PHOTO GALLERY: Kids Learn About Safety at Area Health Expo

Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) and the mayors in Frankfort, Mokena and New Lenox hosted the expo Saturday at Lincoln-Way East.

State Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) teamed up with New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann, Frankfort Mayor Jim Holland and Mokena Mayor Joe Werner this weekend to host a Children’s Safety Expo at Lincoln-Way East High School. More than 30 “Touch-a-Trucks” were on hand at the Safety Expo, and kids were able to see, touch and get behind the wheel of their favorite vehicle. Local professionals answered questions about the equipment and the work they do. Public service representatives were available to speak with event participants on health, education and safety issues, including Internet safety and cyber bullying,  gang awareness, preventing SIDs, finding safe and effective childcare options, fitness options, and more. An exhibition by the …

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Dance Show, Kids Movies and More: Grab & Go Kids Planner

Want something to keep your kids busy? Look no further, as we've got great local and regional events.

Each week, we'll give you the info on the five best family activities or events for the week. Look for the kids’ planner each Wednesday, and help us build the planner with your own suggestions and tips—just add them to the comment box. Where/When: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Friday at the New Lenox Village Commons, 1 Veterans Pkwy. Why Go: Attitude Dance Academy dancers will be performing their annual recital along with KellyBelly Fitness and Triallta Irish Dance. This is a free show offered to anyone who loves to watch dance of any kind. Pricing: Can't beat free! Where/When: 10 a.m. Saturday at Main Park, 10925 W la Porte Rd, Mokena Why Go: After the Summertime Stride 5K Run and Walk for the grown-ups, the Kids' Dashes for kids aged 10 and younger …

Parenting Parley

Why They Don't Even Know Bike Helmets are an Option

Exploring the reasons I don't insist my kids wear bicycle helmets.

I took our brand new preschool graduate to the pediatrician for his five-year check up last week, and the doctor said that the main concern at his age is safety. He questioned the child: Doctor: What do we do when we first get in the car? Child: We buckle up! Doctor: Good, that’s correct. Now, what do we do if a stranger asks us to help him find his lost puppy? Child: We go tell an adult! Doctor: Well done! That’s exactly what we do. Now, what do we put on before we get on our bike? Dead silence. The child was stunned. He stared curiously at the doctor, his brows furrowed and then looked pleadingly to mom for the correct answer. And I was embarrassed. He doesn’t even have a bike helmet for me to insist he wear. I am not a bike-helmet mom, …

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Caroline Hoag

6:35 pm on Sunday, June 5, 2011

Ironically, I also have a degree in anthropology, and I fight a perpetual urge to Darwinize almost everything. No joke.   more ›

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Rising Gas Prices Stir Memories of Grandma's Nerve

How has the definition of sacrifice changed and what will it mean for the next generation? A fill up at the gas station resurrects memories of Depression-era ingenuity.

During the Depression, my grandma used to sneak into movie theaters under the cover of large groups of people. Once inside, she and her friends would break into raucous laughter, loud enough to disturb the other patrons, get kicked out by the ushers, then become indignant and demand “their money” back from the theater manager. I filled up the gas tank the other day and it reminded me of this story of my grandmother's. It has nothing to do with gas; nor does gas, at least as it pertains to automobiles, have anything to do with my grandmother—she never drove a car in her life. I find myself often comparing our current economic circumstances with stories I've heard of the Great Depression. And it happened, the other day, that I had to use $10…

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Parenting Parley

The Block Mom's Summer Survival Guide

Is your house the place kids all swarm to? If a summer day doesn't go by without your house being turned inside out by a dozen kids, read this for sanity.

In just the last two days of warm(ish) weather, we've had one little friend let herself in by the garage door, when the resident boys weren't even here--mind you--just to poop. With the bathroom door open. She lives next door. Others have come by to help themselves to bikes out of the garage, and still others have stopped by just for a peek in the pantry. I've always wanted to have a home where all of the kids' friends feel welcome. The open-door, who-cares-if-it's-a-mess type of house where everyone knows they can come and take a minute to catch their breath, grab a drink of water or get a pat on the back for winning the bike race. It's a vision that's come to fruition almost a little too well. I've dubbed myself the Block Mom. Over the …

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Kim Katsenes

9:34 am on Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Nice article Caroline...I used to be that mom, many years ago... having read this article has brought back some fond and not so fond memories :D   more ›

Rapunzel Lets Her Hair Down at Lincoln-Way East

Children's theater group will perform fairytale musical this weekend.

Young area actors will bring Rapunzel and her fairytale friends to life on stage this weekend. The All About Music Children’s Theater will present Let Your Hair Down Rapunzel, a musical adventure, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Lincoln-Way East Fine Arts Cente, 201 Colorado Ave., Frankfort. The children, aged kindergarten through 12th grade, will portray the traditional  story of Rapunzel but with comical and musical twists. Rapunzel, her hero, the king, queen and their sons will be joined by wise sages, “not-so-brave” knights and court jesters. The show also has scenes of audience interaction. Cast members from Mokena include Megan Carr, Molly Rose Cochran, Devin Evans, Rhys Fuller, Moira Garvey, Caroline Heathcock, Grace Herzog, …

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Parenting Parley

Animals and Kids: It's About Love

There's something about pets and kids that can make parents go all mushy. But what does the relationship mean to children?

Madeline Hauser had a rough year. Amid all of the upheaval that is adolescence, the awkwardness, the insecurity, the bevy of change that accompanies the metamorphosis from child- to adulthood, Madeline grew an unprecedented four inches in six months. And, according to her mother, the growth spurt has required more than just physical adjustment. "She's a 5-foot-8-inch 12-year-old. It's been hard for her to find success at something. Here, she finds succes," Madeline's mother, Shayla, says to me one Friday evening at Nova Quarter Horses in Mokena. Madeline rides breezily by in the arena, warming her horse up at a spirited walk for a lesson. My most cherished childhood memories took place at a barn. It's been ages since I've had the time or …

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Parenting Parley

Keys for Kids: The Best Websites for Children

If your kid is just learning to use the computer, try one of our mom-approved websites.

When I was a student (a very long time ago), typing was an elective course offered in high school. Now, mastering the keyboard is not only an essential life skill; it's practically mandatory knowledge as early as elementary school. Kids today not only need to be able to find the letters on the keyboard, but they must also know how to operate a mouse and open and close "windows." By third grade, according to MES computer lab aide Jean Young, students are using search engines, word processing software and PowerPoint. Young said that she used to start kindergarteners with keyboard familiarity and mouse control. While some students come into the lab ready to log in and get on the Internet, others, Young said, are “terrified of it.” What can …

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Parenting Parley

Getting Through the Finicky Phase

How to cope with your picky child's eating habits.

It's the same story every morning. The boys wake up, stumble downstairs in their pajamas, each carrying their thoroughly worn-out blankets; and, with the corners of their mouths still crusty-white from last night's toothpaste, they sleepily hobble over and immediately condemn whatever it is I happen be making for breakfast. “I'm not hungry!” they inevitably insist. Or, “But I wanted cereal (or pancakes, or French toast or foie gras--anything, as long as it's not what you happen to have prepared)!” they cry. And thus the daily feeding battle begins. What the professionals consider a normal, toddler appetite slump has lasted, in our house, five years or so years beyond normal and counting. With so much media attention focused on childhood …

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Parenting Parley

Little Boys and Their Toy Weapons

Do video games and toy weaponry promote aggression in kids, or could we use these violent games to teach our kids valuable life lessons?

Last March, Science Daily published an overview of the research conducted by “distinguished professor” of psychology Craig Anderson, who stated that violence in video games, across the globe and through every socio-economic status, led to an increased incidence of violence in people. Period. So “definitive” were Anderson's findings that the Iowa State University faculty member (who, in the article, sits proudly beside what appears to be an enlarged version of his published work) saw no need for further research on the matter. But then, nine months later, the same outlet reported the results of another study: “Violent Video Games Not to Blame for Youth Aggression,” read the headline. And alas, the matter seems not so simple, and parents …

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