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KidsOutAndAbout.com newsletterSent June 27, 2008(Note...I know excitement is running high for that July 4 coupon for Brown's Berry Patch, readers are emailing me constantly... so look for a link to that below...also the awesome Kit Kittredge American Girl Giveaway is detailed below) Dear KOA readers: It was Mulberry Week in the Ross house, although that wasn't intentional. For the past week, we have been listening to the audio version of Linda Sue Park's Project Mulberry, about a 12-year-old girl, Julia, and her friend, Patrick, who raise silkworms from eggs for a project to be entered in the State Fair. The silkworms can only eat mulberry leaves, though, and that's the main problem: They need to find a mulberry tree in their town. Park, who actually lives in the Rochester area, gives us a vivid sense of Julia's ambivalence about Project Mulberry. And Park's language brings us right into the action--especially when she describes how delicious mulberry ice cream is. The image of that ice cream stayed with my family all week -- even my girls, who are not big fans of fruit ice cream, wanted to try some. And then it just so happened that Wednesday, Ella pointed out that one of the trees in our front yard was bearing fruit that looked a lot like dark raspberries. Should we eat them? she wondered. Fortunately, we'd planned a trip to our favorite nature center, the Genesee Country Nature Center, in Mumford, for Thursday. We brought along a sample to show the naturalists there. What a pleasant surprise when Linda Bender took one look at the branch and said, "Oh, that's mulberry!" They even had a red mulberry tree out on the Web of Life trail, which unfortunately was much too tall for us to discover whether it had fruit...although I have a nice photo of Ella hugging the tree. So, wonder of wonders, we have our very own mulberry tree in our front yard. And coincidentally, we also have our very own red Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker that I'd gotten last year from Goodman's.net, which although it has had quite a workout this week, what with the strawberries we picked Wednesday out at Chase Farms in Fairport. (By the way, the Chase web site has a special $2 off coupon you can print out, so if you're heading out there in the next week or two, be sure to visit their home page.) So anyway, last night, we made our own mulberry ice cream. And the verdict was...deep purple, unusual, complex, and delicious. At least, Ella liked it. Madison was not so sure. I do love when the stars seem to converge in ways that enrich my children's learning...and their palate. 
2) I brought the girls to the RMSC this week so they could play in the new Discover R Weather exhibit in the AdventureZone before the big summer rush. And boy, I was glad I did, too...because it was really neat. The coolest part was how you could not only record a weather report yourself, but EMAIL it from right there at the RMSC to your husband, who was, goodness knows why, at work instead of playing with us. Now, I could not figure out how to load a WMV file onto a KOA web page, but I so wanted you to be able to see just how awesome this is that I created a free blog over at Blogger for KidsOutAndAbout.com, because Blogger accommodates these files as easy as pie. Check out the 40-second video of the girls doing a weather forecast featuring their typical division of labor...Madison talking, Ella making elaborately goofy gestures. I've also put up pictures of the new Robots and US exhibit. 3) I love how summer here in Rochester is a wonderful feast for the senses. No offense to Rochester's winter season, but after the first rush of snow fun wears off, it always seems as though I'm trying to *avoid* sensory input from the icebox that is our outdoors from December through early April. Summer is totally different: the taste of summer fruit, the smell of fresh-cut grass, the sounds of the birds in the backyard, the warm rain on your skin, the variety of green hues all around you. We can teach our children so much just by encouraging them to explore the evidence of their senses. One way I love to do that is fruit picking, as you can well tell if you've been reading this newsletter. Our fruit picking page is receiving an astonishing amount of traffic this year. That's at: We always go to at least one place in east side of Rochester (this year it was Chase Farms) and one place to the west: Brown's Berry Patch. Here is this week's Fruit Tip of the Week from Farmer Brown: As I have said, each July 4 we Rosses head out to Brown's Berry Patch to pick cherries and strawberries, and let the kids (and grownups) play in the Barnyard Adventure afterward. In 2006, Honey DeLapa of DeLapa Photography took some fabulous photos of the kids that day (and a slightly less fabulous photo of me with them...but the fault lies in me, not them). If you'd like to see those photos, they're at This year, the Brown's folks have added a Barnyard Jump to the mix of fun physical and sensory activities in the Barnyard Adventure. And...they generously have provided a TERRIFIC COUPON for ALL KOA READERS to be used on Friday, July 4, 2008 only: Free admission to the Barnyard Adventure! You need to print out one coupon for each family member, though, that's important. For the coupon, go to Moreover, the Brown's folks are providing a new giveaway on our Giveaways page, for SEASON PASSES for your whole family to the Barnyard Adventure. Please see http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/city-articles/giveaways.html to find out how to enter the drawing. 4) Speaking of drawings...We have an AWESOME one! 
The same entertainment-industry publicists who provided the Kung Fu Panda Wii game we drew last week has now provided a special KIT KITTREDGE giveaway. Kit Kittredge: The first movie from the American Girl series, opens in theaters on July 2, and it's gotten terrific reviews so far. (I was pleasantly surprised to hear this...it isn't often that a kids' mass-market paperback gets made into a movie that is notable for its cinematic excellence.) WELL! The publicists sent me a FANTASTIC collectible item to give away: A Kit Kittredge original movie poster that is...get this...SIGNED by stars Abigail Breslin and Chris O'Donnell. I will be collecting entries for this until July 8 and then drawing a winner, so please visit the giveaway page to find out how to enter. We also have several other new drawings: A week of dance camp for 8-12-year-olds from Ballet Theatre (that one draws tonight); several from the Rochester City Ballet for spots in its summer camps, and one from hairstylist Marie Avallone. So this is a really terrific weekend to visit that giveaway page. 5) I was speaking, above, of how we were at Genesee Country Nature Center yesterday. Well, their coolest hike of the year is coming up: Liz Thompson’s annual Bat Hike, Bats of New York State.on Friday, July 11 at 7:30pm. Liz is the Nature Center’s bat expert (you can immediately tell which is her car in the parking lot ), and gives a great guided hike on the Center’s Oatka Creek property across the street. I wanted to let my readers know well enough in advance, because last year they reached their limit of registrants (I think 40), and this is a very popular hike. Make sure your kids can handle a 2-mile hike in this 2-and-a-half-hour program. (It is a very gentle hike, but long…wear appropriate shoes, bring bug spray, etc.) To register your family, call the GCV at 585-538-6822. It’s only $5 for adults, $3 for kids ($3/$1 for GCVM members). Can’t beat the value. 6) I have talked before about another terrific value, Jacquie Lawson online greeting cards. Jacquie is a wonderfully talented British artist whose gorgeously-rendered animated greeting cards are a joy to watch and listen to. My kids always love browsing through her site (JacquieLawson.com and checking out the cards. You can see a lot even without a subscription, but I subscribe at $8/year so that I can send the cards to others, and my kids have the full range of options to view for fun. Anyway, Jacquie has just released a very ambitious Fourth of July card that I have gotten busy sending to all of my relatives and far away friends. Here is a link so you can view that card yourself: 7) It's been delightful to get the nice feedback about our new Family Games column. Laura Davis's new column (her fourth) is up...in this one, she reviews a game called Hisss. That link is at http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/main-columns/games/hisss.html Hisss is for ages 4 and up. 8) Adrienne Furness's new column up on the MCLS web site is called "I'm Bored," which is about books that you can hand over to their children as soon as they say that thing that you KNOW you're going to hear sometime this summer. Very nice article. Very useful. Of course, board games can be great if your kids are bored, especially these unusual ones that Laura is reviewing. 9) Speaking of the Monroe County Library system, this week marks the launch of their summer reading program. This year's theme is "Catch the Reading Bug" and you can read all about how it works here: Several of the libraries are holding summer kick-off events. Brighton Memorial Library's is today, from 10am-noon. Hamlin's is today, too, at 1pm and 2pm (2 shows). Greece's is tomorrow at 1:30. Arnett Branch's is Wednesday and Thursday of this coming week. Chili's is Monday at 11:30. Gates' is Wednesday from 7-8:30. 10) My daughter Madison is very much looking forward to her camps this summer, particularly the camp that starts on Monday, the PUSHPins camp from PUSH Physical Theatre, which is being held this coming Monday, June 30, through Thursday, July 3. It is held at the First Presbyterian Church in Pittsford, and this will be Madison's second year attending. I found out from its director, Heather Stevenson, today that there are four slots still open, in the 5-8 age group and the 11-12 age group. For KOA readers, Heather will waive the usual $10 family registration fee and will take $10 off camp fee (usually $182). You need to let her know by Saturday, though. You can call her at (585) 278-0123 if your son or daughter is interested. 11) How about a special Date Night with your honey on the evening of Saturday, July 12? Genesee Country Village & Museum and Hillside Children’s Center have joined forces to create a spectacular event that will make your taste buds tingle. The Midsummer Festival of Wine, Food and Music will be held Saturday, July 12, 2008. The event will take place in the museum’s historic village between 6 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person and are available by calling the 585-538-6822. They can also be purchased at all area Wegmans Food Markets or at the gate. The festival will feature samples from regional wine producers, brewers, artisan cheese makers and entrée tastings from local restaurants. Musical entertainment will be provided by The Rochester Ratpack, The Jimmie Highsmith Jr. Trio and others. All proceeds from the event will benefit Genesee Country Village & Museum and Hillside Children’s Center. Sounds like a really fun, romantic, and tasty event that won't break the bank...and it's all for a terrific cause. This is an over-21 event only, though, because of the wine and beer. 12) Thank you everyone who sent in suggestions for dealing with my kids' serious case of the screechies when I go to brush their hair. I received loads of responses, which I will put up on a page soon. One of the first to respond was, as I should have expected, Deirdre Rosenburg, who owns the Sweet and Sassy Salon & Spa, which I reviewed in April. Deirdre says
Thanks, Deirdre! By the way, to see my review of Sweet and Sassy, go to: 13) Events this weekend! The Red Wings are in town this weekend, and all the way through Saturday with the exception of Wednesday and Thursday. Cool Kids in the Park presents Catskill Puppet Theater tonight at 7pm in Sagawa Park in Brockport. That's free! The Little Buddies film at the Little Theater on Saturday morning at 10am is "Andre." Special Guest Eliza Kozlowski from the George Eastman House. Eliza will share personal photos and her experiences when she saw the real Andre! The Rochester Rattlers Lacrosse team will play Saturday at 7:30 at PAETEC Park. There will be a free Free Drama Workshop at the Odasz Dance Theatre on Saturday from 11:30-1pm. They're located up by Sea Breeze. Children age 8-13 welcome to this free session. There will be a Webkinz Saturday at The Enchanted Rose Garden on Penfield Road in Penfield on Saturday. Free Webkinz to the first 200 customers spending $15 or more.Wheel of Woe, Face Painting, Huge Yard Sale, Games, Fun and more. Now that it's summer, it's especially important for you to check the calendar thoroughly, because I can only give you weekend highlights in this newsletter and there is SO much happening during the week, too. The calendar display is at: Next week, we'll have a special Thursday edition of the KOA newsletter, because 43% of readers get this at work (okay, I made that number up entirely but it's probably true) and few people will be working next Friday. And who would want to miss a week of KidsOutAndAbout.com, right? No one. I hope. See you in six days!
Debra Ross Click here to sign up for the newsletter if you are not yet subscribed. > |
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