KidsOutAndAbout.com newsletter

Sent September 25, 2008

Dear KOA readers:

Quick link to What to Do in Rochester in the Fall
Quick link to the Apple Picking Page

I was recently talking with Barb Bonisteel, Hochstein early-childhood-music-instructor-extraordinaire, about all of the wonderful opportunities we have to expose our kids to classical music here in Rochester. The subject of the Ying Quartet came up, as Miss Barb knows how much I love the Ying Quartet. We have a review of this wonderful group from when they played at Strong Museum:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/city-articles/YingQuartet.html

It turns out that the Ying Quartet is performing tonight at 7:30p.m. at Roberts Wesleyan College's Cultural Life Center. Tickets are $10.00, $7.00 for seniors, and students are free--call 585-594-6008. Also, this Sunday the 28th at 3:00p.m., they will be at the Eastman School of Music , Kilbourn Hall. Tickets are $10-$20, and you can call 585-454-2100 to reserve them.

I had been contemplating going to see "Ella" at Geva Theatre as our anniversary is Sunday, but tickets are limited and they're $47 apiece, yee-ouch. I'd probably be willing to pay this for us and the kids if Ella Fitzgerald herself suddenly materialized, but otherwise probably not. Has anyone seen "Ella" and can shoot me a quick review? The show is playing until October 12, and there are cheaper seats available for future performances. But for this weekend, we'll probably stick with the Yings.

2) Congratulations to Jo Marie from Rochester, the winner of the Mind Benders giveaway from Critical Thinking Books & Software.

Congratulations also to Tracey of Pittsford, winner of the gift certificate giveaway from hairstylist Marie Avallone at Salon Hermitage on Monroe Avenue in Pittsford. During the month of September (I know there's not much left of September) for all KidsOutAndAbout.com readers, Marie is offering all parents a $10 discount on any highlight, perm or color service. You must mention KOA to get the discount. Visit Marie's website at www.salonhermitage.com for more information about her hair services.

3) Thanks to author and homeschooling mom Melissa Wiley, I've discovered a cool new site for parents and kids called Think! It's at
http://kidswhothink.blogspot.com
Fun ideas for experiments and activities to do with kids, plus contests for the the kids.

4) Alert KOA reader Claire read about my fun experiences at the Rochester Public Market the other week, and provides this marvelous tip:

I was also at the Public Market this past weekend scrounging up the deals and was having great difficulty carrying everything too. The city of Rochester's booth will allow you to leave your groceries with them while you go back for more (they have big baskets and give you a ticket). Once you are all finished, they will load it all on a cart and walk it to your car. They don't ask for a tip but generously accept them.

By the way, to everyone who asked for my soup recipe: The description of my recipe includes one to two cans of chicken broth or stock, but I forgot to put that in the ingredients list.

5) Balloons Around the World is an annual event, this year on October 1, during which balloon artists around the world highlight the act of giving, deliver thousands of smiles and showcase the art of balloon twisting and decorating--all on the same day. Rochester "airigamist" Larry Moss (www.airigami.com) hasn't missed a Balloons Around the World since it began, and this year he'll lead a team that includes fellow balloon artists John Barthelmes, Kelly Cheatle, Sheryl Watts and Tim Bourke in creating a 12-foot Monster Truck sculpture made from balloons at the Barnes & Noble at the Mall at Greece Ridge (330 Greece Ridge Center Drive), 10am-4pm, Wednesday. Moss, the author of several books on balloon art, will give a short presentation followed by a book signing at 7p.m. The Greece Barnes & Noble Café is also featuring an exhibition of Moss's work called Airigami: The Art of Folding Air.

6) Would you like your little basketball player to be evaluated by a professional coach? The RazorSharks will host a Showcase on Saturday, November 1st, at the Downtown Carlson MetroCenter YMCA from 9:00am – 12:00noon. It is free and open to the public for spectators, and those who want to be evaluated pay just $5 (or $10 the day of the event) per child. Evaluations will be done by the 2008 PBL Coach of the Year, RazorSharks Head Coach Rod Baker. All proceeds from the event will benefit the YMCA’s Invest In Youth Campaign. Male and female participants 12 years old and under will be evaluated from 9:00am-10:00am, 13-17 year olds will be evaluated from 10:00am-11:00am, and participants 18 years old and up will be evaluated from 11:00am-12:00pm. For more information or to register, call (585) 232-9190 or visit www.razorsharks.com.

7) All of you who have Girl Scouts, Brownies, and Daisy Scouts in your families already know this, but for those of you who don't: Next month is Girl Scout Cookie selling month in our area. Sales start Saturday, October 4. Be on the lookout for your neighborhood girls, or contact your favorite girl scout to let her know you don't want to miss out this year.

8) A new exhibit is opening at the Rochester Museum & Science Center on October 3: "Giant Insects." Enter a world of gigantic, robotic bugs and explore the natural science of the insect world. To put things into perspective, examine specimens from the RMSC's Kravetz collection of 5200 mounted insects, and meet some live specimens from WARD'S Natural Science. An 8-ft. tall Bee Hive invites young children to come inside and have fun finding out about honeybee life. NOTE: While Giant Insects is here, museum admission increases to $11 adults, $10 seniors/college students, $9 children (3–18), children under 3 free, RMSC members $1.

Also at the RMSC's Strasenburgh Planetarium, the last day to view "The Human Body" giant-screen film is on Sunday, October 5. That's to make room for the new Dinosaurs Alive! which opens October 8 at 2pm. Join scientists from the American Museum of Natural History as they uncover amazing new fossils, including what may be the oldest dinosaur ever found in North America. This new movie is 40 minutes long and is meant for all ages.

And one more Strasenburgh announcement: I can't count how many times over the years we have seen "I See The Sky" for kids age 3-5, which is shown regularly at 9:30am on Saturdays. Well, a brand-new young-children star show is opening on Saturday, October 4 at 11am. It's called "Sun, Moon, and Stars," and is especially for for kids age 5-8. I'm so excited; I have seen star shows at planetariums around the country, and few can match the quality of the shows produced here in Rochester, by a team headed by Strasenburgh's Steve Fentress.

9) I love buying gently-used kids' clothing when I can: The quality usually far beats the last-for-a-season stuff that we sometimes buy new. This is the weekend!

WeePeats Children's Consignment Event is having its fall sale this Saturday and Sunday at the Henrietta Fair & Expo Center, in the Dome. Hours are Sat. 9am - 6pm and Sun. 10am - 2pm.

Saturday, September 27th from 9am - 2pm is the MOMS Club Baby Bazaar and More. Held at the Henrietta UCC, 1400 Lehigh Station, they will have over 30 people selling new and gently-used items for children of all ages. This is a free event to attend. For more information you can call Kim Tanner at 359-9501.

Plus, the supply definitely increases this time of year at Lu's Back Door, my favorite consignment store, which is in Fairport. We were there just this week, and it seems that lots of folks have been doing their fall clean-out-the-closets work recently, so there was a great selection. Can't beat those prices. (Or if you can, tell me where!)

10) Also Saturday, WXXI is having their annual Open House from 10am-2pm. Have your picture taken with PBS characters like Curious George and Clifford, The Big Red Dog. Check out the set of "Homework Hotline" and "Assignment: The World." Explore musical instruments at the RPO petting zoo. Listen to a story read by a local celebrity. Meet the hosts of Classical 91.5.

11) Saturday, September 27 is Museum Day, an event sponsored by Smithsonian Magazine. All over the country, hundreds of museums will open their doors to visitors who complete the admission card on the Smithsonian web site, and print and bring it along. Here is the web page:
http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/admission.html

Participating in our area are:
Erie Canal Discovery Center, Lockport; Genesee Country Village & Museum, Mumford; George Eastman House, Rochester; Holland Land Office Museum, Batavia; Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester; National Memorial Day Museum, Waterloo; Oliver House and L. Caroline Underwood Museums, Penn Yan; Seneca Falls Historical Society, Seneca Falls; Seward House, Auburn; The Col. Wm. Bond-Jesse Hawley House, Lockport; The History Center, Lockport; The Landmark Society's Stone-Tolan House Museum, Rochester.

12) Speaking of the Landmark Society, their Ghost Walk runs for only two weekends in October: 17-18 and 24-25. Tours start every 10 minutes from 6:30 to 9 p.m., but you do want to purchase the tickets in advance because these tend to sell out. So this is your heads-up for that! The Landmark Society's ghost walk tends to be most focused on giving tour participants a lovely dose of accurate Rochester history (although we are blessed with several ghost walk options in our area in October). Here is what Laura Zavala from the Landmark Society had to say about it when I asked her about appropriate age ranges:

"Ghost Walk can be a little spooky, but it’s not spooky in a way that is designed to creep anyone out nor to startle them – still, it’s not recommended for children under the age of 8."

13) Remember, the Rochester Children's Book Festival is in only 7 weeks (November 8) at MCC! Our author highlight this week is actually someone you can meet this weekend: Sheila Jarkins, author of Marco Flamingo (an extremely fun picture book that is available in both English and Spanish), is going to be at Children's Garden of Farmington on Sunday at 2:30pm. More information about that event can be found at:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=16513

Marco Flamingo is Sheila's first published picture book. After retiring from teaching as a dance and art educator, she began devoting her time to writing and illustrating. Sheila has a self-confessed quirky sense of humor that she believes is revealed in her work.

Marco is a flamingo who has never experienced snow. So he asks the snowbirds who migrate south each winter, “What’s snow?” They reply, “You don’t want to know!” But, Marco does want to know. With determination and a sense of adventure, Marco heads north. He discovers not only snow, but a winter wonderland offering new experiences.

Just like Rochester, right?

14) More for this weekend!

FRIDAY:

Friday is American Girl Group meets at the Webster Barnes & Noble at 7pm Friday night.

SATURDAY:

Saturday is Barktober Fest 2008 at Lollypop Farm. Race their 5-mile run course starting at 9 a.m.; walk through their scenic 1.5 mile nature trail starting at 11 a.m; and plan for the animal contests, food, vendors and family fun from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.!

The whole family can skate for FREE at Horizon Fun FX on Saturday from 11:30-5:30. Bring the FREE SKATING COUPON, which is available at www.horizonfunfx.com.

SUNDAY

The Penfield Challenge 5K is Sunday.

Also, there is a Family Fun Day event at Genesee Country Village Nature Center on Sunday from 1-4pm, with a focus on Spiders. Perfect to get your kids ready for the opening weekend of the new exhibit at the RMSC the following weekend!

Of course, there is a lot more going on this weekend than I have highlighted here in the calendar. Use this link to find out everything.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com

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