Writers & Books is looking to nurture some winter flowers among the youth of Rochester with vacation fun and other special offerings. For winter break, check out:

Grades 1–3: Read Around the World with Sally Bittner Bonn – Listen to stories and poems from cultures near and far. We will celebrate our diversity while exploring literature. From the streets of Harlem to the mountains of Japan, to the tombs of Ancient Egypt, find the threads within stories which tie us all together. Create our “deerskin” stories, learn the art of origami, and put on a play.

Grades 4–6: Drama Dream Team: Myth and Heroes with Marna Rossi – Time-warp back to ancient Greece and bring gods and goddesses, mortals, and monsters to life. Visit the Memorial Art Gallery and learn more about the ancient Greeks. Retell a Greek myth with humor, poetry, music, movement, and masks.
For those caught between winter break and summer plans, spring break offerings are:

Grades 1–3: Magic Tree House Readers’ Club with Marna Rossi – Participate in adventures from the Magic Tree House Series. Learn, like Annie and Jack, about the animals and people in each tale. Enjoy a Magic Tree House Picnic in the amazing new Classroom in the Trees (at the Gell Center of the Finger Lakes).

Grades 4–6: Fun with Fiction with Camy Sorbello – Release that cool story in your head aching to jump out. Through writing exercises and support, write a short story or even begin a novel. Identify interesting settings and characters and dialogue. In addition to developing a story idea or two, discover what questions writers ask themselves as they write.

All classes run Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. and cost $159 for W&B members or $165 for everyone else.

January, 2007

In the midst of all the parenting advice thrown at me over the years by well-meaning strangers, fretful family members, and bothersome busybodies, I remember hearing: “Don’t play all that Wiggles crap for your kid. Unless you want to go out of your mind, start’em off right, listening to the stuff you like. Otherwise, you’ll be driving around jamming to Baby Beluga for the next twenty years. And who needs that?”

So, my bumptious bundle was tossed about to the jolly rhythms of the Beatles and Prince and Lyle Lovett. He’s so much older now, but still at an age which is the focus of Kids Blech. Just as frightening, he’s entering the age where the next teen sensation will be marketed squarely at him- some otherworldly offspring of a Hanson and a Simpson.

I’ve done my best: watching Yellow Submarine with him; playing Sam Cooke; teaching him Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly lyrics; laughing along to They Might Be Giants; attending RPO and Eastman jazz concerts. We had our first test last weekend.

We entered the overly hallowed Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Like every other museum, he looked for favorites and ignored large areas. He learned a little more about some artists who had only scratched his surface. He was desperate to ensure that his two favorites had been inducted: “I knew the Beatles would be there because everybody likes them, but I wasn’t sure about the Who.” He rested easy when he saw their signatures etched on the roll of honor. And we can both sing along to My Generation.

October, 2005

A few years back, my son and I sat adrift in a Toronto hotel restaurant, considering our respective breakfasts. He was of an age when our interests did not necessarily intersect. And we were tired — not exactly up for a day at the museum or the zoo. Unaccustomed as I was to the concierge concept, I was at a loss. Then I saw a large chalk board looming not ten feet away. It listed local activities, particularly shows. I had no interest in any of those Broadway shows foundering on the Ontario shores like the castaways of the S.S. Minnow entertaining themselves with half-remembered stage directions. Besides, Miss Saigon did not seem family-friendly.

Among the listings was a preview of The Hobbit at the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People (LKTYP). I ran through the basic plot with my son, who had recently become familiar with the story. Having no idea what to expect, we requested seats for the back of the theatre and mounted the subway. The production was wonderful; the stage was huge; Smaug was massive; it was just a grand day out.

Now, whenever we find ourselves in Toronto in season, we venture to the LKTYP and catch a current production, which is often something out of the ordinary. This year they’re doing everything from Hana’s Suitcase to George & Martha. Their website [now defunct] provides a schedule, directions, recommended ages, and quite a bit more. The walk from the subway station may be a bit longer than it appears on their map, but it can also take you by the Hockey Hall of Fame and the St. Lawrence Market.
September, 2006