Perot Museum of Nature and Science...it's worth the drive!

We ventured out to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and thought it was an amazing adventure for the kids. Below are some tips and guides if you are traveling over to Dallas for a visit. And we would love to hear what you enjoyed the most.

1. Pack snacks and lunches. You have to exit the museum to the first floor to eat. There is a cafeteria and an outside area you can picnic on instead of standing in line to buy food. And it would be a good treat to eat at the cafeteria if you have older kids, but with kids ages 6,4 and 2 - I always find it easiest to have something ready to eat immediately and to their liking.
2. With small kids it worked nice to view a floor of exhibits then take a snack break. We did not get overambitious to see everything but kind of floated around to what the kids found the most interesting.
3. If you arrive early go to the sports exhibit underground first and the energy exhibit because they have exhibits that you have to stand in line for, and the lines will be shorter earlier in the day. Trust me - your kids are going to want to race a dinosaur!
4. When you reach a point and need a break, again if you are with small children, go to the bottom floor in the Children's Museum section. It is free play and you can grab a seat on a bench while they run free and have fun.
5. Don't be scared to ask a question, museum staff is floating around everywhere. In a few exhibits, my kids had questions and we located the staff - not only did they have an insightful answer, but then wanted to show my kids more!
6. Encourage Interaction. Every exhibit seemed to have different levels of interactions. Touch, feel, watch - it was engaging, so let your children be engaged!


Activity
Hand off your iphone and let your kids take the pictures. My children still talk about the ones they took, and can't remember the items in the pictures because they were the photographer. It gave us something to talk about after leaving the museum - and something they wanted to share with others! Here's a few of our favorites that my son took:

Don't miss Discovery Place Museum's Exhibit!

If you and your kids want to be a part of the dedication of the new Discovery Place Exhibit, Musical Tesla Coil, join the community July 10^th at 12 p.m. to celebrate the 157^th birthday of Nikola Tesla.

The Tesla Coil is named after inventor Nikola Tesla. William H. Terbo will be the speaker at this dedication. William is the closest living relative of Nikola Tesla. He is also a Founding Director, Chairman of the Executive Board, and since 1988 the Executive Secretary of the Tesla Memorial Society, Inc.

You may be wondering, “What is the Tesla Coil exactly?”  The Tesla Coil is an electrical resonant transformer circuit. They are unique in the fact that they produce extremely powerful electrical fields. This new exhibit at Discovery Place Museum will allow visitors to interact and explore the combination of music and electricity in a safe way.

The opening is July 10^th, however; Tesla Days will continue through July 13^th. There will be food booths and lots of fun. Hope to see you there!

Plan A Stop With Tiger Bookmobile Summer 2013

Tiger Bookmobile Summer 2013

You can’t miss the 48’ mobile unit when it is traveling down the street. With a brightly colored exterior aesthetic featuring children and animals all enjoying reading, the unit has been outfitted with mobile satellite technology, thousands of books, iPads, Kindle e-readers, reading benches and seats, flat screen television, Wii gaming, bean bag chairs and colorful rugs. The look is complete with an additional exterior seating area featuring a canopy, bean bag chairs and more fun rugs. 

Open Monday thru Friday from 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., the Tiger Bookmobile will travel throughout the community to various partner sites from June 17 thru August 23. A story hour will be featured at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. daily. Tour dates & locations are: 

 July 15, July 22, July 29, August 5, August 12, August 19:
     The Oaks at Rosehill - 2100 West 12th Street
 July 9, July 23, August 6, August 20:
     Hands On Texarkana – 1915 Olive Street
July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31, August 7, August 14, August 21:
     Splash Pad at Spring Lake Park – 4303 North Park Road
July 11, July 25, August 8, August 22:
     Nash Elementary School – 100 Burton
July 12, July 19, July 26, August 2, August 9, August 16, August 23:
     Pecan Ridge at Rosehill – 2210 West 15th Street
July 16, July 30, August 13:
     Highland Park Baptist Church – 2401 Hazel Street
July 18, August 1, August 15: ONLY OPENED FROM 9:30 A.M. - NOON
     Salvation Army – Center of Hope – 316 Hazel Street

For more information on the Tiger Bookmobile and their 2013 Summer Tour, contact: Tina Veal-Gooch, 903.794.3651 ext. 1013 or visit www.txkisd.net.

Protect Your Children From Extreme Heat

Protecting Children from Extreme Heat: Information for Parents

By www.healthychildren.org

Extreme heat can cause children to become sick in several ways. Make sure to protect your child from the heat as much as possible, watch for symptoms, and call your doctor if you see any develop.

Preventing Effects of Extreme Heat:

There are several steps you can take to protect your child from heat-related illness: 

• Plan to have a cool, air-conditioned space for your child. If your home does not have air-conditioning, find a nearby building that does. Libraries can be a great place for a cool retreat from the heat. 
• Make sure your child stays hydrated. Encourage her to drink water regularly, even before she asks for it.
• Plan for more time to rest than usual; heat can often make children feel tired.
• When your child is feeling hot, give him a cool bath or water mist to cool down.
• Don’t forget about the effects of sun exposure.
• Never leave children in a car or other closed motor vehicle, especially when temperatures are high. The temperature inside the car can become much higher than the outside temperature, and can rise to temperatures that cause death.

When to Call Your Child’s Doctor:

Call your child’s doctor immediately if he or she develops any of the following symptoms. Your child’s doctor can advise you on the next best course of action and whether an immediate evaluation is needed.  

• Faintness
• Extreme tiredness
• Headache
• Fever
• Intense thirst
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Breathing faster or deeper than normal
• Skin numbness or tingling
• Muscle aches
• Muscle spasms

For more information on how recognize and treat these heat related illnesses, click here.

Mental Health Tips for Parents with Teens

Advice for Parents/Guardians of Teens and Young Adults

From The American Academy of Pediatrics

1. Is your child headed to college? Know what to do to support your teen emotionally as he ventures out into the world and away from home base.
2. Make sure that your teen has medical coverage after high school and teach your teen how to access and use it. Many teens and young adults are covered under their parents’ health insurance through age 25.
3. If your teen is going to college, check into the health and mental health support services on campus, and make sure he is familiar with them.
4. In addition to making sure that the graduating patient has all of the vaccines and other preventive health care recommended for this stage of life, pediatricians also can help families to ensure they are preparing the way for their young adult’s continuing mental and emotional health.
5. If your teen has mental health needs, develop a plan of care in advance of your teen moving away from home. For college, this can take several weeks or months to develop. Does your child have a mental health diagnosis, such as ADHD, depression, eating disorder, etc?  Be sure to ask the health center staff what kind of medical information they will need related to your teen, and how to set up prescription refills if needed.
6. With your teen, communicate with college or university staff about their accommodations for teens with ADHD and other diagnoses. In addition, consider contacting the college’s Disabilities Office, Academic Advising Office, or Student Affairs Office to determine what accommodations are available for ADHD and other diagnoses.
7. Once your teen is settled into the college routine, keep in close contact and try to get frequent readings about how he is doing academically and socially. This is especially important during the first month or so while teens are still trying to settle in and may not have made friends yet.
8. Do you have a child in foster care who is “graduating” out of the system?  Depending on state laws, children in foster care are covered under Medicaid until age 18 or 21 and may need to transition to a different provider.  Some may need to transition even earlier to an adult or Transitional Aged Youth mental health provider.  Young adults transitioning out of the foster care system need help in identifying caring adults-- related or not-- from whom they can seek advice, support, and reassurance.
9. Is your teen going straight to work rather than college? Even though she may be remaining at home for a time, her life will change dramatically from when she was in the structured environment of high school, having daily contact with friends. Be sure to give her extra space as a young adult, but realize that she may need help navigating adult responsibilities like bill paying, taking on her own health care, etc. She may be missing her high school life and friends who have moved on.  Encourage her to keep up her friendships and to form new ones through work or other interesting activities.
10. Alcohol, drugs and sexual activity may become more accessible at this time.  Be clear about your expectations regarding drug and alcohol use are even though your child may not be living at home. Be sure your teen knows where to go—whether on campus or locally-- for reproductive health care. Continue to have conversations about peer pressure, good decisions, and consequences.
11. Once your teen turns 18, you’ll no longer have legal access to his academic or health records.  After he moves on from high school to college or work, have frequent, one-on-one conversations with your teen as a means of staying in touch.
12. It’s normal for young people starting at college or moving to a new place to have days when they feel sad, homesick, or a bit lost. If these feelings persist or interfere with their ability to work, they should seek help and know that it is normal to do so. Watch for warning signs and be prepared to act.

Summer at Sci-Port

We recently ventured down to Shreveport for the day to check out the Sea Life exhibit. I love the Sci-Port (http://www.sciport.org), so it doesn't take much to get us down there.

SeaLife is a VERY small exhibit, so don't expect much. The kids loved touching the stingrays, but that was the extent of the exhibit. It was outdoors, so we went back in for some special things. The kids got to make a fossil which they loved and then we just played around on some of our other favorite displays. Grab a daily schedule when you arrive there are always special events each day.

Don't forget they also have an IMAX theater and we watched To The Arctic - http://www.imax.com/movies/m/to-the-arctic-3d/, but they had several other movies playing.

Summer Camp Option - Crossfit For Kids!

Have a little athlete you are looking to train, or just a child with lots of energy? Maybe you want them to strengthen their coordination and their balance skills. Crossfit for kids can help do that! Take a look at their below summer camp or try contacting them http://crossfittexarkana.com/

It is an amazing physical training program that can help kids prepare for any sport!