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Rail Trails Book by our FAMILY Writer
One of Treasure Valley Family Magazine's long-time writers, Natalie Bartley, has recently published a new book, Best Rail Trails Pacific Northwest. It is a complete guide to walking, jogging, biking, and cross-county skiing the rail-trail systems in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. This easy-to-use book provides mile-by-mile descriptions of 48 of the Pacific Northwest's most popular rural and urban rail trails.
This comprehensive directory includes:
- Full trail profiles, including length, access points, difficulty rating, and surface type
- Detailed trail maps
- At-a-glance icons for easy identification of rail trails that best suit one's interests
- Information on wheelchair accessibility, availability of parking, rest rooms, places to eat along the trail, location of ranger stations, visitor's centers and depot museums, and where to rent bikes
Kid's Guide to Songwriting
Steve Seskin has long helped young balladeers discover the songs within them. In Sing My Song: A Kid's Guide to Songwriting, he shares the creative process that led him to seven number-one hits. Through author's notes and songs written during his elementary school songwriting workshops, Seskin shows readers how to come up with a title, create lyrics and rhymes, and use emotion and imagery in their writing. Featuring engaging illustrations by seven talented artists, this book will inspire kids to write their own musical masterpieces. The included CD features 12 original songs from the book and four instrumental tracks to which beginning writers can write their own lyrics.
Idaho Kids Read the Same Book
Communities across the U.S. have discovered that choosing a book to read simultaneously brings together friends and strangers to discuss good literature and ideas. The Treasure Valley began its program in 2001 with Housekeeping, by Marilynne Robinson, then added children's titles in subsequent years, so that the whole family could participate.
Books are chosen by a committee that includes representatives from local libraries, teachers, writers, and readers of all ages. The committee chooses a book based on literary merit and relevance to local readers. This year's selections for "Kids Read the Same Book" are:
Picture Book: The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel. Deep in their underground town, the prairie dogs live in harmony-until a mysterious, very fuzzy thing (otherwise known as a tennis ball) rolls down their hole.
Early Elementary: Abracadabra! Magic with Mouse and Mole by Wong Herbert Yee. A grand adventure with two best friends, Mouse and Mole, who, despite their different outlooks on life, manage to show each other that friendship itself is a magical event.
Older Elementary: Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, and Greg Call. Treacherous battles with pirates, foreboding thunderstorms at sea, and evocative writing immerse the reader in this story that slowly reveals the secrets and mysteries of the beloved Peter Pan.
Junior High: Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar. This hilarious novel chronicles Scott's freshman year, as he decides that high school would be a lot less overwhelming if it came with a survival manual.
Senior High: Airborn by Kenneth Oppel. A swashbuckling adventure in an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies.
For more information and a program schedule, visit idahokidsread.org. Contact your local library to see how it is participating in the program.
Discovery Center of Idaho Celebrates 20 Years
The Discovery Center of Idaho opened its doors on January 15, 1989, to a crowd of hundreds of people and an exhibition that included about 50 interactive exhibits. Today, the Discovery Center welcomes more than 100,000 people annually, has over 160 hands-on exhibits, and has seen more than 1,000,000 visitors since 1989.
The Discovery Center plans to celebrate its 20th birthday throughout most of 2009. Some of the planned events:
- A photo gallery of images from the past will be on display in the DCI Orange Room
- An exhibition that includes some of DCI's original exhibits will be on display through June 7
- The DCI website will have a page with photos and video from the past, scidaho.org
Check the DCI website, www.scidaho.org, for other planned events in 2009.
Wintertime Snack
Served warm from the oven, this Gingersnap Popcorn Snack Mix is perfect for a cozy get-together around the fire!
Ingredients
2 quarts popped popcorn
Butter-flavored cooking spray
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
⅛ tsp. freshly ground black or white pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°. Spread popcorn on baking sheet and spray lightly with the cooking spray. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over popcorn. Spray again with cooking spray and toss to coat evenly. Bake 7 minutes and serve warm.
Recipe provided by The Popcorn Board. For more simple and tasty recipes, visit popcorn.org.
Working Toward Healthy Vision
Idaho is one of 12 states that does not require a vision assessment for children entering school, according to the latest Making the Grade? report update produced by The Vision Council. While 80 percent of what children learn is visual, and approximately one out of every four children has a vision problem, as many as 300,000 (or two-thirds of) school-age children in Idaho do not receive any type of vision assessment.
"Vision is such an integral part of learning," says Ed Greene, CEO of The Vision Council. "We encourage all parents, regardless of their state laws, to make sure their children have an eye exam or at a minimum a thorough vision screening." To ensure healthy vision, parents and teachers should look for the following signs of poor vision:
- Squinting, closing, or covering one eye
- Constantly holding materials close to the face
- Tilting the head to one side
- Rubbing eyes repeatedly
- One or both eyes turn in or out
- Redness or tearing in eyes
For more information on vision health, visit thevisioncouncil.org.
National Pancake Day
IHOP restaurants nationwide will celebrate National Pancake Day on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 from 7am-10pm. They will offer each guest a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes. In return, Treasure Valley area IHOPs will ask guests to donate what they would have paid for the pancakes, or more, to Children's Miracle Network with donations going to St. Luke's Children's Hospital. This year, IHOP restaurants around the country hope to raise $1,000,000, which will benefit children's hospitals and other charities throughout the U.S.
Visit your local IHOP restaurant for National Pancake Day:
- 7959 W. Emerald St., Boise, 322-4467
- 3599 Federal Way, Boise, 426-9125
- 3525 E. Fairview Ave.,
Meridian, 888-1216
- 1420 Nampa Caldwell Blvd.,
Nampa, 468-9979
For more information, visit www.ihoppancakeday.com.
Early Childhood Center Earns National Accreditation
Eagle Adventist Christian Center (EACC) has earned re-accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the nation's leading organization of early childhood professionals. In the 20 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. "The new NAEYC Accreditation system raises the bar for preschools, childcare centers and other early childhood programs," said Mark Ginsberg, Ph.D., executive director of NAEYC. "EACC's Accreditation is a sign that they are a leader in a national effort to invest in high-quality early childhood education, and to help give all children a better start."
Other area programs with NAEYC Accreditation include: Kids Are Special People, Sand Castles, Wesleyan Preschool, The Children's School of Boise, Inc., The Cooperative Preschool at Saint Michael's, and Boise State University Children's Center.
For more information about the National Association for the Education of Young Children, visit www.naeyc.org.
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