a Home Run A visit to the local baseball field is a wonderful way to teach your little ones about America’s favorite pastime, while also encouraging an active lifestyle.

Invite their buddies along so you can have a whole team, or just practice catching, pitching or batting with a couple of players.

Be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen, drinking water, hats, baseball gear and a cooler packed with delicious treats, such as Bomb Pops, the official sponsor of Little League Baseball and Softball.

Make it memorable by creating your own cheer section. Some kids may be too young to play, but they can still participate as cheerleaders for their brothers or sisters. Make sure your squad is complete with handmade cheer signs and pompoms for them to wave about proudly.

Create a Family Masterpiece Get crafty with the kids and let them create their own giant mural - on a bed sheet. Simply lay an old one out on the lawn and let the kids paint away.

They will love to proudly hang up their creation in the basement rec room or any other place where they play.

Be sure to supply kid-safe paints, brushes, sponges and other items around the home for tracing shapes and designs.

Also, make sure everyone lathers on plenty of sunscreen so they don’t get burned while making their art.

Make it memorable and encourage your kids to tell a summer story through their artwork.

Allow them to draw inspiration from a recent trip to the lake, the mountains or a family reunion.

With a few kid-friendly ideas, you can create memories that will last a lifetime.

For other fun ways to enjoy summer, visit www.BombPop.com.

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PLAY IT SAFE Tips to keep kids safe all summer long

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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(Family Features) Summer is a time of playground fun, camping, swimming and other outdoor activities.

When kids are outdoors, their sense of adventure and curiosity soars, which can, unfortunately, lead to a higher risk of injuries.

In fact, according to the Safe Kids Worldwide organization, each year one in four children 14 years of age and younger will sustain an injury that requires medical attention.

The good news is that many of these injuries are preventable by following a few simple tips and learning how to avoid accidents and injuries.

“We know kids are active, especially during the summer months,” said John Cinotto, chairman of the board of directors of Shriners Hospitals for Children. “At Shriners Hospitals for Children, we see patients every day with life-changing injuries caused by accidents.

“We’re always working to help raise awareness that our medical experts are here to get young patients back on track to the childhood they deserve, regardless of the families’ ability to pay.”

Here are some tips to help your family safely enjoy all the fun summer has in store.

Drive with Care According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death and acquired disability for children and teens.

These tips can help you and your children to stay out of harm’s way while in or around vehicles. * Teach your children to buckle up every time they get into a car, regardless of the length of the car ride.

Buckling children in age- and size-appropriate car seats, booster seats and seat belts dramatically reduces the risk of serious and fatal injuries. * Check around your parked car for children before you pull away. Teach children to be aware of moving vehicles and to wait in safe areas where drivers can see them. * Accompany young children when they get in and out of a vehicle. Hold their hands when walking near moving vehicles, in driveways and parking lots.

Mowing Matters While it may seem like just a common household tool, thousands of children are injured

in lawn mower accidents each year, some with severe effects. * Teach children to never play on or around a lawn mower, even when it is not in use. They should never be permitted to walk along side, in front of or behind a moving mower. * Children under six years of age should be kept inside the home while mowing.

Fire Safety Simplified Every hour, approximately 16 children are injured from fires or burns, according to the Safe Kids Worldwide organization.

Use these tips to keep your little ones safe around fireworks, grills and other heat sources: * Teach kids never to play with matches, gasoline, lighter fluid or lighters. Make a habit of placing these items up and away from young children. * Do not leave children unattended near grills, campfires, fire pits or bonfires.

Always have a bucket of water or fire extinguisher nearby when burning fires. * To ensure a safe celebration, leave fireworks to the professionals. * If your child is injured by fire or fireworks, immediately take them to a doctor or hospital.

Playground 101 The Centers for Disease Control revealed that

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries every year.

Before you let them play at the park or school playground, be sure they keep these precautions in mind: * Use appropriate and properly fitting safety equipment when participating in any sport, such as helmets and goggles, which can greatly reduce the risk of head and eye injuries. * Take your children to playgrounds with shock absorbing surfaces. Choose parks and playgrounds that are appropriate for their age.

Check for hazards or broken equipment and continuously supervise your children while they are at play. * Teach children to use playground and sports equipment properly. * Remind children that pushing, shoving and crowding on the playground can result in accidents and injuries.

Make a Safe Splash While playing poolside may be a blast, the Safe Kids Worldwide organization also revealed that drowning is the leading injury-related cause of death for children between 1-4 years of age.

Fill your family’s summer days with these safe practices around the water: * Teach children to never go near or in the water without an adult present. Children and adults should never swim alone. * Give children your undivided attention when they are swimming or near any body of water. * Always have your children wear a Coast Guard approved, properly fitting life jacket while on a boat, around an open body of water or when participating in water sports.

To learn more, visit www. shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/ safesummer.

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Extreme Sports. This Summer at Exploration Place Extreme Science.

Now Open!

Opens June 14!

National Traveling Exhibit

In the Boeing Dome Theater and Planetarium Included in general museum admission, free for members.

Keep your child’s mind busy with these exciting camps, including new computer classes in the Butler Community College Technology Studio.

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Special prices apply, to register call 316.660.0620.

Dome prices apply.

www.exploration.org 300 N. McLean Blvd. • Wichita, Kansas • 316.660.0600 •

Vote for your favorite business online at www.wichitafamily.com!!!

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