Month: September 2019

We Wrote The Book On Music Lessons … And We’d Love To Give You A Free Copy

I’m not a Mama… but I’m a parent of two.  You might say I’m a “Mile High Dada.”  And in my business, I work with parents and families every day as we all continue our community quest to raise the next generation of inspired, confident people. That quest is my central mission – and I’m passionate about it! That’s why I started the school more than a dozen years ago… why I wake up excited every morning… and why my friend Marty Fort and I wrote the book on Music Lessons in Littleton, CO. As we detail in our book, I Fell in Love with Music: Why I started Littleton School of Music, music lessons aren’t really about music. Not entirely. No, giving your child the gift of music love – from playing music at home to enrolling them in a safe, professional “musical family” like ours – is rea...

Harvest Fun: Colorado’s best pumpkin patches, farm stands and U Pick Tours

When harvest season nears, Colorado’s farms swing open their gates for fall fun in the fields. Load up the whole family for wallet-friendly learnin’, pickin’ and eatin’ — all the while supporting local growers and businesses. Below are a few examples of things to see and do on Colorado’s most fertile lands. For information on other options around the state, check out Colorado’s best fall colors, festivals and corn mazes, Colorado Roots, fall-color drives on scenic byways and farm and ranch activities. U PICK/FARM TOURS Create your own farm-to-table menu with a visit to the many farms that are eager to teach people about agriculture this fall. You can choose (and taste!) your produce right from the source for a farm-fresh meal. Aloha Organic Fruit, Palisade: Le...

Beyond the Baby Blues: 6 Things You Can Do to Help Your Friend Through Postpartum Depression

  For those who have never had a baby, it’s difficult to imagine the emotional (and physical) rollercoaster associated with growing a person, giving birth to them, and caring for them as a helpless infant. Yes, people do it every day, (and have for some time), but many underestimate the difficulties and unexpected side effects that can occur from having a child. One of the most invisible, yet devastating side effects is  postpartum depression, and as a new mom’s friend or loved one, there’s a lot you can do to help.   What is Postpartum Depression?   While “Baby Blues” are universally common for a short time after giving birth, Postpartum Depression is something more severe and typically more lasting, often requiring treatment. One in seven people who give birth ex...

24 family-friendly events this weekend

It’s the Energy Day Festival, the 16th Street Fair and much more. See our event calendar for full listings. Also, don’t miss Colorado’s best fall colors, festivals and corn mazes.  Energy Day Colorado at East High School in Denver  Sept 28, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm Join us for fun, games and prizes at Energy Day Colorado! This FREE family festival showcases exhibits focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), where students take part in hands-on experiments and interactive exhibits to learn about the different types of energy, how it is processed and how we use it to fuel our lives. Wild Kratts Live! at Bellco Theatre  Sept 26, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm This all-new theatrical stage show is based on the hit animated television seri...

How Parenting Affects a Child’s Development

From reading to infants to helping with schoolwork to enunciating values as the child grows, parents exert enormous influence over their children’s development, success, and overall happiness. They are, however, not the only influences—especially after children enter school and begin interacting with the world at large. It’s especially important that parents work to give children the best start possible, but it’s also important for parents to recognize that kids come into the world with their own temperaments, personalities, and goals. Ultimately, while parents may want to push their child down a certain path, a parents’ job is to provide an interface with the world that eventually prepares a child for complete independence and the...

Contest: Harvest Farm Fall Festival Family Fun and Helping Those In Need

Leaves are falling, autumns calling and everything pumpkin spice is here. In the most magical and colorful way the world is turning into autumn all around us. With pumpkin patches, fall festivals and corn mazes galore, it’s hard to pick the exact activity that will spark that perfect fall feeling as the seasons change.  But, what if you could have the best of both worlds? What if you could get all the enchantment of the fall while helping to change lives? At Harvest Farm Fall Festival that is exactly what attendees do. Proceeds from the Festival directly support the New Life Program (NLP) at Harvest Farm. An outreach of Denver Rescue Mission, Harvest Farm is a 100-acre working farm located in Wellington, CO. The Farm accommodates up to 72 men recovering from chronic homelessness and a...

Deals: Energy Day, Fall Break, Broncos Win Deals & more

I will be joining the drive up the mountains this weekend to see the leaves in the high country. I was lucky enough to spend the last couple weeks in the Northeast United States seeing leaves of bright reds and awesome fall colors – but there is something about my home state, that we even named Colorado (which has the world color in it) – which means we, too, are one of the best places to see fall. Fall also means great deals, thinking about ski season, a pumpkin festival or two. See our guide to Colorado’s best fall colors, festivals and corn mazes.    Energy Day. Energy Day is a free, family-focused event that attracts students, educators, and families, showcasing real-world examples and interactive exhibits to highlight the fun students can have in their...

You’ve heard of ‘STEM’ but what is ‘STEAM?’ Don’t miss the Energy Day Festival this week!

You’ve likely seen or hear educators, parents and community leaders use the acronym STEM, but lately, people have been using the acronym STEAM – so what’s the added “A”? Let’s start with the basics for those of us who aren’t familiar with STEM either: STEM is an acronym for “Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics,” and is frequently used when referencing these academic disciplines. STEAM, however, adds an “A” for “Arts.” STEAM was championed by John Maeda, former President of Rhode Island School of Design, whose argument for the importance of the arts in education points to the need for students to be creative thinkers, innovative and use design-thinking. During young developmental years, data suggests that exposure to the arts can increase a child’s aptitude for grasping conc...

This state park is making the outdoors accessible with their Track-Chair Program

Colorado Parks and Wildlife values the right of every visitor to experience our state’s natural beauty. To provide this opportunity to the disabled community, Staunton State Park offers Action Trackchairs®, which allow visitors with limited mobility to explore designated trails in the park.  The chair allows access to three trails, each featuring gorgeous park feature including high grassy meadows, a wide variety of wildlife, geological and water​​​ features. The trails offer spectacular views of Pikes Peak, Lions Head & Mount Rosalie.​​ === It was a beautiful, bluebird day when I drove up to Staunton State Park on August 27th. The air was crisp and cool, atypical given the hot summer weeks we had been experiencing this year. Distinctive, too, were the reasons for my par...

How A 6-Year-Old Girl’s Letter Launched ‘Plastic Army Women’

This summer, a young girl from Arkansas wrote a Northeastern Pennsylvania toy company out of frustration. “My name is Vivian. I am six years old. Why do you not make girl army men?” wrote Vivian Lord to BMC Toys. To Jeff Imel, the president of BMC Toys, which makes the iconic Green Army Men figurines, it was a worthy question and one he had mulled over for years. “It was a heartfelt letter,” Imel told NPR. “And it reminded me of being a kid and always wanting that toy that you couldn’t get in the gumball machine,” he said. “So I really looked into it.” After conducting research into what kind of demand there might be for the little Green Army Women, he decided recently to answer Vivian Lord’s question with an announcement: “...

25 family-friendly events in Denver this week

It’s Oktoberfest! Jurassic Quest! The Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival! Don’t miss these and other fun fall events this weekend. See our event calendar for full listings. Also, don’t miss Colorado’s best fall colors, festivals and corn mazes.  Jurassic Quest at Colorado Convention Center  Sept 20 – 22  Jurassic Quest is Americas Largest and most realistic Dinosaur Event. Our guests will walk through the Cretaceous period, the Jurassic Period and The Triassic period and experience for themselves what it was like to be among the living, breathing dinosaurs. Handmade in Colorado Expo at Skyline Park  Sept 20 – 22  The Handmade in Colorado Expo is an annual showcase of some of Colorado’s Best Handmade Arts, Crafts, and Goods. All mercha...

Creating Video Games for Bonding

This week in the clinic, one of the wonderful medical assistants was saying how she was looking forward to getting home that night for the weekly extended family dinner and video game night — primarily Mario Kart. Generally, there are about ten adults and kids that converge, and given that only six people can play the video game at a time, the person who loses a round has to give up the controller. She said they all spend a lot of time laughing. They also have a dinner together where they have lively conversations. I just listened to a podcast from The Ted Radio Hour titled Press Play that is a great one to share with teens (it does have some heavy topics). The show talks about the research on play and how important it is. It describes how play acts as a social glue — and looks at video ga...