Bits and Pieces  - .May 2008.

The 'greening" of the American lifestyle is a societal trend that is gaining momentum, giving rise to eco-friendly foods, apparel-even TVs. But how many people actually bike to their local farmer's market or the boutique where they buy their organic tees?

In celebration of National Bike Month in May, BOB, a Boise-based company and manufacturer of bicycle cargo trailers, is demonstrating that opting for alternative transportation on a more regular basis is not just easy-it's fun.

BOB is a participant and sponsor of May in Motion, www.commuterride.com/MayInMotion, a month-long program designed to reward employers for educating their employees about transportation-related issues and encouraging participation in transportation alternative.

BOB will also support Boise Bike Week, May 12-17, a week promoting cycling in every form. The events highlight the great cycling community here in Boise by promoting bicycling to work, providing resources for your commute, and having fun! For a schedule of events, visit www.boisebikeweek.org.

Look for BOB's bicycle cargo trailers, the YAK and the IBEX, at local bike shops. BOB strollers and accessories are available in baby stores and sporting goods stores nationwide. For more information, visit www.bobgear.com.

Storybook Treasures

Scholastic Storybook Treasures™ makes best-selling children's books come alive with new titles, each featuring an enhanced read-along function allowing children to follow the narrator as the story is read. Here are a few of the newly branded and enhanced storybook classics on DVD.

Chrysanthemum...and more mouse mayhem. Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect-until the kids at school make fun of her. It takes a special friend to change her classmates' minds in this classic by author/illustrator Kevin Henkes, narrated by Meryl Streep. Five other humorous tales, including two Spanish read-along stories, are included.

Curious George Rides a Bike...and a lot more monkeying around. Over 60 years have passed since a mischievous little monkey met the man with the big yellow hat, and our infatuation with Curious George-as curious and naughty as ever-has only gotten stronger. The title tale, adapted from the original H.A. Rey/Margaret Rey book, is accompanied by five additional stories that are sure to please.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom...and more fun with letters and numbers! With a fun and bouncy musical backdrop, kids learn about capital and lowercase letters in the title story, adapted from the colorful best-seller by Lois Ehlert and illustrated by Bill Martin, Jr. Six other jaunty stories add to the learning fun.

For more information and to order Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVDs, visit www.newkideo.com.

Local Students Head to National Competitions

MATHCOUNTS. Junior high school students from the Boise School District walked away big winners in the 2008 Idaho State MATHCOUNTS Competition. The top four individual placing students will represent Idaho in the National MATHCOUNTS Competition on May 9 in Denver, Colorado. All individual winners are enrolled in the Boise School District's Treasure Valley Math & Science Center (TVMSC) for a portion of their academic day and also attend Hillside, East, and North junior high schools. These four students, Sam Faucher, Adam Jiang, Nick Davey, and Kevin Hou, each received a $1,000 scholarship to the College of Engineering at Boise State University, the University of Idaho, or Idaho State University. They, along with the coach of the winning Hillside Junior High School team, Laurie Anderson (a volunteer from Micron Technology), also received an all-expense-paid trip to Denver. Good luck to our local Mathletes! For further information, visit the MATHCOUNTS website at www.mathcounts.org.

FIRST Robotics National Competition. The FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition is an exciting, multinational annual competition that teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way. One of the Treasure Valley teams, Team Tator-with their robot, Tator Bot-won the Sacramento regional competition, and earned a place at the FIRST Robotics National Competition in Atlanta, Georgia, held April 17–19.

Team Tator consists of students enrolled in eight Treasure Valley schools and one homeschooler, and volunteer mentors from Micron Technology, ITT Technical Institute, Hewlett Packard, the US Postal Service, the Boise School District, as well as several retirees. Visit www.usfirst.org or boiseschools.org/newsltr to find out how the team finished in Atlanta. Congratulations to the Team Tators!

Get Outside This Summer

This summer when parents plead with their kids to 'go play outside," they'll have the support of Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI). The outdoor gear retailer's free program is designed to introduce a new generation to the fun of outdoor recreation.

Now through August, REI's Passport to Adventure program invites kids ages five to 12, and their parents, to go on three kid-sized, family-friendly hikes or bicycle rides recommended by local REI employees who want to share their passion for hiking and bicycling with today's young people. Information describing each of the five hikes and bicycle rides, along with driving directions and helpful tips, is available at REI stores nationally. (For REI's hiking and biking recommendations in the Treasure Valley, see page 22.) While in the store, kids can pick up their own special passport-style adventure journal to jot down field notes, attach photos, create drawings, play games such as 'Animal Tracks Match" and 'Hiking Haiku!", and capture their thoughts about each adventure.

In addition to the keepsake adventure journal, children who successfully complete the three activities can have their 'passport" stamped and, after August 1, will receive a free Passport to Adventure prize, as well as a certificate commemorating their accomplishment.

For more information on the REI Passport to Adventure program, contact REI Customer Service in Boise at 322-1141 or visit www.rei.com/stores/kids_passport.jsp.

Students in kindergarten through 9th grade are invited to help celebrate biodiversity by participating in Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge's BioBlitz Art Contest. The winning entry will be the image on the t-shirt worn by over 100 Deer Flat BioBlitz volunteers in August as they catalog refuge species and involve the community in science at the BioBlitz festival. Each entry needs to be an original drawing of Idaho wildlife and must use no more than three colors on a white background. Artists may use marker, crayon, colored pencil, tempera paint, ink, or charcoal. The winning entry will be silk-screened onto a t-shirt, so judges will be looking for bold colors and defined lines. Young artists should include their name, grade, school, guardian's name, home address, and phone number on the back.

Mail entries to BioBlitz Art Contest, Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, 13751 Upper Embankment Road, Nampa, ID 83686. Entries must be received by June 6, 2008, and entry is free.

For more information, visit www.fws.gov/deerflat/.

In 1984, PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week, the first full week in May, to honor the dedicated men and women who lend their passion and skills to educating children.

'Teachers can instruct our students in math, science, and language, but more than that, teachers can give our children the will to continue learning for the rest of their lives. The gift of never-ending education is one for which we cannot show enough gratitude but we can certainly try," says PTA National President, Jan Harp Domene.

Here are a few Teacher Appreciation Week activity ideas supplied by www.pta.org.

• Create a giant teacher thank-you card for display in the school community. Place markers by the card so community members can add their words of thanks.
• Present certificates of appreciation to all teachers, as well as to substitute teachers, aides, and other support staff.
• Establish a fund to enable teachers to take part in lectures and workshops at local colleges or to attend special trainings or conferences.
• Have parents take time to write personal thank-you notes to their children's teachers. Also encourage parents to say thanks the next time they talk to their children's teachers, or to send a quick email expressing their gratitude.
• Have parents drop by for a simple coffee reception for teachers.
• Make sure teachers hear the value of their work from the students themselves. Have students share thank-you messages with teachers, past and present, through notes, artwork, videos, stories, and other means.
• Interview students about their teachers. Ask both serious and funny questions: What do you appreciate most about your teacher? What has your teacher said, that has really stuck with you? If your teacher were a cartoon character, who would he or she be?" Share the answers at a teacher luncheon or other event.

Raffi, once called 'the most popular children's singer in the English-speaking world," has released two new compilations, Songs of Our World and Animal Songs (Rounder). Each compilation has its own theme, offering a targeted listening and educational experience for children, teachers, and parents. The Songs of Our World collection was selected with a focus on tracks reflecting different nationalities, cultures, and languages. Animal Songs contains many all-time Raffi favorites, with melodies and lyrics that are sure to get a child's imagination going.

Distracted drivers can be a danger to everyone on the road, and no one must multitask more while driving than a mom! Studies have shown that an astonishing 79 percent of mothers admit to regularly taking their eyes off the road to deal with their children. To help keep your eyes on the road, the Kiddie Kangaroo easily attaches to your child's car seat (and stroller) to keep sippy cups, bottles, pacifiers, snacks, books, and toys within easy reach of little hands. Made of sturdy cloth, it is machine washable and collapses for easy storage.

For colors and ordering information, visit www.kiddiekangaroo.com.