KidsOutAndAbout.com newsletter

Sent April 11, 2008

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Dear KOA readers:

I just found out something that is just.too.cool: Remember Pulse: A STOMP Odyssey, the large-screen movie that was at Strasenburgh Planetarium about 3-4 years ago? We LOVED that movie. We ended up seeing it seven times. I never actually wrote an official review about it, but I mentioned it in the newsletter a bunch. I also mentioned the movie in my review a few months ago of the dance/rhythm group STOMP when they came through Rochester: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/main-reviews/STOMP.html.

Anyway, maybe someone was listening because Pulse is BACK! Yes! It opens today at Strasenburgh Planetarium at 2pm. Oh, I’m so happy! My kids were only 4 and 5 the last time we saw it, and they will experience it in a whole new way this time around. This is a marvelous 40-minute movie, without words, just wonderful rhythms and video of special (and sometimes wild and crazy) musical groups from around the world. Our favorite group is the Moremogolo Tswana Traditional Dancers from Zeerust in the Republic of South Africa. I always cry at the point it comes to them, it’s just so beautiful.

1) Spring break articles from Jackie Perrin:

Spring Break '08: Four Florida Escapes for Under $2,000
is at http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/main-vacations/SpringBreak08Florida.html

Close-by and On the Cheap: Great Spring Break Family Escapes in Western New York
is at http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/main-vacations/SpringBreakClosetoRochester.html

2) The artists for the Rochester International Jazz Festival were announced this week! The Festival is Friday, June 13 – Saturday, June 21. Boz Scaggs, Al Green, Frank Sinatra Junior…you can get tickets through Ticketmaster at
http://www.ticketmaster.com/search?tm_link=tm_header_search&keyword=Rochester+International+Jazz+Festival

3) The Mommy & Me and Mommy to Be Expo is April 20th at the Hyatt. Patti Ronsvalle, one of the organizers, let me know this week that they have one free remaining spot left for a parent’s club (MOMS, MOPS, Mothers & More, Roots & Wings, etc.) to join them due to a cancelation. This free spot at the event is for the club to recruit members. (This is not for non profits--they have a separate rate for them.) If your Mom’s club is interested in this free slot, please contact Patti at pattiup@rochester.rr.com.

4) The Seneca Park Zoo is looking to bring an interested group of parents throughout the Rochester area together to explore the different ways that science can be brought from the classroom to everyday life. Parents will attend a two-to-three day workshop in May (dates to be determined by participants) as the Zoo promotes parental involvement in their children's science education. And it's free! If you are interested in being involved in this unique project, contact Lisa Griffith at LGriffith@senecazoo.org or 585-336-7214 by May 1st.

5) Tops Cooking School has Spring Break Mini Cooking Camps next week, and there are still some slots left. I believe the age 7-10 class is earlier in the week and 11-15 class is later in the week. 9:00am-1:00pm. Cost is $110 per child (discount for siblings).

Monday, April 14-Wednesday, April 16: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner recipes Camp this week will focus on meals you can make for ANY time of the day. Don't you get tired of cereal and Pop-tarts for breakfast, PB&J for lunch or boxed mac & cheese for dinner? Come learn how to make some new and tasty meals that aren't the "same old, same old."

Thursday, April 17-Saturday, April 19: Become a Culinary Star Instead of sitting in front of the TV watching your favorite cooking channel chefs, come to the Cooking School this week and make some recipes from those same chefs; Rachael Ray, Sandra Dee, Emeril, etc. Why sit home drooling over how good their food looks, when you can be here experiencing the smells and tastes of the recipes instead. Invite a friend along for the fun too! Call 585-663-5449 to register your child.

6) Speaking of spring break, there are a ton of activities. The museums have special week activities: The RMSC’s theme seems to be Toys: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=15324

The Genesee Country Nature Center has a Spring Fling: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=15205

Strong Museum’s week activities are focused around their current exhibit, Grossology: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=15193

Also at Strong next week, PUSH Physical Theatre will be performing several shows each day. The shows are FREE with your admission to the museum, and are approximately 45 minutes long. Times are 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and at 11:30 a.m., 2:30, and 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

7) Speaking of Strong Museum, they are pleased to announce the opening of a dynamic new, permanent exhibit, The Berenstain Bears: Down a Sunny Dirt Road on April 26. The new exhibit is produced by Strong in partnership with the Berenstain Family. Museum guests will have a special opportunity to meet Berenstain Bears co-creator Mike Berenstain in person during the opening weekend celebration Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27. Mr. Berenstain calls the exhibit a “remarkable 3-D recreation” of familiar settings from the pages of the Berenstain Bears books: “Every tree and stump, every clump of grass and hollow log, every barn, chicken coop, and shop gives children the opportunity to get involved and be active—to have fun and learn at the same time. We feel that this is the best possible realization of the vision of our books—a world of humor and happiness where children can grow and flourish in mind and body.”

8) There is a Staples opening in Panorama Plaza, I’m not sure of the date but I saw the sign yesterday! That's great news for us middle-east-siders...I've always had to go out to Victor or Henrietta, now there will be one right down the street.

9) Congratulations to Blake, who won the drawing for Mary Kay products from Tammy DeMarle last week.

Speaking of giveaways, there are some new ones up on the giveaway page: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/city-articles/giveaways.html

We have another from stylist Marie Avallone at Salon Hermitage, and also photographer Honey DeLapa is hosting a giveaway for her annual Daffodil Meadow family photos. These are great, I love them, and I had her do the girls last year…and of course I couldn’t resist putting some of the photos up on the web. So you can see samples of the Ross girls in the Daffodil Meadow at Durand Eastman from Honey DeLapa at
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/city-articles/DaffodilDays.html.

Don’t forget to enter these giveaways! More will be coming by the end of the day, almost certainly, so check back frequently.

10) This weekend is the opening of the Off-Monroe Player’s production of “Very Truly Yours: Gilbert & Sullivan” at Geva Theatre. You can see this link for more information: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=15273

One of the organizers told me that before the matinee performance on Sunday, April 13, playwright Gayden Wren will speak about this play, and its subjects, to ticketholders who wish to arrive early.

11) There really is almost too much to do this weekend, and through the rest of the week.

Tonight is the home opener of the Rochester Red Wings (7:05)…sorry it’s raining. But at least it’s not snow! The Red Wings will be in town every day through next Friday. See http://www.redwingsbaseball.com/schedule/calendar.php for the schedule.

The WeePeats semi-annual consignment event is back this weekend…at the Dome Center in Henrietta, Saturday 9am - 9pm and Sunday 10am - 2pm. Note the times! 25,000 sq. feet of the BEST pre-owned kid's stuff in NY & PA. Over 400+ consignors bring us their best clothing, toys, dvds/vhs, books, baby equipment, etc for you to buy at 70% off retail prices.

Jesus Christ Superstar is tonight and tomorrow from the Rochester Broadway Theatre League.

Braddock Bay Raptor Research has a Bird of Prey Days Festival all weekend.

Tomorrow evening is KidsOutAndAbout.com discount night at the Rochester Knighthawks! Details are on the calendar. Call Tom Winslow at (585) 454-5335 for the special discounted seats.

The Third Annual Children's Film Festival features shorts from Ethiopia, France, Australia, Germany, Ireland and the U.S., produced for a special audience: young children. These will be shown this weekend and next week in three locations around Rochester. These award-winning films have been carefully selected for children and explore themes of compassion, tolerance, diversity, and respect for all living things. A few of the shows are free, and the one at Dryden is $2/person or $6/family. For more details, see:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/organization-display.php?Org=1309

There is an OrKIDstra concert on Sunday at 2pm at the performance hall at Hochstein on Plymouth Ave in Rochester. The theme is Everyday Heroes.

The 2pm walk on Sunday at the Genesee Country Nature Center is entitled “Spring is For the Birds.”

As I said above, there are a ton of activities all through the week for Spring Break next week. Because it would be too lengthy to list all of the activities, here are day-by-day links:

Monday: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-search-display.php?Month=4&sd=2008-04-14

Tuesday: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-search-display.php?Month=4&sd=2008-04-15

Wednesday: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-search-display.php?Month=4&sd=2008-04-16

Thursday: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-search-display.php?Month=4&sd=2008-04-17

Friday: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-search-display.php?Month=4&sd=2008-04-18

And, for the first time in goodness knows how long, there may not be a newsletter next week. The Bach Children’s Chorus is singing at the Old North Church in Boston on the 18th of April (is there anyone left who knows why it’s so cool that they’re singing there on that date?) and the girls and I are going on the trip. So, depending on whether our hotel has wireless internet, you may or may not hear from me next week!

Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com

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