SKI IDAHO'S FIFTH GRADE PASSPORT

 Check out Ski Idaho's Fifth Grade Passport program. During the 2007-2008 season, 2,400 fifth graders participated. Students receive free lift tickets at 14 ski and snowboard resorts across Idaho just by filling out an application, supplying a 2 by 2 inch photo, writing a check for the $10 initial processing fee, and mailing the items to:

5th Grade Passport Program
P.O. Box 3184
Post Falls, ID 83877-3184 

Weeknight Dinners

        These days, getting a homemade weeknight dinner on the table is a challenge for any of us. But still, we want the wholesomeness and economy that take-out and restaurant meals simply do not offer. Beth Hensperger is here to help. Not Your Mother's® Weeknight Cooking features 150 delicious recipes that your family will love and you will feel good about serving, using fresh, wholesome ingredients. Best of all, you can get these meals on the table in 45 minutes or less. With recipes ranging from classic dinners like Easiest Chicken Parm, to more adventurous weeknight fare (Sake Swordfish, anyone?), Not Your Mother's Weeknight Cooking offers dozens of options for tasty meals every day of the week.

Corn Chowder

Ingredients
2 T. olive oil
1 medium-size yellow or white onion, chopped
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 medium-size russet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 12-ounce bag frozen baby white corn kernels, thawed, or 2 cups fresh corn cut off the cob
½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1 15-ounce can cream-style corn
1 cup milk
2 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Instructions

Warm the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and red pepper flakes; cook for about 2 minutes.  Add the potatoes, celery, corn kernels, bell pepper, and broth; bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and partially cover.  Cook for 20 minutes, until the vegetable are tender.

Add the creamed corn, milk, and parsley; simmer for 10 minutes to heat through.  Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.  Serves 4.

Recipe excerpt from Not Your Mother's Weeknight Cooking®, by Beth Hensperger 2008, and used by permission of The Harvard Common Press.

Empowering Youth 

 How do you encourage young people to do their best?  Create an environment ripe for their leadership?  Ensure that they can safely experiment and succeed in developing stronger skills and confidence? 

Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things, by Kelly Curtis, answers those questions and more.                                             

You'll find many suggestions for advising and supporting kids of all ages as they spread their wings, including the following:

• Youth and adult activities that provide community initiatives and organizations with ways to get started in youth empowerment.
• First-hand accounts from youth and adults around the world who offer insight, advice, and best practices.
• Thought-provoking checklists designed to get groups thinking about how they support youth empowerment.
• Motivating tips and anecdotes showing adults how they can empower youth every day.
• Research that demonstrates the value of taking this approach.

YMCA Survivorship Programs           

The YMCA offers a wide variety of cancer survivorship programs to support those seeking to live a healthy and fulfilling life.  The goals of the Downtown YMCA's programs are to empower cancer patients to improve functional capacity and to increase their quality of life through an organized program of fitness, strength, and education.  They are currently offering the following programs:

• LiveSTRONG at the YMCA (a program based out of Stanford University )
• Yoga for Cancer Survivors, Patients, and Caregivers
• Fresh Start Aquatics Class
• Youth Cancer Survivorship Programs

For more information contact Mary Biddle-Newberry, 344-5502 ext. 276, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Fun and Educational Music    

Be Nice, a funducational CD by Leeny and Steve, combines fun and education in diverse musical styles, while appealing to kids and their parents.  Songs cover such topics as healthy eating, good behavior, animals, playtime, family, words, nature, and growing up.  Be Nice features 16 original, catchy songs written, produced, and performed by Leeny and Steve. Also included is a 16-page booklet with lyrics and cute illustrations.

For more information visit www.leenyandsteve.com. CD available at www.cdbaby.com, www.amazon.com, and iTunes. 

New Parenting Website

Are you ready for the next step in parenting?

Maybe right now you're navigating your way through your children's elementary school years. With each passing year however, you find you're starting to ask more questions and listen more intently to friends and family who have teenagers. Just as you were told with your newborn, the same is true once your child becomes a teenager: "It goes by so quickly, and it happens in a blink!"

That's why Family Magazine & Media, Inc. has launched treasurevalleyteen.com, a new online resource and exchange for parents of teens.

We hope our monthly publication Treasure Valley Family Magazine and our two annuals, Resources and Baby, have helped you on this parenting journey. But, we know that many of our readers are ready for the next step, and want to stay involved and informed about their teenager and their high school years.

Science Projects You Can Build

How do planes fly?  How do your lungs work?  Why does oil float on water?  With these types of questions from youngsters curious about the world around them, it's easy to take science into the backyard.  Kids will discover firsthand how things they encounter every day operate, by building their own models with the hands-on activities in Stomp Rockets, Catapults, and Kaleidoscopes: 30+ Amazing Science Projects You Can Build for Less Than $1, by Curt Gabrielson. 

This book is filled with cool projects for winter days, and reminds kids that building things is great fun, as well as a great base in science and engineering.