Family Life

Concerned about your kids and childhood obesity? Your fight against childhood obesity is an open book with the aid of your local library. The two main causes of childhood obesity are diet and a lack of or insufficient physical exercise. Libraries are home to thousands of books, CDs and videos on nutrition, diet, sports, dance and exercise.  

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School’s out and the summer season is upon us. It is time to pull out the hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses to protect our eyes and skin from too much sun when we are enjoying the outdoors. Most people know that ultraviolet (also known as UV) radiation is a carcinogen and causes cancer just like tobacco smoke, radon, and asbestos. Overexposure to UV radiation in childhood is linked with a higher chance of developing skin cancer later in life, so it is important to protect kids from an early age.

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“I’m related to Marco Polo. Do you have a book about his relatives? Oh, and I have to catch a train to New Jersey in an hour.”  I would sometimes get requests like this when I was a librarian in the history and genealogy division of the New York Public Library 25 years ago.  You really couldn't do very much in an hour then--but you sure can now!

Genealogy research can be divided into two eras: before the internet and after.

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Part 1 of this article describes how Prima became an entertainment legend.

Author Garry Boulard was researching a biography of Louis Armstrong, but the name Louis Prima kept catching his attention. Prima, who was born in 1910 in New Orleans, had become a national sensation with his partner Keely Smith in the 1950s and early 60s. If you have ever saw them perform in person or even on TV, the musicianship, energy, humor, and cool jumped out at you in unforgettable style.  

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Children may learn how to read at school, but they learn to love reading at home… and the degree to which we, as parents, value reading, engage in it ourselves, and share it with our kids is one of the most significant indicators as to whether or not a child will grow up to be an elective reader.  We must remain proactively involved in our children’s reading experiences as they grow by continuing to read with them whenever possible, and by looking for ways to underscore the primal connection between reading and joy.

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Between a demanding work schedule and a busy family life, it can be difficult to carve out time for new activities. You may have good intentions to visit an exhibit at a local museum or gallery, but perhaps the display is too far away, too expensive, or you just have too many items on your ever-expanding to-do list.

Nothing can replace the thrill of seeing an original artwork or historic artifact face-to-face, but with the prevalence of online exhibits, you will quickly find yourself swept down the rabbit hole, captivated by a new wonderland of possibility. 

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A well-written and well-timed book that addresses an issue or problem a child is wrestling with can be a godsend for the whole family. “Bibliotherapy,” as it’s commonly called, offers reassurance to a child that he or she is not alone, provides new ideas for coping strategies—and can even give some much-needed comic relief.  It also teaches children to turn to books for answers to questions or to solve problems in later life.

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From DVD late fees to ATM service charges, it’s the little things that can add up.