28th Annual Greek Food Festival  May 18- May 20 Sample delicious food and learn more about Greek culture! Call  501-221-5300 or send an email to info@greenfoodfest.com.  You can also visit them online:  www.greekfoodfest.com

From Here to Timbuktu: A Journey Through West Africa.  Opens Saturday and continues on through the weekend.  This new interactive exhibit opens Saturday! Opening day activities will include musical performances, crafts, games, and refreshments beginning at 11a.m. For more information visit mosaictemplars.com or call 501-683-3593.

Alaadin, a Storybook Ballet.  Show times include Friday: 7:30 PM, Saturday 2:00 and 7:30 PM and Sunday 2:00 PM  For more information call 501-227-5320 or email info@arkansasdance.org.  More information can also be found online at www.arkansasdance.org.

Sponsored by the Coleman Company and the National Wildlife Federation, the campout is part of thee larger “Be Out There” movement, which is designed to provide tools that inspire parents and children to spend time in the outdoors.  We know that time spent outside can reduce childhood obesity, and this larger campaign will introduce creative and fun ways to engage families in active and outdoor hobbies.  Spending time in your own backyard is a great place to start!   To help families, Coleman and their retail partners are providing high-quality, easy-to-use gear that can help families get started camping.

The event is also a fundraising opportunity for the National Wildlife Federation, helping to raise funds to support their programs.  WF uses 80 cents of every dollar you raise in the Great American Backyard Campout® to support programs that address the problems of America’s indoor childhood and the health risks associated with them.

The event will take place June 23rd in your own backyard, a park, or even your balcony.  And don’t forget to register because by registering you’ll have the opportunity to raise money for programs help connect kids to the great outdoors plus you can become eligible for Great American Backyard Campout t-shirts and more!  You can also personalize your page, adding photos and much more.   To register go here. 

For more information visit the Great American Backyard Campout by clicking here.

From All Recipes.com

Looking for an easy cookie that’s not too loaded with sugar?  These molasses cookies from All Recipes.com are simple, quick, and perfect for summer snacking!  What’s especially nice is the way they’ll your kitchen with welcoming aromas.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup margarine, melted
• 1 cup white sugar  (I’ve tried substituting honey but be sure and add a teaspoon of baking powder keep the texture thick)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted margarine, 1 cup sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger; blend into the molasses mixture. Cover, and chill dough for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Roll dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until tops are cracked. Cool on wire racks.

What’s your favorite summer cookie recipe?  Let us know and we might include it on the blog!

To show your support of this wonderful organization next weekend you can take part in the Easter Seals Rock Run in downtown Little Rock!  Originally called the “River Run”, this race was the highlight of Grand Prix Series from 1983 until 2002. The race was recently revived by the Arkansas RRCA and Easter Seals of Arkansas for the 2010 season and continues today!

Here’s the description of the race from Easter Seals:  Overall, the Rock Run 8K is a flat and fast course with very few turns. The race starts on Rebsamen Road next to Murray Park. The course begins by traveling east on Rebsamen, then turning onto the Arkansas River Trail after nearly a half mile. The route continues west on the River Trail, heading under the Big Dam Bridge to encounter a very gradual uphill section to reach the 2nd mile marker. This is followed by a gradual downhill section to the bridge over Jimmerson Creek. Coming off the bridge, the course enters a long, flat stretch of the Arkansas River Trail. The course soon reaches its turnaround point just after mile 3 and retraces the route back to Murray Park to reach the finish line.

To register for the race click here.

Today’s book, The Goat Woman of Smackover,  by Ramona Smith, is an Arkansas original.  The author’s wonderful and quirky illustrations tell the story of Salome Millar Myers, an ex-Barnum and Bailey circus performer who made her home in Smackover where she lived with her husband in a circus carriage and raised goats. Her eccentric ways charmed both children and adults alike.

You can order the book online via Amazon or find it in several Arkansas book stores.

Tell us about your favorite Arkansas-themed children’s books!

51st Young Arkansas Artists at the Arkansas Arts Center.   This annual children’s art exhibition showcases artwork by students in kindergarten through 12th grade from across the state.  Through May 27.  Click here for more information.

Bug Out! at the Discovery Museum! Have you ever seen an Arkansas tarantula? Discover the world of anthropods and learn all about rare and endangered insect species, both native to Arkansas and not.  Click here to learn more.  Show times are on May 10^th & 11^th at 10am & 12pm & 2pm.  Shows on May 12^thare 11:30am & 1pm & 3pm.

39th annual Territorial Fair at the Historic Arkansas Museum.   Celebrate history with music, dancing, games and crafts. At the 1850s Log House Farmstead, there will be Dutch oven cooking, quilting, blacksmithing and other 19th-century demonstrations. The Arkansas Country Dance Society will lead willing visitors in traditional dances. Children will be able to enjoy stilts, hoop-rolling and pioneer table games.  May 12  10 a.m. – 4 p.m.  For more information, call 324-935 or visit them online by clicking here.

Mother’s Day Events: 

Julia Ward Howe.

This Sunday lucky mothers around the U.S. will receive cards, gifts and tokens of appreciation from their families.  These days the holiday is seen as time to lavish mom with praise and presents, helping to affirm her role in the family and the community.  The two women responsible for Mother’s Day, Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis, had something different in mind when they first suggested the yearly celebration.   As you prepare to honor your own mothers, and have others honor you, here’s a little bit of back story about how this holiday came to be.

The concept of Mother’s Day can be traced back to the Greeks and Romans who both celebrated annual spring festivals honoring motherhood and fertility.  But here in the U.S. the holiday began in 1872 with an activist named Julia Ward Howe who suggested the second Monday in May as a time to honor not only mothers, but mothers as voices of peace for the nation. She called it “Mother’s Peace Day” and claimed mother’s had a “sacred right” to protect the lives of their sons, and other women’s sons, from the destruction of war.   Her Mother’s Day Proclamation is an appeal to all women to denounce fighting.  From the Proclamation:

We women of one country will be too tender of those of another
country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From
the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says “Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance
of justice.”  (Read the proclimation in its entirety here)

Later in 1907, Anna Jarvis, the daughter of the late Ann Jarvis who was also a peace and worker’s advocate, wanted to honor her mother’s legacy and suggested services to honor all mothers, passing out white carnations to attendees.  The holiday soon caught on, first in Jarvis’s home of West Virginia and then moving to other states.  Anna Jarvis became increasingly disturbed by the materialistic influences upon the holiday

To read more about the holiday, you can check out a photo essay on MSNBC by clicking here. Click here to learn more about Ann Jarvis, Anna Jarvis’s mother.

Image from Hearth song, children's clothing store.

As the days grow warmer and the summer months approach, kids are spending more and more time outside.  This is wonderful, of course, but parents need to make sure their child’s skin is protected.  It doesn’t take long for a sunburn to develop on a child’s extra sensitive skin.  Not only are burns painful, they can also greatly increase the chances of melanoma later in life.  The good news is, it’s easy to keep sunburns at bay.

Here are just a few pointers drawn from WebMd and the American Cancer Society:

* Always have your child wear sunscreen, even if they’re only outside for short periods of time.  Apply 15-20 mins before going outside and, if you’re spending the day outside, reapply every two hours.

* Choose a sunscreen that is not chemically-based.  Instead, choose a sunscreen that contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.  This compound is less irritating and does not soak into the skin as others do.  This is considered to be the safest option, even though chemically based sunscreens are FDA approved.

* For older children, you can make a game of remembering to put on sunscreen.  WebMD suggests teaching your child to spell BEENS to help you remember to cover often-forgotten spots: Back of knees, Ears, Eye area, Neck, and Scalp.

* Wear a hat.  Most children love trying on hats and playing dress up, so make it a fun game.  Allow them to pick out their hat and make sure it has a wide enough brim to shield their face.

* Wear sunglasses.  As with hats, children love picking out a pair of glasses.  Especially if they have fun graphics on the side!

* In the hot afternoons, keep sensitive areas clothed.  If you can see through the fabric the sun can also get through.  Dark, woven fabrics are best.

In the event your child does get a sunburn, here are some suggestions from WedMd:

• Place a cool compress to the sunburn.
• Apply aloe gel to the burned skin. Try placing the aloe in the fridge for a few minutes first before using.
• Give acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Check with your doctor for the correct dose.
• Give your child plenty of fluids.

Do not use over-the-counter pain relieving products containing benzocaine on sun-burned skin. (These are called topical anesthetics.) They can often make the pain worse, and some people are allergic to the ingredient.

If your child feels or looks ill, spikes a fever, or has blisters, seek medical attention.

For many children in Arkansas, summer means week-long camps, vacations, and time with friends.  But many children  spend their summer vacation hungry.  Childhood hunger is especially a large concern during the summer months when students are not attending school and thus do not have access to cafeteria meals.

Food banks and local food pantries that provide emergency food assistance rely heavily on the generosity of Arkansans, including people like you.  To help stock food banks for the summer, every year more than 200,000 members of the National Association of Letter Carriers will collect food that will feed millions of Americans struggling with hunger.

The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance is partnering with national sponsors as well as food banks across the state in promoting the 20^th anniversary of the Stamp Out Hunger national food drive.  You can support this year’s drive on Saturday, May 12^th by placing canned goods and non-perishable food items where your letter carrier picks up the mail.

In 2011, American’s donated more than 70 million pounds of food during this one-day drive. The Alliance is hoping to donate even more this year.!  Your donation can make a huge difference in a young person’s life.  For more information visit www.stampouthunger.com.

Flat Head Catfish

Is your child interested in learning how to fish?  If so, you don’t want to miss this excellent opportunity!

The John Gould Fletcher Library and the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission will hold a two-part Beginner’s Fishing Clinic on Thursday, May 17, at 6 p.m. at the Fletcher Library, and Saturday, May 19, at 9 a.m. at War Memorial pond for children ages 15 years and under.

At the clinic’s first session, an AG&FC biologist will teach participants about gear, bait, rigging, fish handling, and AG&FC pond locations. The first forty children who attend the clinic’s first session will receive a coupon for a free fishing rod and reel, which can be redeemed at the May 19 session. At the clinic’s second session, participants will be able to fish in War Memorial pond and receive advice from an AG&FC biologist on fish handling.  To receive the rod and reel, participants must attend both sessions of the clinic.  For more information on the fishing event, call Fletcher Library at 663-5457 or visit www.cals.org.