Y Family Newsletter
Spring 2010
Message from the DirectorHappy Spring! In the last two weeks, I’ve heard spring peepers and red-winged blackbirds singing. I’ve also noticed flowers blooming and birds starting to nest. Speaking of nesting, I am happy to be expanding my own family with a baby due in May. I can’t wait to sign him up for his first YMCA class! I hope this spring brings the blessings of health and happiness to you and your family, too. Warm regards,
Stacia Judd
Director of Family Programs PS. There are still openings in many of our YMCA summer camp programs. Don’t miss the chance for an open spot. Check out our full camp brochure at www.gbymca.org Active Family Fun
Vermont is a beautiful state with many opportunities to go hiking. While hiking as an adult is a fun activity bringing children along can be a bit challenging. With preparation and a positive attitude hiking can be a fun experience for the whole family! Here are some tips to make a family hike enjoyable for all:
• Start out with short hikes to slowly build up endurance. Don’t expect children to be able to go as fast or as far as adult can on their first hike.
• Be prepared to stop often. Children love to touch things and explore their surroundings.
• Bring plenty of water and snacks. Adults and children need fuel to keep going!
• Make sure children have proper footwear and that they wear socks. Hiking with blisters or sore feet isn’t fun for anyone!
• Bring a small first aid kit. These are great to have just in case!
• Make the hike an adventure. Encourage your child to use their imagination. Are you explorers? Have you been sent on a special mission?
• If you have older children. Have them do a scavenger hunt. Prepare a list of items ahead of time that they may see. You could also bring along a digital camera and do a photo scavenger hunt!
Vermont has been blessed with an early spring so it is time to get out there and start hiking! Happy hiking!!
Easy & Healthy Family Recipe: Moroccan Stewed Chicken
Classic Moroccan chicken usually takes hours upon hours to cook. Here is a shortcut recipe that will deliver moist delicious chicken with deep complex flavors. Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients:
1 lb. bone in or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large zucchini, cut into small cubes
1 Can (16 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained
1 Can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, liquid reserved
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Cup chicken stock
2-4 Tbsp raisins (golden preferred, but any will do)
½ Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt (more to taste)
½ tsp fresh ground pepper (more to taste)
1/8 to ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp toasted pine nuts
1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or wide pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, place chicken in pan in a single layer, and cook for 2 to three minutes on each side. Remove the chicken and add zucchini to pan, and cook until they start to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Return chicken back to pan. Add garbanzo beans, chicken stock, tomatoes, cumin, raisins and cinnamon. Turn the heat to low and continue to cook until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Season to taste with more salt and pepper and garnish with chopped cilantro and pine nuts.
Serve over couscous or brown rice. Family Craft Corner: Button Flowers
Anxious for spring flowers to bloom? Here’s an easy craft for kids of all ages that will help bring spring inside on rainy days.
Make a stack (largest on bottom) of 3-4 colorful buttons. Thread a pipe cleaner up through the button holes of the stacked buttons. Then bend the pipe cleaner and thread it back through open button holes of the button stack. Twist the two ends of the pipe cleaner together to create a secure stem for your flower. Stick button flowers in house plants or in a vase for some lively spring color on those rainy days. Parenting Forum
I’m guilty…I admit it. I have been a distracted driver in the past, but after hearing some overwhelming facts, I will now put down my cell phone while I am driving. I first heard these facts (along with many tragic stories) on a recent Oprah show. The biggest thing that struck me was hearing her say, “these accidents, injuries and deaths are 100% preventable”. It made me think twice. Here are a few of the facts I have checked: • Distraction from cell phone use while driving (hand held or hands free) extends a driver's reaction time as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. (University of Utah)
• The No.1 source of driver inattention is use of a wireless device. (Virginia Tech/NHTSA)
• Drivers that use cell phones are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (NHTSA, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• 10 percent of drivers aged 16 to 24 years old are on their phone at any one time.
• Driving while distracted is a factor in 25 percent of police reported crashes.
• Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent (Carnegie Mellon)
In some ways technology has brought us wondrous new inventions that are huge time savers, but that phone call or text can wait if it means arriving at your destination with you and your passengers safe and sound. That’s what voice mail is for!
By: Debby Raboin, St. Albans Childcare Director
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Greater Burlington YMCA
