Homegrown Happy Valley

Hundreds of children wandering around Allen Street in the 90-degree heat? That’s the Children & Youth Day Sidewalk Sale at Arts Fest. Take a look at our genius locals and their creations for this year.

Will work for dog. Tasha Burman, a participant for the third year, works with wire and glass beads, eschewing plastic. Her passion for making all kinds of jewelry began about five years ago; now she can create a pair of earrings in the time it takes to finish a bowl of cereal. Tasha, 13, is even working on a business plan. For now her skills are earning her money toward a pet dog. 

Soon you won’t have to leave home to take your child to a museum. Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania is moving into 112 West Foster Avenue, where it’s leasing 4,200 square feet for a hands-on children’s museum—complete with a garden! More details about the museum will be announced at a benefit this Saturday at the Gingerbread Man.

With a focus on learning through play, the museum aims to leave children with a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. Carla Zembal-Saul, a Discovery Space board member and PSU professor in science education, gives us the scoop on the museum’s new home.

Once upon a time there were two hens.

The first is Battery Hen. “I live in a cage so small I cannot stretch my wings,” writes Karen Davis, President of United Poultry Concerns in Thinking Like a Chicken: Farm Animals and the Feminine Connection. “I am forced to stand night and day on a sloping wire mesh floor that painfully cuts into my feet.”

My daughter is fearless when it comes to most everything.  And that makes me incredibly fearful.

With the summer months (hopefully) arriving soon, my biggest source of concern is the water.  Whether it’s Spring Creek, our neighborhood pool or even the deep end of the bath tub, safety is my priority.

So I’m pretty excited about  Infant Swim Resource (ISR), which is new to State College.  Kristen Stahl Sharp, with the help of a local family that has been impacted by the tragic drowning of a child, decided that this area could use the service and skills ISR provides. Sharp and ISR Master Instructor Tanja Bacigalupi are teaching children life-saving skills to use if they fall into water without an adult around to save them.

Gary Landon, owner of Roly Poly (107 E. Beaver Ave.), has stopped making donations to non-profits. The small business owner simply can’t afford to be charitable in the midst of the economic crunch.  

 THON, however, is the exception. And the reason is very personal. 

One evening in December 1996, Landon’s wife rear-ended another car after skidding on ice. After Gary’s five-year-old stepson, Nate, began experiencing severe stomach pains, he was rushed to Mount Nittany Medical Center. Apparently, the seat belt had punctured Nate’s colon during the crash. The doctors repaired his colon, but discovered a small tumor during the surgery. Within a few days specialists diagnosed neuro-blastoma, a common childhood cancer. 

If your summer camp memories include putting up with snoring bunkmates, running endless laps in the sweltering heat, or singing kumbaiyah for the hundredth time, do your kid a favor and give her something different. Even though my daughter is a few years away from attending summer camp, I’m researching options now so I won’t have to read about it on her blog later.

Paying attention to fun alternatives to the more traditional summer camps, I discovered some local options that incorporate fun and education, not to mention an artistic flair and a pinch of something unique.  These are all offered at area venues and started by locals looking to spread their love of art, music or cooking to a younger set. Last time we checked, there were still slots available. 

The other day my 4-year-old son spotted a rabbit in our backyard and asked for a carrot to feed it.

“We don’t have any,” I told him.

“Just make one,” he said, using that “duh, mom” inflection common in 4-year-old speak.

Clearly he has a lot to learn about food.