Raising Readers @ Children's Museum

I thought this might be of interest to folks... Raising Reader Family Literacy Night 5 – 7:30 pm Join Raising Readers as they celebrate giving over ONE MILLION books to Maine children at their doctor visits! At the Family Literacy Night, children will meet some of the children's book authors and illustrators whose books have been a part of the Raising Reader program like Toni Buzzeo, Scott Nash and Chris Van Dusen. Families can also listen to stories read aloud by their favorite authors and do fun, book- related activities. Families can also read together in the multicultural Raising Readers Book Nook, which is sponsored by The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center.

Mothers Acting Up Against the War - 10/27

Mothers Acting Up, in Maine, is hosting a halloween party in conjunction with the October 27 National Mobilization to End the War in Iraq. . Who: Greater Portland Mothers Acting Up- - that means YOU!! What: Family Halloween Gathering in concert with October 27 National Mobilization to End the Iraq War *child friendly! For ALL kinds of families* When: Saturday October 27, 2007, 1-3 PM Where: Hill House, 92 Congress St. near Portland Observatory in the Munjoy Hills Neighborhood (Maine MAU's event will be held near other peace events of the day so that families can participate with the greater community at large and invite friends to see what MAU is all about!) WHY: Let us take this opportunity to get to know one another better, celebrate peace, trick or treat for UNICEF and talk about our vision for our area's Mothers Acting Up (MAU) community. Costumes encouraged! There'll be treats, no tricks!

Sexualization of Childhood conference

CCFC's 6th Summit Consuming Kids: The Sexualization of Children and Other Commercial Calamities April 3-5, 2008 Wheelock College Boston , MA Registration is now available for CCFC's 6th summit: Consuming Kids: The Sexualization of Children and Other Commercial Calamities on April 3-5, 2008 in Boston! Featuring an all-star lineup of presenters, CCFC's 2008 Consuming Kids summit promises to be our best ever. On Thursday, April 3rd, the summit will kick off with the presentation of the 3rd Fred Rogers Integrity Award to Morgan Spurlock, director and star of the acclaimed film, SuperSize Me. Friday and Saturday will feature presentations and workshops on the impact of commercialization on children - and what we can do to stop it. We expect this year's summit will sell out early so register now and take advantage of early bird rates. Confirmed speakers include: Michael Brody, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Nancy Carlsson-Paige, author, Taking Back Childhood - Gail Dines, co-author, Pornography: The Production and Consumption of Inequality - Julie Gale, Kids Free 2 B Kids - Allen Kanner, co-editor, Psychology and Consumer Culture - Tim Kasser, author, The High Price of Materialism - Joe Kelly, author, Dads and Daughters - Jean Kilbourne, author, Can't Buy My Love - Diane Levin, author, Remote Control Childhood - Susan Linn, author, Consuming Kids - Alex Molnar, author, School Commercialism: From Democratic Ideal to Market Commodity - Alvin F. Poussaint, MD, co-author Come On, People - Michele Simon, the Marin Institute; author, Appetite for Profit - Juliet Schor, author, Born to Buy - Susan Gregory Thomas, author Buy, Buy, Baby - Ana Lucia Villela, Instituto Alana - and many, many more! Register now Scholarships available Can't make the summit? Help someone else attend by supporting CCFC's summit scholarship fund.

Halloween Tips from Roots and Shoots

We (FSP) are members of Roots and Shoots, although we have not formally created a group, it is something for us to keep considering. Either way, some of the info, like this, is pretty inspiring: EVERY APE COUNTS The Somerville Roots and Shoots group invites everyone to join in the second year of our Halloween project, "Every Ape Counts". We will be dressing up as endangered primates and trick-or-treating for donations to help them! It worked really well last year and now we hope to step it up to a much larger scale. Pick a primate that is in danger from habitat destruction, the bush meat trade, etc. -and this includes almost all of them - and get going! You will need: A handout on the primate and the danger it is in, along with a little speech you can give. Printouts on the organization and project that the funds will be given to. A Costume! Share tips on costume design, on bringing out your inner ape, and nominate worthy projects benefiting particular primates by posting on the Every Ape Counts topic on the Campaigns forum on the R&S bulletin board. You may need a quick, free registration to get on the bulletin board. Also feel free to contact our group directly, with email to dh@danhull.com See you out there! Dan Hull DAN@danhull.com Celebrate Green Halloween! Suggestions for a greener Halloween: Instead of buying a costume, design your own, creating a costume from fabric, ribbon and other odds and ends that you find around your house. Purchase your pumpkins (organic, if possible) from local farms or farmer's markets. Instead of carving pumpkins, paint or decorate them. After Halloween, use the innards to make pumpkin soup. Leave the seeds in your birdfeeder as a special treat for blue jays and nuthatches. Instead of buying luminaria, recycle some old tins cans. Create patterns of holes in the cans by using hammer and nails. Buy some petroleum free candles at your local green grocer and voila, spooky lighting! Giving away organic candy is a great idea. But, if you choose to give away conventional Halloween treats, learn about the palm oil crisis. Find out which big name brand candies contain sustainably produced palm oil so that you can make informed choices. Check out these websites for more creative suggestions: Green Living Green Halloween Stop Global Warming And, if you go out trick-or-treating, don't forget to bring your reusable canvas bag Be safe and have fun, Christine Ellersick

Middle School Invent a Toy Challenge

Sally Rides Science has some great links and programs, including an emphasis on helping retain girls science interests. They are offering a special invent-a-toy contest for 5th through 8th graders that might be of interest to some FSP kids and their friends or families...

Media, Masculinity and the "Boy Crisis" @ Children's Museum of Maine

The Children's Museum of Maine is offering a free lecture: Media, Masculinity and the Boy Crisis Thursday, November 1 from 7:00-8:30pm Using a variety of examples from contemporary music, film, and television, Mark Tappan leads this workshop exploring the messages boys receive from the media about what it means to be a "real boy." The workshop provides insights into the relationship between "mediated messages" and boys' experiences in society and discusses strategies for encouraging boys to become critical consumers of contemporary media. A Colby College professor, Tappan received graduate degrees from the Ohio State University and Harvard University. The lecture is free but space is limited. To make a reservation, email: sheryl@kitetails.com or call: 828-1234, x 228.

Dec 1 Hat Sale

CALLING ALL CRAFTERS, BAKERS, AND NICE-THING MAKERS!! It’s time to get ready for the 3d Annual Hats Off for Friends School of Portland Bazaar! This year the Bazaar will be on Dec. 1 from 10:00-2:00. It will be located at the Friends School in Carter Hall, with a fabulous display of handmade hats, mittens, and scarves, as well as other handcrafts (such as jewelry, pottery, cards, decorations), a bake sale, and a book fair. We would love to have lots of participation in donations for the sale, including from our great kids, wonderful relatives, and good friends. As in the past, we will also be donating items to Preble St. Resource Center, and there will be a specific section for particularly sturdy and warm garments for folks to purchase to donate. I will be coordinating the handcrafts, Jill Sawyer has volunteered to coordinate the bake sale, and Kim Simmons is coordinating the book fair (through Curious City and Books, Etc.). If you are able to contribute to either the handrafts or the bake sale, please contact me or Jill. Please let me know if you aren’t feeling terribly crafty, but would be willing to volunteer to work on the day of the sale. We could also use help with publicity. For more information or to contribute, contact me at lise.wagner@maine.gov or call 772-2537; for baked goods, contact Jill at jillnwill@aol.com . Thanks for your continued support of both FSP and Preble St.! Lise Wagner

Children's Book Sale

The Main branch of the Portland Public Library is holding a children's book sale next Saturday (October 27)

Swimmy

Katie says we should go to the 2pm Swimmy production!

Rick Charette - Nov 2nd

Rick Charette in Concert Songs for Children Friday Nov. 2 at 7:00pm As a singer and songwriter, Rick Charette has been capturing the hearts and spirits of young and old alike with his delightful and inspiring children's songs. His performances blend original contemporary pop music and lyrics with imaginative activities that generate all kinds of audience participation. Join us for this fundraising event(for Fiddlehead)¦.. Friday November. 2 at 7:00pm Scarborough High School Auditorium Tickets prices: $6 adult / $7 at door $4 child / $5 at door $20 family / $25 at the door For more information or for reserving tickets by phone call our office at 883-5720 or order tickets online at www.fiddleheadcenter.org Fiddlehead Center for the Arts ~ Scarborough would like to thank our generous sponsors in support of what promises to be a wonderful performance...THANK YOU!

Fun and Games!

FUN AND GAMES On of the charges of the FSP parents group is to organize community building activities and other fun stuff. I'm hopeful someone has the ummph to be clerk, and maybe it will get sorted at the next big meeting. But, I also thought this might be a good place to collect ideas -- it is easy to use the comments button to leave your thoughts - you don't need a special id at all.

Sleep

I'm embarrassed to admit that the Sleep article comes from New York magazine, not the New York Times.. but I still thought it was rather fascinating and I'm curious how others read the science, as well as how others get enough sleep?

Workshops at the Telling Room

The Telling Room is a Portland Non-Profit that connects kids with writing and professional writers. They've opened a new writing center and are offering fabulous looking workshops - including two by former FSP teacher Kathleen Meil!

Offering from Kaleidescope

Join us for our annual Halloween Harvest workshop! Saturday October 13 10 am to noon. Ages 6 through adult $15 per person It's the season of the pumpkin of course, and we will make spooky wreathes to welcome (or frighten...) your trick-or-treaters, as well as ghoulish gourds and ghastly pumpkins, jack o'lantern eggs, vintage style Halloween postcards, and more, including edible witch hats. email for more information or to sign up (or call 773-2255) Carolyn Heasly and Phyllis Wilkins Kaleidoscope Arts and Crafts School 790 Stevens Avenue Portland, Maine 04103 Upcoming workshops include: Spice up your life (for women) Friday November 2 7-9 pm The Giving Season Saturday November 10 10 am to noon (ages 6 - adult) Vacation Creations: Once Upon a Time Friday December 28 10 am to noon Crafts with a fairy tale theme for children ages 6 and up