Ware Family Center May 2014 Newsletter

WFC is a Collaborative for educational Services program funded by the MA Dept of

Early Education & Care. We are open to ALL families living in Ware, Hardwick, Warren and surrounding communities with children birth through age 5.

Summer Bucket List (Have your kids add their own ideas)

1. Go Camping 2. Random Acts of Kindness 3. Wash Car in Swimsuits 4. Play Freeze Tag 5. Outdoor Movie Night 6. Paint a Canvas 7. Visit 3 Museums 8. DIY Spa Day 9. Dance in the Rain 10. Stargaze 11. Put on a Puppet Show 12. Create Sidewalk Masterpieces 13. Talent Show 14. TV Free Week/Read-athon Week 15. Paint Rocks 16. Make S’mores

17. Make Ice Cream 18. Feed Ducks 19. Watch Fireworks 20. Paper Plane Contest 21. Fly a Kite 22. Make Playdough 23. Home Depot/Lowe’s Kid Workshops 24. Backyard Campout 25. Go Bowling 26. Nature Scavenger Hunt 27. Hula Hoop Contest 28. Learn a Magic Trick 29. Plant an Herb Garden 30. Make flower necklaces 31. Playdate with friends 32. See a play

WFC is administered by the Collaborative for Educational Services and is funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.

THANK YOU! Country Bank and Mexicali for your generous donation, Tanglewood Marionette’s for your show, WHS Art Society for helping with the show, and lots of businesses along Main St for allowing us to hang our story walk and art work. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, donated snacks or supplies, and attended playgroup, we could not have had a great year without you! Thank you Lin, Laurie and our PAC members, your hard work is truly appreciated!

Next year we will be opening on Wednesday, October 1st 9:30-11:30am. We will be open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings 9:30-11:30am. We look forward to seeing lots of returning faces and many new ones. Our first PAC meeting will be Wednesday, September 24th at 9am.

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Fruit and Yogurt Parfait Ingredients 2 cups low fat plain Greek yogurt 1/3 cup honey 6 graham crackers, crushed (about ½ cup) 1 ½ cups fresh berries (any kind)

Make It: 1. In a bowl, mix yogurt and honey. 2. Layer the following in four 8oz mason jars (can use bowls or cups); ¼ cup of yogurt mixture, 1

Tbs crushed graham crackers and 6-8 berries. 3. Repeat until jar is full. Serve immediately or store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Family Message Center

(Happy Crafternoon) What you’ll need: Clothespins, fine-tip markers, self-adhesive magnets, cardboard circle cutouts, embroidery thread, scissors, tacky glue. Make It:

1. Color one side of each clothespin with a marker. Adhere a magnet to the uncolored side. 2. Draw faces on larger cardboard circles for adults in your family and medium ones for kids.

Glue them to the tops of the colored clothespin sides. 3. For hair wrap embroidery thread around your finger 8-10 times: one

finger for baby’s tuft, three for short hair, four for long hair. Cut the thread from skein and twist once in the middle. Glue onto the face at the point of the twist.

4. Add your own style. Use construction paper or scrapbook paper to add a tie for dad, a bow on mom, a dress on your kids, etc.

Town of Ware-Reed Memorial Pool 413-967-9628 Swim lesson sign ups will be held on June 7th and June 14th

Watch the Ware River News for more information

80% The number of children ages 1-3 who have too much salt in their diet, putting them at risk for high blood pressure, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research. That number rises to 90 percent for kids ages 4 and up. Switch out packaged snacks for fresh fruit, don’t add salt to meals, and drink more water.

Local Library Hours

Palmer Public Library Monday 10am-5pm Tuesday-Thursday 10am-8pm Friday 10am-2pm Saturday 10am-2pm

Museum Passes-offer reduced admission Boston Museum of Science Ecotarium - Mass Audubon Norman Rockwell Museum Old Sturbridge Village Salem Witch Museum

Merriam-Gilbert Public Library-West Brookfield Monday and Wednesday 9am-5pm Tuesday and Thursday 2-8pm Saturday 9am-12pm

Museum Passes-offer reduced admission Magic Wings - Ecotarium Worcester Art Museum Old Sturbridge Village Mystic Aquarium Massachusetts Parks Pass

Young Men’s Library Association-Ware Monday and Wednesday 1-8pm Tuesday and Thursday 10am-5pm Saturday 9am-12pm (closed July and August) Stop in and meet Miss Lindsay and see all that is happening this summer. Here is a sneak Peak:

Museum Passes-offer reduced admission Eric Carle Museum Springfield Museums USS Constitution Massachusetts State Parks Holyoke Children’s Museum Mystic Aquarium

June 23rd Summer reading registration “Fizz, Boom, Read!” June 25th at 6:30pm Mad Science: Spin, Boom, Pop Show! July 2nd at 6pm Movie Madness! July 9th at 6pm Twist, Tie, Dye! July 14th at 5:30pm The USS Constitution Museum Traveling Summer Program July 16th at 6pm The Whale Mobile at the WMS Gym July 23rd at 6:30pm Fun with Science: Dinosaurs and Fossils July 30th at 6:30pm Museum of Science: Science Magic Show at WMS Gym August 6th at 6pm Forest Park Zoo: Zoo on the Go

Summer Safety

Preventing a Sunburn- Stay out of the sun during peak hours. While these times may vary slightly depending on the season and where you live, the hours between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm should be spent indoors if at all possible Keep covered up. Floppy hats and large umbrellas work well but so do beach cover-ups. Long-sleeved cotton shirts are excellent for hiking, cycling etc; see your sports store for special brands that allow breathing as well as cover-up. Use sunscreen on any exposed areas. An SPF of 45+ is recommended it allows even the fairest skinned folks to stay out in the sun for a few hours before reapplying. Try Vaseline or chapstick on your lips. Follow the instructions on sunscreen carefully; reapply when it says to reapply or it may not work properly. Always reapply after leaving the water, as it'll have washed off. Don't forget hard-to-reach places. Don't forget to cover the backs of your knees, back of your neck, elbows and back of your ears (if you have short hair). Feet should also be included if you are wearing sandals, flip-flops or going bare-foot. Even these places can hurt a lot with sunburn. Don't lie in the sun purposefully seeking a tan. This is not only damaging to your skin but might burn you the first few times you try it at the beginning of the season. If you want to tan, do it gradually and sensibly, with short exposure and building up over time. Put a small amount of oil or sunscreen in your hair so you will avoid burning your scalp. Or cover it with a hat. Some shampoos and hair conditioners contain SPF protection. Treating a sunburn-

Apply cold compressions to your skin. If you're not in a situation where you can bathe, or you'd just prefer not to, you can instead apply cold, wet compressions to your skin. Dampen a washcloth or other piece of fabric with cold water, and lay it over the affected area for 20 to 30 minutes. Re-wet it as often as you need to. Apply aloe vera to burned skin. You can buy gels or lotions that contain aloe vera at most stores, or you can cut a chunk off the plant itself if you have one available. Using the pads of your fingers, gently apply the aloe to your sunburn. Don't "rub it in" all the way, like you might with a regular lotion. Leave it a bit goopy and moist on top of the burn, as this helps prevent the skin from drying

out and becoming more irritated. Reapply as often as necessary. Drink plenty of water. Sunburn can be dehydrating, so it's important to counterbalance this

by drinking a lot of water while you recover. Aim for 8 glasses containing 8 ounces/236ml of water each day (or even a little bit more).

Ware Family Center Summer Activities July- meet Tuesday’s at Beauregard Memorial Park (behind the town pool) Weds, July 9th meet at Quabbin for a picnic at Hank’s Meadow (use first entrance in Ware drive about 2.5 miles) Bring your lunch, ball, bubbles, etc August- meet Tuesday’s at Beauregard Memorial Park Friday, August 22nd meet at Quabbin for a picnic at Hank’s Meadow

Area Attractions

Check out: highlandstreet.org for their Free Fun Fridays program. Begins June 27th through August 29th.

Legoland Discover Center-Boston 598 Assembly Row, Somerville Child 0-2 free Child 3-12 $18 Adult $22.50 Monday-Saturday 10am – 9pm Sunday: 11am – 7pm

The New Children’s Museums-West Hartfod, CT 950 Trout Brook Drive, W. Hartford, CT Child 2-12 $13.75 Adult $14.75 Tuesday-Saturday 9am-4pm Sunday 11am-4pm Boston Duck Tours Departing from the NE Aquarium Adult $31.99 Child 3-11 $20.99 Student 12+ $25.99 Child 0-3 $10.50 Check website for Ride and Save museum discounts Look Park-Northampton 300 N. Main St, Florence Vehicle Entry $5 Mon-Fri $7 Sat-Sun June 28th Fireworks Beginning July 1st on Tuesdays children’s concert series kids $3 $adults $4 kidsbowlfree.com two free games of bowling each day per child, just pay for show rental. Check it out for a bowling center near you

Buttery Brook Park-South Hadley 123 Willimansett St, Route 33 6th Annual FREE Summer Children’s Concert Series sponsored by South Hadley Family Center July 16th, July 23rd, July 30th 10am-11am WOO Card-The Worcester Cultural Coalition's WOO Card program is designed to open the door to Worcester County's vibrant creative community! Card holders receive discounts and special offers at more than sixty area arts & cultural destinations, restaurants, retailers, hotels, transportation providers and more - throughout Worcester County, throughout the year! Playgrounds- (these have been recommended by WFC members) Spencer-near fairgrounds Spec Pond-Boston Rd, Wilbraham enter near the post office Hardwick Elementary School Belchertown school-across from police station Little Red School House, Wilbraham Burgess Elementary School, Sturbridge entrance on Cedar St