[Event] Life Is Good® Pumpkin Festival

On October 21st, tens of thousands will gather at the nation's oldest public park, the Boston Common, to break a world record (28,952 jack 'o lanterns!) and support a fantastic cause.

While pumpkins pour into the Common throughout the day and the creative carving continues, participants will enjoy good old-fashioned food and family-friendly activities like face-painting, scarecrow stuffing, magic shows, treasure hunts, a pumpkin maze, the Gargantuan Gourds Guessing Game, and four great live bands. Special guest Mayor Thomas M. Menino will be on hand for the costume parade at 3 p.m.

Proceeds to benefit Camp Sunshine.

More info can be obtained at Life Is Good®

As always, check out the "Kidding Around" calendar for more free events in and around Southern New England.

[Book] Art smart in the local library

Did you ever wonder the right way to introduce your little angel to the greatest of masters of all times, Leonardo Da Vinci, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, to name a select few. Or, the right time. Well, how about right here and right now.

A couple of months ago, I was browsing the aisles of one of my favorite places, the local public library, with one of my favorite persons, my four-year old daughter, when we struck the mother lode. We were playing our usual game of her running to a shelf and picking out a book at random, and me reading it to her. A few books later, just when I was about to call it a day, she excitedly ran over to me with a book, the cover of which was as brilliantly hued as the midday sun. The title of the book read Camille and the Sunflowers: a story about Vincent van Gogh by Laurence Anholt.

In this true story, the great painter is described through the eyes of a young boy, Camille, whom he befriends while living for a short while in Camille's village. Although a sad tale, where van Gogh is subjected to taunts and ridicule by the villagers for being different (a constantly recurring theme the world over) and Camille's lack of understanding for this animalistic behavior, at the end the message that comes through is one of tolerance, empathy, compassion. And along the way the reader is exposed to the haunting beauty of some of van Gogh's masterpieces.

A quick search through the library databases and we now had four more Laurence Anholt books about great masters at our fingertips. Leonardo and the Flying Boy, The Magical Garden of Claude Monet, Degas and the Little Dancer, and Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail. Plus, a host of other extremely interesting books.

Our literary pursuits were very well rewarded last weekend, when at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, both my daughters were excitedly running among the exhibits trying to locate a Monet or a Degas, which, I'm happy to inform, they did. Art, any one?

[Book] Five go capering ...

into my daughter's heart!

Enid Blyton, where art thou! Growing up in India, Enid Blyton was goddess amongst us 8-12 year olds. We could never ever get enough of her. And with seven-hundred plus books to her credit, we really could never ever get enough of her. I wistfully remember hours and hours of summer vacations spent devouring series after magical series of frolics and adventures and mysteries. Many of my role-models during my formative years were Blyton protagonists. Julian (Famous-Five), Barney (Barney series), Philip and Jack (Adventure series), and of course, the inimitable Frederick Algernon Trotteville, aka, Fatty (Mystery series). I would spend many a holiday attempting getting out of locked doors and writing messages in secret ink, not to mention disguising myself with a variety of nasty rags lying around the house. I don't recollect any of that ever working, but that didn't stop me from trying. And, my favorite bedtime wish was for a mystery to hit the neighborhood streets, so that I could at long last emulate my hero, the absolutely fantastic Fatty.

Fast forward - a whole bunch of years. Now, I have an eight-year old of my own, who actually enjoys reading books as much as myself. And, I do enjoy the books that she has been reading (having read every single one of them, of course). Mary Pope Osborne and the lovely Magic Tree House books, Roald Dahl and his marvellous creations, Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Johanna Hurwitz, and many many others. But, no Enid Blyton. I searched high and I searched low. Neighborhood libraries, libraries in the county, libraries around the state, libraries out of the state. Nada, zilch, naught - or something very close to it. I would find books from the middle of a series, which (I'm not embarassed to admit) I lapped up eagerly. But, I really wanted her to start reading at the very beginning, where the characters are introduced, story lines are formed, and the magic wand spins its web to pull you into a world that can only be experienced - never explained.

So, now drastic measures had to be invoked. Matters had to be taken into our own little hands. Magic, it seemed, did require a little nudge here and a little shove there. Time was relentlessly attempting to dislodge the beautiful innocence from our daughter's heart and we needed help to postpone the inevitable. And, then occured the event that I had been overtly yearning for, for many a year. Mars and Saturn had finally aligned in the constellation Sagittarius. A family vacation completed the needful and six weeks later, we are the proud possessors of 53 books written by the best children's author of all-time. These include the entire Famous Five series, the entire Mystery series, and the entire Adventure series.

I'm in seventh heaven, and so is my daughter!

[Book] Holes

Last week, my daughter's fourth-grade reading class was assigned the very highly acclaimed and just as highly decorated Louis Sachar novel, Holes. Naturally, that meant that I was all set for my late-night reading. And at the end of four very productive hours, I have to conclude that all the acclaim garnered by this book is absolutely not enough.

When Stanley Yelnats is caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, it was just another in a "series of unfortunate events" to strike the Yelnats family. Dogged by misfortune for generations due to a family curse inflicted upon his great-great-grandfather by a one-legged gypsy, Stanley, matter-of-factly, attributes his being shipped off to a juvenile correction facility - for a crime not committed - on the curse. Little does he know that the forces of the great unknown were just about to align the stars in his favor, and provide him with means to redeem not just himself, but the entire Yelnats clan. But first, he has to discover the true meaning of friendship and loyalty and trust, and the sacrifices one has to make realize them.

A word of advice. Extreme attention must be paid to seemingly insignificant details. What seems like fluff might actually be a very important cog in the grand scheme of this epic. As the story travels back and forth in time and place, plots and sub-plots, it is imperative to read every single word, line, paragraph, page, chapter of this book rather carefully.

On a side-note, before I read the book, I was a little concerned with its choice as reading material for a young fourth-grade class. And, after reading the book, I did question the appropriateness of exposing my innocent cherub to the travails of detention camps, the mindless violence that surround them, racism as it existed a century or so ago in this great country, love stories that warm the cockles of ones heart. But, the author did do a wonderful job of tempering his outpourings. And, as I now realize, my daughter is certainly much more mature and capable than I give her credit for. Has to be the 21st century!

Holes is definitely must-read for every ten-plus year old AND his or her care-givers. In fact, this book is what I would call a perfect candidate for one of those parent-child book clubs.

Rating: * * * * * * (out of 5) - no mistake here
Age: 10+

[Event] WGBH Ice Cream FunFest

Free for WGBH members.

Saturday, Sept. 16, 11am–5pm Rain or shine!
WGBH Parking Lot
WGBH, 125 Western Avenue, Allston, Mass.

The following has been taken from the WGBH website.

"""
Come for the ice cream, stay for the fun, at WGBH's Ice Cream FunFest. Live music, entertainment, kids activities, and more—even meet Curious George! It's our thanks for your support of WGBH TV and Radio all year!

The day includes asthma management with Arthur and Buster; the WGBH tent sale; and a canned goods collection for the Greater Boston Food Bank. Don't miss out!

Bring your WGBH MemberCard to receive two free admissions. WGBH Family or Kids & Family Club Members receive four free admissions.
"""

As always, check out the "Kidding Around" calendar under Links on the right for more free events in and around Southern New England.

[Event] 10th Annual Kite Festival

The following has been taken from the Narragansett RI Chamber of Commerce website (Phone: 401-783-7121)

"""
Narragansett Parks & Recreation
170 Clarke Road Narragansett RI.
401-782-0658

10th Annual Kite Festival
September 16th - 17th, 2006
Scarborough South: 970 Ocean Road, Narragansett, Rhode Island
Three Sport Kite Competitions, all sanctioned by the American Kite Fliers Association Sport Kite Competition Clinic, Fighter Kite Clinic, Kite Making Clinic for Children, Kite Making Clinic for Kite Fliers, “Open” Public Kite Fly, Kite Sales Kiosk Operated by High Flyers Flights Co., Inc.
"""

[Book] Blue Jasmine

How about a first-generation immigrant experience for a change. Meet twelve-year-old Seema Trivedi. Born and brought up in small town, India. Living with her grandparents and cousins in their ancestral home. Looking forward to a fun-filled, post-fifth-grade summer vacation with cousin and best friend, Raju. And then a bombshell in the form of a letter, when Dr. Davis from Iowa City, USA, invites her father to join him for research.

Busy with preparations for the imminent departure, Seema receives an unexpected parting gift from an underpriviledged, oft picked-on classmate, Mukta. A chance encounter between the two serves as an eye-opener for Seema. As Seema struggles to establish her identity in the strange, sometimes scary, surroundings, she begins to empathize with Mukta. The circle completes when the "hunter becomes the hunted".

People come in different shapes, sizes, and, colors, but the qualities that matter most are within ourselves. The relationships that we build, whether or not it be with people who share our blood or skin color or language, are ultimately what make this journey of ours worth cherishing. Blue Jasmine by Kashmira Sheth, winner of the inaugural Paul Zindel First Book award, does a wonderful job of driving home this point.

Rating: * * * * (out of 5)
Age: 8+

[Event] Wachusett Mountain Kidsfest

September 23 and 24 promises to be an interesting weekend at the 16th annual Wachusetts Mountain Kidfest. Events include music, food, jugglers, magicians, balloon artists, clowns, pony rides, stunt teams, kid's games, moon bounces.

Tickets are slightly cheaper if bought online in advance. For an additional charge, you can ride up slopes in the "skyride". Hopefully, the fall foliage will be near or at its peak!

Also, for an additional charge, float into the air on a tethered Hot Air Balloon! Wish it was untethered, though.

More information can be obtained here.

[Event] Pawtucket Art Festival

A couple more days for the Pawtucket Art Festival to begin. The festival will be inaugurated on the 24th with Bob Dylan and his band performing at McCoy Stadium and will culminate on September 30th. Days in between are peppered with excellent performances, many of which are free to the public. A couple of kid-friendly events would be the "Dragonboat Races" on Saturday, September 9th and the "Slater Mill Family Fun Fest" on Sunday, September 10th. The All-Childrens-Theater performance on sunday is a definite must-see. More details of this and the other events are avaliable at the festival web-site.

[Book] The Sunita Experiment

Another genre of books that has caught my fascination is the description of immigrant experiences, especially from India. Big surprise! There are a bunch of books that I have read in the last couple of months (which I shall write about subsequently). Today, though, I would like to focus on a book that is way to close to home. The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen, by Mitali Perkins, (originally released as The Sunita Experiment) describes the coming of age of the thirteen year old protagonist. Growing up in a suburb of San Francisco; older siblings, Geetie and AJ, at Berkeley and Stanford, respectively; Liz, a friend to kill for; and a crush on Michael, the most handsome boy in school. Nary a cloud across her eight-grade horizon. Or so it seemed.

Teenage years are seldom easy. What with a fierce battle being waged between the frenetically firing neurons and the stubbornly coercive hormones, the last thing a teenager needs is the slightest indication that she may not conform to the "standards" of her peers. In Sunita's case, the other shoe drops when, post summer vacation, her grandparents from India come on a year-long visit. All of a sudden, a spanner is bunged in her carefree American lifestyle. Much to her consternation, her mother, on a year-long sabbatical from her teaching job (coincidence ?!), trades her western accoutrements for a saree and a bindi. Everyday is a ritual of cooking and cleaning and serving her Dadu and Didu. Boys are banned from the house, causing a misunderstanding between Michael and herself. And good ol' Sunni (of the sunny disposition) transforms into a terrible teenager. The "Indian-ness" of her family becomes a source of embarassment for her, and she starts distancing herself, from the world and from her own self. But, on her road of life, she discovers unexpected allies who enable her to realise the strength in her uniqueness, and to use that strength to overcome her insecurities.

The flow of this wonderful narrative sweeps the reader along for the topsy-turvy, twisty-turny ride, to vicariously (re)live the joys and pains of the teenage years. I can hardly wait for the time when I can place this book in the capable hands of my eight-year-old and hope she can take as much away from it as I did.

Rating: * * * * * * (out of 5) - No mistake here
Age: 12+

[Book] Genius Games

Lately, I have been reading a lot of books supposedly meant for pre-teens and young adults. The original purpose was to screen the material for my eight-year-old daughter. But somewhere along the way, I realised that I was actually enjoying these books. Many of these books deal with "simple" facts of life, like compassion, empathy, peer-pressure, envy, fear of the known or the unknown. Facts that can easily be scaled for age. We push our children to excel in studies, sports, arts, music. But are we making an effort to sow the seeds of compassion and empathy. How does one teach a child to place himself or herself in another person's shoes, to try and feel their pleasures, pains, fears, sorrows. If, and this is a big if, you had a choice between having a child with an IQ breaking the sound barrier, and a child who would give the Buddha a run for his money, which one would you choose? Hopefully, middle grounds are not getting too old-fashioned.

Loosely along these lines is a book I recently read called Genius Games by Narinder Dhami (of the Bend it like Beckham fame - she novelized the movie). The basic plot of the story involves sixth-grader Jack and his little sister, Annie, a kindergartener. Although abandoned by their father ten months after the birth of Annie, Jack had managed to overcome his anger, pull himself together, and carry on with his life. Things were just fine and dandy for him, except for one single thing that kept tugging at his heart strings. Annie was a child prodigy. Bilingual (having taught herself Spanish) with a fascination for Shakespeare and the Financial Times, she knew just the right combination of buttons to get Jack's hair all atizzy. Not exactly the right atmosphere for fostering compassion and empathy. Also, a penchant for lecturing her peers on the workings of the solar system, had left her quite without any friends. I guess, no matter what your age, being different is hardly the easiest condition to live with. Do we fear people who are different? Do we believe that their condition is contagious? This got me seriously thinking about my own prejudices.

Anyway back to the book. To counter her loneliness, Annie invents (or so Jack thinks) an imaginary playmate, Sarah Slade, a time-traveler from the twenty-fifth century, visiting the twenty-first century to research for a school project! Was this one of Annie's famous mind games designed solely to push Jack over the brink, or was it closer to home than that? Will this cosmic stranger teach Jack to love and accept his sister for what she is, or would she make matters worse? Can Jack place himself in Annie's shoes and feel her loneliness and despair? At the end, one can only admire the immerse potential of the human brain. We take so many things for granted that sometimes we can hardly see the "wood for the trees". Maybe (hopefully), it is still not to late for me to overcome my prejudices.

And if you want to know how the book ends, of course, you will have to read it for yourself.

Rating: * * * * * (out of 5)
Age: 10+

Nothing in this world comes for free, or does it?

Imagine a world where doors are opened wide to welcome children, to stimulate and entertain their young, impressionable minds, to exercise their growing bodies and spirits, and not charge a cent for it. No Kidding! Welcome to "Kidding Around", where we shall talk about such a world and reap its fruits of merriment. From museums to street shows, from story-tellers to daredevil performers, join us as we journey through the very busy thoroughfares of South-Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, without burning a hole in our wallets.

First post

Hello World!