Feature: Delicious Summers with Healthy Meals

Delicious Summers with Healthy Meals
by Brynn Smith-Raska
Editorial Assistant

It is an indisputable fact that every season has a distinct smell. Fall is imbued with the rich aroma of falling leaves. Winter is bitter and harsh with the its essence of snow. Spring time tantalizes the nose with flowers and freshly cut grass. All these wonderful smells of nature permeate the world around us for 8 months out of the year. Then summer rolls around and the scents that waft through the air become strangely less natural and much more – delicious!

Anyone who has suffered through a long and sweltering summer knows the oppressive heat and glaring sun are all worth it because of what the warmth brings with it – outdoor dining. May through August have long been famous for being the seasonal hosts to barbecues, picnics and baseball games; hot dogs and ice cream cones and lemonade and potato salad are the star players of these warm month past-times.

Unfortunately, despite their scrumptiousness, these famous summer meals leave something to be desired in the nutrition department. Combine the unhealthy nature of the junk food which we often indulge in during the summer months, with the long and sometimes unregimented days that kids enjoy while out of school, and you have a recipe for disaster!

A recent study from Ohio State University has found that, contrary to what one might expect, kids often gain weight in the summer. When kids are no longer in school, under the watchful eye of teachers and coaches, their eating habits get off track and their lifestyles can become sedentary. Schools have made great strides in keeping junk food out of classrooms and hallways, but when kids are left to their own devices, apples and granola are quickly replaced with popsicles and soda.

In the study, researchers measured the increase in the BMI of students during the school year as compared to the summer months, and found the number rose more staggeringly during the summer break. The best way to reverse these findings is to eat healthfully and exercise. But everyone knows talking about living well is a lot easier than implementing healthy choices into a daily routine, especially without the vigilant eye of Mom, Dad, teacher or coach.

That's why YUM: Your Ultimate Manual for Good Nutrition is such a fantastic tool for living well – aimed at kids, it puts the power in their hands. In addition from providing information about food (where it comes from, how it grows), author and registered dietitian – and mom – Daina Kalnins offers kids-friendly recipes for healthy snacks and alternatives to unhealthy favorites.

There are some really interesting facts about eating and hunger, too. Did you know that sometimes when you feel hungry, you might in reality just be thirsty? Especially in the summer when we all sweat from the sun's hot rays, it's easy to become dehydrated. So next time your child goes to grab a bag of chips, suggest that they take a drink of water and see if the hunger goes away. They may be surprised to find they don't want that snack anymore!

My favorite part of the book (and one kids are sure to love) is the “What Celebs Say” section: we learn from Zac Efron about his efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and the NBA's Tony Parrish's strategy of living well by avoiding a lot of sweets and working out. If busy celebs can find the time to stay fit through the summer months, why can't we all give it a go?

With recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with great ideas for working out and feeling good, YUM will seamlessly guide your child (and the whole family) through the delicious summer months. Here are five tips from Daina Kalnins and YUM to kick start a healthy lifestyle this summer:

• When having a picnic or a barbecue, try using whole wheat bread and buns with your sandwiches, hot dogs and hamburgers.
• Calcium is crucial for everyone, especially for growing bodies. Luckily, frozen yogurt is a great source of calcium, and deliciously refreshing, too.
• Try something new! It's no secret that football players sometimes take ballet classes to improve their balance and agility. If you play basketball during the school year, why not try diving classes? And if you figure skate in the winter, maybe you could give tennis a swing. Your body will feel great, and who knows, maybe you'll discover you have a knack for kick-boxing!
• I'm sure you've heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it's easy to forget about it when you don't have to wake up early for school. But that doesn't mean breakfast isn't just as important in the summer. Eating a healthy breakfast is a meal with two perks – it will make you more energetic and give you a healthy level of body fat.
• Instead of firing up the grill and making hamburgers, try YUM's more nutritious – and delicious! - recipe for Lentil Burgers. They're sure to be a hit!

Now, your kids can submit their delicious summer recipes for a chance to win their own copy of YUM and four other Lobster Press books - check out the YUM Summer Snack Contest!

Bon Apetit!

Contest: Win a Summer Reading Book Bundle!

Lobster Press and City Parent are giving away “Summer Reading Book Bundles” of Lobster's most popular kids' books.

Enter to win the “Summer Reading Book Bundles” for ages 3 – 7, for ages 8 – 12, and for ages 13 – 17, by Sunday, July 20th.

Feature: Clearing the Air with Great Kid's Books and the Cigarette Display Ban

Clearing the Air
by Brynn Smith-Raska
Editorial Assistant

You know that strange sensation you get when you recognize something is different, but you can’t put your finger on it right away? Like when your best friend gets a haircut, or when someone you haven't seen in a while no longer has her braces?

I had that very same curious experience recently when I went to the corner store to buy eggs. I walked in, the little bell above the door rang, and I immediately noticed that something was … different. As I walked up and down the aisles, picking up eggs and a loaf of bread and a newspaper, I racked my brain. They hadn't painted the walls or installed a new floor; the lighting hadn't changed, and the employees were the same married couple I'd seen nearly every day for the past thousand some-odd days. Then, when I was standing in line to pay, it hit me: “The cigarettes!” Where had the cigarettes gone? Normally, they are displayed behind the cash register, in plain sight of everyone who enters the store. Now, they were mysteriously absent.

When I arrived home, I opened the paper and learned the reason why I couldn't spot the cigarettes. A cigarette display ban enacted at the beginning of June now required dépanneurs, grocery stores, and gas stations to conceal cigarettes and tobacco products in an opaque case, out of the public’s view, in an effort to decrease the smoking population. By keeping the cigarettes out of sight, anti-smoking groups are hoping cigarettes will stay out of mind.... and out of the hands of impressionable children.

The government's proactive tactic is working to prevent kids and teens from picking up the habit and becoming addicted, and we all need to keep up the effort to keep kids from smoking in the first place. A positive way to get the message out that smoking stinks is by having kids deliver the message too, like they do in Let's Clear the Air: 10 Reasons Not to Start Smoking. This collection of stories and essays is written by real kids, a testament to the fact that kids care about issues surrounding smoking too.

In Let’s Clear the Air, over forty kids give their reasons not to ever start smoking in the first place. Some kids have lost parents to cigarettes and tobacco, and the sadness they felt over their loss has given them an important reason to never start smoking: cigarettes kill. Other kids realize that it’s a habit that turns teeth funny colors, taints fingers and nails a sickly shade, and even threatens the health of nonsmokers. As the kids astutely point out, smoking is bad for our environment and our planet too. Did you know that about 4.3 trillion cigarette butts are littered every year? That it can take up to 12 years for one cigarette butt to decompose? Let's Clear the Air offers tons of facts like this that you might not know about smoking, but that really lend convincing and stupendous support to the decision to never, ever take up smoking.

Cassidy Sauve, a 10-year-old contributor, received the Barb Tarbox Award of Excellence for her commitment to spreading the word about the dangers of smoking and Let’s Clear the Air reminds us that the power to choose is in the hands of kids. These kids recognize that tobacco companies use advertising to trick kids into thinking smoking is a cool thing to do. With the new laws enacted here in Quebec, and also in Ontario, the government is hoping that everyone will realize what the kids in Let's Clear the Air do: that smoking is a dangerous habit and there are ten good reasons to never start in the first place. Bravo to the governments of Quebec and Ontario for helping to clear the air!

ARTICLE: Kids Read Too - How To Get the Pages Turning? by Claire Fripp

Get the Pages Turning
by Claire Fripp

Rights & International Sales Manager

Summer Reading List!

You can hear the groans from students and parents alike as every June the teachers merrily wave the students on their way to summer vacation with cries of, “Have fun! Play outside! Don’t forget your sunscreen! Read! Read! Read! You have books to read by September. ”

Why do schools do this? Research shows that children who read during the summer holidays do better in school. It’s that simple. These students not only do better in reading, but also in writing and spelling. By reading during those long, idle summer months students are doing themselves a favour. But try telling that to someone who just wants to sleep, swim, play and hang out!

What can parents do to encourage summer reading?

To get the reading off to a great start, let your reader pick the books. Forget your own ideas about what constitutes a “classic” and let them choose their own books from the list, if one has been provided by a teacher. All the books on the list have some merit or they would not have made the list in the first place. If your child hasn't been given a summer reading list, create one by browsing online. Make sure your child has a say in a list you create together - the plain truth is that if your child doesn’t like the book they won’t read it—would you?

Next, head to the store, or library, with two or three choices. Explain that while the title may sound catchy, it helps to read the back cover to see if the story sounds interesting. Ideally the first page should be read too. Then, and this is the hard part; stand back. Browse. Have a coffee. Stay close in case there are questions or the choice is overwhelming, but choosing one’s own book gives the reader ownership. That alone may go a long way to getting the book read without a fight.

How to get the pages turning ...

Once the books are at home and you see that they are collecting dust, your best bet to a hassle free reading summer is to share the reading. Depending on age and ability parents can read the book to the child, alternate reading one page with each other, or listen to your child read aloud a few pages and you finish up the chapter. All ages love to have a story read to them—some just show their joy more readily than others.

Seem like a lot of work for you this summer? Studies show that children with parents who are actively involved in their schooling process do better at school. By showing your interest and taking the time to read with your child you are demonstrating that reading has value; that reading can be fun; that reading is something you also do—not just something you say your child has to do.

Listen up!

Still not working? Buy the CD and “read” along. If it is a longer book, listen to the story together one chapter at a time and then talk about it so you are sure they were listening and comprehending the story line. But don’t ask direct questions! Instead, ask your reader for clarification. Just say you didn’t get the point about the missing shoe and can they help. Their answer, as they roll their eyes, will let you know if they are ‘getting it”.

Another way to get students to read is to have them tape themselves. It is a long process and one you are best not to get too involved in as students like to read the story, listen to themselves, laugh hilariously and then re-read the story again but this time “with feeling”. Once done your reader can play the tape back to you as they show you the pictures and enjoy your reaction. If it is a chapter book, this process will be laborious, so surprise them by reading a chapter first and then have them tape one. Neither of you may have the energy to keep recording it, but by this time you are already into chapter three and, with luck, the reader will be hooked.

Above all show that you are enjoying the reading. You never know, you may discover some new authors that will give your “classics” a run for their money.

Claire Fripp is an elementary and middle school English teacher who has been reading to her students and her three children for 22 years. She is also the Rights Manager for Lobster Press, a Canadian publisher of quality children's books.

Great Summer Reading

Despite the intermittent rain, summer is on its way. Sink or Swim is an excellent picture book for kids looking to beat the heat: Ralph decides swimming is the best way to cool down - but everyone tells him that cows can't swim! Read the book to see how the spunky cow learns to swim and to surf. Cheryl Rainfield describes Sink or Swim perfectly in her review: "an enjoyable, funny, uplifting book, sure to appeal to any reader who's been told they can't do something--or just wants to try something new."

Looking for more summer reads? Lobster Press offers great picks for all ages:

Not Just Proms & Parties series: each of the five books in these series is a fun beach read for teens - or anyone getting ready for a long ride in the car.
YUM: Your Ultimate Manual to Good Nutrition: with this tasty guide, you can kickstart a healthy summer!
Let's Party: Find great ideas for theme parties including Hawaiian Luau and Life's a Beach.
Come On, Mom! and Come On, Dad: these companion books suggest tons of activities, rain or shine.
The Baseball Card: a great book to have when you are in the mood to play some ball!
Ridley Bluefox and the Flying Fish of Fortune Falls: think "Indiana Jones, Jr."
Our Song: The story of "O Canada": a vibrant read about Canada's national anthem - what better way to celebrate Canada's birthday?
Going on a Journey to the Sea: kids can enjoy a vacation - without leaving the house!
I Don't Want to Go: a perfect story for kids getting ready to visit their grandparents over the summer.

Contest: Enter the YUM Summer Snack Contest!

Lobster Press is offering readers an opportunity to win YUM: Your Ultimate Manual for Good Nutrition and four other books of their choice. Find out how you can participate in the contest here!