Capital District Family Newsletter 9/27/12

There are 845 events coming up in the Capital District that are FREE!

2012 Winners: Top 20 Places To Bring Kids in the Capital District

Apple picking is starting! Here's where to pick
Pumpkin Patches
Corn mazes
Smithsonian Day is this Saturday, September 29! Free entry to tons of Museums! Click here to be reminded.
PLAN FOR COLUMBUS DAY! It's sooner than you think!
Tons of upcoming festivals in the Capital Region

Publisher's Note

Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:

As members of a fife & drum corps--Madison plays fife and Ella plays drum--my kids often are called upon to play at ceremonies and memorials as well as parades and living history events. This past weekend, they were playing at a ceremony which included a Mass at which the Corps all sat in the front. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" can be very useful when you find yourself in a situation where you don't quite know what you're doing, and on Sunday that proved literally to be the case. Ella, age 11, is able pretty easily to go with the flow, but Madison, 13, analyzes everything, and worries about whether anyone else can tell she doesn't really know what she's doing.

"I know you were uncomfortable sitting in the front of the church in your uniform," I told her afterward. "But no one could tell. I know you're often in that kind of situation, where you don't feel you can relax because you're not completely familiar with the routine, but you're doing great, and it builds character."

"Mom, I'm always uncomfortable," she said. "All the time, everywhere. It's just the way you are when you're 13."

Of course, she was right. Feeling like a fish out of water is part of what late childhood and early-teenagerhood is all about: You're growing so fast, and the expectations are changing on you so quickly, that it's hard to relax and be yourself--whoever that is that week--especially around your peers who are in the same position. I think that this is partly why family traditions are so important: They are the reliable life experiences that help to keep our kids steady while everything else whips by them dizzingly fast.

And there are so many comforting traditions available in Fall, traditions that remain the same no matter how quickly the world changes. These are sensory experiences, too--corn mazes and apple picking and pumpkins and hot apple cider--and they imprint themselves on our kids' memories for a lifetime. If your kids are young, I'd suggest establishing your fall family traditions now so that they can rely on them year after year. And if your kids are older, make sure that the whole family participates in these traditions so that your kids have something solid to think about fondly in the midst of a busy teenage life. It only takes two consecutive years of doing something memorable to make a tradition, so go for it!

2) Create your own Fall traditions in the Capital District with:

• Apple Picking (remember, it will be over early this year, so don't wait until the end of October!)
• Pumpkin Patches
• Corn mazes
• Halloween activities
• Tips for Fall Family Photography
• Tons of upcoming festivals in the Capital Region

Two apple recipes:
Easy Apple Sauce that even a preteen can make
Secret to Easy and Awesome Apple Pie

3) Do you have friends or family in:

• The Ann Arbor - Detroit area?
• Houston?
• St. Louis?
• Salt Lake City?

If so, I have great news for them: This week, we launched KidsOutAndAbout sites in those Ann Arbor/Detroit, Houston, St. Louis, and Salt Lake City. This means that this week, we DOUBLED the number of regions we serve. A local editor manages each of those new sites. Actually, three of those four editors are former readers who moved away...they contacted me to recommend that we start KidsOutAndAbout sites in their new home cities, and my team made it happen. Just think: Back in the early days (2001) it was just me, and now there are... depending on how you count... TWELVE of us as well as great contractors like our graphic designer, Carrie Falzone of Insite Marketing. Wow. I'm going to give a special shout-out to our VP of Operations, June Santini, whose untiring dedication has been a huge part of our success.

4) Calling all librarians, teachers, and media-savvy parents! I have the perfect books-and-video competition for you! Are your kids budding actors or filmmakers? Here's a call for entries for the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival, curated by James Kennedy of the YA fantasy The Order of Odd-Fish. Participants are challenged to make a video that compresses the entire story of a Newbery award winning book into 90 seconds or less (no book trailers!). The deadline is November 10, 2012. About 20 of the winning entries will be screened at the New York Public Library on Sunday, December 2, and then the Festival will travel to Chicago, Portland, and Tacoma! For more information, including the inaugural entry (a very funny 90-second Wrinkle in Time) and one that my kids did last year which was one of the winning films—Linda Sue Park’s A Single Shard in 90 Seconds, click here.  It’s a really worthwhile enterprise, trust me! And that page also contains a step-by-step how-to PDF which makes it easier than you’d think!

GIVEAWAYS!

5) HomeScienceTools.com is an amazing source of science kits and information for homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers alike. Kits in biology, geology, botany, chemistry, physics, and lots more (click here for the KidsOutAndAbout review of their Vitamin C testing kit). When you use THIS LINK you'll get 10% off your order through October 18!

We have a giveaway that is live for one more day only, for a personalized school set from philoSophie, which looks like the cutest school supply kit ever. GET YOUR ENTRIES IN TODAY because we're drawing tomorrow!

--Debra Ross, Publisher

From your editor, Katie Beltramo:

6) There's plenty of wholesome family fun with activities outside. On Friday and Saturday, it's Harvest Days at Riverview Orchard, with hay rides, live music, games, and more. On Saturday, it's Kid Country Play Day at Goold Orchards as well as Guilderland Community Fest.
 
7) Okay, this sounds like fun for bigger people. There's going to be a Zombie Mob in conjunction with Troy Night Out. Everyone is invited to wear their Zombie duds and shuffle and moan their way over to Riverfront Park. Brains! For those who try it and can't get enough, they're holding Haunted House Auditions at Rotterdam Square Mall this weekend.
 
8) This Saturday, it's the annual Smithsonian Museum Day! Check the Smithsonian site for a list of participating museums, then print out a pass for two free entries into the museum. This is an excellent opportunity to visit someplace new, especially if the weekend is rainy and gloomy as predicted.
 
9) This fall the National Museum of Dance is offering an exciting new program for kids ages 8 to 11: Culture for Kids! This program will teach children about the arts and the importance of cultures from all around the world. Each week will focus on traditional dances, music, art, and literature from a different country. Kids are welcome to drop in to any class or sign up for all 5 weeks (September 29 through October 27).  You can listen to Bairbre McCarthy tell her wonderful stories of Ireland, learn traditional Guatemalan Dance with Carmen & Ed Contento, listen to the fiddle played by Maura Macnamara, and much more! The Museum tries to offer fun and educational programming for kids year-round. For more information about this program and the other children’s programs that the National Museum of Dance offers, visit www.dancemuseum.org or call Sue at 518-584-2225 x3009.
 
10) There are two big, family-friendly shows in town next week. Mary Poppins will be at Proctors Theater starting Tuesday  and How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular starts at the Times Union Center on Thursday. Both shows continue through the weekend.

11) Are you wondering whether to bring your kids to How To Train Your Dragon? Are you wondering which of your kids to bring to How To Train Your Dragon? Never fear, we actually have a review of this show to help you make your decision. You may ask: How could you have a REVIEW of the show before it actually gets here, Katie? Simple: Our KidsOutAndAbout editor in Buffalo, Helena Robin, saw the show when it was there last week, so her review can give us just the shortcut we need here in the Capital District. Helena loves to write reviews. That will be clear to you when you read it.

12) The Bravo Family, the Wall Family, the Woods Family, the Smart Family, and the Walker Family are our fictional families that take their kids to activities based on their particular interests. Here is what they are up to this weekend:

The Walker family focuses on health and physical fitness. Here are their plans.
Friday: Night Glow Golf 2012 with the Town of Clifton Park
Saturday: Intro to Geocaching at Grafton Lakes
Sunday: 9th ANNUAL CROSSING 5K CHALLENGE & KIDS FUN RUN

 


This is the Woods Family. They love nature and the great outdoors. 
Friday:  Fall Friday Fun! at Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park
Saturday: Full Moon Hike at Dyken Pond Environmental Center
Sunday: Nature Games at Albany Pine Bush
 




The Smart family focuses on educational and cultural activities. They also shop smart!
Friday: Afterschool Fridays: Greek Mosaic Watercolor Painting at the World Awareness Children's Museum
Saturday: Heritage Harvest and Horse Festival at Fort Ticonderoga
Sunday: Power of Masks at Crandall Public Library, Glens Falls


 

The Bravo Family loves the arts.
Friday: Troy Night Out
Saturday: St. Jude the Apostle's 7th Annual Fall Family International Food Festival
Sunday: Aesop's Oh So Slightly Updated Fables Auditions at Rotterdam Square Mall for ages 9 and up




 
The Wall Family prefers indoor activities. Here is their weekend itinerary:
Friday: Library Babies at Saratoga Springs Public Library
Saturday: Smithsonian Museum Day and Back Handspring Clinic at Twist 'N Flip Gymnastics
Sunday:Going to see Hotel Transylvania


 

13)  Here is your day-by-day weekend guide to upcoming events:
Friday, September 28
Saturday, September 29
Sunday, September 30

14)  RESOURCES

Everything that's free (upcoming events that are free)
Top 20 Places to Take Kids in the Capital District
Indoor Play Centers
Places to have birthday parties
Private Schools
Preschools
Extracurricular classes
Clubs/Scouts/Teams for Kids and Parents
Libraries
Parks / Outdoor recreation areas
Kid-friendly restaurants
Organizations & schools that provide resources for kids with special needs
Upcoming shows and performances
Museums

15) Folks who "Like" the KidsOutAndAbout.com Albany listing on Facebook find out about stuff in advance and even can enter Facebook-only giveaways, so make sure to Like us! These Facebook-Only Giveaways happen frequently, so don't miss a thing..."like" us today!

16) Have you wondered about creative places to host your child's birthday party in the Albany-Troy-Schenectady area? There are 132 Birthday Party Locations on our list; check them out!

17) We're sure you can think of other folks who would enjoy finding out what's up for kids and families every week, so please, think of a few friends and forward it along! Here is the direct link they can use to sign up, themselves.

Enjoy the weekend!

Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com

Katie Beltramo
Editor, KidsOutAndAbout.com