Hilltown Families 
More reasons to eat green
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Tween and teen girls are the most likely group to become vegetarians, and a recent study linking early consumption of red meat and breast cancer may give girls yet another reason to go veggie. The Harvard University Medical School study of over 90,000 women found that the more red meat the women consumed in their 20s, 30s and 40s, the greater their risk for developing breast cancer fueled by hormones in the next 12 years. The correlation is likely due to growth hormones fed to animals as well as natural hormones in meat, or to substances produced by high-heat cooking processes that may be linked to cancers.
Easter Candy – Fact or Fiction?
- The first chocolate eggs were made in Europe in the early 19th century and remain among the most popular treats associated with Easter.
- 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are made for Easter each year.
- 16 billion jelly beans are made for Easter.
- Each day, five million marshmallow chicks and bunnies are produced in preparation for Easter.
- Easter is the second top-selling confectionery holiday behind only Halloween.
- 88 percent of adults carry on the Easter tradition of creating Easter baskets for their kids.
- 76 percent of people eat the ears on chocolate bunnies first.
- Red jelly beans are kids’ favorite.
- According to the Guinness Book of World Records the largest Easter egg ever made was just over 25-ft high and made of chocolate and marshmallow. The egg weighed 8,968 lbs. and was supported by an internal steel frame.
World Health Day: 7 April
Collection of links to sites related to World Health Day. “On this day around the globe, thousands of events mark the importance of health for productive and happy lives.” Also includes links to recent UN documents on the subjects of human health and illness prevention and treatment. Available in several languages. From the Dag Hammarskjöld Library of the United Nations (UN). (LII)
No matter how you celebrate the arrival of spring, you’ll find many ways to celebrate this weekend for we are rich in Spring, Passover and Easter events! Also, take a look under “The Outside World” (left-hand column) for fun & educational seasonal links. Share your web gem by posting in our “comment” box at the end of this week’s Suggested Events.
LISTEN TO PODCAST:
Hilltown Family Variety Show
World Premiere!
April 3rd, 2007 – 7pm
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Super Heros Invasion – Batman- Dennis Caraher – Elephant Played Electric Guitar
- The Nields – Going to the Zoo
- The Beatles – Octopus’s Garden
- Jim Dale – Green Eggs and Ham
- Uncle Rock – Break a Few Eggs
- Rosie Flores – Red, Red Robin
- HFVS Special Guest – Dennis Caraher
- Zoe Lewis – Sheep
- Langston Hughes – Dreams
- Rebecca Frezza – If I Were a Kite
We’re Going to the Zoo!
April is National Zoo and Aquarium Month. Read We’re Going to the Zoo! for local Western MA places to visit, sites to surf and books to read – all about the zoo!
The Nields sing a great rendition of Tom Paxton’s, We’re Going to the Zoo. My daughter and I love the Nields, a sister/mother duo from the hilltowns. We saw them recently at the Amherst Library for a great family performance from their album, All Together Singing in the Kitchen. Read more about that performance here on Hilltown Families. They will also be performing live on Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child this Saturday (04/07/07)!
If you’re looking for more zoo songs, Alphabet Soup has a nice page of songs, poems and fingerplays, and Perpetual Preschool has a short list of songs too.
April is National Zoo and Aquarium Month
There are lots of opportunities to visit zoos, farms and aquariums in our area. We’ve put together a list of suggested locations below. Please post any recommendations you may have in the comment box below to add to the list.
Snap-Shots & Juice On-The-Rocks @ Jalopy’s
The Brooklyn Hootenanny was F-U-N! Bill & Audra did a swell job putting it together. My daughter & I are still tired! But it was well worth it. I’m too tired to really write anything creative, so instead I’ll offer a photo montage and videos from our adventure.
[rockyou id=62168595]
Lots of cool musicians, and even cooler kids. Click here to see a list of all the performers. You can be sure to hear many of these musicians on the Hilltown Family Variety Show, premiering this Tuesday at 7:00pm on WXOJ!
Hilltown Family Variety Show
PREMIERE!!!
Hilltown Families is very excited to announce the
Hilltown Family Variety Show (HFVS)
Tuesday evenings at 7:00pm
on WXOJ LP – 103.3 FM
Valley Free Radio – Northampton, MA
Premiering on April 3rd, 2007!
Share your evenings between bath and bed-time during a half hour radio adventure.
- Discover new music from some of the hippest kiddie musicians around.
- Rediscover classics, traditional tunes and folksongs.
- Experience world cultures with music from different regions of the world.
- Listen to jazz, big band and blues the kids will groove to while soothing your nerves at the days end.
- Hear bits of poetry, stories and spoken word.
- You never know what you’re going to discover on HFVS!
Brooklyn Hootenanny
Pictured here is Bill Childs and Ella from Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, a local children’s radio show aired every Saturday morning. This past weekend HF headed to NYC for a Hootenanny with nearly twenty-five rockin’ kiddie musicians that Bill and AudraRox organized at Jalopy’s in Brooklyn. Photos will be posted from the event soon, so check back with us for a photo review of our adventures in New York.
Let us know about your exciting weekend adventures here on Hilltown Families by posting your comments below. Have a neat photo you’d like to see on HF? Send it our way with a brief description.
Failing Schools See a Solution in Longer Day
By Diana J. Schemo
[Fall River, MA., March 26, 2007] — States and school districts nationwide are moving to lengthen the day at struggling schools, spurred by grim test results suggesting that more than 10,000 schools are likely to be declared failing under federal law next year.
In Massachusetts, in the forefront of the movement, Gov. Deval L. Patrick is allocating $6.5 million this year for longer days and can barely keep pace with demand: 84 schools have expressed interest.
Mud & Bugs
It’s mud season here in the hills and we have a little time before the torturous black-fly season, followed by the ever so itchy mosquito season – a time when our kids can easily be mistaken for having the chicken pox and adults have at least one token bug bite on their face in an ever so prominent spot.
Towards the end of the summer, copious numbers of tent caterpillars that wiggled all over our trees, bushes, rain gutters and lawn furniture, turn into swarms of butterflies. Ahhhh … the hilltowns, an entomologist’s promised land.
If you have a child that doesn’t scream and run at the sight of a spider, or makes stomping on ants a competitive sport, then you just might have a budding entomologist on your hands – or at the very least, a child that is open to learning more about INSECTS. There are many books available on arthropods and spiders, including guides to use out in the field to identify any bug your child may thrust towards you while asking if it’s poisonous.
Happy Vernal Equinox!
There are plenty of community events this weekend on which to blow your New Year’s resolutions, including an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast in Ashfield, and a chili cook off in Hinsdale for lunch on Saturday. But no worries … you can get back on that resolution train by shaking your caboose with drumming and dancing in Shelburne Falls the next day. Read More
IT’S BASKETBALL TIME!
With the Women’s Final Four just around the corner, Dads & Daughters offers advice on how to spend time with your daughter during the Women’s NCAA Basketball Championship season.
March Madness is underway in women’s college basketball (and the start of the WNBA season isn’t far behind!). This is an exciting time for dads to watch or listen to the women’s game with their daughters and stepdaughters. Here are some tips for fathers and stepfathers during tournament time:
Now You See ‘Em, Now You Don’t
When you were a kid, children’s movies and television didn’t have many females or characters of color. That’s all changed for today’s kids, right? Not.
Now You See ‘Em, Now You Don’t: Gender & Racial Disparity in TV for Children is a new report released today (03/21/07) that documents this persistent problem. The report draws on the most comprehensive content analysis ever conducted on children’s television and movies.
Cinderella Ballet
The Pioneer Valley Ballet performed Cinderella at the Academy of Music in Northampton, MA, this past weekend. Families attended with young girls dressed in fancy gowns, tiaras and ribbon wands. A lovely performance for the entire family, on both Saturday and Sunday.
Visit the Pioneer Valley Ballet on-line for future productions at www.pioneervalleyballet.org.
Health Rules Delayed [Boston (AP)] – That’s what the headline on the front page of the Daily Hampshire Gazette reads today. According to the Gazette, “Requirements won’t kick in until early 2009.”
The Power Nap
by Sienna Wildfield
The ride into town is a good 40 minutes long. It’s a time my 4yo daughter can get in a power nap, when she’s not domineering the radio dial through whines and wails (which she can dish out for the full 40 minute ride … and back!)
She likes neither talk radio, nor music without words. “They just talk, talk, talk and just keep talking, and they don’t even say anything!,” I’ve heard her complain on several occasions.
So the news and classical music are off limits when she’s in the car. For the sake of my own sanity I try to introduce her to an assortment of kid/mommy friendly music, ranging from Uncle Rock and the Beatles, to Nate King Cole and Squirrel Nut Zippers.
But as much as I love Uncle Rock, sometimes a mom needs a little Bach to soothe the nerves, or to hear the honest voice of Amy Goodman on Democracy Now. I decided to take her over to visit Marla BB at WXOJ-LP 103.3FM in Florence, MA. She’s the hostess of the Marla BB’s Blues & Etc. radio show every Thursday from 10am-noon. I wanted to give my daughter a behind the scenes look at how all this talk she so vehemently protests reaches our ears.
Web Review: BrainPOP
The awards list for BrainPOP is impressive. Just judging from their awards you could easily conclude that BrainPOP is considered by many to be a top educational website for children.
What is BrainPOP?
BrainPOP is a non-commercial web site that consists of both quality and entertaining educational curriculum, presented through an effective use of animation and web technology. Their curriculum-based content spans seven main subjects including: Science, Math, English, Social Studies, Health, Technology and Arts & Music.
Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival
March 10th – March 31st, 2007
Through collaborative community effort, the Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival will be offering a spectacular array of award-winning, entertaining films from around the world this month. Hilltown families and filmgoers of all ages can enjoy compelling drama, comedy, documentary, and shorts from the best film festivals.
The PVJFF runs for three weeks and includes discussions with filmmakers and other speakers, social receptions, art exhibits, and concerts. Film venues range from the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Showcase Cinema, to the Smith College Museum of Art and the Pleasant Street Theatre. Click here for a complete list of venues and film schedules.
Amy Dryansky from the festivals steering committee, has suggested two film programs that may be of interest to hilltown parents:
Marketing the Sexualization of Young Girls
One of the most recent calls for action by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has encouraged concerned parents to tell Scholastic to stop distributing Bratz books in schools through their Book Clubs and School Book Fairs.
A recent report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls had drawn attention to the proliferation of sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is harming girls’ self-image and healthy development. This report explores the cognitive and emotional consequences, consequences for mental and physical health, and impact on development of a healthy sexual self-image. (Click here to read the report)
Books of The Bratz – a line of highly sexualized dolls for girls as young as four are – being marketed in schools by Scholastic, Inc. Scholastic promotes Bratz through its book fairs and book clubs, selling titles such as Lil’ Bratz Dancin Divas; Lil’ Bratz Catwalk Cuties; and Lil’ Bratz Beauty Sleepover Bash to a captive audience of young students.
Kyle Good, Vice President at Scholastic, has sent a prompt response to one concerned parent’s request to reconsider their distribution in schools:
Read More
WHAT’S A GIRL (AND PARENTS) TO DO?
Our young girls (and our larger population) are bombarded with media images of sexualized feminine esthetics. You see it everywhere: in line at the grocery store, billboards on the highway, songs on the radio, commercials on television, books, games, videos … what’s a girl to do?
As a parent, you are the most powerful tool our girls have to teach them how to interpret our media’s projection of images that portray girls as sexual objects. The remedy to this assault is to support and teach them how to value their own inner beauty and strengths.
It’s equally important for our young boys to be taught to respect and value the roles girls play in our society, as sisters, mothers, friends and teachers, rather than being brainwashed into the sexual objectification our media flashes before them.
Passion & Fire
Last month Art Bridge in Shelburne, MA, held a Passion Party and invited people to come celebrate passion and creative community for Valentine’s Day. As part of their monthly Performance Potlucks, guests were encouraged to bring passion-themed food and beverages – “something luscious and delightful” – and to dress in something romantic and extravagant.
Along with delicious homemade foods, the evening festivities included a mythical puppet show, belly dancing, original music, performance by the Greenfield Center School Young Performers, poi spinning and fire dancing. The fire dancing was more like a circus arts troupe performing improvisational acrobatics with a fusion of dance along with poi spinning.
Art Bridge is having another Performance Potluck this Saturday evening. In this weeks Suggested Events you can find out more about this event and many other exciting activities for the family.
Biotechnology Summer Camp for girls
Girls who want to explore the field of science will have a special opportunity to do just that this summer. Girls who are currently in 7th or 8th grade are eligible to attend a free Biotechnology Summer Camp (2007) , thanks to a Pioneer Valley Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network (PV STEMNET) grant.
High School Biotechnology Teacher Cyndi Jensen applied for the funding, and the award was announced two weeks ago. “This program is just for girls, taught by young women who have a passion for biotechnology,” explained Jensen.
Western Mass elementary schools honor national Read Across America Day with Dr. Seuss
Gateway elementary schools held another successful “Seussabration”, to honor national Read Across America Day on March 7th. This is the 10th year that Gateway has participated in this event, which typically involves students, staff, parents and high school volunteers.
National Honor Society members from Gateway Regional High School visited classrooms and read to students at the Blandford, Chester, R. H.Conwell and Littleville Elementary schools.
In our area there are two great place to get a closer look at the work of Dr. Seuss. The National Dr. Seuss Memorial in Springfield, MA, and the R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton, MA. The R. Michelson Galleries exhibits many of Dr. Seuss’s original draws and limited editions. Both places offer an educational experience for children.
(03/12/07) At last night’s member-owner meeting at the Haydenville Congregational Church, the River Valley Market Board announced they have closed on financing to build the River Valley Market cooperative, and will begin store construction this month!
Hilltown Families > Winter Activities > Sledding
Hilltown Families enjoyed sledding at the Worthington Golf Club in Worthington, MA on Sunday following a pancake breakfast at Red Bucket Sugar Shack.
After dropping the kids off at school or their homeschool progam, drop on over to Elmer’s and enjoy an informal breakfast, tea or just coffee in the company of other hilltown parents. A good opportunity to meet other parents with grade school children and to discuss the issues around their education and development.
Elmer’s has wireless access to the internet. If you want to join mom’s working on-line then bring your lap tops too.
Elmer’s Store is located at 396 Main Street in Ashfield, MA. A warm and inviting place to get together for breakfast and/or conversation.
Kids Will Gobble Up These Books!
THE MAIN COURSE
The The Healthy Body Cookbook: Over 50 Fun Activities and Delicious Recipes for Kids
provides more than 50 fun activities and delicious recipes that kids can try in four easy-to-digest sections.
- Discovering the Kitchen introduces young readers to the tools of the trade; cooking skills (cutting, measuring, mixing, and more); and safety rules for using the stove, the microwave, and knives.
- Your Amazing Body introduces recipes for developing healthy hearts, muscles, bones, teeth, hair, and more. The authors provide a hands-on science activity to introduce each section, along with three or four recipes. Each recipe has detailed instructions that kids can follow, and each is coded according to difficulty. (One chef’s hat indicates an “easy” recipe and three hats indicate a recipe for a “pro.”)
- Staying Healthy provides recipes related to the food guide pyramid, maintaining a healthy weight, and fighting disease with foods.
- Appendices explore the nutrient contents of the recipes provided, reading food labels, and food poisoning. A glossary pulls it all together.
D’Amico and Drummond open each section of their book with activities that would make great additions to any elementary or middle school curriculum. An activity that directs kids to create their own stethoscopes introduces the Have a Healthy Heart section. Kids map their teeth in an activity that opens Look Mom, No Cavities!
MAPLE & MUSIC
The sap is flowing and the sugar shacks are all fired up. Get your maple experience while the sap lasts. There will be a Hilltown Families Social at Red Bucket Sugar Shack in Worthington, MA, on Sunday. And at Arcadia Mass Audubon in Easthampton there is a maple education class scheduled for this Saturday.
Hilltown mother’s will be rockin’ the hills all week long. Katryna & Nerissa Nields of Conway will be performing on Friday, Sarah Stockwell of Cummington on Saturday and Marla BB of West Chesterfield on Tuesday. Read on to find out places and time…
