Pregnancy & Babies

Emergencies and natural disasters – they’re not things that most of us like to think about. But when it comes to situations such as these, proper preparation and training can play a crucial role in protecting ourselves and our community.

Do you know how to put out a small fire, treat the top three medical killers, or search for and rescue victims without putting yourself in harm’s way?
 
If you answered no, you’re not alone. Many other adults don’t either.
 
The local St. Louis teens who participate in the Mid America Teen Community Emergency Response Team, however, do know how to do all of these things – and much more.

Does your child love to tell stories? Kids ages 8 to 18 who want to test their storytelling and writing ability can enter the St. Louis County Library's "Write Stuff' contest and win cash prizes. The topic is family road trips, and who doesn't have a funny story about that?

(And if your child doesn't, they can make one up! In other words, both fiction and non-fiction stories are accepted.)

The contest, part of the library system's Art @ Your Library series of events, challenges participants to write an original story beginning with this sentence, “It started out like any other family road trip...”

Entries can be truthful, fictional, funny, sad, serious, sarcastic or anything, so long as the writing is original and completed by the entrant. Winners will be chosen from three groups: ages 8-10, ages 11-14, and ages 15-18.

When it comes to education, I have a lot of – and some would say too many – opinions.

I don’t believe in homework – at least not the ridiculous amount that so many elementary-age children are given every night, often to the detriment of quality family time, extracurricular activities, and some nights even sleep.  

I’m not a fan of the current trend towards full-day kindergarten, and the belief that we have to force our children to be “smarter faster” if they’re ever going to succeed in the adult world.

I often wonder if all the rules and schedules and bells and detentions in our schools are really preparing our kids for their future – or just teaching them to fall in line and do as their told and never truly learn to think for themselves.

Most importantly, I believe that our children need more time to play, and that the current trend to limit recess time to accommodate extra academics is both misguided and irresponsible.

And while I know I’m in the minority when it comes to many of my opinions, it turns out that even the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) agrees with me on that last one.

Summer is a great time for kids and teens to explore their creative side! Laumeier Sculpture Park offers art camps that let kids create all kinds of art while enjoying some of the old-fashioned joys of summer — like hiking and swimming.
 
Because of the unique park setting at Laumeier, campers spend lots of time exploring woodland trails, the outdoor permanent collection of art and the sculpture park's changing exhibits.
 

The perfect window of opportunity for kids to start music lessons is between the ages of 3 and 10. I’m not sure if the neuroscience research holds up for composing songs during this age too, but there is definitely some anecdotal evidence of it – elementary school students Menea Vladi Kefalov and Ande Celeste Siegel of Reed Elementary School in Ladue recently won first place in the elementary song with words division of the COMP (Creating Original Music Project) contest put on by the University of Missouri-Columbia for their piece titled "War." 

You can hear the repeat winners’ performance on "Show Me St. Louis" here.