Month: October 2011

Denver Deal: Ski&Snowboard Expo, Night at the Museums and Sitting Around

I hope you all had a safe night trick-or-treating and have a vat of candy that should last you just long enough to get you to Santa’s arrival with more! We are now in the month of giving thanks. I must express thanks to all of you for following my blog and tweets with deals. I also thank you all for the great tips of what you would like to see in this blog and tips out there! Ski and Snowboard Expo As if the snow of last week didn’t usher in winter, the Ski and Snowboard Expo at the Colorado Convention Center this coming weekend should do the trick. November 4 (noon to 10 p.m.), November 5 (10 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and November 6 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). The event is a ton of fun with Gibbon’s slack lines, Keystone Kidtopia play area, Winter Park KidSlope learning area, demos and m...

Event round-up: Denver Arts Week, Life in Motion & More!

Through Saturday. Youngsters follow Alice down the rabbit hole in “Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr.” at the Parker Mainstreet Center. Presented by Inspire Creative Kids, the show is based on Disney’s 1951 animated feature, but with a 2011 twist: The production uses “4-D” sensory techniques, like engaging the audience’s sense of smell, to tell Lewis Carroll’s classic tale. The show also includes familiar and updated tunes from the movie, including a rap by none other than the Caterpillar. 7 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday. Parker Mainstreet Center, 19650 E. Main Street, Parker. Tickets are $15 each. Call 303-790-0875 to buy tickets, or visit inspirecreative.org. Sunday. Hang out with the Cashore Marionettes in “Life in Motion” at the Lakewood Cultural Center. Puppeteer Joseph Cashor...

Thousands of kids are adopted from the welfare system

Images of children from distant countries, from Bulgaria to China to Russia, have been the public face of adoption in America. But that picture is overdue for an update. Most kids adopted by U.S. families now come from the child-welfare system: about 52,340 in 2010, up from 15,000 in 1988. In Colorado, the number has increased 125 percent to 1,044 in 2010 from 465 in 1995. The consensus is that it’s good to get children out of “the system.” However, such adoptions can bring with them

Would you buy your child a Ouija Board?

Updated December 2021. My kids and I look forward to receiving a Christmas toy catalog every year. As we were thumbing through oooing and ahhing, I was shocked to stumble upon Hasbro’s latest treasure prominently advertised: a Ouija Board. In pink, even. It’s not that I am not a believer in The Dark Arts. I am a believer, which is precisely why I take issue with the presence of a Ouija Board at a toy store. There are many grey areas in this world. This one is black. I posted this on our forum a while back and I was surprised there were many people who did not take issue with it. The Ouija Board is targeted for ages 8-12. So, my question for you is this: would you buy your 8-year-old child a Ouija Board? At Halloween, there is a lot of talk of spirits

How a new 911 service could save your family’s life

Have you ever worried about an emergency at the most inopportune time? Do you have a special need or medical condition that cannot be seen by the naked eye? If any of these questions grazed your mind at one time or another, you’re not alone. When a 9-1-1 medical call is placed, paramedics arrive on the scene with little or no knowledge of the person. With our technology these days, you would think emergency officials would know everything about us with a click of a button, but that hasn’t been the case…until now. Smart 911 is a free service that has the tools to keep you and your family safe. It will soon be available in Jefferson County, so keep an eye out. Their goal

Squirmy toddler? There’s an app for that

There’s a new routine these days whenever Amber Mullaney goes out to eat at a restaurant. While waiting to be seated, she asks her husband to get the phone ready to hand over to their 2-year-old daughter, Tatum. The phone—with its ability to stream episodes of Dora the Explorer​—is a godsend, Mullaney says. Attempts at going out without whipping out the gadget have been disastrous, the Denver mom says. Her curious, independent toddler gets into everything. Salt shakers are fiddled with, drinks are spilled.

Roller derby junior league brings new blood to a sport that builds confidence and conditioning

A year ago, Denver School of Arts junior Sage Reidhead didn’t work out and had no interest in traditional sports. But after attending a Denver roller derby game on a Friday night, Reidhead and a friend found themselves that Sunday at their first practice for a new local junior derby. It didn’t matter that it had been years since the teen donned a pair of skates and ambled around the rink at Skate City. “(Roller derby) wasn’t like any other sport to me because it showed how all those bad-assed women could be strong,” said Reidhead, now 17. “They were athletes, and what they were doing was hard.” It’s that kind of tenacity and spirit that current adult roller derby members hope will keep this contact sport alive, said P.J. Shields, head coach o...

Movie review: “Puss in Boots” plies its puns with catlike dexterity

*** STAR RATING (out of 4) | Kid nip By Lisa Kennedy Denver Post Film Critic Although “Puss in Boots​” is about a cat, it’s more a lark than a purrfect spinoff of the “Shrek” franchise. If that pun made you wince, get ready for more from this breezily entertaining flick, featuring the voices of Antonio Banderas​, Salma Hayek and Zach Galifianakis. Banderas reprises his role as the ginger-hued kitty. Since Puss’ debut in “Shrek 2,” he’s had dulcet, accented charms and a way of melting all with his sad kitten eyes. Puss arrives

Don’t understand kids’ homework? Don’t miss these Homeschool and Public School Resources!

HELP! I don’t understand 6th grade math! Confession: I’m a college graduate, I’ve worked at an investment company in a high rise and wore a suit, I’ve worked from home having started my own business, I’ve run a retail store and I still get stuck on math. Honestly, I have forgotten, well maybe misplaced, many if the things I’ve learned from grammar school (and high school and college too) and sometimes, some days, homeschooling is a great big challenge. It doesn’t matter what degree I hold, if I worked at a fancy office, it doesn’t matter if I had to dress up or could wear my PJ’s, I don’t know everything and even grammar school level work can give me pause.

2011 Ski Guide: Colorado ski resorts take kids to the next level

So your little one can now get off the chairlift without panicking, make a big, curvy path down a gentle slope and stretch out the time between cocoa breaks. Or maybe your fifth-grader is ready to try out racing and is looking for a team experience. Or perhaps your teenage snowboarder has been begging to get into the half-pipe for so long you just can’t take it anymore. If your kids are ready to take their skiing to the proverbial “next level,” whatever that level may be, Colorado resorts offer a variety of intensive, developmental programs designed to do just that. Here’s what some of them are offering, with highlights of some of the details so that you can compare as you make your choices this season.

Are Parents Desperate for Extracurricular Learning or Just Looking for Babysitting?

Our school’s PTA asked me this fall if I’d be interested in running a science club after school. As if I didn’t have enough on my plate, I agreed. After tossing around the best way to have a science club, we decided to start with a Halloween science club. One that would meet one time in October and share some of the best experiments from my arsenal. I have it easy, because I work at a science toy and education company. We would gauge response and see if an actual club is viable for the second semester. I was offering two sessions – one for grades 1-3 and one for grades 4-6. The PTA was sponsoring and providing the opportunity for free. They would fill at 20 and admission would be on a first come first served basis. I hoped someone would think my little club sounded cool and sign up their k...

The Science of Light Sticks – Liquid Light

Just give the plastic light stick a little “snap” and a shake and the liquid inside begins to glow. Some people call it liquid light. Light sticks are more popular than ever and have become almost required apparel for Halloween to cast an eerie glow on the candy seekers. I always buy them for my girls to wear while trick or treating. Did you know you can learn a little science from light sticks? Light sticks are also a great and inexpensive teaching tool to learn how temperature affects the rate of the chemical reaction. **Caution! This experiment requires the use of very warm water, which requires the assistance of an adult helper. Take advantage of the holiday and stock up on some light sticks during the Halloween close-outs. You’ll need three light sticks of the same s...

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