Individuals and teams vie for honors

By Tammy DiDomenico

Student athletes can find many ways to pursue the thrill of competition. But those looking for a challenge of the more cerebral nature are also finding ways to compete, and let their academic achievements shine.

 

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Sights abound along Routes 5 and 20

By Lorraine Smorol

Families looking for a day’s getaway have a lot of choices not far from Central New York. The New York State Thruway is the most obvious route for speed. Large sections of the toll roadway were opened throughout 1954 and made traveling from New York City to Buffalo and places in between much quicker.

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Jets training camp is fun for fans and non-fans, too

By Aaron Gifford

Upward of 50,000 people are expected to descend on the SUNY Cortland campus soon for the New York Jets’ preseason training camp, and many of them won’t be serious football fans.

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Upstate water parks are just a short drive away

By Eileen Gilligan

Nothing beats a day at the beach—except maybe a day at a water park, especially if you’re a kid.

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Get ready for a family picnic!

By Sami Arseculeratne Martinez

Summertime is the best time for a picnic, but the essentials of this casual, usually outdoors, meal can bring magic to any old day. Start with easy-to-eat treats you’ve prepared ahead and throw down a blanket or quilt. Spend time sitting cross-legged and nibbling healthy foods with your kids and let the fun begin!

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Children with special needs find ways to connect

By Tammy DiDomenico

When Beth Wagner learned that her son Jaden would be born with spina bifida, a developmental problem of the spine, she and her husband wrestled with many questions about challenges he could face—including how Jaden would make friends.

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Teens invest serious time and money in a prom dress

By Eileen Gilligan

Hours spent planning, shopping, dressing and prepping result in a glamorous evening, which lasts just a few hours. Is it a wedding? No, it’s the high school prom.

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Dojos mix values with physical training

By Sami Arseculeratne Martinez

When parents seek an organized sport for their child, they may overlook one of the oldest forms of physical and mental conditioning: the martial arts. Developed to increase fighting skills, the martial arts also promote self-discipline and self-confidence. Other benefits include improved concentration and respect for elders, which carry through to all aspects of life.

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How three couples sustain their relationships

By Tammy DiDomenico

We’ve all heard the advice: Parents need to make time for their relationship. But so often the rigor, stress and, yes, boredom of daily life conspire to extinguish marital romance.

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Meditation helps rest the mind, body and spirit

By Sami Arseculeratne Martinez

Stacey Smith offers a journey toward achieving inner calm with four simple words: stop, calm, rest and heal.

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Top Books, Music, Software, Video Games and More

Pull out your holiday shopping lists! In Part 2 of our 2009 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Gold Award-Winners’ coverage, we proudly present our judges’, parent testers’ and children’s top picks for books, music, Web sites and video games. Our experts have selected the best from more than 1,000 products to help you find the right gifts for holiday fun and throughout the year.

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Top Toys, Games, DVDs and Story CDs for All Ages

Jump-start your holiday shopping with these winners from the 2009 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) competition. With 19 years of experience selecting the top children’s products, NAPPA’s team of expert judges—with help from parent and child testers—present you with their top picks, setting the gold standard in children’s learning and entertainment.

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Holiday’s reach expands as popularity grows

By Eileen Gilligan

How could ringing doorbells and nabbing free candy get any better? But over the years, Halloween and trick-or-treating have grown into a multi-event annual institution with all kinds of associated traditions.

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Tailoring the classroom to how children learn best

By Tammy DiDomenico

As September looms, 5- and 6-year-olds are picking out backpacks and looking forward to their first days in elementary school. Their parents, if this is their first child in kindergarten, may be wrestling with a variety of emotions and expectations.

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State Fair showcases ‘mini’ performers

By Kevin Corbett

On a warm, sunny August morning, the grassy yard in front of the Youth Building on the grounds of the New York State Fair had been transformed into a tent city. Young performers and their families arrived early to pitch the makeshift dressing rooms to allow the kids to don their costumes and apply makeup to their faces. Nearby dance students limbered up, singers tested their vocal cords and parents offered last-minute advice.

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Think about simple hiking essentials before hitting the trails

By Sami Arseculeratne Martinez

Hiking can be an adventure for kids of all ages. The earlier you expose your children to the great outdoors, the more likely they’ll grow up to enjoy it. Because it can be done in nearly any natural setting, and requires simple gear, hiking makes a wonderful family outing that can become more challenging as your children get older.

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Frozen treats lure families to Central New York shops

By Tammy DiDomenico

Ice cream may not exactly be the fountain of youth, but don’t tell Vic Johnson, the affable co-owner of Skanellus Drive-In in Skaneateles. Johnson is often seen behind the grill during the spring and summer months, slinging burgers. But when the evening rush is over, he often treats himself to another one of the house staples: a classic hot fudge sundae.

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Parents of special needs children find help, hope and support

By Tammy DiDomenico

Roberta Abreu did everything by the book when it came to her pregnancy—which made the sonogram images of her son, Lucas, that much more difficult to bear.

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Young CNY musicians plunge 
into the classical world

By Tammy DiDomenico
The halls at Eagle Hill Middle School in Manlius are mostly quiet on Sunday afternoons. But for a few hours each week, a walk toward the auditorium yields the sweetly unexpected: swelling strings, pulsing horns, snapping snare drums. 

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Sports camps stress fun, skills and exercise in a safe environment

By Merrilee Witherell

What can parents expect when they choose a sports camp for their child? It depends on the camp.

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Find fun both indoors and out

By Eileen Gilligan

I’ll only do this ‘til spring!” my son shouts as he whizzes by on the scooter we gave him for Christmas. “Annie got to ride hers in the house last year, remember?” No, we had forgotten that bit of family history until the new scooter was unwrapped on Christmas morning.

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Sleepless nights plague parents, but experts suggest coping strategies

By Josh Blair

Last July, Amy Tetta was living the dream of every parent of a newborn: Her 3-month-old daughter was finally sleeping, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night.

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67 More Award-Winners Kids Will Love

In Part 2 of the 2008 NAPPA Gold Award-winners’ coverage, we highlight outstanding books, music, and software and video games for kids. Our expert judges and kid testers have made it easy for you to find the right gifts for the children in your life this holiday season and all year-round.

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50 Award-Winners Kids Will Love

Just in time for holiday giving, the National Parenting Publications Awards bring you the best gift ideas for children. For the past 18 years, NAPPA has set the gold standard in evaluating children’s products, with its team of expert judges and family testers highlighting the cream of the crop in children’s entertainment and learning.

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Farms and festivals celebrate harvest with an abundance of attractions

By Sami Arseculeratne Martinez

The time of harvest is celebrated in nearly every culture as the culmination of the growing season, a time of sharing bounty and reveling in the spirit of fun and relaxation that follows. These days, of course, fewer families make their living off the land, but Central New York’s rural roots still run deep.

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Male elementary-level teachers face challenges and satisfactions of minority status

By Tammy DiDomenico

A funny thing happened at Enders Road Elementary in Manlius in June 2007. Classes were wrapping up for the year, and Vincent Pillari Jr. was saying goodbye to his fourth-grade students—his first class as an elementary school teacher. By the time the afternoon was over, he was in tears. “Actually, the whole class got crying,” Pillari recalls. “It was surreal.”

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What’s essential for a new baby depends on the infant, and the family

By Tammy DiDomenico

Rebecca Walch is standing in the middle of her garage, and she is not happy. Sure, she has a comfortable house and more than enough yard for her growing family to run and play on for many summers to come. But the garage … the garage has become impossible to navigate. It’s not the family van or her husband’s truck that’s taking up all the room—it’s the mountains of baby stuff. You name it, she’s got it: toys, strollers, an old bassinet, a couple of high chairs, boxes of clothes, and more toys. All of it is for one person: her daughter Emily, age 1 year.

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State Fair’s Youth Building showcases big projects—and little animals

By Kevin Corbett

At the New York State Fair you’re sure to sniff the finest roses, sip the classiest wines and gaze upon the most handsome livestock, but make sure to also tour the Youth Building, where you’re certain to be impressed by young people at their poised and polished best.

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Teaching children the ways of the kitchen yields edible benefits.

By Eileen Gilligan

Q: How long does it take to make cookies with your kids?

A: About 20 minutes longer than it does to make them yourself.

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Stay-at-home fathers show one way to get more involved with children

By Josh Blair

For the four Glowaki kids, their daily routine is much like that of other children: wake up, eat breakfast, get ready, go to school, come home, do homework, play, eat dinner and go to bed. But one aspect of their routine differs from that of their peers: Every day, the four kids—Errol, 12, Tyler, 9, Grace, 7, and Essex, 5—come home to Dad. Their father, Rick, a 42-year-old Syracuse resident, handles all of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, homework help and other chores associated with staying home all day.

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CNY Little League Upholds high standards for sportsmanship

By Josh Blair

Forget the stories you might have seen on the nightly news about parents involved in bleacher brawls—Little League in Central New York is a class act sport.

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Adding a dog to your family changes your life, so be prepared

By Merilee Witherell

I love dogs. My husband loves dogs. Yet we have had trouble convincing our many canine-less friends to add a dog to their families. Paramount among their concerns are time, money and integrating a dog into their children’s lives.

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Is your child ready for a residential summer camp?

By Sami Arseculeratne Martinez

Summer camp may be one of the few experiences children have that take them back to nature and a simpler way of life, away from cell phones, Game Boys and Webkinz.

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An Insider's Guide to the Strong Museum of Play

By Jackie Wiegand

If you live in Central New York and have children, a trip to the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester should land at the top of your must-do list, especially during these long, bleak winter months.

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Three CNY schools strive to serve healthful fare

By Jackie Wiegand

If your image of a typical school lunch includes pizza drowning in high-fat cheese or a leathery slice of mystery meat, think again. More and more school districts in Central New York are pushing fruits, vegetables and other healthy choices in hopes of stemming the rise in childhood obesity and improving lifelong eating habits.

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CNY artisans make gifts from the heart

By Eileen Gilligan

Joy. That’s what the artists interviewed for this article on holiday gifts express in their words, and even more importantly, in their creations.

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Expectant parents take classes to get ready for labor, delivery and beyond

By Tammy DiDomenico

Today's expectant parents are undoubtedly the most informed of any generation. Doctors provide packets of facts and figures; books offer details about labor and delivery; magazines for pregnant women abound; baby-themed television shows depict the big event; and now there are numerous online sources for parents-to-be.

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Students must tackle harder challenges as they leave elementary school

By Tammy DiDomenico  

Thousands of parents across Onondaga County will watch their kids head to a different school this fall: middle school.

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Well-baby visit sets a standard for health

By Gina Roberts-Grey

The cornerstone in the foundation of your baby's health is the well-child visit. This regular checkup gives you a chance to discuss your child's physical, emotional, social and developmental health with her physician.

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Letterboxing gets families out and about

By Gina Roberts-Grey

Imagine an alternative to a summer filled with video games and cries of “I’m bored.” Picture a hobby that uses secret messages to spark exploration of some of Central New York’s most scenic locations. Now imagine this activity gets your family to stretch their legs and their minds at the same time.

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Teen jazz musicians are revitalizing the Central New York scene

By Nathan Turk

The plane wouldn’t arrive for hours. Jim Spadafore had plenty of time to reflect as he waited in the Los Angeles airport for the connecting flight home. Four of his junior and senior Liverpool High School students had just taken second place at the March 28 Monterey Jazz Festival. It was an awesome accomplishment for kids 2,000 miles away from their home turf, competing against big-name programs. (They lost to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, but narrowly.) Soon they’d come home to some local press and walk through the school hallways with heads held a little higher.

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Area clubs encourage children to discover the joy of running

By Jackie Wiegand

Two years ago, an 8-year-old boy from Manlius maneuvered through the crowds at the Philadelphia Marathon and proudly watched his father complete the 26.2-mile race.

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Teens can jump-start their careers with summer camp counselor jobs

By Gina Roberts-Grey

Many teens would like to find a summer job, but they don’t know what’s out there for them.

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Celebrate Black History Month by making stops on the Underground Railroad

By Eileen Gilligan

Children and parents can explore many of the nearly 30 sites identified as part of the Underground Railroad in Central New York during Black History Month and throughout the year. Visitors who retrace the steps of runaway slaves and tour the homes where ordinary citizens kept the slaves hidden learn how important Central New York was to the Underground Railroad.

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Girls who get a new vaccine could be protected against cervical cancer

By Tammy DiDomenico

When Michelle took her 8-year-old daughter for the girl’s annual physical in November, she expected all the usual procedures: a review of vaccinations, measurements of height and weight, and, of course, instructions to come back for a flu shot. She wasn’t prepared to talk to the doctor about a vaccine for a sexually transmitted virus.

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Local entrepreneurs make and sell distinctive items for those on your list

By Eileen Gilligan

Creative, handmade gifts for the holidays can be found among some of our Central New York neighbors—not at their yard sales, but at their shops, studios and craft fairs. Check out creations and wares from the following locally owned businesses—just in time to avoid the crowds of shoppers at the malls while supporting some out-of-the-ordinary CNY enterprises.

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Enjoy outdoor adventures in your own back yard

By Sami Martinez Arseculeratne

Imagine you’re out under the stars, crickets chirping softly while you roast hot dogs over an open fire. A cozy tent is already made up with warm sleeping bags, and your gear is stowed away from the dewy night air. After dinner, the kids gather ’round to toast marshmallows and enjoy a cup of cocoa. Suddenly, you hear a noise and point your flashlight in that direction.

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New trend in prenatal care is support-group setting

By Gina Roberts-Grey

Moms-to-be in Syracuse now have the opportunity to take part in a new prenatal care trend. Headed by nurse educator and facilitator Genie Rotundo, Syracuse’s Dr. Cathy J. Berry and Associates offers expectant mothers the opportunity to receive traditional individualized prenatal care as well the chance to participate in a “centering” pregnancy group.

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Children work body and mind with local classes

By Cara O’Brien

They sprawl across the floor; one child rests his head on the next child’s stomach, the next child’s head on the next stomach. They agreeably build a chain of little sweatpants-clad bodies.

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