Issuu

MARCH 2016

BRAZOS VALLEY

HOO’S CUTE CONTEST page 3 DINING DEALS page 8 FULL EVENT CALENDAR page 12

BRAZOSVALLEYKIDS.COM

979.571.0399 • BRAZOSVALLEYKIDS.COM

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VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO ENTER: BRAZOSVALLEYKIDS.COM

FROM THE CREATOR OF THE PLAY-K

FESTIVAL & 5K RACE

Inspired while attending a community health course at Texas A&M, I identified an increased risk of childhood obesity in Bryan-College Station elementary schools.It was at that moment I realized it was no accident I was to become a nurse in addition to owning a party rental company. There’s a wonderful, unforeseen connection between the two roles that has developed into this educational event that will impact our community in a huge way... the Play-K event was born. Hullabaloos Bounce & Play-K Festival is truly a grassroots effort to teach our children how to make healthier choices that will stick with them for life. The habits they develop now are their defense against chronic disease when they are adults. Play-K is a FREE community event highlighting forms of play for the entire family. The festival grounds will be full of bounce houses and other inflatable games for your children to run, jump, and play in. We will also have traditional activities such as tug-of-war, potato sack races, and, dancing, as well as educational booths with information on heart disease, stroke, diabetes, vaccinations, and tips on how to incorporate healthy habits into your home. Additionally, we will have a 5k race fundraiser and the proceeds will be divided among Bryan-College Station Title I elementary schools to purchase and improve equipment needed to achieve optimal physical fitness outcomes recommended by the CDC. Please join us on Saturday, May 7th, for an unforgettable educational experience. Lets come together as a community and fight childhood obesity. Visit our website at www.playday5k.com for more information or to become a corporate sponsor. IN GOOD HEALTH, Serena Pick

WISE CHOICES FOR MOMS & FAMILIES

979.571.0399 • BRAZOSVALLEYKIDS.COM

A Note from the publisher Dear Parents of Brazos Valley, Welcome to the go-to, parenting resource guide for Brazos Valley. We believe you will find lots of helpful choices on products and services for you and your family, along with parenting tips, recipes, handy resources and fun features.

KAY COOK

DISTRIBUTING PUBLISHER 979.571.0399 brazosvalleykids44@gmail.com www.brazosvalleykids.com

If you like our magazine, then you’ll love our website, brazosvalleykids.com. There you can read our magazine online or on your smartphone, find more resources and use our Shopping Directory. This virtual buying guide provides you with a comprehensive list of local, family-friendly businesses. I invite you to leave a few reviews on our online Shopping Directory so that other parents like you will know more about those businesses.

AD DEADLINES:

FIRST OF THE MONTH FOR THE NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE

Kay Cook

WHERE TO FIND HOO? Visit your local kid-friendly doctors, dentists, attractions, retail shops, restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, and many more places of business around Brazos Valley. Check out our online magazines, events, advanced business listings, local content, and more at:

W W W. B RA ZO SVA L L EY K I D S.C O M

HOO KNOWS SPECIAL SECTIONS HOO’S HUNGRY........................ page 7

HOO’S WATCHING................... page18

HOO’S FUN...................... page 11 & 15

HOO’S PARENTING................. page 21

HOO’S FEATURE............... page 16 – 17

FULL PAGE 4.75” x 7.5” LIGHT PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY MUST BE IN THIS SPOT

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SHOPPING GUIDE 3........... Suzanne’s School of Dance

7........ Michelle Voight Photography

10..................... Aggie Elite Volleyball

10........................ Patrick Bain Realtor 22........................................... Tea 2 Go 23........................................ GT Ground

2..........................Play-K Festival & 5K

24............................ Max Brand Realty

9.................................... Fashion Week 19..................................................BVCIL 19................................ Family Promise

14.Brazos Valley Pediatric Dentistry

19.....................................Project Unity

17................. Light Pediatric Dentistry

20.......................... Dining in the Dark

3................................... Haute Couture 14........................................FasTracKids

10..................................Anything Bling

14....................................... Mathnasium

19................................... The Gift Shop

15.. Kiddie Castle Children’s Center

22...................................Clair de Loon

23........Southwood Learning Center

23..................................... And Sew On

20......................................Hullabaloos

TELL THEM

H O SENT YOU!

SHAMROCK

PRETZEL POP [INGREDIENTS/SUPPLIES] One Bag of Green Candy Melts Mini Pretzels Twists Sprinkles Lollipop Sticks Parchment or Wax Paper

[DIRECTIONS] 1. Place candy melts in a microwavesafe bowl; melt according to the directions on the package. 2. Melt half the bag 30 seconds at a time until completely melted. 3. Dip pretzels one at a time in the melted candy (hold the pretzel with tongs), place on parchment or wax paper in the shape of a shamrock.

Make sure the pretzels are touching so they form the shamrock. 4. Place the lollipop stick on top and drizzle more of the melted candy to attach the stick to your shamrock. 5. Decorate with holiday sprinkles and let dry completely before removing from paper.

DINING FREE! DEALS WISE CHOICES FOR MOMS & FAMILIES

T KIDS EA SUNDAYS

WEDNESDAYS CONTINUED...

DICKEY’S BARBECUE PIT

CHICKEN OIL COMPANY

2297 Earl Rudder Fwy S College Station For 12 and under. Includes one free kid’s meal for every adult meal purchased. Dine-in only. (979) 696-5400

FIREHOUSE SUBS

1507 S. Texas Ave., College Station Kids eat free all day with the purchase of an adult combo meal. (979) 703-5983

SHIPWRECK GRILL

206 E. Villa Maria Drive, Bryan Kids eat FREE with purchase of adult entrée. (979) 823-7447

3600 S. College Avenue Bryan 5PM-9PM: Kids eat free (from kids’ menu) w/ purchase of adult menu item. (979) 846-3306

WINGS ‘N MORE

1511 University Drive East, College Station 3230 Texas Ave., College Station After 5PM: kids 7 & under get a $1 off their kid’s meal & a FREE ice cream or root beer float with adult meal purchase!

C & J BARBEQUE

MONDAYS

105 Southwest Parkway, College Station 1010 South Texas Ave., Bryan 4304 Harvey Road, College Station 5PM-close: kids eat FREE with purchase of an adult meal!

DOUBLE DAVE’S PIZZAWORKS

1410 Texas Avenue S., College Station Dinner Buffet 5:30PM-9PM - One kid age 7 & under eats FREE per adult meal purchase. (979) 764-3283

1410 Texas Avenue S., College Station Dinner Buffet 5:30PM-9PM - One kid age 7 & under eats FREE per adult meal purchase! (979) 764-3283

TUESDAYS

SATURDAYS

APPLEBEE’S

DENNY’S

200 Texas Ave., College Station Kids eat for free all day, limited to one child per adult. (979) 260-3003

DENNY’S

607 Texas Ave., College Station Kids eat free 4-10pm. 2 kids/adult. (979) 694-2544

CASA RODRIGUEZ MEXICAN RESTAURANT

300 North Bryan Ave., Bryan One FREE kid’s meal per adult entree purchase. (979) 779-0916

PAPA PEREZ MEXICAN CUISINE

201 S. Main Street Bryan 5-9PM: one FREE kid’s meal per adult entree purchase. (979) 775-7272

WEDNESDAYS DICKEY’S BARBECUE PIT

2297 Earl Rudder Fwy S College Station Kids Eat Free with purchase of adult entre. All Day. (979) 696-5400

607 Texas Ave., College Station Kids eat free 4-10pm. 2 kids/adult. (979) 694-2544

EVERYDAY GOLDEN CORRAL

700 University Drive East, College Station Kids 3 & under eat free with adult meal purchase. All day. (979)846-8484

CICI’S PIZZA

2003 S. Texas Ave., Bryan Kids 2 - 3 eat for $1.99. (979)775-2424

DOUBLE DAVE’S PIZZAWORKS

1410 Texas Avenue S., College Station LUNCH BUFFET 11AM-2PM - One kid age 7 & under eats FREE per adult meal purchase! (979) 764-3283

MCALISTER’S DELI

1006 University Dr. E., College Station Dine In Only $.99 Kids Menu. (979) 846-6000

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WISE CHOICES FOR MOMS & FAMILIES 10

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It’s a well known fact that when anyone asks, “Who knows where?” there really is someone waiting in the wings to answer. HOO KNOWS® is your wise, loyal, thoughtful, hard working advertising resource completely devoted to your needs. HOO’s always on the hunt for helpful info on awesome products and services, right in your community. As far back as we can remember, the immensely clever and brilliantly brainy Knows family of butlers and business assistants have humbly answered the question, “Who Knows?” HOO KNOWS®! Make a wise move every month. Read HOO You’ll discover what HOO knows!

DOWNTOWN BRYAN FIRST FRIDAY 5:00pm - 10:00pm. Located just 5 miles from Texas A&M University, Downtown Bryan is the intersection of local art and life. Home to numerous restaurants, boutiques, concert and event venues, and art galleries, Downtown Bryan is the perfect place to spend a night out, a weekend away, or even settle down. Free admission. www.downtownbryan.com/ play/1stfriday/

4–5

TEXAS BIRTHDAY BASH Downtown Navasota The event will kick off at 5:30pm on Friday with a concert by 3 great country artists playing 90 minutes each...the concert will end around 11pm being held in the area around the Navasota City Hall. Food and beverages will be available through event vendors. Starting at noon on Saturday around Navasota City Hall, there will be many texas themed family activities FREE to all visitors including: pony rides, petting zoo, a western themed street shootout reenactment and much more! Stick around for the Texas Birthday Bash Chili Bowl Saturday evening and help celebrate Texas’ birthday with chili, fun, and music. 936) 825-6475 • http://www. texasbirthdaybash.com/

BRAZOS VALLEY FARMERS MARKET 8:00am - noon. 500 North Main Street in Bryan. Farmers Market creates vibrant opportunities for the region’s agricultural community to come together with urban residents to share the bounty of our land. Free admission. www. brazosvalleyfarmersmarket. com/BrazosValley

THE PARENTING PROGRAM 5:30pm - 6:30pm. Project Unity 1400 Beck St in Bryan. The Parenting Program at Project Unity is a supportive, effective, and fun environment for parents to learn new skills. There are different topics and discussions each week. Free admission. 910-333-2793 www.rojectunitytx.org/

MOVIES IN THE PARK: PADDINGTON BEAR 6:00pm or 10:00pm Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater 1015 Colgate in College Station. Bring your blankets, chairs and coolers to experience our Movies in the Park series on our 32-foot inflatable high definition screen. Admission is free! Guests may bring their own refreshments. Coolers must be 48 quarts or smaller. Alcohol and glass containers are not allowed. Concessions will be available for purchase. Pets are welcome, too! (979) 764-3486 • http://cstx.gov/ index.aspx?page=3057

FREE ADULT HEALTHCARE CLINIC 8:00am – Noon Health For All • 3030 East 29th Street, Suite 111, Bryan Health For All will be hosting a free Saturday clinic. Patients at our Saturday Clinic are seen on a first come, first serve basis starting at 8 a.m. (979) 774-4272 http://www. hlth4all.org/

SCIENCE CAFÉ 7:00pm – 8:00pm Revolution Cafe and Bar 211B South Main St. (in Carnegie alley), Bryan. Once a month a speaker from the sciences (typically a professor at TAMU) presents on a socially relevant scientific topic. These experts in their field speak for about 20-30 minutes and answer questions from the audience. (979) 862-3521 https://www.facebook.com/ groups/259732216983/

COLLEGE STATION EASTER CELEBRATION 9:30am – Noon George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, 1000 George Bush Drive West, College Station. Activities include games, face painting, an Easter egg hunt, egg roll, egg toss, complimentary refreshments and photos with the Easter Bunny. Registration is not required to attend and participate in the Easter Celebration, only if you wish your child to be eligible for the door prizes. (979) 691-4000 • http:// bush41.org/events-listing

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MADISON COUNTY FAIR 712 Industrial Park Lane, Madisonville. The Madison County Fair has progressed into a week-long event held at our own fair grounds, including ten livestock divisions, an art division, a family & consumer science show, and a CPRA rodeo. (936) 348-3591 http://www.mcfa.net/index. html

ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT 1:00pm – 3:00pm Lincoln Recreation Center, 1000 Eleanor Street, College Station. The Lincoln Recreation Center will host its Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Friday, March 25 from 1-3 p.m. This free event will include food, face painting, jupiter jumps, coloring, live entertainment and more! The egg hunt is open to all children ages 10 and under. Co-sponsored by Pi Omicron Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. For more information, contact the Lincoln Recreation Center at (979)764-3779 • http://cstx. gov/index.aspx?page=615

ANIMÉ CLUB FOR TEENS 4:00pm – 5:30pm Larry J. Ringer Library, 1818 Harvey Mitchell Pkwy. S., College Station. We meet once a month (usually on the last Thursday of the month) to watch animé, Japanese animation. Free refreshments. The videos we will be watching will be rated PG, TV-14, or “T for teen”. If the video has a choice, the audience will decide whether we are watching videos dubbed into English (English audio) or subtitled (Japanese audio). For more information or to suggest a video, contact Kendra at (979) 764-3416 or email kperkins@bryantx.gov. Visit: http://www.bcslibrary. org/?page_id=1106

Weekly Events SATURDAYS

MONDAYS

CIRQUE MECHANICS: PEDAL PUNK 7:30pm – 11:00pm Rudder Auditorium, TAMU, College Station. Enter the world of Pedal Punk, a Steampunk-inspired place where cycling is the only way to escape the technologyobsessed society. (979) 845-1234 • http://opas. tamu.edu/cirquemechanics. html

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Easy Ways to

Increase Your Childâ€™s

VOCABULARY By Jennifer Hurd, Ed.D.

Every parent wants their child to be the best at whatever he/she does. This is especially true when children start to school. One important element of helping a child be successful in school from the very beginning is to build their vocabulary. This can be as easy as 1-2-3-4! It is important to understand that everyone has four vocabularies. The first and largest vocabulary is the listening vocabulary. It is made up of every word a child hears, whether or not he/she knows what the word means. It begins at birth and continues to grow for the rest of life. To increase this vocabulary one needs to increase the number of words a child hears on a daily basis. Therefore, reading to a child every day from birth will increase the listening vocabulary. Reading a book while the child is eating or just before bed will create a habit of reading from a very early age. The second vocabulary is the reading vocabulary. It is made up of every word a child reads, whether or not he/she knows the meaning of the word. Often the definition of the word is discovered from the context or from being told what the word means. The more a child reads, the larger the reading vocabulary will be. The more a child is read to, the sooner the child will begin reading. Both the listening and reading vocabularies are considered input vocabularies. The words are put into the brain. The next two vocabularies are output vocabularies because they come from the brain and are expressed in speaking or writing. So the other two vocabularies are speaking and writing. The speaking vocabulary will begin to develop before a child can read. This vocabulary is made up all of the words a child can say even if the meaning is not known. Children can understand words and what they mean long before they can speak. This is one reason children are taught sign language beginning at 6 months because they can use signs to express needs long before they can speak all the words.

Children get frustrated when they are not understood, so signing really helps them to communicate. This also increases their vocabulary. In order to increase the speaking vocabulary one needs to increase the listening vocabulary. Expose the child to as many words as possible as early as possible. You will be amazed at how many words they know by the time they begin to really talk. They will increase that speaking vocabulary so quickly because their listening vocabulary is so large. The smallest vocabulary, and the last one to develop, is the writing vocabulary. It is the smallest because a child not only has to know how to speak the word or read the word, but he/she must also know how to spell the word. The more a child is exposed to words in speaking and reading, the more words a child will learn how to spell. Thus the writing vocabulary will be increased. Increasing vocabulary is a life-long process. New words are added to the dictionary every year. Everyone should strive to continue adding words to his/her vocabularies all the time. The more words are added to the listening and reading vocabularies, the larger the speaking and writing vocabularies will become. Expose your children to new words every day because the more they words they hear, the more words will move from the listening vocabulary to the reading, speaking and writing vocabularies. It all begins when you talk and read to your children on a daily basis. Building vocabulary and better communication skills are just a couple of the areas we work on at FasTracKids/College Station. We begin with Signing Classes for parent and child at 6 months. We continue to encourage communication with programs through age 8. Check out our class schedule on our website: www.fastrackids.com/collegestation.

Call to schedule a free class at 979-485-9695.

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AT THE MOVIES

WISE CHOICES FOR MOMS & FAMILIES

979.571.0399 • BRAZOSVALLEYKIDS.COM

Any mom of a toddler becoming a preschooler will tell you that three is when the real challenges come up. From potty training to safety tips, learn how to handle your wild child. Three-year-olds are overflowing with personality. They have new-found language skills, improving motor skills and a greater desire to socialize. They’re insatiably curious and playful, but lack the common sense to know that the hot burner on the stove is not a fun thing to play with. While delightful to parents, they can also be frustrating, especially with it comes to discipline. Learn how to navigate the wild ride of parenting a 3-year-old.

CHOOSE BATTLES WISELY

It’s impossible to completely control a three-year-old. Why would you want to? Three-year-olds learn by exploring the environment and testing boundaries. While you don’t want your child to hurt herself, you do want her to stay busy in a variety of situations that help her learn about the world. Try to be flexible about behavior unless it’s related to safety and important rules like staying out of the street, avoiding the hot stove and keeping away from bodies of water. If you try to control every less-thanideal behavior, you’ll find yourself reprimanding your child all day long, and neither of you want that. Read the full article at brazosvalleykids.com

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979.571.0399