The Board of Trustees of the Montclair Cooperative School has decided to suspend Art in the Park for this year. Art in the Park was scheduled to be held April 30 – May 2, 2010 at the Montclair Art Museum. We appreciate everyone who expressed interest in the show, but the current economic climate has taken a toll on the total number of artist applications; consequently, it is not prudent to produce the show this year.

My family loved Art in the Park. We saw our first Elizabeth Mitchell concert at one and Kristen and I had a blast introducing Barista Kids to everyone there last year.
The Co-op will hold a fundraiser instead called The Forest Street Flea Market and Craft Festival and is calling for artists & crafters:

The Montclair Cooperative School presents The Forest Street Flea Market and Craft Festival on Saturday, June 5 from 8 am to 6 pm on the grounds of its school, at the corner of Chestnut and Forest Streets in Montclair , NJ . If you are an emerging artist, a designer, a vintage collector, or a handmade crafter, we want you to sell your goods at our festival! Nice outdoor weather is on its way. Shoppers will be out in droves for this school fundraiser that will be well publicized in all local media outlets. The cost is $75 for a 10 x 10 space. Bring your own display and shade. Coffee and bagels available in the morning followed by a full barbeque and bake sale. Live music is also scheduled. Located around the block from the popular Montclair Farmers Market.
Send email inquiries here or call 973-783-4955, extension 17.

Thursday, April 1
Craft Time
Who: Kids ages 4 – 12.
What: A fun, weekly craft time at Just Kidding Around.
Where: Just Kidding Around, 507 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, NJ, 07042.
When: Thursdays at 5 pm.
Cost: $3 per child.
Saturday, April 3
Kids Workshop: Butterfly House
Who: Young carpenters ages 5 – 12.
What: The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. In addition to the newly constructed project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron, similar to The Home Depot associates’ aprons, and an achievement pin.
Where: Your local Home Depot: 60 Orange Street, Bloomfield, NJ or 955 Bloomfield Avenue, Clifton, NJ. 1 (800) 553-3199.
When: Saturday, April 3 from 9 a.m. – noon.
Cost: Free.
Tuesday, April 6
Storytime at Watchung Booksellers
Who: Toddlers who love to be read to.
What: Weekly storytime and songs with Miss Elaine.
Where: Watchung Booksellers, 54 Fairfield Street – Watchung Plaza, Montclair, NJ 07042.
(973)744-7177
When: Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.
Cost: Free. No registration required.

Director #1:

We have the families that are perpetually late. Most try hard to get here on time and are usually very apologetic about being late, but it seems to me that there are just some folks who are never on time. This is the reason we need penalties for late pick up of children. I tell the ones who are always late that next year in public school they won’t be able to do this– it’s a real wake up call for some.

Director #2:

We have families who routinely come to school late. Over the past few years we have started our school year with a Family Orientation meeting that is required of all incoming families. During that meeting our Family Services Director discusses this issue at length along with other pertinent school/home information.
We discuss the feelings that children experience when they walk into a classroom that is already working; the late arriving children miss valuable time to interact with peers and teachers and get prepared for the day’s work. We liken it to adult’s work and the feeling one has when arriving late for an important meeting or presentation.
This proactive approach has helped to decrease the number of late arrivals; however it continues to be a challenge for us.

I’m not perfect. I was late picking up my oldest daughter from school yesterday because I’m potty training my little one and I had to wait for her to use the bathroom before she had an accident in the car. Poop happens–we all mess up sometimes. But teaching our children that they need to be somewhere on time is an important life lesson.

This year the park has extended the event to two weekends so visitors have even more opportunity to enjoy the park at reduced rates.

To me, even at full price, Hershey Park is heaven, but maybe that’s because I spent virtually every family vacation there since birth. In fact, my dad even had a Hershey Park outfit, which he wore every day for the entire week at Hershey. My mom packed the suitcase full of coordinated short sets for him, but my dad decided he only needed one, his chocolate brown shorts and tan plaid button-down. He said he was trying to do Milton Hershey proud with an all chocolate-themed outfit. I think he accomplished his goal.

For our part, my sister and I achieved a less lofty but equally ambitious aspiration, which was to ride the Mini Himalayas until the park closed without throwing up.

Granting us unlimited rides on this, the last ride of the night, was my parents’ misguided attempt at getting us to leave the park. We spent two hours smashed against the side of the car as rock music blared and we spun around and around under the summer stars laughing until we couldn’t breath.

But my opinion isn’t all based on nostalgia. When I visited the park for the first time with my own children several years ago, I couldn’t believe how nice it was. As a kid I didn’t really care that the park was spotless with manicured lawns. I just wanted to stuff my face full of kettle corn and Dippin’ Dots, spend all my parents’ money on the ring toss until we were broke or I won the 6-foot tall gorilla, and run back and forth between the Scrambler and Tilt-A-Whirl. Now, as my kids do those things, I appreciate the family atmosphere and the breath of rides that keep both my kids and my husband from whining. We take my husband to the SooperDooperLooper first, and then my kids can ride the Dragon Wagon all they like.

The only section not open is the water park, but I think we’ve seen enough water for a while. And guess what? The weather forecast for this weekend is sunny and 70! Get your sun block ready.

The details:

Springtime in the Park at Hersheypark
Who: Kids of all ages.
What: Hersheypark’s annual preseason event with reduced-price tickets. Enjoy unlimited rides from mild to wild (just not wet), entertainment and ZooAmerica all day long.
Where: Hersheypark, 27 W. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, PA.
When: Friday, April 2 thru Sunday, April 4 and Saturday and Sunday, April 10 and 11. For times, tickets and more information visit Springtime in Hershey.
Cost: $23.95 for adult. $15.95 for ages 3-8 and 55 and over. Ticket options also include discounted 2 and 3 day passes.

Simply tell us your favorite Dan Zanes and Friends song in the comment section. One person who replies to this post by 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, April 3, 2010, will be chosen at random to receive the family 4 pack to the Bergen PAC show on April 17. Please post only once.
No purchase necessary. Starts Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 09:00 a.m. EST and ends Saturday, April 3, 2010, at 11:59 p.m.
Open to U.S. residents ages 16 years and older. Void where prohibited
My family will be there dancing and singing with DZ. It will be our 11th show–we just love him. Check out my absolute favorite video of my oldest daughter rockin’ out at one of his concerts in Brooklyn 2007.

Local mom Julia Roberts is an author and life coach who helps moms devote
the same amount of time it took to bring their child into this world–nine months–to
realizing their own personal dreams and goals. She calls the plan “Unpregnancy” and has structured it much like a pregnancy with trimesters, labors, and check-ups. By the end of the nine months, the goal is for moms to “give birth: to a new life.”
The plan is laid out in her book Motherhood to Otherhood. As moms, we know all too well that when Roberts says, “We wake up and take care of kids, husbands, houses, jobs, pets, lunches, dinners, volunteer work and at the bottom of the list… we take care of ourselves…” she speaks the truth.

Julia has created the M2O Mini-Course, based on the book Motherhood to Otherhood that emails you automatically once you sign up in the “Goody Bag” box on her website. Each email has a note from Julia with links to relevant reading, a worksheet and an online presentation, featuring music and narration, of about 5 minutes long.
Starting now until Friday, April 2 at 11:59 pm, Barista Kids readers can sign up for her Mini-Course for free. Just enter your email in The Goody Bag and start the Unpregnancy plan.

Actually, it will (and should) happen a lot sooner– like kindergarten soon. My 6-year-old has already started asking a lot of questions, both about her body and how babies are made. I’m pretty comfortable discussing it with her, but you should see my DH squirm when the subject comes up.

An upcoming workshop, presented by Dr. Eva Goldfarb, Professor of Health Education and Chairperson of the Department of Health & Nutrition Sciences at MSU, will help you understand the subject of sexuality and young children. Sex education with young children is not just about how babies are made, it’s also teaching them about their bodies.

I spoke with Evelyn Shalom, a former public school teacher for over thirty years who also has a Master’s degree in health education and is certified by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists as a sexuality educator. She’s also a mom and grandma, with lots of life experience. Evelyn now has a parenting consulting practice in Montclair.

She offered her advice on “The Most Important Things Parent Can Do with Children in Grades K – 3″…

Talk to Your Kids:
Children learn about sexuality in lots of ways. Many parents hope to preserve their kids’ “innocence” by avoiding discussions about sexuality, or even ducking questions that their kids ask. This is a real mistake. Not knowing about sexuality is not innocence, it’s ignorance. And it’s unrealistic to think parents can shield their kids from the subject of sex, given the media and friends. So it’s a question of whether you want them to learn from you … or just from the web and the schoolyard.

Be a Good Role Model:
Our children, even young ones, take in so much from their environments. They’re learning from observing the ways in which people close to them interact–about how they name body parts, about physical affection, about body image, about nudity, about telling jokes, about manner of dress, etc. When we’re embarrassed or giggly or furtive about sexuality, that’s the message we transmit to our kids

Keep it Simple:
Begin by asking your child what he or she knows. Then clarify in a sentence or two. Check back to make sure that was what they wanted to learn. Most kids aren’t looking for detailed explanations.

Get Brave:
Talking about sexuality may not be easy for some parents, but it IS part of our responsibility. Don’t worry if you aren’t very well-versed in intricate anatomy and physiology. The most important thing you can do is communicate to your children that you’re willing to be there for them when they’re curious or confused. Are you an “ask-able” parent?

For more advice on talking about sex with your little ones, attend the free workshop:

When Sex is the Subject
Who: Parents of children in grades K-3.
What: An interactive workshop that will review the sexual development of young children and provide teachable moments. Led by Dr. Eva Goldfarb, Professor of Health Education and Chairperson of the Department of Health & Nutrition Sciences at MSU.
Where: Hillside School, 54 Orange Road, Montclair, NJ, 07042.
When: Tuesday, April 6 from 7 pm – 8:30 pm.
Cost: Free.

Are you comfortable talking about sex with your little ones or does it make you squirm?

The previous school aid formula wasn’t funded for years. That’s a big reason NJ property taxes are so high, and why state finances are a mess. The new formula was enacted in part to reverse that situation. The SFRA must be evaluated, as required by law, and modified, but in the meantime it’s all we’ve got. It has the stamp of approval of the Legislature and the Court. It’s the law!
We, the undersigned, demand:
Full funding of the SFRA in the FY2011 State Budget!
No decrease in state aid to any school district in NJ in FY2011!
No decrease in the 4% state-mandated cap on school budget increases!
A thorough review of the SFRA in its third year, as required by law, and appropriate cost adjustments to the formula!

Montclair school PTA’s have added the link to the petition to their websites and are sending out emails asking parents to sign. There is still a lot of fear and anger about where the cuts will be and which schools will suffer the most.
If you agree with the petition, you can sign it online here.
On Wednesday, March 31, the Montclair Board of School Estimate Budget Workshop and Public Hearing will be held at the George Inness Annex atrium, 141 Park Street at 7 pm.