Helping Children Cope with Traumatic Events Ask Nicole: September 2019 By Nicole M. Young, MSW It’s been hard to read and watch the news lately. Three mass shootings within one week. Migrant children in detention camps. Families torn apart after immigration raids. With each “new” story, I feel sad, angry, and heavy with worry. I worry about the safety of my children when mass shootings occur in public places without warning. I worry about what children of undocumented immigrants must feel, not knowing if they’ll see their parents again, or living in constant fear of being separated from their families. Traumatic events like these create emotional scars that last a…
-
-
Why I Chose to Pack My Kid’s Lunches: Healthy Eating September 2019
Why I Chose to Pack My Kid’s Lunches Healthy Eating: September 2019 By Kris Holden Kids are just getting back to school, classroom supply lists are waiting to be fulfilled, disorderly morning chaos is on the rise (at least in our household) and school lunches are needing to be packed. The start of school is always a bit challenging getting everyone back on a routine. Breakfasts now need to be a source of fuel for focus and energy, lunches require research and creativity in order for them to be enticing but nutritious. When my oldest child started public elementary school I wanted to get to know the school and where…
-
When They Melt Your Heart: Teacher’s Desk September 2019
When They Melt Your Heart Teacher’s Desk: September 2019 By Lisa Catterall We were scared, but our fear was not as strong as our courage. – Malala Yousafzai Surely we digress. We were working very hard, painstakingly going over every single detail of a test the entire class failed. When this happens, it’s time to try again. We had spent a class and a half going through every problem asking every possible question, with me explaining it every possible way. It turns out, this is a really good way to build trust. No one had anything in the gradebook for this test, basically, it was heading for the garbage and…
-
School Lunch Time Savers: Get Organized September 2019
School Lunch Time Savers Get Organized September 2019 Jhoneé Fillmore, Owner PACK IT When to Pack: Every family likes to pack school lunches differently. Some like to do the morning of and some prefer the day before. I personally am a night before lunch packer, usually right after dinner. I like to wash all lunch containers prior to eating dinner so that if there are any leftovers from dinner that sound good for the next day’s lunch, I can put it directly into the lunch containers. This saves me time putting away leftovers and then pulling those back out to put into lunch containers. Containers: My sons have the same…
-
Put an End to Wish-Cycling: Green Tips September 2019
Put an End to Wish-Cycling Green Tips: September 2019 By Meredith Keet of The Zero Shop Wish-cycling is a term used to describe the action of tossing those questionably recyclable items into the blue recycling bin in hope that they can be recycled. We’ve all had that moment when you’re holding some plastic object, maybe a child’s broken plastic toy or the twisty thing that seals the lid on your milk jug, and you wonder if it’s recyclable. You’re not sure, so you throw it into the recycling bin anyways and “wish” for it to be recycled. With a 9.1% recycling rate in 2015 that is expected to be dropping precipitously…
-
New Rides, Boardwalk Campout Always: Amused September 2019
New Rides, Boardwalk Campout New-for-2020 attractions unveiled Always Amused: September 2019 By Eric Chalhoub For theme park nerds such as myself, Christmas comes in August, and this past month was no exception. The last month of summer is home to National Roller Coaster Day on Aug. 16. But even better, most theme parks announce their new attractions for the following season. On a seemingly daily basis, news breaks of some major record-breaking coaster announcement, new technologies for familiar attractions and more. Our California parks were busy last month California’s Great America, two years after it retired two rides and removed a handful of other attractions, finally announced what it had…
-
Protecting Our Bay: County Scoop September 2019
Protecting Our Bay County Scoop: September 2019 By Zach Friend, County Supervisor It’s hard to imagine something more interconnected to our county than the Monterey Bay. Over the last few decades our local community has worked on preservation efforts that stopped offshore drilling efforts, ensured the creation of the Sanctuary and now are working to reduce plastic waste. Plastic waste, in particular single-use plastics, are particularly problematic for our local marine ecosystem. Recently a joint study by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute found significant amounts of micro plastic particles from the ocean surface to the seafloor. These plastics threaten marine life and the overall…
-
He Built it, They Came
He Built it, They Came Paul Bailey Scored With Aptos Athletic Fields By Brad Kava Santa Cruz Realtor Paul Bailey was driving down Highway 1 when he spied a construction crew widening the road and moving piles of dirt and rocks—tons of them. He did what few people would do. He pulled over and talked to the crew, asking them what they were doing to get rid of the rocks. He figured they were paying $15 a yard to truck and dump the dirt in Morgan Hill and found out they could only do 10 to 12 loads a day. Watching every Aptos High football player sincerely thank builder Paul…
-
Mole & Mariachi Festival and a Fiesta on the Beach!
Mole & Mariachi Festival and a Fiesta on the Beach! The Beach Fiesta includes culture not just from Mexico, but from Colombia. Photo Contributed The 7th annual Mole & Mariachi Festival on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park (144 School St.) in downtown Santa Cruz. The festival features mariachi bands, folkloric dancers, kids’ activities and the main event: the Mole Tasting Competition. Mole — a traditional savory, sweet Mexican sauce, sometimes made using chocolate — will be available to sample. Mole tasting kits will be available for purchase. Attendees will have the option to purchase six tasting tickets for $10.…
-
Letter from the Editors: September 2019
Letter from the Editors September 2019 Growing Up is growing up, or at least we’re dressing more fashionably. We decided to redesign our monthly after 22 years, going glossy on the covers and spicing up the insides. While we liked our old logo and design, the message it presented to too many people was that we were a publication only for toddlers or young kids. We hope the new design will show off the changes we’ve been making over the past 18 months, including advice and features for parents of kids newly born all the way up through students in college. We hope you’ll find articles of interest to all…
-
It’s Time for a New Library in Downtown Santa Cruz: County Scoop August 2019
It’s Time for a New Library in Downtown Santa Cruz County Scoop August 2019 By Deb Tracy-Proulx As a parent, advocate for education, and former librarian, I have a deep understanding of the vital role public libraries play in the lives of children in our community. The Downtown Santa Cruz Library is where I brought my own young children for story and craft time. Then they went as third graders to learn how to do research for their California history projects. As middle and high school students, they went to our public libraries to meet classmates for group studying and tutoring. Many Santa Cruz kids spend their after school hours…
-
What’s cooking at theme parks? Always Amused August 2019
What’s cooking at theme parks? Deals, healthy options now on the table Always Amused August 2019 By Erik Chalhoub A theme park without food is like a car without wheels — you can’t operate one without the other. With most guests at parks making their visit a day out of it, coupled with the amount of walking to and from attractions, it can be a good workout, and a great way to work up an appetite. But theme park food is notorious for being greasy, unhealthy, heavily-processed grub. Worst of all, it’s overpriced ($40 pizza, anyone?). Sadly, that is still the case, but fortunately no longer the entire story. Over…
-
Organic vs GMO’s
Organic vs GMO’s By Kris Holden Summer is in full gear, kids are out of school and the pantry and refrigerator are expected to be stocked with plenty of snacks for hungry active kids. Thankfully, the summer season brings a variety of delicious fruit that kids enjoy snacking on as well as sweet cherry tomatoes and corn. But how does one navigate buying produce if organic is too expensive or not available? What about GMO’s? The Environmental Working Group puts out a Dirty Dozen list. The Dirty Dozen is a list of the 12 fruits and vegetables that contain the highest concentrations of pesticides AFTER washing and peeling. The Clean…
-
The Answer to “I’m Bored” Part 2
The Answer to “I’m Bored” Part 2 By Mary Gaukel Forester Read “I’m Bored” Part 1 HERE. In this month’s article I will continue to share summer and on-going opportunities for career exploration. Many summer experiences, courses, clubs, events can help a young person learn more about their own interests, skills, talents, and values. Adults in their lives can help youth see the connection between their interests, skills, talents, values, and potential career pathways. Bike Tech Teacher and Student/Santa Cruz County Office of Education EV3 Robotics: programming, engineering, construction Create Advanced mechanical devices and program motors with EV3 Lego Mindstorms. Ages 10-17 building, programming and commanding your own LEGO…
-
Letter From the Editors August 2019
Letter from the Editors August 2019 Dear readers, Talk about being pulled in two directions. August is really the cruelest month. On one hand we are still in the giddiness of summer, hitting the beach, going to camps, taking those last minute trips. On the other, we are in the grips of back to school seriousness. Some Santa Cruz schools start before Labor Day; others, after. So, we have two back to school issues, for August and September. This month, we still have some fun and important summer stories. Miss Placed has a new column helping you get organized for the last days of summer and for next summer as…
-
Alien-Nation
Alien-Nation By Bob Derber and Judge Paul Marigonda Custody disputes are difficult and seldom rewarding. More so, where a parent alienates the child against the other parent. This is not a norm for families. But custody disputes are high conflict situations and alienation is often present. Alienation can be hard to identify. It might be the child calling the new ‘significant other’ Dad or Mom, off-hand comments to the child that the other parent is irresponsible or the scheduling of doctor visits difficult for the other parent to attend. Where there is positive co-parenting, these matters may simply reflect circumstances. But if active alienation is involved, this behavior destroys parent/child.…
-
Flea Meds, why are they not working!?!?
Flea Meds, why are they not working!?!? By Dr. Nichole M Brooks, DVM Fish are not the only things biting this summer! Fleas are out there and plaguing our pets. A frequent frustration expressed to me by owners is why the expensive flea medications are not working. The truth is that fleas are incredibly tough to get rid of and can take months to eradicate. Several years ago I treated a young cat with such an intense flea anemia that she needed a blood transfusion. She went on to live a normal healthy life once we got her fleas under control. And just the other day I was looking at my…
-
Gymnastics on a Horse
Gymnastics on a Horse This Aptos 13-year-old has been riding, jumping and competing since he was 4 Extreme Adventures August 2019 By Kevin Painchaud Growing up, many kids fantasize about riding a horse through the dusty streets in the old west, jumping over fences and aiming their six-shooter at bad guys. Cole Giraldo, 13, may not be wearing a cowboy hat and spurs, but he is sure living the dream of riding horses and competing at a high level. It was a hot sunny day at White Rock Ranch in Watsonville when I sat down and spent some time talking and taking photos of Cole and his horse that he…
-
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Summertime Coloring Page
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Summertime Coloring Page Send your finished pages to [email protected] or post to our Facebook page!
-
Cabrillo College Wins NASA Swarmathon: Around Town August 2019
Cabrillo College Wins NASA Swarmathon Around Town August 2019 Edges Out 23 Other Colleges and Universities in Competition’s Fourth and Final Year Cabrillo College’s Robotics Club has won the NASA Swarmathon, a nationwide autonomous robotics competition with the goal of advancing future space exploration. Cabrillo received the award at the NASA Swarmathon Workshop and Awards Ceremony held at the Kennedy Space Center June 11-13. Cabrillo has participated in the NASA Swarmathon since 2016, when it entered a field of 20 universities and colleges. Cabrillo won the virtual competition, in which participants wrote code for the rover and the code was executed in a simulator. In 2017 and 2018 the Cabrillo…
