Packaging Boyhood

It was great to see the diversity of costumes at FSP today... I didn't manage to post the link to Lyn Mikel Brown's blogs about sexist costumes, but before Halloween '10, check out her costume advice.

She and Mark Tappan have recently published "Packaging Boyhood" and they are speaking at a FREE event Thursday, Nov. 12th at the Dana Center at Maine Medical Center in Portland. 7-9 p.m. For more information or to register call 885-8570.

Calendar Section

Hey Friends -- I'm having trouble keeping up with the calendar section this fall, but if anyone knows of great events you'd like listed, please e-mail me!

Candy Buy Back

Dr. Shems, an orthodontist with an office in the True North building is offering a candy-buy back if anyone feels overloaded this Halloween... any others or any good strategies for taming the candy montser?

Dr. Bellinger's Power Point

If you missed the P4P event on Tuesday but would like to see Dr. B's powerpoint, or if you saw it and would like to have a copy, he has graciously offered to share it. Leave a comment or e-mail me and I can send it to you.

Friday is Pumpkin Day at School

If you don't have any yet, check out this list of possible places to get them...

DETOX YOUR TOYBOX - RESOURCES for Parents and Teachers

A teensy preview of tonight's ideas... Nicole says the best way to help kids make healthy choices for their bodies and their land is to take them outside as much as possible (this is a huge paraphrase ~ come tonight to hear her whole message).  Here are a few resources to help us do that: 

The Friends School teachers had a community read of David Sobel's books and Nicole recommends them as a place to start for thinking about when and how to introduce kids to environmental education and activism. 

Four found these cool links: 

The Children and Nature Network

Take It Outside : a Maine initiative

I like Roots and Shoots as a resource for thinking about how to engage kids in service/stewarship projects

Eartheasy posted a blog post with lots of links to websites that are supposed to be appropriate for kids interested in learning more about environmental issues

Wisconsin Water Library has some book ideas for kids

What Kids Can Do shares some stories about successful youth environmental activism

If you are more interested in how to decrease environmental health hazards immediately, check out: 

National Institute of Environmental Health Science's pdfs on air and water quality at home and school 

Partnership for Children's Health and the Environment offers a subscription for up-to-date news. 

The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine has a huge list of fabulous resources 

And, as we start the Halloween -- New Years plastic consumption, consider the New American Dream's website to help us simplify, or use HealthyStuff.org to find out what's safe to buy.. 

 

Beyond Ecophobia -- COME TO DETOX YOUR TOYBOX TOMORROW NIGHT

Are you curious about Tuesday night's talk, but worried that you'll be overwhelmed with "NOTs"? There is so much bad news (check out this Bangor Daily News article about toxins in the blood of Maine Health Care workers for a shock) but feeling worried, anxious, guilty or panicky often immobilizes us instead of helping move us toward action.

Although we are going to get the most up-to-date information from David Bellinger, we're also going to celebrate the most recent community activism (you can take part today, see below)!) coordinated by Kristine of the Environmental Health Strategy Center. And, perhaps most important for us FSPers, Nicole is going to inspire us with stories about the ways that kids are engaged in environmental action simply by loving tree-house beach, by noticing the animals that live in our ocean, and by spending time in Maine's wilderness. They have "ecological intelligence" and we can partner with them to make cleaning the planet both joyful and ordinary.

See David Sobel's article in YES magazine for a teaser... or this more recent YES article about "place-based" education.

Fwd: Reminder: Day of Action for Safer Chemicals: Monday Morning!

See http://www.preventharm.org for great action alerts!

Spam

Thank you, Audra, for alerting me to more spam... I'm going to disable the e-mail access and hopefully our blog will be our own again! Kim

prior FSP family on TV in support of NO on 1

Tamiko and Terry were FSP parents way back in year 1... Cam, their son, attended the preschool.... you can see them on TV talking about what No on 1 means to them... 

BBC on Play Based Learning

I'm listening to an interesting NPR/BBC story about a new recommendation from the UK suggesting that kids should delay "formal learning" until the age of 6.  They suggest play-based preschool and kindergarten for young children but that children should not be taught reading or other formal content until at least six years old.  The BBC report includes counter arguments and some information about what happens around the world... 

How much is that what happens in our communities?  How structured should learning be in middle childhood? 

Interesting questions... here's the link to the BBC story and here's the link to the actual report. 

Kids Photo Project & chance to think about water in yet another way (being on an island and all...)

Take Part in the Drop of Hope Water Photography project!

Celebrate water, build awareness and create art with young people in New England and across the country! Share your water photos today and inspire people to protect water locally and globally. Download the flyer.

FW: Packing Boyhood

Author Discussion & Signing                      Come and Meet        Lyn Mikel Brown and Mark Tappan                     authors of                  Packaging Boyhood Straight from the mouths of over 600 boys across the U.S., the authors offer a long, hard look at what boys are watching, reading, hearing and doing. Get advice on how to talk to your sons about these images.                  Where and When             Saturday, October 17th                            at 2pm                         Books Etc            The Shops at Falmouth                      240 US Rte 1                 Falmouth,ME 04105                        207-781-3784

Blog Spam

Hello Friends, it appears that while I was away, some kind of strange spam hit our blog. I don't quite know how it happened, but am guessing it has to do with our enabling of using e-mail or some kind of virus from my account. I do apologize and will work with Maya so that we have more than me able to delete crazy posts. If it happens too often, perhaps we'll have to stop using e-mail to post... thanks for people's patience and interest in the blog (which is completely unknown, so drop a comment if you have ideas, suggestions, feedback, etc!) Kim

Fwd: FSP Painting Party!

 

 

What:    Painting Party!

 

When:   Friday, October 16th              2:00 PM - 6:00 PM or

        Saturday, October 17th 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

 

Where:  Friends School of Portland Playground

 

FSP will provide the paint and supplies, the Parent's Group will provide childcare, and hopefully, you will provide the labor!  Bring or wear a set of 'work clothes'.

 

 

The Gov. Baxter School for the Deaf/ MECDHH built a new playground closer to their academic facilities and, as a result, Friends School of Portland has 'inherited' the old playground located by our facilities.  At the same time, we have also 'inherited' the cost of maintaining the playground and that's where we need your help.  Our first work project was immediately after the Meet the Teacher Picnic back in August where we did some sanding and painting of the rails and most of the other handholds in an attempt to seal the wood and minimize the number of splinters.  We received many favorable comments and requests to paint the rest of the rails, balusters, etc.  Many hands make light work and that's why we're inviting your help to join in a work crew either on Friday afternoon, October 16th @ 2:00 PM or Saturday morning, October 17th @ 9:00 AM.  Those who are so inclined may join us for both sessions!

 

John Marble

Director of Finance and Development

207-781-6321  *  jessica@friendsschoolofportland.org

 

Friends School of Portland

1 Mackworth Island *  Falmouth, ME 04105

www.friendsschoolofportland.org

 

FW: The Saturday Show double-feature!

Saturday, October 10th The Saturday Show Double feature - see both shows for the price of one! Tickets $8 Adults, $5 Kids  (see below for coupon!) From 11am - Noon Jay Mankita from Putumayo Kids!                              From 1pm - 2pm Milkweed Puppet Theater We welcome Jay Mankita from Putumayo Kids for our first show! Pack the world in your picnic basket with this collection of delicious songs. Putumayo Kids celebrates the joys of eating with a brand new, globe-trotting CD from their award-winning children's Playground series. For our second show, The Milkweed Puppets! Old-fashioned but fresh as the ears on a katydid's legs, handpuppets interact with the audience during these lively performances featuring Nancy Tyndall. Inspired by a love for the folkart traditions of puppetry, she brings her own ingenuity and imagination to these original productions. The repertoire features dramatizations of folklore and fairytales from world literature. Upcoming Saturday Shows: November 14th Magician BJ Hickman November 21 'Meet The Fofers' with Shana Barry December 5th Singer-songwriter Martin Swinger January 9th, 2010 Dancer/musician Hope Hoffman leads an interactive performance February 13th, 2010 Juggler Matiss Duhon March 13, 2010 Portland High School's breakdancers This coupon good for one half-price ticket to  The Saturday Show Double Feature on October 10th! (one coupon per family, please) See both shows for the price of one! Tickets available at www.stlawrencearts.org or by calling 775-5568

Wolfe's Neck is on

It is cloudy but doesn't seem likely to rain hard -- hope to see lots of you there! Kim

FW: Meet Author Robie Harris!

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October 7, 2009 Real Life. Real Talk. Encouraging open, honest, and balanced talk about sex and relationships  In This Issue Meet Author Robie Harris! Learn More About Robie Harris Quick Links Events in Portland   The Real Life. Real Talk. Coalition in Portland   Ask the Experts   Teen Reality   Tools for Talking   Media Campaign   It's Okay. You Can Say It.   More Information   Email Real Life. Real Talk.   Meet Robie Harris   Tuesday, October 13 7:00-9:00 p.m. Charles A. Dana Center Maine Medical Center 22 Bramhall St. - Portland      Join us for this very special evening with nationally acclaimed children's book author Robie Harris.    Robie will read and talk about her popular books It's Perfectly Normal, It's So Amazing!, and It's Not the Stork! and join members of the Real Life. Real Talk. Coalition to discuss how parents and community members can work together to raise sexually healthy kids.  Robie will address issues related to the internet, GLBTQ issues, sexuality education, and more.    Purchase your own copies of Robie's books at the event from Longfellow Books and have Robie sign them for your kids!    To register for this FREE event, call Toll-Free 1-866-609-5183 or click here.    Hosted by the MaineHealth Learning Resource Center   Want to Know More about Robie Harris? Check out this interview with Robie by sexuality educator, Susan Wilson, on Answer.  The 15th Anniversary Edition of It's Perfectly Normal, for ages 10 and up, specifically addresses sexuality issues raised by the internet age.   Author Robie Harris Talks Candidly to Children About Sex by Susan N. Wilson  I happen to think that Harris's delightful and informative books belong in every elementary and middle school library, public library, and home in America. I once somewhat jokingly suggested that all new parents should be given Harris's books for free when they leave the hospital with their first baby and told to put them on a shelf and retrieve them when their kids reach certain ages.  I recently interviewed Harris about the new, updated, 15th anniversary edition of It's Perfectly Normal, which her publisher, Candlewick Press, will release in early September. The edition includes a new chapter on young people's fascination with and use of the Internet...  Read more Thanks for supporting Real Life. Real Talk.!     Lauren Grousd Real Life. Real Talk. Project Coordinator portland@rlrt.org 800.854.9762 x108

FW: Wabanaki Perspectives and Human Awareness at UMA, Oct. 13-16

MAIN and Maine Equal Justice wanted to share with our members and friends this exciting opportunity to experience the rich culture of the Wabanaki People. We encourage you to participate in this free public event.  If you have questions or want to learn more, please go to: http://www.uma.edu/wabankiperspectives.html    ===========================================================   Wabanaki Perspectives and Human Awareness October 13-16, 2009   University of Maine at Augusta   Several Wabanaki citizens have been working with staff and students from the University of Maine at Augusta to plan Wabanaki Perspectives and Human Awareness.    This four-day event to take place October 13-16 will include presentations, films, demonstrations, and opportunities for socializing to share and to experience the rich culture of the Wabanaki People.  The events are free and open to the public.    Week-long ongoing opportunities include: Talking Circles, Sacred Space, Bonfire by the lake, Music by native artists, Continual showing of films on university public monitors, Traditional foods available in the café, Arts displayed throughout the main buildings, and the sale of local Native books, DVDs, CDs, baskets, jewelry, clothing, & crafts.   This event will provide an opportunity    +    For Native American Students attending UMA to gather and share their culture.   +    To allow Wabanaki youth to meet and to celebrate their common heritage while sharing key aspects of Wabanaki nationhood and culture with the non-Indian population. +    To allow Wabanaki youth to experience a campus environment and learn about the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine. +    For non-Native American students to learn about the Wabanaki and participate in Wabanaki cultural activities. For the public to learn about the Wabinaki and participate in Wabanaki cultural  activities; and +    To provide a foundation for future intra and inter cultural interactions amongst university students, faculty, staff and the public.   To learn more about this exciting event and to see a schedule for each day, go to:   http://www.uma.edu/wabankiperspectives.html

Margaret Wheatley in Portland on October 15th!

Margaret Wheatley is one of the most creative thinkers about leadership and organizational development around.  I just finished her book Finding Our Way : Leadership for Uncertain Times and will blog more about that later... I was surprised to find that she's coming to USM on October 15th.  Sadly, I'll have just returned from 3 days away from my family and likely will have to be home for bed time, but I hope someone I know will go and tell me all about it! 

Fwd: Registration Now Open CCFC's 2010 Consuming Kids Summit

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood Reclaiming Childhood from Corporate Marketers Praise for CCFC Summits: "Just the right balance ofinfuriating info and inspiration." "An amazing opportunity to meet and network with like-minded, motivated activists for change." "I left thinking about what I can do in my own home to fortify the lives of my children (and myself)...I was so inspired...andwe had so much fun." Register Now!  CCFC's 7th National Summit: Consuming Kids:  Market Values, Human Values, and the Lives of Children April 8-10, 2010 Wheelock College Boston, MA The values children learn in the marketplace - excessive consumption, impulse buying, and unthinking brand loyalty - are antithetical to healthy development, independent thinking, spirituality, community, and democracy. What happens to childhood - and society -- when market values trump human values? How can we make a difference?  What role can parents, educators, public health professionals, faith communities, and policy makers play in stopping the proliferation of market values, and in nurturing positive values, in a commercialized world? Join CCFC and leading activists, scholars, and authors for the only national conference devoted to stopping the commercial exploitation of children. Register by November 1st to take advantage of recession-busting, super early bird rates and to beat the rush.  Our last summit sold out early! Register now at: http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/events.htm Confirmed speakers already include: Enola Aird, founder, Mothers for Human Future - Tim Kasser, author, The High Price of Materialism - Sharon Lamb & Lyn Mikel Brown, authors, Packing Boyhood & Packaging Girlhood - Lenore Skanazy, author, Free Range Kids -  Nancy Carlsson-Paige, author, Taking Back Childhood  -  Allen Kanner, co-editor, Psychology and Consumer Culture -  Diane Levin, co-author, So Sexy, So Soon, Susan Linn, author, The Case for Make Believe  - and many, many more to come! Scholarships available - please visit http://commercialfreechildhood.org/events/summitscholarship2010.html for more information. Can't make the summit? Help someone else attend by supporting CCFC's summit scholarship fund. Unsubscribe | Donate | CCFC Events | Forward to a friend |CCFC on Facebook | Contact CCFC  The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood A Program of the Judge Baker Children's Center 53 Parker Hill Ave Boston, MA 02120 www.commercialfreechildhood.org

Fwd: Play Date for Equality - Please join us!

I know many of us wonder how to best respond to the mean spirited Yes on 1 commercials that vilify families we live in or families we care about... here's one way (also, vote now - absentee ballots can now be requested online -- http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/AbsenteeBallot/index.pl  and  give money ) 

Dear friends:

 

Please join us for a Play Date for Equality on Columbus Day, October 12.

 

The No on 1 / Protect Maine Equality campaign is hosting a Play Date for Equality for Maine families to show their support marriage equality. We have invited the media to show them the rich diversity of Maine families who support marriage equality.

 

We will provide cider and cookies; you bring yourselves, toys/balls/frisbees for the park, and your kids, grandkids, nieces/nephews, neighbors, etc. We'd love to have older kids too who may have outgrown play dates but who want to show their support.

  

It will not only be a fun afternoon, but an important one too. On that day we will be just 19 days from election day and showing the diversity of support for marriage equality is a critical part of our campaign.  

 

Please RSVP if you plan to attend, by emailing or calling me. And bring all your friends!

 

Thank you.

 

Betsy

  

 

What: "Play Date for Equality"

 

When: 1:00-3:00 pm on Columbus Day (Monday, October 12th)

[rain date: 1:00 pm on Saturday, October 17th]

 

Where: The playground at Deering Oaks Park in Portland

 

Who: All families who support marriage equality

 

 

Please pass this on far and wide, even if you cannot attend! Thank you.

 

 

 

 

Betsy Smith

Executive Director

EqualityMaine

207-939-7769 cell

bsmith@equalitymaine.org