Kidsville News - June 2011

Dear Kids,

Woohoo! It’s summertime! While summeroffi cially starts June 21, for me, as soon as school is out for break, it is summer. I can’t wait to spend some time outdoors — swimming, vacationing with my family and, my favorite thing, riding my bike. I thought June would be the perfect month to learn all about what it’s like to be a professional stunt bike rider. Chris Clark is awesome!

Another of my favorite things to do in the summer is visit the aquarium. The green moray eel fascinates me, so I thought maybe you would like to learn more about him in this issue.

Of course, on June 19, you want to spend some time with your Dad for Father’s Day. Maybe you can go on a bike ride together!

Be sure to help your Mom or Dad put out your fl ag for Flag Day. Check to see if it has holes in it or is too worn out. If it is, you should replace it. Read all about the U.S. fl ag in this issue of Kidsville News!

Check out the Kidsville News! website at www.KidsvilleNews.com for more fun.

Have a great June!Your friend,

Copyright ©2011 by Kidsville News! Incorporated. All rights reserved. No part of this issue may be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without permission of the publisher or copyright holder. Neither participating advertisers nor the publishers will be responsible or liable for misinformation, misprints or typographical errors. The publishers reserve the right to edit any submitted material. Kidsville News! Incorporated is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, artwork, or other material. Children’s submissions should include name, address, telephone number, and permission to publish signed by a parent or guardian.

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National Hollerin’ Contest Day is celebrated on the third

Saturday in June. The contest is held in Spivey’s Corner, N.C. The small town has only about 500 residents, but

thousands come to hear the hollering contest.

The very last space shuttle fl ight is set for June 28. Called STS-135, the mission will be fl own by space shuttle Atlantis. It and NASA’s two other orbiters, Discovery and Endeavour, will

be retired for good. Atlantis’ fi nal mission is to deliver more space station supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. This will be the 135th space

shuttle fl ight.

There are over 70 million fathers in the U.S.!

Each June, families gather to celebrate Dad and other special men in their lives. Fathers, step-fathers and grandfathers enjoy a special day for all they do.

How did this special day to honor Dad come about? In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd was listening to a Mother’s Day sermon and thought that it would be appropriate to have a similar event to honor fathers. She had been raised primarily by her father. In 1910, Dodd held a celebration in June (her dad’s birthday) in her hometown of Spokane, Washington, to show her father how much she cared about him.

An offi cial Father’s Day was still a long time coming. It wasn’t until 16 years later that a National Father’s Day committee was formed. In 1956, a joint resolution of Congress recognized Father’s Day. The holiday became a permanent national observance under President Richard Nixon in 1972. It is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. This year it is June 19.

Fathers are special people. Whether they are playing catch in the backyard, or just sharing a root beer fl oat, they play an important part in your life. Be sure to say Happy Father’s Day to your dad on June 19.

The Pledge of AllegianceI pledge allegiance to the Flag of the

United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Many countries have a special holiday to honor the fl ag of their country. In the United States, Flag Day (or National Flag Day), is celebrated on June 14. This day commemorates the adoption of the fl ag of the United States, which happened by resolution of the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.

In 1916, Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that offi cially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.

Here’s a quick quiz for Flag Day, June 14. Who designed the fl ag hanging in your classroom? If you said Betsy Ross, you’d actually be wrong. The current fl ag with 50 stars was designed by Robert G. Heft, when he was in high school.

The project was assigned back in 1958

when he was a student in Lancaster, Ohio, and there was talk of Alaska and Hawaii becoming states. He designed the fl ag but only got a B-minus on the project because his teacher said anyone could have designed the new fl ag.

But the teacher also said that if Heft could get Congress to approve his design, he’d up the grade. Heft sent the design to his congressman, Clarence Miller, who got the fl ag accepted. Heft still has the fl ag, which has fl own over every state capitol building in the United States.

Flag FactsThe fl ag of the United States consists

of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with red stripes at the top and bottom. The blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner has 50 small, white, fi ve-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows of fi ve stars. The 50 stars on the fl ag represent the 50 states, and the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies.

Flag RulesDid you know that there are certain

rules of etiquette that apply to the fl ag of the United States? The United States Flag Code outlines these. Here are just a few to remember: The fl ag of the United States

...should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground.

...may be fl own daily from sunrise to sunset, and after sunset if lighted.

…should be taken down in inclement weather except for a special occasion, such as a Veteran’s Day parade.

…is permitted to be fl own upside down only as a distress signal.

…must never touch the ground or water, or be stepped on.


AR UND THE W RLD Italy

The fi rst Sunday in June is Gioco del Ponte in Italy. This means Battle of the Bridge. This special event is held in Pisa and is a medieval parade and a contest for possession of the bridge. Over 700 people participate in the parade. The battle is a

contest with two large groups, or teams, fi ghting against each other for possession of the bridge. Some sources believe the game has been played since 1556.

BelgiumIn the city of Mons in Belgium, June 19 is

the Procession of the Golden Chariot. Mons was developed around a castle and a monastery in the seventh century. A magnifi cent church houses the 18th-century Golden Chariot. On June 2, the horse-drawn chariot carries the relics of Saint Waudru through the streets of the city. The procession ends with the pageant of the battle of the Lumeon, between Saint George and the Dragon. Legend tells that St. George rescued the king’s daughter from a dragon by tying the princess’s belt around its neck, returning to the city with the princess and the monster.

TaiwanThe Dragon Boat Festival is held in

Taiwan during May or June. This holiday commemorates poet and scholar Qu Yuan (or Cyu Yuan), a hero of ancient China who drowned himself in the Miluo River. Dragon boat races are held on the rivers, and the people eat dumplings called Zongzih. Teams from around the world come to compete in the Dragon Boat Festival. The festival occurs on the fi fth day of the fi fth month of the Chinese lunar calendar — this year it is June 6.

Moray Eel If you’ve ever been to an aquarium, you may have seen a moray eel. It looks like a huge snake and fi sh blended together. It is really a type of fi sh with a long slender body and no pectoral or pelvic fi ns. There are 200 species of moray eel. The smallest, at only 4.5 inches

long, is the Snyder’s moray. The longest eel, the slender giant moray, can be up to 13 feet long. The largest moray eel, the giant moray, reaches almost 10 feet in length and can weigh more than 80 pounds.

Morays occur in tropical and subtropical seas of the world. In the United States, they are most often found in Florida waters, although they have been seen as far north as North Carolina and even New Jersey.

The moray eel differs from the common eel by its lack of side fi ns, its well-developed teeth and its lack of scales. Morays are carnivorous and feed mostly on other fi sh. Some morays have teeth in the back of the mouth for crushing hard-shelled animals such as clams and oysters. They have a second set of jaws in the throat, called pharyngeal jaws, which also have teeth. When feeding, this jaw juts into the mouth to grab the prey and take it into the throat.

Morays always tend to have their mouth’s open a little. This helps them breath through their gills, which are near the back of their “head.”

Morays are occasionally caught by fi shermen and sometimes are captured by trawlers that drag nets over the bottom. People in some parts of the world value the moray as food.

Sources: Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, www.nefsc.noaa.gov; Wikipedia, www.wikipedia.com. Photo: Echo project, State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: ActinopteygiiOrder: AnguilliformesFamily: Muraenidae

Above: Moray eel. Left: Green Moray Eel at the North Carolina Aquarium at Ft. Fisher.


It’s time to get out your globe! You need to know about the imaginary lines on globes and maps. These lines are called lines of latitude and longitude, and they tell a pilot or ship’s captain exactly where in the world a certain place is located. Basically, latitude lines (also called parallels) are the horizontal lines on your map. Lines of longitude (also called meridians) are the vertical lines that run from the North

Pole to the South Pole. This mapping system is written in degrees and uses the symbol °. Get ready to travel the world!On your globe, fi nd longitude of 40ºE and latitude of 72ºN, and you'll fi nd the world’s

largest island, Greenland, located northeast of Canada between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean. It is more than three times the size of Texas, and over four-fi fths of the country is covered in ice! Permafrost, ground that is frozen for two or more years, covers two-thirds of the country; it is the second-largest ice cap in the world. As you might probably guess, the climate is

arctic to subarctic, with cool summers and cold winters. The terrain is mostly fl at except for the narrow, rocky coast. While the climate and terrain of Greenland do not allow for farming, the island has many natural resources, including coal, diamonds, fi sh, gold, hydropower, iron ore,

lead, molybdenum, niobium, platinum, seals, tantalite, uranium, whales and zinc. The country also exports ice and water from the ice sheet!

Vikings arrived in Greenland from Iceland in the 10th century, and Denmark began colonizing the island in the 1700s, making the island part of Denmark in 1953. In 1979, Denmark granted Greenland Home Rule. Most of Greenland’s population — less than 60,000 people — lives along the coast. The Inuit, a group of indigenous peoples who inhabit the Arctic region, make up about 90% of the population. Nuuk is the capital of Greenland, and the offi cial languages are Greenlandic, or East Inuit, and Danish.

To celebrate Greenland’s cultural and national values, The National Day was introduced in 1983 as a Home Rule tradition. This festival takes place on June 21, the longest and lightest day of the year, which just happens to be the fi rst day of summer this year. Ullortuneq or “The Longest Day” is celebrated in all towns and features many cultural activities, including songs, speeches, music, folk dancing, communal outdoor eating and demonstrations, like kayaking. People often dress in national costumes. The National Day is also Flag Day. The red and white Greenlandic fl ag, fi rst introduced on June 21, 1985, features a red semicircle against a white background, symbolizing the midnight sun and the ice.

On June 21, 2009, Greenland acquired Self Rule. It is part of the Danish national community, and the two countries consult on fi nancial policy, foreign and defense policies and the justice system. While Greenland is becoming more international in business and politics, the people recognize and celebrate the importance of tradition and national culture on “The Longest Day.”

Sources: Greenland, The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gl.html; Greenland Holidays, National Day, www.world66.com/northamerica/greenland/holidays/nationalday; Inuit, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit; National Day of Greenland, www.greenland.com.

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS...GREENLAND?


I love to ride my bike! It’s one of my favorite things to do in the summer. I can do a few cool tricks, too, but nothing like Chris Clark. He is a professional stunt cyclist. He’s REALLY good. So good, that he even has his own show — The Chris Clark Bicycle Stunt Show. He has been doing bicycle stunts for 15 years, and he loves to take his show on the road to schools and communities. There, he not only shares his talents on the bike, but he talks to kids about staying away from drugs through the Athletes Who Say NO program. Keep reading to learn more!

TRUMAN: What does it take to become a professional stunt cyclist? CLARK: Practice, practice, practice! The most important part of becoming a professional cyclist is simply spending as much time on your bike as possible. The more time you spend on it, the more it begins to feel like a part of your body.

TRUMAN: When and why did you fi rst become interested in this profession?CLARK: When I was in 5th grade, one of my best friends used to live at the top of very tall hill behind our elementary school. Every morning, he would come speeding down the hill on his bright red bike, do a wheelie and then skid to a stop at the bicycle racks. I thought that looked like so much fun, so he and I started going on a short bike ride every day after school and practicing our tricks. Within a year, we were competing in local contests!

TRUMAN: What do you do every day? Describe a typical day on the “job.” CLARK: One of the great things about this job is that every day is different! Some days I am performing bicycle demonstrations, some days I am competing at a bicycle competition, some days I am traveling and other days I am just practicing my skills at home in New Jersey. The important part is that no matter what I am doing, I try to ride my bike for at least a few minutes every day. Keeping that kind of consistent schedule makes you feel very comfortable on the bike.

TRUMAN: Your “job” sounds really fun. What’s the hardest part of your job?CLARK: Planning for travel. It can be a pretty big task to fi gure out my travel plans when I am going to be away for multiple shows at multiple locations. Before trips like this, I am busy planning driving routes, hotel stays, fl ights into and out of different airports and prepping my bikes and ramps for performances and travel. I try to always leave extra time to get to my destinations and bring spare parts in case of any mechanical problems.

TRUMAN: What’s the best part of your job?CLARK: The opportunity to travel to so many great places. My bicycle riding has taken me all over the US and the world. I have been able to visit France, Spain, Poland, Canada and Mexico. I have also visited all 50 states and spent 45 days on the Vans Warped tour, a sports and music tour which visited over 40 cities around the country. Living on a tour bus for those 45 days and getting to see the entire country was a really special experience.

TRUMAN: What is a typical cycling competition like?CLARK: A stunt cycling contest usually consists of fi ve or six obstacle

courses that each rider gets a turn to try and ride through. Riders aren’t allowed to practice the course before the event, but they are allowed to walk the course and plan their route. When they take their competition run, a judge watches them ride the course and gives them a “point” every time they make an error. At the end of the contest, the rider with the lowest score (fewest errors) wins.

TRUMAN: What is your Athletes Who Say NO demonstration? CLARK: My Athletes Who Say NO program is where I come and speak to elementary and middle school students about my experiences as a professional cyclist and how I used my cycling and my desire to get better as a way to keep myself fo-cused through my teen years. I explain that once you have found something you are so passionate about, it’s easy to make the right decisions when it comes to drugs, alcohol and peer pressures.

After the talk, I perform a bicycle stunt show where I showcase the skills I have developed over the course of my cycling career. I have all my own ramps, jumps and music equipment, and it makes for a pretty exciting show.TRUMAN: What advice would you give to kids who are interested in becoming a professional stunt cyclist?CLARK: The most important advice I can give is not to get frustrated and give up. Oftentimes, riders who are interested in getting involved in stunt cycling get frustrated when they can’t quickly perfect some of the most basic moves.

It’s important for beginners to under-stand that track stands (standing still on your bike) and wheelie hops are very hard to learn when you are get-

ting started, but once you have perfected them, all other tricks are based off of those basic skills. Don’t get frustrated, don’t give up and don’t try any tricks that are above your skill level. That’s the quickest way to hurt yourself.TRUMAN: Thanks for the advice and for sharing with us what it’s like to be a stunt cyclist. What a great job!Read more of this interview at www.kidsvillenews.com. For more informa-tion about Chris Clark or the Athletes Who Say NO program, visit www.chrisclarkbicyclestuntshow.com.

A STUNT CYCLIST?

Above: Chris Clark performs a trick for a group of kids. To the right: Chris Clark


Source: www.metrocreativeconnection.com

June Word FindFind the hidden words in the puzzle that relate to the month of June.

A “Cool Kind Kid” Is PatrioticFill in the blanks in the statements with words

from the list below.Grateful Anthem Peaceful The Golden Rule Holidays ThankingAllegiance Respecting Citizen

“Cool Kind Kids” Demonstrate Patriotism by ...1. saying the Pledge of _____________.2. singing the National _______________.3. celebrating national _______________, such as by going to the 4th of July parade.4. ______________ a veteran for your freedom.5. performing the duties of a good ____________ with a smile, a good attitude and a sense of responsibility.6. ________________ authority, the rules, the people and the environment around you.7. being ____________ for your country.8. doing everything you can to help our world be a safe, __________ place for all.9. using your best manners everywhere and living _______________.

T U T H F W C G X L O M M N S Z B Q B J A T I E B Z U O S R T E L O I V A R T L U I I U O Z K J I A O K Y A O T Z E M O B X Y M P B L J E A I Y C M D Q T B P D F O X C F U R J E T R S E V Q H A A L G B C T R U B P M O B J V T P B N W G A O B B B E M X X O H F I N B F P K Q A N Q R M O D E U T R T N E C B I C Y C L E S R V H X L H N H E G N A P R E T A W N D L Q U S A Q A Z O Q O W P O T T W M J L A Y P R M Q N B G C F Z W D F Q M G Q F K O V W E

BEACHBICYCLEFATHERFLAG

JUNEOUTDOORSPATRIOTICSUMMER

SUNULTRAVIOLETVACATIONWATER


Tru-Truman Truman’s Tricky Picture Find these

items! Be sure to fi nd Truman’s hat!

Coloring CornerCelebrate Father’s Day! Draw a picture of something you and your Dad like to do together.


A Cool Kind Kid Is Patriotic By Barbara Gilmour

Hello again. Tanner, Rudy, Stephen, Nicole, Carmen and Truman the dragon are here today. Carmen brought her friend Paul with her. All the kids greeted Paul. He said, “Thanks for the welcome. You can call me Paul or Pauly.” Some laughed and said, “Hi, Pauly Paul!”

“Let’s start with a few questions. Who knows what national holiday we celebrate in July?”

Rudy said, “The 4th of July!” The kids all said, “We all knew that.”

“What national holiday do we celebrate in May?”

Tanner jumped in with, “That’s Memorial Day. I know that because we always have a picnic.”

“I love going to parades with my family on those holidays,” shared Nicole.

“What do we celebrate in June?” “I know,” yelled Stephen, “School is

over!” “Yes, that is true, but what day is a special

day for our country?”Paul raised his hand, “I know. It’s Flag Day.” “Why do you think we celebrate Flag Day?” “It’s the symbol of our country,” said Rudy. Carmen added, “It says we

are Americans.” “When we fl y it, it shows we love our country,” Tanner shared.Truman stood up, put his hand over his heart and proudly said,

“When I see the fl ag, I’m grateful that I live in a place where dragons, and anyone else, are welcome and accepted.” All the kids stood and cheered Truman. Then they marched around the room pretending they were in a parade, waving fl ags.

“Did you know that just as there are rules for how to play a sport or how to act in school, there are rules for how to treat and display our fl ag? Who knows a US Flag Code rule?”

“I know when we put our fl ag out at my house, we put it up in the morning and take it down at night or in bad weather,” offered Tanner. “That’s right,” Pauly added, “Or, you can put a light on it at night.”

“When I go to parades with my family, people stand when the fl ag goes by. I see some people put their hand over their heart. It would be cool if everyone did that,” said Nicole. Stephen added, “I see military people salute the fl ag. It would be cool to thank them for our freedom.”

“Is it true that when a fl ag is old or worn out we should burn it?” asked Carmen. “Yes, that’s true,” added Pauly, “And, it should never touch the ground, water, or be stepped on.” “Wow!” said Truman. “All these things show respect for our fl ag. I love to sing patriotic songs, so I always join in when I hear the National Anthem.”

“Our fl ag is a symbol of our freedom. What does freedom mean to you?”

Rudy said, “It means being able to go where we want.” Nicole added, “It means being able to say and do what we please.” Truman raised his hand, “Freedom means being free!” “Cool Kind Kids” respect our fl ag, our country and all those who made our freedom possible. Barbara Gilmour, Tanner’s grandmom, is the creator and developer of the Tanner’s Manners: Be a “Cool Kind Kid” Social Skills, Character Values and Anti-Bullying educational materials and the award-winning “Cool Kind Kid” Audio CD. She also writes the Children’s Manners Blog, offering tips for teaching your children manners. http://childrenmanners.blogspot.com. © Cool Kind Kid. 866-KID-KIND. www.CoolKindKid.com.


Art Gallery

Paul Gauguin was a famous French artist. A leading Post-Impressionist artist, he combined emotions with line, color and shape to create artwork based on nature. Known as the Western “savage,” Paul experimented with a new artistic style where professional artists created works that resembled folk art or tribal art handmade by native people. The new style was called Primitivism.

Paul Gauguin was born in Paris, France, on June 7, 1848, to a journalist and his wife. Both his parents were highly educated and politically involved. Because the political climate of France was dangerous for them at the time, the family fled France for his mother’s homeland of Peru when Paul was still a toddler. They lived there for several years. His father died during their travels, leaving Paul’s mother to raise their

children on her own. Paul’s extended family was rich and well educated, so Paul was exposed to art, philosophy and other culture as a child. What he saw in Peru would later heavily influence his artistic style.

Before Paul was a teenager, the family moved back to France to live with his grandfather. He helped Paul continue his education and exposed him to even more cultural activities. When Paul was 17, he joined the French military as a seaman and spent the next six years traveling the world aboard a military ship. He began collecting art and dabbled in painting as he traveled. After leaving

the military, Paul became a stockbroker. But, he continued painting and became friends with other artists interested in creating new kinds of art, like Camille Pissarro and Vincent Van Gogh. In the late 1880s, when he was already in his

30s, Paul left his job as a stockbroker to be a full-time artist.

With little money, Paul had a few unsuccessful art shows and struggled with his ideas of finding a way to return art to a more natural state. By the early 1890s, he was traveling the world in search of an exotic place to call home, where he could live cheaply, study natural forms of art and make his own artwork. In 1891, he became the head of a French government-funded artists’ project in Tahiti. While there, he made woodcarvings similar in style to the work of the native Tahitians. However, Tahiti was not the paradise he was looking for, and he eventually returned to France.

Paul soon found a new paradise — the Marquesas Islands. He moved to the remote Polynesian island of Hiva Oa, where he concentrated on drawing, writing and painting. He died in his island home on May 8, 1903. Although Paul may not have achieved a lot of fame during his lifetime, his new ideas about what professional art could look like influenced many younger European artists and helped usher in the era of modern art.

Written by Tamar Burris, a former elementary school teacher who now works as a freelance writer and curriculum developer for PBS, the Discovery Channel and other education-related companies. Sources: http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/tbio?tperson=1330&type=a; Paul Gauguin on Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/articles/Paul-Gauguin-9307741; Paul Gauguin on Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gauguin.

Paul Gauguin and Primitivism

A painting by Gauguin titled Tahitian Women on the Beach, (1891).

It’s summertime –– time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine, fresh air and fun activities of the great outdoors! In fact, this June marks the eighth annual Great Outdoors Month, which features Great Outdoors Week and National Get Outdoors Day (GO Day).

Created by proclamation of the president and governors in all 50 states, Great Outdoors Month focuses on helping everyone in our nation understand the benefi ts of spending time and volunteering outside. An active lifestyle outdoors is important to staying healthy and feeling –– great!

A highlight of Great Outdoors Month is the kick-off of the American Recreation Coalition’s (ARC) Great Outdoors Week on National Get Outdoors Day (GO Day), Saturday, June 11. Over 100 sites will celebrate GO Day by inviting and encouraging everyone, especially younger people, to learn about and to try different recreational activities, like biking, fi shing, geocaching, camping, skiing, swimming, boating, canoeing, hiking and nature watching –– to name just a few! For example, the U.S. Forest Service will waive fees at National Forests, and many marinas will welcome visitors to try boating. Participating campgrounds across the nation will also feature special rates for camping. Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl, along with other creatures, will be available for pictures, and still more sites will focus on other things you can do to live a healthy life, like good nutrition and the First Lady’s program Let’s Move Outside.

In addition to encouraging everyone to enjoy the great natural beauty of our country and a healthier, active lifestyle, Great Outdoors Month shows how we can all help to protect and preserve our environment for the future so that others will be able to enjoy the great outdoors. You might volunteer to help maintain a park trail or clean up a wildlife habitat.

So this summer, take advantage of the warm weather to come out and play. You may have so much fun that you’ll want to celebrate Great Outdoors Month all year long!

Sources: Great Outdoors Month and Get Outdoors Day (GO Day), http://answers.usa.gov/system/selfservice.controller?CONFIGURATION=1000&PARTITION_ID=1&CMD=VIEW_ARTICLE&ARTICLE_ID=11061&USERTYPE=1&LANGUAGE=en&COUNTRY=US; National Get Outdoors Day, www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org/; National Parks Traveler, “Discounted Campsites On the Way in June to Mark ‘National Great Outdoors Month,’” www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2011/05/discounted-campsites-way-june-mark-national-great-outdoors-month8089; Outdoor Recreation in America, American Recreation Coalition, “Plans Announced for Great Outdoors Week,” www.funoutdoors.com/node/view/2733.

COME OUT AND PLAY!Come Out & Play During Great Outdoors Month!


C o n s e r v a t i o n orner

What Is the UV Index?The UV Index indicates the strength of solar ultraviolet

radiation on a scale of 1 to 11+. A UV index of 1 is low while 11+ is considered extremely high. Ultraviolet radiation (also known as UV radiation or ultraviolet rays) is a form of energy traveling through space. The sun is a major source of ultraviolet rays.

The ozone layer plays an important role in determining the UV index. Responsible for shielding the planet from harmful UV radiation, the ozone layer has been depleted to the point that it can be very unsafe for human beings to spend a lot of time in the sun. This depletion of the ozone, as well as variations in the seasons and weather, causes different amounts of UV radiation to reach the Earth at any given time. As a result, a daily UV Index was developed to protect people from potentially harmful UV radiation.

The National Weather Service calculates the UV Index for the next day in each area of the United States. The forecast is pub-

lished in midafternoon in the Eastern time zone. If the level of UV radiation is expected to be especially high, the forecast will include a UV Alert. The forecast for the following day’s UV Index is published on the Environmental Protection Agency website (www.epa.gov) every day by midafternoon.

Avoiding the sun between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. during Daylight Saving Time can reduce your UV exposure by more than 50%. If you have to be outside during these hours, try to stay in the shade, wear a T-shirt on the beach as well as hat and sunglasses and apply sunscreen of a Sun Protection Factor of at least 15 to all parts of your body that are exposed.

Source: metrocreativeconnection.com; NSF Polar Programs UV Monitoring Network.

Today’s kids spend an average of 6 hours a day planted in front ofan electronic screen—spending about half as much time outdoorsas you did when you were a kid.

No making mud pies. No catching fireflies. No swinging in trees.No wading in streams. No daydreaming while watching theclouds roll by...

Unplugged isn’t just about going outside for baseball or soccerpractice or recess at school.

Unplugged is about giving your child a every day,unstructured time in green spaces to explore, imagine, and discover.It’s healthy and it’s FUN.

Find and share unplugged ideas for kidsat greenhour.org

unplug yourkids.


AT THE MOVIES

Make Believe (In Theaters: June 1)Totally awesome from start to fi nish, Make Believe is a movie about the path to success for a group of teen magicians from around the world. Nothing is nerdy about the level of performance skill that the movie’s six outsiders exhibit at their craft. Winner of the Los Angeles Film Festival jury prize, Make Believe sets its guaranteed climax around a competition in Las Vegas to be named the World’s Best Teen Magician. In Japan, Hiroki Hara practices eight hours a day in a rented theater space where he develops his act. In Littleton, Colorado, 14-year-old Derek McKee polishes his sleight-of-hand show with two local mentors at the magic shop where he works part time. Krystyn Lambert is a southern California girl who spends her free time at Los Angeles’ famed Magic Castle junior program with an act that makes the most of her natural athleticism. Siphiwe Fangase and Nkumbozo Knonyana are a couple of good-natured teens from Capetown, South Africa, with a magic act inspired by soccer. In Chicago, 19-year-old overachiever Bill Koch has entertainment in his blood, passed down from his high-school-symphony-conductor father. You’ll be amazed. Unrated. 88 mins. (Crowd Starter)

Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer (In Theaters: June 10)Judy Moody (played by Jordana Beatty) wants to have the ultimate summer of fun without the company of her brother Stink. She dreams of going off to circus camp. Instead, her parents leave her and her smelly brother in the care of their aunt Opal (Heather Graham). Opal isn’t the best driver in the world, but she’s pretty cool for an adult. Judy comes up with a summer challenge she calls the “Judy Moody Mega-Rare-NOT-Bummer-Summer-Dare.” Each contestant gets 10 “thrill points” for doing stuff like riding a roller coaster, surfi ng a wave or riding on an elephant. But when her friends start racking up points

faster than she can count, Judy realizes she might have to go for the win by capturing that hairy creature called Big Foot.Rated PG for some mild rude humor. 91 mins. (Relativity Media)

Cars 2 (In Theaters: June 24)Owen Wilson is the voice of a speedy little hotrod racecar named Lightning McQueen. Lightning teams up with Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy), a rusty old tow truck, to travel overseas to compete in the fi rst World Grand Prix car race. The multi-city competition is held in Japan, Italy and England. Mistaken as master spies by a tricky little silver spy car named Finn McMissile, Lightning and Mater will have to pull off some very tricky moves for Lightning to have any chance at winning. Cheech Marin, John Turturro and Helen Hunt lend their funniest voices to this G-rated popcorn movie for the whole family.Rated G. (Disney•Pixar)

MOVIES ON DVD

The North Star ... and more stories about following your dreams (Available May 24)This read-along DVD includes fi ve great children’s stories for all ages. The North Star features Tim Curry narrating Peter H. Reynolds’s story about lifelong learning. “That Book Woman” is about a group called the Pack Horse Librarians who deliver books to kids in rural places. In “Players in Pigtails,” Zooey Deschanel narrates the tale of a brave girl who sets out to join the fi rst-ever Girls Professional Baseball league. Writer/illustrator Chris Raschka’s “Yo! Yes?” is about a delightful friendship that develops between two lonely boys. The last story of the bunch is Anne Isaacs’s “Swamp Angel,” about Angelica, the “greatest woods-woman in Tennessee.” But is Angelica tough enough to tackle a big hungry bear? These award-winning stories are designed to teach kids cooperation, friendship and problem-solving skills.Recommended for ages four through 10. 57 mins. (Scholastic Storybook Treasures)Cole Smithey, also known as “the smartest fi lm critic in the world,” has been a fi lm critic for 11 years and writes for over 50 publications, in print and on-line. Truman loves to watch movies and has the highest appreciation for great popcorn.


Searching Where the Light is Better

A girl is on her hands and knees one evening searching for something under the street light. “What are you looking

for?” you ask. “My contact lens,” she replies. “I

think it popped out over there in that alley.”“Then why are you looking for it here?” She replies, “Because the light is better, silly.”Well, that doesn’t make sense. But sometimes looking for

something where the light is better does make sense.Using

powerful telescopes, as-tronomers have found over 500 “exoplanets”— planets outside our solar sys-tem. However, telescopes can-not usually see an exoplanet directly. Look-ing for an exoplanet in the bright glare of its star is like looking for a mosquito in the glare of a headlight — from a mile away!

Fortunately for planet hunters, exoplanets are abundant. And some stars make it a lot easier for astronomers to fi nd their planets. So, like looking for a lost object where the light is better, astronomers can look for planets where lighting conditions are more favorable for fi nding them.

Small young stars, called red dwarfs, are cooler than larger or older stars like our Sun. And because they are young — under 100 million years (for a star, that’s young!) — their planets are newer and warmer and brighter than older planets.

So, with a cooler star and warmer planets, astronomers are actually more likely to see the planets. The planets will still look pretty fuzzy. But using special instruments on the telescope, astronomers can learn what’s in the planet’s atmosphere and other valuable information.

NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer space telescope sees ultraviolet light — a kind of light our eyes can’t see. The light from these young red dwarf stars contains a larger proportion of ultra-violet than more mature stars like our Sun do. So Galaxy Evolu-tion Explorer has helped to identify lots of these red dwarfs, even though, overall, they are very faint.

Now astronomers know where the “streetlights” are — the best places to look for lost objects, or new planets!

How do astronomers know how far away a star or galaxy is? Play “How Old Do I Look” on The Space Place at http://tiny.cc/whats-older and fi nd out!

This article was written by Diane K. Fisher and provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

This artist’s concept shows a red dwarf star with three planets. Because the star is dimmer and cooler than most stars and its planets are warmer and brighter, telescopes may be able to see the planets directly.


The next time it’s taco night, try something new. These tasty fi sh tacos are so good, everyone will want to dive in!

Fish is also good for you! For the fi rst time, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services recommended seafood in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.The guidelines recommend eating a variety of seafood at least twice a week.

KIDSVILLE KITCHENTogether Time — Ask an adult for help with projects!

Baja Popcorn Fish TacosPreparation time: 25 minutes. Serves: 4-6

WHAT YOU NEED: • 1 22-ounce package SeaPak Popcorn Fish, frozen • 8-10 soft fl our tortillas, heated according to package directions (can substitute crispy corn tortillas) • 1 16-ounce bag of fresh slaw (or 1/2 head of shredded cabbage) • 1 11-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained • 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained • 1 avocado, diced • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (optional) • Juice from 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons) • 1 tablespoon honey • Taco sauce (recipe below)

Taco Sauce• 8 ounces sour cream• 1 1-ounce packet ranch dressing mix• 1 1.25-ounce packet taco seasoning

HOW TO MAKE IT: • Preheat oven to 425°F. Bake popcorn fi sh accord-ing to package instruc-tions.

• Mix sour cream, ranch dressing and taco seasoning. (You can use a little milk to thin the sauce if desired.) Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve • Place slaw (or shredded cabbage), mandarin oranges, black beans, avocado and cilantro in a large bowl. • Place lime juice and honey in a small bowl and stir together. Pour over slaw mixture and toss until well mixed and coated. • Assemble tacos. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of taco sauce onto a tortilla. Add slaw mixture and top with a hot popcorn fi sh. Serve immediately.

For more recipe ideas, visit www.SeaPak.com. Recipe courtesy of SeaPak and Family Features.

Tacos with a Twist

T U T H F W C G X L O M M N S Z B Q B J A T I E B Z U O S R T E L O I V A R T L U I I U O Z K J I A O K Y A O T Z E M O B X Y M P B L J E A I Y C M D Q T B P D F O X C F U R J E T R S E V Q H A A L G B C T R U B P M O B J V T P B N W G A O B B B E M X X O H F I N B F P K Q A N Q R M O D E U T R T N E C B I C Y C L E S R V H X L H N H E G N A P R E T A W N D L Q U S A Q A Z O Q O W P O T T W M J L A Y P R M Q N B G C F Z W D F Q M G Q F K O V W E

June Word FindFind the hidden words in

the puzzle that relate to the month of June.

BEACHBICYCLEFATHERFLAG

JUNEOUTDOORSPATRIOTICSUMMER

SUNULTRAVIOLETVACATIONWATER

A “Cool Kind Kid” Is Patriotic

“Cool Kind Kids” Demonstrate Patriotism by...1. saying the Pledge of Allegiance.2. singing the National Anthem.3. celebrating national holidays, such as by going to the 4th of July parade.4. Thanking a veteran for your freedom.5. performing the duties of a good citizen with a smile, a good attitude and a sense of responsibility.6. Respecting authority, the rules, the people and the environment around you.7. being grateful for your country.8. doing everything you can to help our world be a safe, peaceful place for all.9. using your best manners everywhere and living The Golden Rule.


PARENTOWN’S KIDSMART

As adults, we hear talk about fi nancial literacy programs that are taught to children in school today. As parents, we understand how important it is to reinforce and support these fi nancial literacy programs to our children. Children often learn by example. A part of that implies that our children are learning some of their fi nancial knowledge and behavior patterns from the adults that surround them. Imagine for a second what they see.

With the widespread use of debit cards, checks and credit cards, most children rarely ever see cash. With the use of a debit card, a child might get the false impression that there is a never-ending supply of money. As adults, we defi nitely know that not to be true. But children often do not see the counter math that we do in our head, or when we check our account balances at home or when we physically post deposit or withdrawal transactions to our checking account register. If it’s time to sit down and talk with your children about money, be sure to cover how money is earned, how to use it wisely and why it’s important to be fi nancially responsible.

Teaching children about money can start as early as age three or four. Normally, a child will begin to ask questions about money. Most often, children learn about the value of money when they must earn and spend their own money instead of yours. At age six and up, it’s often a good idea to introduce a weekly or biweekly allowance system.

Allowance systems are designed to teach children about basic money-management skills and to decrease the “entitlement” attitude if applying pressure to already tight household budgets. There are several approaches to the allowance system. Here are just a few:

• Standard-chore system – a list of chores to be competed each week

• Per-chore system – rates set per chore and tallied up at the end of each week

• Flat-pay system with incentive pay – a lower set amount paid each week with additional money earned per task as you assign with incentive pay

• Grade system – rates set per grade received on major tests, progress reports or report cards.

• Extra-work system – paid when non-regular house chores are completed. Extra chores could be weekend projects like yard raking, bagging leaves, sweeping driveways, wiping down baseboards, pulling weeds, etc.

• Docking system – a starting age-appropriate set amount paid each week. If expected responsibilities are not met, then an incremented amount is subtracted from allowance.

Regardless of the system you use, it will go a long way in demonstrating “regularly completed work equals regular pay.” Children cannot learn how to manage money without fi rst earning some money of their own. The important thing is the consistency of the system.

Jacqie L. Alvarez is the business development and marketing spe-cialist for Bragg Mutual Federal Credit Union.

Allowance — Choosing a System Eligiendo un sistema de premiación

De adultos, escuchamos sobre los programas de instruccion fi nan-ciera que ofrecen en las escuelas para los niños. Como padres, entende-mos la importancia de reforzar y apoyar dichos programas para nuestros hijos. A menudo los niños aprenden por ejemplo. Esto implica que nuestros hijos estan obteniendo su sabiduria fi nanciera y patrones de comportamiento de los adultos que los rodean. Imagina por un segundo lo que ven...

Con el extenso uso de tarjetas de debito, cheques y tarjetas de credito, los niños ya no ven el uso del dinero en efectivo. Con el uso de la tarjeta de debito, los niños tienen la falsa impresion de que hay una fuente interminable de dinero. Como adultos sabemos que eso no es cierto. Pero los niños no ven las cuentas que hacemos en nuestra cabeza, o cuando checamos los balances de las cuentas en casa, o cuando vamos al banco a depositar o retirar dinero de nuestra cuenta de cheques. Si ha llegado la hora de hablar con tus hijos sobre el dinero, asegurate de decirles como ganar el dinero, como usarlos sabiamente y porque es importante ser fi nancieramente responsable.

Enseñar a los niños sobre el dinero puede empezar a los tres o cu-atro años de edad. Normalmente es cuando los niños empiezan a pre-guntar sobre el dinero. Muy a menudo los niños aprenden sobre el valor del dinero cuando tienen que gastar su propio dinero en lugar del de uno. Normalmente como a los seis años es una buena idea introducir un sistema de premiación semanal o quincenal.

Los sistemas de premiación estan diseñados para enseñar a los niños habilidades basicas de administracion del dinero y para disminuir la actitud de “el derecho” si se aplica mas presion a los presupuestos domesticos ya apretados. Hay varias manera de aplicar el sistema de premiación. Eh aqui algunos:

• Sistema estándar de quehaceres: una lista de quehaceres que se deben completar cada semana

• Sistema de premiación por cada quehacer: tarifas fi jas por queha-ceres, que se suman al fi nal de la semana

• Sistema de tarifa unica con paga incentiva: Una cantidad minima establecida cada semana. Pueden ganar dinero adicional si se les asigna tareas especiales con paga incentiva

• Sistema de premiación por califi caciones: se fi jan tarifas por las califi caciones que reciban en examenes importantes, reportes de pro-greso, y boletas

• Sistema de trabajo extra: Se les paga si hacen trabajos fuera de sus quehaceres regulares. Extra quehaceres puede incluir proyectos de fi n semana como: barrer el estacionamiento, limpiar tableros, arrancar las hierbas malas del jardin.

• Sistema de deducciones: se paga una cantidad semanal adecuada a la edad del niño. Si no hacen los quehaceres requeridos se les deduce una cantidad de su ganancia semanal.

Sin importar cual sistema uses, te va ayudar a demostrar que si se completan un trabajo a menudo resulta en una paga segura. “Los niños no pueden aprender como administrar el dinero sin antes ganar su pro-pio dinero. Lo mas importante es la consistencia del sistema.”

Jacqie L. Alvarez especialista en el desarrollo de negocios y comercial-izacion de Bragg Mutual Federal Credit Union.


PARENTOWN’S KIDSHAPE

Safety Tips for Little League SeasonWith baseball season upon us, Little League season is in full swing at the ball parks.

Since this type of sport requires repetitive throwing motions by all positions, it can often put strain on the elbow. A common injury in young athletes during this season is Little League Elbow, which is an injury to the growth plate.

The growth plate in the elbow is vulnerable to injury because it is made up of growth cartilage, a relatively soft substance that is not as strong as bone, muscle or tendons. If recognized early and treated properly, Little League Elbow usually heals completely with no long-term effects to the growth plate. David Marshall, M.D., Medical Director of the Sports Medicine Program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, offers these tips to parents who want to safeguard their children from potential baseball injuries this summer. There is no way to guarantee that a young thrower will not develop Little League Elbow, but there are some measures that can be taken to minimize the risk, such as

• Always warm up before throwing. • Have a coach or parent count pitches. • Remember to count hard throws when not pitching

(playing infi eld, throwing at home, pitching lessons, PE class, etc).

• The recommendations for the number of pitches that one should throw in one game to prevent injuries is different for each age group:

8 – 10 years old 50 – 60 pitches11 – 12 years old 65 – 70 pitches12 – 14 years old 70 – 80 pitches14+ years old 80 – 85 pitches

• Remember, these are only recommendations. Young athletes should stop throwing if they start feeling elbow pain or think they have Little League Elbow.

• No curve balls or other breaking pitches until age 14, or the pitcher is shaving, because young pitchers’ hands are too small for proper fi nger placement.

• The most common symptom of Little League Elbow is pain at the inner elbow that worsens with throwing. It may be severe and occur abruptly after one hard throw, or it may occur gradually over the course of a season. There also may be swelling, redness and warmth over the inner elbow.

• If the elbow feels sore, ice should be applied for 15 to 20 minutes, and it can be wrapped with an ace bandage or a compression sleeve. Athletes also should see their doctor since x-rays may be needed to determine the extent of the injury to the

growth plate.• To allow proper healing, the period of non-throwing

may take four to six weeks.• Once healing is complete, there will be a gradual return

to throwing, usually over a two- to three-week period. This approach is best accomplished under the direction of a pediatric sports medicine physical therapist.

For more information on preventing and treating Little League injuries, visit www.choa.org/sportsmed.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, one of the leading pediatric healthcare systems in the country, is pleased to offer health and safety tips for parents and children. Children’s is a not-for-profi t organization that benefi ts from the generous philanthropic and

volunteer support of our community. Operating three hospitals with more than half a million patient visits annually, Children’s is recognized for excellence in cancer, cardiac, neonatal, orthopaedic

and transplant services, as well as many other pediatric specialties.

Kidsville News - June 2011

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Transcript of Kidsville News - June 2011