Sun Safety Tips 

While enjoying summer outdoor activities, we sometimes forget about sun protection and fall victim to "accidental burn."  Here are some sun safety tips, provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics (aap.org), AAP. 

Babies Under Six Months:

•  Avoiding sun exposure and dressing infants in lightweight long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and brimmed hats that shade the neck are still the top recommendations from the AAP to prevent sunburn.  However, when adequate clothing and shade are not available, parents can apply a minimal amount of sunscreen with at least 15 SPF (sun protection factor) to small areas, such as the infant's face and the backs of the hands.

For Young Children:

•  Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going outside and use sunscreen even on cloudy days.  The SPF should be at least 15.

For Older Children:

•  The first, and best, line of defense against the sun is covering up.  Wear a hat with a three-inch brim or a bill facing forward, sunglasses (look for sunglasses that block 99-100 percent of ultraviolet rays), and cotton clothing with a tight weave.

•  Stay in the shade whenever possible and limit sun exposure during the peak intensity hours-between 10am and 4pm.

•  Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or greater.  Be sure to apply enough sunscreen-about one ounce per sitting for a young adult. (One ounce is about a full shotglass.)

•  Reapply sunscreen every two hours, or after swimming or sweating.

•  Use extra caution near water, snow, and sand as they reflect UV rays and may result in sunburn more quickly.

Safe and Sane Fireworks  

KidsHealth.org, a website devoted to children's health and parenting, offers these safety tips to ensure your family's holiday is a blast:

1.  Do not let children play with fireworks. Firecrackers, rockets, and sparklers are very dangerous. If your children want to use sparklers, make sure they keep them outside and away from their face, clothing, and hair.

2.  Buy only legal fireworks and store them in a cool, dry place. If your fireworks don't list the manufacturer's name or have an instruction label, they're probably illegal. Illegal fireworks usually go by the names M-80, M-100, blockbuster, or quarterpounder.

3.  Never try to make your own fireworks. Buy ready-made fireworks rather than making your own, even from a kit.

4.  Choose fireworks that are appropriate for the area. Avoid using rockets or other aerial fireworks in the backyard of a residential area.  Choose fountain-type fireworks instead.

5.  Steer clear of others. Fireworks have been known to backfire or shoot off in the wrong direction. Avoid carrying fireworks in your pocket, as the friction could set them off.

6.  Keep a bucket of water and a hose nearby. Soak all fireworks in a bucket of water before throwing them away and keep a hose nearby in case dry leaves or other materials catch on fire.

7.  Light one firework at a time and never relight a dud. If a firework doesn't appear to work, do not go over to it or attempt to relight it. Stand back and wait and then douse it with water.

8.  Think about your pet. Animals have sensitive ears and can be extremely frightened or stressed by fireworks. Keep your pet indoors to reduce the risk that it will run loose or get injured.

Mobile Fun  

Boise Parks & Recreation's new Mobile Recreation Unit will be visiting schools and parks in neighborhoods throughout the city this summer.  Kids can drop in for sports, art, fitness, nutrition, and performing arts activities.  It's open to children in grades one through six.  All activities are free!  This summer schedule continues through August 22.  For more information, call Boise Parks & Recreation at 384-4256, or go to cityofboise.org/parks. 

Mondays
•10:30am-noon at Phillippi Park, 2299 S. Phillippi St.
•1:30-4pm at Manitou Park, 1951 S. Manitou Ave.

Tuesdays
•10:30am-noon at Morris Hill Park, 10 Roosevelt St.
•1:30-4pm at Whitney Elementary School, 1609 S. Owyhee St.

Wednesdays
•10:30am-noon at Shoshone Park, 2800 W. Canal St.
•1:30-4pm at Veteran's Memorial Park, 930 N. Veterans Memorial Pkwy.

Thursdays
•10:30am-noon at Redwood Park, N. Shamrock St., West Boise
•1:30-4pm at Owyhee Park, 3400 W. Elder St.

Cool Tunes for Kids  

Frances England has released her second CD, Family Tree.  Her fresh and distinctive voice presents songs that are bright and clever and totally on the mark for young listeners.  The album explores themes including family life, animals, friendship, and empowerment, in genres including folk, indie, rock, and alt-country.  England's crossover appeal shines through with heartfelt lyrics that both child and parent can relate to.

The music is stimulating to the child, yet clean and sophisticated to grownup ears. 

Available at francesengland.com and cdbaby.com.

Family Traditions

When a special activity evolves into a tradition within a family, it creates meaning, connection, and community, and makes common occasions more momentous and memorable. Establishing a sense of stability and shared history has never been more important to parents than it is today, as families become more fractured and scattered. The Joy of Family Traditions, written by Jennifer Trainer Thompson, offers more than 400 fresh ideas and creative approaches to cultivating birthday, anniversary, holiday, and other rite-of-passage and seasonal traditions that strengthen personal bonds and reflect a family's individual style, spirituality, and values.  Here are three examples:

Family Hibernation Day: Create a mini-retreat from the world for the whole family-sleep late, stay in your pajamas, play board games, rent movies, and take a collective nap.

Summer Vacation: If travel isn't an option for your family, try a "virtual" vacation.  Have the kids pile on mom's or dad's lap and imagine a destination, then sing about and discuss the sights they would see.  If you do travel, hang a map in your child's room.  After each trip, find the place you've just visited and mark it with a sticker.

Recording the Years: On your child's first birthday, buy a tablecloth that can be used year after year.  Have your baby leave a handprint along the cloth's edge, thereby creating a "handmade" palm-print border.  Ask party guests to sign the cloth or add little drawings with a permanent marker.  Repeat this ceremony every year.

Smart Identification for Children  

You turn away for only a moment and your child is gone-lost  in a sea of people.

It could be at a store, amusement park, or airport. Who's Shoes Child ID^TM lets authorities or a trusted adult contact you directly to quickly reunite you with your child. Who's Shoes also helps ensure that only you or your child's caregiver claims your child when lost; authorities can check your ID against Who's Shoes Child ID^TM information.

The Who's Shoes ID^TM band is made of high-quality VELCRO^® brand fastener and has a water- resistant information label. The information label carries the following vital information: child's name, parents' name, emergency phone numbers, physician's name and phone number, medical conditions, and date of birth.

Who's Shoes Child ID^TM is a great tool for travel. Each kit includes two ID bands, photo ID card for parents to carry, DNA collection instructions, and travel safety tips.  Available for purchase at whosshoesid.com or amazon.com.

FAMILY Magazine Winners! 

Congratulations to our recent Family Magazine winners! The following moms completed our May issue's reader giveaway contest and their entries were randomly selected to receive a DVD copy of Stacy London and Clinton Kelly's What Not to Wear: Mom Makeovers:  Carin Decker, Kathleen Elliott, Deena Gardiner, Heidi Hill, and Kris Turner. 

And thank you to everyone who attended International Museum Day on May 18, and visited us at the Magazine's table. Congratulations to Naomi Pickerel whose Scavenger Hunt form was randomly selected. She wins our duffel bag of books, CDs, and DVDs.

4th of July Celebration   

The grill is on, family and friends are over, now how do you keep the kids busy until the fireworks begin?  Here are some great suggestions provided by party planner extraordinaire, Lisa Kothari.

• Boil a dozen eggs and color them red, blue, and keep some white! Have an Egg Spoon Relay Race. Divide the kids into two teams and provide each team with a spoon and eggs. The kids must balance a colored egg on their spoon and walk quickly from one end of the yard to the other and then return. If the egg drops, the team member must begin again. The first team with all members completing the relay race wins!
• Make a batch of your favorite cupcakes and have the kids frost them, adding red, white, and blue sprinkles or candies to decorate.
• Instead of filling vases with flowers, fill them with blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries-yummy and festive looking. Guests can scoop the berries out and add whipped cream-truly red, white, and blue!
• Roll out butcher paper onto your party table. Scatter red, white, and blue crayons across the table for the kids to color while eating.
• Make a Rocket Pop Drink. Fill a glass with ice cubes and be sure to carefully pour each drink directly on to the ice cubes to maintain the patriotic colors. First, pour in cranberry juice, then blue Gatorade, and, finally, 7-Up.

For more popular party ideas and entertaining themes, visit pepperspollywogs.com.

Cookbook for the Family

Rachael Ray knows the realities that face home cooks today-not enough time, a limited food budget, and many picky palates to please.  Yum-o! The Family Cookbook offers an array of family-friendly and wholesome meals.  Rachael reinvents classic family fare like chicken fingers, burgers, and macaroni and cheese in simple-to-prepare recipes that beat their fast-food counterparts. 

Cold Ginger, Soy, and Honey

Sesame Noodles

Ingredients

1 T. smooth peanut butter
1 T. honey
2 T. tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. ground ginger or 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
¼ pound whole-wheat spaghetti, cooked and rinsed under cold water
1 T. toasted sesame seed (optional)
If you like, add some steamed veggies, like broccoli florets

Instructions

In a medium-size microwaveable bowl, heat the peanut butter in the microwave on high until melted, 15 to 20 seconds.  (You can also heat the peanut butter in a saucepan over low heat on the stovetop.) Whisk the honey and tamari into the peanut butter, then whisk in the sesame oil and the ginger.  Toss the spaghetti with the sauce.  If you want to get really groovy with the noodles, sprinkle them with sesame seeds.  If you want to bump up the crunch factor, add some shredded carrots, scallions, bean sprouts, or other veggies.  Serves 1

Recipe used with permission from Yum-o! The Family Cookbook, by Rachael Ray.  Proceeds from the book will go directly to benefit The Yum-o! Organization, a foundation dedicated to empowering kids and families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking, yum-o.org.