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April Vacation Week Activities at Acton Discovery Museums!

Calendar of Events April 12 – 22

Mixing in Math, April 12 & 17

Celebrate National Robotics Week with Robots and Brain Bots, Inc.!

April 12

Good Vibrations: Musical Instrument Exploration with Olin College, April 14

Write Your Own iPhone/iPad App! April 15

Spring Tree Walk, April 17

SMART Gals: Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers,

April 18

Suncatchers, April 19

Engineers’ Exchange with the Acton-Boxborough Robotics Team, April 19

Capillary-Action Butterflies, April 20

Music and Movement with Miss Carolyn, April 21

Tree Rubbings, April 22

Patriot’s Day/Public School Vacation Week

Both Museums OPEN 9 AM – 4:30 PM Monday, April 16 – Friday, April 20

All programs are free with admission except when noted otherwise.

Thursday, April 12

Mixing in Math: Pictures on a Page

10 a.m. Children’s Discovery Museum

Practice your counting skills as we read Eric Carle’s The Hungry Caterpillar and then create a collage using pictures of the objects you counted in the story. © 2008 TERC.

Thursday’s Tales

11 a.m. Children’s Discovery Museum

Join us for our weekly story time. We’ll bring the books; you bring your imagination!

Celebrate National Robotics Week with Robots and Brain Bots, Inc.!

Drop-in 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Science Discovery Museum
Meet Robots and Brain Bots Inc., the high school robotics team from Gann Academy in Waltham, winners of the 2011 FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship Inspire Award. The team will demonstrate their robot that flips crates, loads racquetballs, and lifts the crates in the air using a scissor lift. The Inspire Award is the most prestigious award given to a team that competes well on the field, has an innovative robot design, documents well in the engineering notebook, and does extensive community outreach.

Friday, April 13

FETCH!™ Rescue Mission

10 a.m. Children’s Discovery Museum

Listen to Eric Carle’s 10 Little Rubber Ducks and then design a hook to rescue the rubber ducks that have gone adrift. A preschool-level adaptation of this popular FETCH!™ activity. Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.

FETCH!™ What’s the Buzz?

Drop-in 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Science Discovery Museum

What’s the Buzz? Make your own kazoo and try it out in our SoundLab exhibit! Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.

Saturday, April 14

Build It!

All Day Children’s Discovery Museum

LEGO building for toddlers! Bring your imagination to build, stack, and sort using our enormous collection of DUPLOS. Construct your own architectural wonder or work together to build a museum-community sculpture.

Good Vibrations: Musical Instrument Exploration with Olin College

Drop-in 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Science Discovery Museum

Experiment with vibration, waves, and frequencies to learn how musical instruments generate an amazing range of sounds. The dynamic Olin College Engineering Discovery Team will lead this energetic music workshop!

Sunday, April 15

Face Painting

10 a.m. Children’s Discovery Museum

Use your face or hand as a canvas for a colorful spring-inspired painting.

Write Your Own iPhone/iPad App!

Pre-registration workshop: 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Science Discovery Museum

Would you or your child like to learn how to write a cool game or application for the iPhone or iPad? Learn the basics of iOS programming from a local 12-year-old who taught himself and has a published app in the App Store used by thousands of students, teachers and educators around the world! This workshop will provide a good overview of iOS programming and will walk you through the steps involved in writing and publishing a simple app. Ages 10+.

Fee: $5 per person, a maximum of 2 children must be accompanied by an adult (this is not a drop-off program). Pre-registration and payment required by April 12^th; please register and pay online at http://tinyurl.com/iOS-programming. Registration will close automatically once maximum capacity is reached; please email tdicureia@discoverymuseums.org if you are interested to be placed on a waitlist for a second class at 3pm on the same date.

Monday, April 16

Dinosaur Discoveries

10 a.m. Children’s Discovery Museum

Join the paleontology dig in our giant outdoor sandbox filled with sand, tools, and dinosaurs.

Tuesday, April 17

Mixing in Math: Treasure Hunt

10 a.m. Children’s Discovery Museum

Practice you’re directional skills as you use movement shapes to guide your family to the location of the buried treasure: our giant sandbox filled with gold coins. © 2008 TERC.

Spring Tree Walk

1 p.m. Science Discovery Museum

Spring brings buds and new leaves to all plants including trees. Find out about these massive plants on a walk around the grounds with beloved science teacher Frank Meehan. See the variation in bud shapes, sizes, and colors, and learn how to identify trees in your own backyard. Rain or shine; dress appropriately. Note: the walk is not handicap accessible.

Wednesday, April 18

Messy Masterpiece: Nature’s Paintbrush

10 a.m. Children’s Discovery Museum

Use a flower as a paintbrush to create a unique work of art.

SMART Gals: Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers

Pre-registration class

1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Science Discovery Museum

In this Lexicon Villages event, children and parents work together through a series of interactive stations representing math and language concepts from this award-winning book that combines learning and adventure. Feed synonyms to a thesaurus, create sentences out of flower petals, discover pi, measure the museum in paces, make up your own words using Greek and Latin roots, try your hand at puzzling Tangrams, do a maze in a mirror, and more!

Meet the book’s author and get a sneak peak of the second book in the series, The Ice Castle, coming to stores August 2012, and leave with an autographed copy of Lost in Lexicon and a packet of even more activities to try at home. The SMART (Science-Math-Art) Gals Series is sponsored by The Ramsey McCluskey Family Foundation.

Instructor: Penny Noyce

Ages: 8 to 12

Fee: $10 for members; $12 for non-members

Pre-registration required by April 16; please register and pay online at http://tinyurl.com/LexiconVillages-April2012.

Thursday, April 19

Suncatchers

10 a.m. Children’s Discovery Museum

Collect an assortment of natural materials from the Museum grounds to create a dazzling collage to hang in a window at your home.

FETCH!™ Rescue Mission

Drop-in 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Science Discovery Museum

Can you meet Ruff Ruffman’s challenge? Design hooks that can grab different capsules out of the water. Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.

Engineers’ Exchange with the Acton-Boxborough Robotics Team

Drop-in 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Science Discovery Museum
Meet a FIRST Tech Challenge robot and its designers from the Acton-Boxborough Robotics Team. Watch the robot maneuver, learn about the design process and competition, and participate in an engineering activity.

Friday, April 20

Capillary-Action Butterflies

10 a.m. Children’s Discovery Museum

Beautiful butterflies made by you! Decorate your butterfly’s wings, add water, and watch as the water mixes the colors (using capillary action) creating your own specially designed butterfly.

Saturday, April 21

Music and Movement with Miss Carolyn

1 p.m. Children’s Discovery Museum

Explore sound through singing and playing. Move, make music, listen, learn, and get a multi-sensory workout! Music improves your child’s memory, cognitive development, learning skills, and ability to express emotion. Plus, it’s fun! Miss Carolyn is a professional musician, serves as a faculty member at Indian Hill Music School, and has been a licensed Kindermusik Educator for 5+ years.

Sunday, April 22

Tree Rubbings

10 a.m. Children’s Discovery Museum

Explore the variety of trees in a section of woods adjacent to the Museum perfectly sized for young children. Use your fingers to feel the different textures of tree bark and create rubbings to capture the differences on paper.

FETCH!™ Toy Chemistry

Drop-in 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Science Discovery Museum

Stretchy and slimy toys are the best says Ruff Ruffman! See and feel everyday materials change as you combine them to create polymers! Sponsored by Middlesex Savings Bank, with additional support from Red Hat, Inc. © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation.

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About The Discovery Museums

The Discovery Museums are the children’s and science museums of Metrowest Boston, paired on a single campus in Acton, MA. The Museums—the Science Discovery Museum and the Children’s Discovery Museum—serve families and schools from towns throughout the region, with a commitment to informal education that enhances classroom learning. The hands-on, playful exhibits, developed by professional educators, inspire curiosity, exploration, experimentation and imagination. The Discovery Museums combine manageable scale, convenient location and free parking to provide a fun and engaging experience where children and adults can discover their world together.

Hours and Admission

The Discovery Museums are located at 177 Main Street Acton, MA 01720. Tel 978-264-4200. All programs are free with admission: $11.00 adults & children, $10.00 seniors 60+, free for children under 1 and Members. Teachers are always free.

School Year hours

Children’s Discovery Museum: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tues – Sun

Science Discovery Museum: 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tues – Fri, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sat & Sun

Both Museums closed on Mondays.

For more information, please visit www.discoverymuseums.org.

April 11, 2012
Book and Author Luncheon with Dennis Lehane and Mitchell Zuckoff

The Friends of the Newton Free Library is hosting a book and author luncheon benefit event.

When: Friday, May 11, 2012 with a cash bar (wine) 11:00 am. Luncheon 12:00 pm. Speakers and Book Signing will follow the luncheon.

Where: Ballroom, Newton Marriott Hotel, 2345 Commonwealth Avenue at Route 128, Newton, MA

Dennis Lehare Mitchell Zuckoff

Who: Featured Speakers are Dennis Lehane, author of Moonlight Mile and The Given Day and Mitchell Zuckoff, author of Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II

Checks for $40 per person should be payable to

Friends of the Newton Free Library

Please mail your check(s) with the enclosed reservation form and a Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope to

Book and Author Luncheon

PO Box 600533

Newtonville, MA 02460

Tickets and table assignments will be mailed 7 days before the event. Seating is limited; early reservations are recommended. Reservations received after May 4 will be held at the door. No tables or seats will be held without payment.

For more information, please email bookandauthor@newtonfreelibrary.net or call 617-213-0428.

To view any book more closely at Amazon, please click on image of book.

April 9, 2012
L’Aroma Cafe is Now Serving Brunch!

Brunch is now served every Sundays from 9 am to 2 pm at L’Aroma Cafe and Bakery located in Newton at 15 Spencer Street, behind the West Newton Cinema.

Spinach Florentine Bake, $9

3 Buttermilk Pancakes with berry compote and creme fraiche, $7

Greek yogurt with Granola, Honey and Berries, $7

Farmer’s Omelet, American style omelet with beef bacon, mushrooms, peas and red potatoes, $12

BLTE on sourdough with mayo, beef bacon, lettuce and tomato, $9

Egg & Cheddar Sandwich on sourdough, $7

Buttery Brioche Grilled Cheese with tangy tomato bisque, $10

2 Delicate Crepes, choose up to 2 of the following toppings: strawberries, bananas, powdered sugar, chocolate, nutella, $9

Homemade Oatmeal with Berries and Cream, $6

Savory Miso Oatmeal with a poached egg and scallions, $6

April 6, 2012
Rocks and Minerals Science Study Guide for 4th Grade
The Rock Cycle via video for Igneous Rock, Sedimentary Rock and Metamorphic Rock

These are the concepts that my kids find confusing, so I’ve added some extra information from sites to help kids understand the differences. This great information is from Mr.SciGuy.

Erosion versus Weathering

This is from Compare Anything.

Weathering and erosion are geological processes that act together to shape the surface of the Earth.

Erosion is displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock and other particles) usually by the agents of currents such as, wind, water, or ice by downward or down-slope movement in response to gravity or by living organisms.

Weathering is the decomposition of rocks, soils and their minerals through direct contact with the Earth’s atmosphere.

This video shows weathering verus erosion through some great demonstrations. It’s 9 minutes long.

This is a confusing concept, so here’s more:

What’s the difference between weathering and erosion?

Weathering involves two processes that often work in concert to decompose rocks. Both processes occur in place. No movement is involved in weathering. Chemical weathering involves a chemical change in at least some of the minerals within a rock. Mechanical weathering involves physically breaking rocks into fragments without changing the chemical make-up of the minerals within it. It’s important to keep in mind that weathering is a surface or near-surface process. As you know, metamorphism also produces chemical changes in rocks, but metamorphic chemical changes occur at depth where either the temperature and/or pressure are significantly higher than conditions found on the Earth’s surface.
As soon as a rock particle (loosened by one of the two weathering processes) moves, we call it erosion or mass wasting. Mass wasting is simply movement down slope due to gravity. Rock falls, slumps, and debris flows are all examples of mass wasting. We call it erosion if the rock particle is moved by some flowing agent such as air, water or ice.
So, here it is: if a particle is loosened, chemically or mechanically, but stays put, call it weathering. Once the particle starts moving, call it erosion.

This is from The National Park Service.

Here’s a fun video from Scholastic:

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Rock versus Minerals

The Museum of Science does a great school classroom presentation called Rock Detectives. One great example they gave of rocks versus minerals is this:

Chocolate Chip Cookie

What ingredients are used to make a chocolate chip cookie? Kids will answer with things like: flour, butter, sugar and chocolate chips.

The chocolate chip cookie is LIKE A ROCK made up of ingredients. Ingredients are LIKE MINERALS.

What happens if instead of baking, you fry it instead? You get … chocolate chip pancakes. So, depending on what happens to the mix of minerals (for example, different pressures and/or heat), there are different outcomes. JUST LIKE minerals and rocks.

Rocks

A rock is a mixture of one or more minerals. They are classified by the way that they are made.

A mineral is
- Naturally occurring
- Inorganic
- Definite chemical composition & crystalline structure
- Solid
Mineral Identification Tests

The Color Test- easiest test to do but not always reliable

The Streak Test

The color of the powdered mineral.

Performed by rubbing the unknown mineral on an unglazed tile.

The Luster Test

the way a mineral shines or doesn’t shine

the only way to really learn the different lusters is to see them for yourself.

Types of Luster

Metallic– looks like shiney metal

Non-metallic– all the other ways that a mineral can shine

Glassy/vitreous– shines like a piece of broken glass (most common non-metallic)

Dull/earthy– no shine at all

Resinous/waxy- looks like a piece of plastic or dried glue

Pearly– looks oily it may have a slight rainbow like an oil slick on water. Also looks like the inside of some clam shells

Adamantine– brilliant, sparkling shine like a diamond

Hardness– a minerals resistance to scratching. This should not be confused with brittleness. A diamond is very hard and will scratch a hammer but a hammer will smash a diamond. Likewise, talc, one of the softest minerals, is not squishy. It will still put a serious hurting on you if you get hit in the head with it.

This awesome chart is for sale here. Includes all 6 crystal classes and presents the physical properties: hardness, habit, luster, cleavage, specific gravity, color, fluorescence, and streak.

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Types of Rocks
Igneous Rocks

“Fire Formed”– melted rock material cools and solidifies (“freezing”)
- Intrusive– rock formed inside the Earth
- Extrusive– rock formed on the surface
- Texture– the size of the crystals- NOT HOW IT FEELS
Sedimentary Rocks

Made from sediments or rock material that has been broken down in some way.
- Sedimentary rocks are usually formed in a watery environment.
- Often layered
- Are the only rocks that normally contain fossils
Metamorphic Rocks
changed from a pre-existing rock

caused by extreme heat and/or pressure
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Cleavage versus Fracture

Cleavage -To break along flat surfaces.

Examples of Cleavage (these examples are not on the test but I think they are helpful to illustrate cleavage visually).
- Cubic– To break into cubes
- Rhombihedral– to break into “pushed over cubes”
- Basal– to split into thin sheets
Fracture -The way a mineral without cleavage breaks.

Examples of Fracture (This is not on the test, but it might help your child get a visual sense of a fracture — think bowl shape, needs, or sharp edges).
- conchoidal– to break in a scooped out bowl shape- like a conch (sea snail)
- hackly fracture– to have irregular sharp edges
- splintery– to break into long, thin needles
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This is not on the test, but here are more details on rocks versus minerals to help your child solidify this concept. This is from Rocks For Kids.

ROCKS
All rocks are made of 2 or more minerals, but minerals are not made of rocks.

Rock Words: There are many common names for rocks and the usually give you an idea of how big the rock is. Here are a few:
- mountain – huge, giant hunk of rock that is still attached to the earth’s crust, doesn’t move, tall
- boulder – large, taller than a person
- rock – large, you could get your arms around it or a bit smaller but it is usually jagged,
  broken off a bigger piece of rock
- river rock – round rocks that are along the edge & at the bottom of fast-flowing rivers
- stone – medium, you could hold it in two hands
- pebble – small, you can hold it with two fingers, could get stuck in your shoe, usually rounded
- sand – made up of tiny pieces of rock, grains of sand
- grain – tiny, like a grain of rice or smaller, often found on a beach
- dust – really fine powder that is mixed in with sand or soil
- speck – as in a speck of dirt
MINERALS
- A mineral is the same all the way through. That is one reason we speak of
  a sample or a specimen rather than a rock.
- There are about 3000 known minerals on earth.
- All rocks are made up of 2 or more of these minerals.
Finally, here is a video of rocks versus minerals by kids.
April 4, 2012
April Vacation Soccer Camps in Newton and Boston

Lady Eagles BC Womens Soccer Team has great soccer camps.

April Vacation: April 17 – 20, 9 am to 3 om

and also for the summer …

June 25 – 28, 9 am to 3 pm

July 16 – 19, 9 am to 3 pm

Where: BC Law School off Centre Street in Newton

For: Girls ages 6 -14

For more, please email soccercl@bc.edu or go here to register.

Be Ahead of the Game

We’ve known Brian Kelly for almost 10 years when he first started teaching my kids movement classes at their preschool. He is running these great April vacation sports camps for boys and girls. Kids really, really love his camps!

MultiSports camp, 8:30 am – 12:00 pm at the Hyde Center, Newton Highlands, grades 1-4

Soccer camp with Boston Bolts, ages 8-12, 1-3 PM, Chestnut Hill

For more details please go here. To register, please go here.

Boston University Men’s Soccer Camps for Kids

My daughter did a winter training session at Boston University and really enjoyed it.

Sundays, 8 – 10 am, April 1, 15, 22, 29

Boston University Nickerson Field
300 Babcock Street, Boston

Fee: Cost is $100 for all sessions. Email dcolwell@bu.edu for form.

For: Boys and Girls ages 7- 10

Dan Colwell, Assistant Coach,
Boston University Men’s Soccer

Dan Colwell was a standout at Umass/Amherst, helping to win the Atlantic 10 Conference in 3 of his 4 years. He has been at Boston University since 2006. He is also a nationally certified
personal trainer specializing in speed and agility training.

April 2, 2012
Boston: Hiring QA Automation Engineer for Back Bay Start Up litl

QA Automation Engineer

litl is looking for a QA Automation Engineer to join our growing Copley Square-based software team. litl is the company that brought you the litl webbook, a computer that lets you enjoy the web without worrying about anything else and winner of numerous national and international awards. litl is now looking to bring multiple consumer photography applications to market.litl is looking for a motivated developer with testing experience to help the QA team identify automation opportunities in our existing test suites and build automated test cases. As a Quality Assurance Engineer you will work as part of the larger software team that’s building exciting mobile applications for iOS, Android and Windows mobile.
(more…)

March 30, 2012
Bridges. Not Walls. Anti-Bullying Dance Show by Cambridge Youth Dance Program

April 28 & 29 at Boston University. Anti-Bullying Dance Show by Cambridge Youth Dance Program. Buy tickets here.

2012 Spring Production, “Bridges. Not Walls.” 1 in 3 students is bullied in school. This is our story.

The Cambridge Youth Dance Program is a pre-professional dance training program developed and designed for dedicated dance students. Students are placed in one of five dance programs, each with its own set of core classes and minimum class requirements. The diverse curriculum offers intense training for the aspiring ballet dancer, as well as for dancers committed to musical theater studies.

Placement is based on the level of ability and dance focus. New and returning students are required to audition each year. During the first few weeks of classes, teachers may suggest a different level.

Performance opportunities include the annual year-end showcase at Boston University’s Dance Theater, as well as community concerts throughout the Cambridge and Boston areas. All of our company members receive tuition subsidies.

March 30, 2012
Calling All Vendors: Waban Village Day!

Do you have something to sell; jewelry, crafts, specialty items, artisan breads or foods, cosmetics, clothes, to name a few.

Come share your creations with a booth at Waban Village Day, Sunday, May 20^th 11am-3pm.

This is the 9^th Waban Village Day, it takes place in Waban Square on Woodward Street, right off of Beacon Street.

This is a very popular event, fun for the whole family, with over 2000 people participating in rides, food and crafts.

If you are interested in a booth at Waban Village Day, please contact us at wabanimprovementsociety@gmail.com .

Established in 1889, the Waban Improvement Society is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization whose membership comprises all people who live and/or work in Waban, Massachusetts. The Society promotes any activity intended to improve Waban and fosters a sense of community for those who live and work here.

March 29, 2012
Free Running Clinic, Run Leo Run! March 31st NNHS

Inspirational marathoner, Leo Westebbe, Newton South graduate 2011 and Charles d’Hemecourt from the Division of Sports Medicine Children’s Hospital Boston will lead a FREE running clinic for kids ages 8 and up. The clinic is prime preparation for runners of all ages and abilities in the April 15 Heartbreak Hill Road Race. Participants will learn running stretches, drills and techniques, discuss nutrition and take a practice run around the Newton North Track facility.

Saturday, March 31 at 1–3pm

Newton North High School Track

CLINIC REGISTRATION

DONATE TO LEO’S RUN

Leo is running the 2012 Boston Marathon to raise money for the Newton Schools Foundation, whose mission is to support the Newton Public Schools. Support Leo’s effort and learn about how training for marathons helped Leo turn his life around at www.newtonschoolsfoundation.org

Register for this clinic at www.newtonschoolsfoundation.org

* Families are welcome. Runners should wear proper clothing and footwear for athletic activity. Weather permitting.

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Leo’s Story

When Leo Westebbe was a sophomore at Newton South High School, he was failing classes, lacking self-confidence and feeling bad about his future prospects. But his participation in the Dreamfar High School Marathon program, along with the help and support of staff and programs at Newton South High School, helped put him on track for success.

Now the Clark University freshman wants to give back to the community that helped him. On April 16, he’ll run the Boston Marathon for the Newton Schools Foundation with a goal of raising $6,000 to support the NSF’s effort to raise $5 million over three years. These funds will provide the tools, technology and teacher training to foster innovative teaching and learning across all of Newton’s public schools.

“I’m happy to be running for the Newton schools,” said Westebbe. “For a kid like me who really struggled emotionally and academically, not every school system would have been so supportive. Newton schools really don’t give up on people.”

An Uphill Climb
Meeting the confident mild-mannered 18-year-old, one would never suspect the challenges he had to overcome . But according to Westebbe—after a rough middle school experience and a rocky start to high school coupled with trouble at home—by sophomore year, “I was feeling depressed and failing some classes. I got to the point where I basically did no schoolwork because I just didn’t think I could.”

Westebbe was referred to the Springboard Program at the Newton Education Center, where he learned strategies to tackle his academic challenges.

“They helped me see how to break things down and get work done. I grew personally during that time,” says Westebbe.

With his schoolwork improving, he returned to South and entered Southside, a program for students with behavioral, social, emotional and/or academic challenges that have prevented them from succeeding in a mainstream environment.

“The best thing about Southside for me was having that community of people—knowing there were 20 other kids struggling and there for the same reason, and that teachers were there to support me,” he says. “The teachers really gave me positive feedback and helped me stay on the right track.”

Eye on the Finish Line
Midway through his junior year Westebbe mentioned to a Southside friend that he wanted to get in shape. The friend suggested he check out Dreamfar. The Dreamfar High School Marathon is New England’s first high school marathon training program that teaches at-risk high school students that anything is possible, even completing a marathon. They teach students realistic goal-setting and the value of commitment and teamwork—skills that ensure success in the classroom, on the road, and beyond.

“The idea of me running a marathon sounded kind of crazy—I never thought of myself as athletic,” said Westebbe, who joked, “I barely got a hit in Little League.”

In spite of his doubts, he went to a Dreamfar meeting. “I learned that so may different kinds of kids were doing it [marathon training], some athletic and some not, and I thought, ‘If they could do it, there was no reason I couldn’t.’”

“Running is such an equalizer,” explains Jamie Chaloff, founder and director of Dreamfar High School Marathon. “One of the great things about the program is that kids who would never have crossed paths become good friends. They support each other through thick and thin.” She adds, “It’s like a family.”

Things took off from there. While maintaining his academic course load, Westebbe, along with his teammates ran three times per week with adult mentors and coaches, and learned about proper conditioning, nutrition, gear and training, as they prepared for the Providence Marathon in the spring of 2010.

“I learned a lot about myself,” says Westebbe. “My academics got a lot better, I lost weight and gained self-confidence, and I made a lot of new friends.”

“Running in the marathon was a culmination of everything—all the training we’d done and the skills and techniques we’d learned,” said Westebbe. “I was there with all my mentors and people in the program… I felt really confident that they’d given me everything I needed to run.”

He completed the Providence Marathon and went on to captain the Dreamfar team at Newton South during his senior year, running another marathon and several half-marathons. “Now running is an important part of my life,” he says. “It helps give me structure.”

When asked what advice he’d give young kids who are struggling, Leo says, “I believe people can achieve almost anything. All it takes is believing you can do something and reaching out to people who can help you…Having a team of people who support you is really important.”

It’s not always easy, he says. When the going gets tough, “I think about the end.”

“When you’re going through the hardest times, keep your eyes set on your goal, the rewards. The painful parts are something you have to do to achieve what you want—in a marathon and in life.”

Join Leo’s Team
Leo Westebbe’s run will support the Newton Schools Foundation, the non-profit organization whose broad goal is to support the Newton Public Schools. In today’s challenging economic environment, this public-private partnership is essential to Newton’s ability to provide quality education and innovative programs, like the ones that helped Leo Westebbe.

“We’re thrilled and honored to have such an amazing young man representing our organization at this year’s Boston Marathon,” says NSF Co-president Julie Sall, “and we hope the community will support his journey from Hopkinton to Back Bay to support our schools.”

March 28, 2012
Purchase Any of These Children’s Allergy Books and They Will Donate a Book to a Library of Your Choice and GIVEAWAY

The first five people to leave a comment will win a book! Thank you!

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Now through April 30th Parent Perks, Inc. is matching book purchases from The No Biggie Bunch series with book donations to the U.S. Public Library of the buyer’s choice. It’s easy and there are two options for purchase.

1. Library 50-50. When customers purchase two books for their own bookshelves, the publisher will send two additional books to the U.S. Public Library of the buyer’s choice – free of charge.

The second purchasing option is the Library 100, which provides a public library with four books from The No Biggie Bunch series – two purchased by the customer for donation, plus two Parent Perks, Inc. will donate. All libraries receiving books will be given a note from Parent Perks recognizing the buyer’s donation and the buyer will be sent a note of acknowledgment from The No Biggie Bunch.

The No Biggie Bunch Series- For Kids Creatively Coping with Food Allergies

Everyday Cool with Food Allergies: Conversation Starters for Kids and Caregivers by Micheal Pistiner, MD, MMSc, edited by Heather Mehra & Kerry McManama, illustrated by Michael Kline.

This is a great introduction to food allergies and to the No Biggie Bunch series. Because kids with food allergies are so prevalent at school, this would be a great book to read for any child starting preschool or Kindergarten especially those who have no food allergies so that they understand how to keep their classmates safe and learn empathy for those who do.

Peanut-Free for Three by Heather Mehra & Kerry McManama, illustrated by Michael Kline.

This book brings up a very good point: opened jars of jelly or jam can often contain remnants of peanut butter in a household where no one has a nut allergy. Peanut butter and jelly just go together, right? And don’t most of us use the same knife when making the sandwich? I know I do! We also meet other kids in the No Biggie Bunch with other food allergies. Greta is allergic to gluten, Paige to nuts, and Eliot to eggs.

Trade-or-Treat Halloween by Heather Mehra & Kerry McManama, illustrated by Michael Kline.

Greta’s gluten allergy means that she can’t eat all the candy she collects at Halloween trick or treating but it’s no biggie because her parents have a trading system of safe treats for candy with gluten that she’s excited about.

Sports-Tastic Birthday Party by Heather Mehra & Kerry McManama, illustrated by Michael Kline.

I know that finding safe snacks can be an issue if you are the snack mom at preschool or it’s your turn to bring the snack for a sports team. In this case, Scott’s sports birthday party navigates the issue of cake that is safe for his friends with allergies.

Dairy-Free Dino-Licious Dig by Heather Mehra & Kerry McManama, illustrated by Michael Kline.

Davis is allergic to dairy so when he needs a snack, he understands that sharing snacks isn’t safe for him.

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I will be giving away this entire set of books. If you would like to win a book, please leave a comment with the title of the book you want. Thank you!

About Parent Perks, Inc.
Parent Perks, Inc. is a publisher of educational and entertaining children’s books. We believe when children are engaged and empowered, they can receive messages that stimulate imagination and promise transformation. Our publications embody the spirit of children and spark their social, interpersonal and intellectual innovation.

About The No Biggie Bunch
The No Biggie Bunch is a group of kids who are diverse in their food allergies, ethnicities and interests – all the things that make kids special. Kids with food allergies are still kids by definition – kids with equal need to stay safe and have fun. The No Biggie Bunch adventures provide creative solutions and responses for school, play dates, holidays, birthday parties and more. The No Biggie Bunch was created by authors Heather Mehra and Kerry McManama.

March 28, 2012