Parenting Place's 4th of July Children's Parade
in partnership with Boulder's July 4th Sesquicentennial Stroll

We will be celebrating at a new time and location!
Decorating begins at 2pm on the South East corner of 13th and Canyon by the Bandshell.  Parade begins at 2:30.

Come by and decorate your bike, wagon or stroller, eat watermelon, listen to music and parade with your children around the Boulder Creek.  Be part of Boulder County's 150 year celebration!

 

With the change in season, and possible shift in day-care / school schedules, you may be feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of spending more unstructured time at home with your kids this season.  The key to a calm and enjoyable summer is to establish some daily routines and, whenever possible, stick with them. Children flourish when there are rhythms in the day, as this external order helps children to order themselves internally. Any loss of spontaneity is absolutely compensated for by more relaxed, contented children.
A few simple rules will help to make your  parenting more fun and successful this summer.
 
1) Try to maintain consistent mealtimes in the summer. Besides three meals a day, regular snack times at approximately 10:00am and 3:00pm will help your child learn to predict when food is coming and will protect you from becoming a short-order cook, providing snacks all day long on demand. Having some foods available anytime during the day that your child can help themselves to, such as cut up fruits and veggies, will also help your child gain some independence and competence in this area.
 
2)  The more consistency a parent can maintain around sleep routines, the easier time a child will have settling down and anticipating bedtime. As the days get longer and your family becomes more active later in the evening, it may be easy to slip into a pattern of having your toddler stay up late as well. It will be advantageous, however, to err on the side of putting your toddler down a little earlier, as an overtired child is usually much harder to settle. Since the sun remains light later in the evening, and outside noises can be disruptive, make sure to do what you can to create a dark, quiet and cool sleeping space for your child.
 
3) Maintain a rhythm that includes regular active outdoor activities.  Children need the opportunity to run, climb and explore the outdoors. Try to get outside daily for a trip to
the  park, water-play in the backyard, or simply a daily walk around the block. Remember that the process of being outside and noticing the natural world is the key, without pressured agendas....simply noticing bugs, flowers, and clouds drifting overhead. If you are able, let your child set the pace for a walk, and match their enthusiasm when they discover a colorful rock or an interesting bug. Your awe of the natural world will be a powerful and lasting lesson for them.
 
4) Some quiet activities that your child can be engaged in on their own, without your oversight, will be an important element of their day as well.  Have a bin of frequently updated age-appropriate toys and/or picture books handy that you can pull out for your child to get engaged with independently each day.
 
If you take a trip and your child's routines are inevitably impacted, you may find yourself dealing with repercussions. As adults, we learn to deal with changes, but our bodies still crave a sense of consistency and routine. When there are sudden shifts in these daily activities you may feel anxious and edgy. A toddler feels these internal triggers as well, but doesn't have the tools to deal with them without your assistance. It will be helpful on trips, to bring along plenty of snacks, establish a naptime wherever you are, and creatively reestablish those daily rhythms that you know will help stabilize your child. Everyone will happier if you do.
Have a safe and enjoyable summer!
    
Respectfully Submitted,
Louise Haimowitz LCSW
Interim Executive Director
Family Advocate

 

We hope you can join the Parenting Place staff in saying Goodbye to Gail Sawchuk, a dedicated and passionate staff member at Parenting Place for the past 8 years.  Her commitment and warm smile will be missed.  Over the years, Gail touched the lives of many families and community members and we hope you can be a part of the farewell gathering. 

 

When:             Friday, June 26, 2009 at 5:30 pm

 

Where:            Downtown Boulder, please call for more information and to RSVP

 

What to bring:  A dish to share & an 8 1/2 x 11 page to submit for a memory book

                       (If you can't attend we would still love to have you submit something for the book)

                           

 

Light refreshments will be served!

 

To RSVP contact Jessica at 303.449.0177 x0 or jessica@boulderparenting.org

July 4th Sesquicentennial Stroll invites
residents to enjoy Boulder's history, culture
 
BOULDER - Continuing the celebration of Boulder's 150th birthday, Boulder residents, families and friends are invited to participate in a historic Sesquicentennial Stroll on July 4.
 
Organized by the Boulder 150 Sesquicentennial Celebration Committee, the Stroll is a daylong series of celebratory events inviting people to stroll through the city, visiting many of Boulder's historic landmarks. Maps will be available at all of the Stroll stops.
 
The day kicks off at 11 a.m. with an official welcome ceremony in the historic Chautauqua and concludes with Boulder 150 tie-ins that evening at Boulder's July 4 fireworks at Folsom Field - a city tradition since 1941.
 
Parking at Chautauqua is very limited so participants are urged to park cars at the Twenty Ninth Street retail mall and use HOP buses running from there to Chautauqua, Baseline Road and 12th Street, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Buses return to Twenty Ninth Street after fireworks at Folsom Field.
 
Bike riders are encouraged to participate, with bike racks available at Chautauqua and the Boulder History Museum, 1206 Euclid Ave.
 
All events are free of charge. The Chautauqua Dining Hall will be open for service with barbeque on patio following auditorium program. The Millennium Harvest House is offering reservation-only July 4 barbeque, and the St. Julien Hotel is hosting a special July 4, 5-7 p.m. happy hour and live music from 7-9 p.m. on its outside terrace.
 
Participants who complete the full Stroll route, with maps stamped at each stop, will receive a commemorative award in recognition of the Sesquicentennial (limit one per family).
 
A full schedule of all Sesquicentennial events, as well as links to stories and interesting facts about Boulder's history are online at www.boulder150.com.
 
Schedule for the July 4 Sesquicentennial Stroll is:
 
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Chautauqua Welcome Ceremony. Rocky Mountain National Park Superintendent Vaughn Baker will present National Historic Landmark plaque. Special musical will celebrate the history of arts past and present in Boulder.
 
12:15-1:30 p.m. Colorado Music Festival Brass Band will perform under tent  on the Green, barbeque available from Chautauqua Dining Hall. Event will be zero-waste, with Eco-Cycle assisting.
 
1:30-4:30 p.m. Stroll to these sites:
 
Columbia Cemetery, "Stroll with the Spirits"
 
Boulder History Museum serves "Happy Birthday Boulder" cake and hosts opening of  "Only in Boulder" exhibit. Activities for children include gold panning, clothes washing and arts and crafts.
 
CU Heritage Center presents "Boulder and CU Through the Years"
 
2-5:30 p.m.Bluegrass Concert at Central Park Band Shell featuring Boulder Acoustic Society and Blue Canyon Boys. Some Farmers' Market vendors will remain open. Welcome by Sen. Michael Bennet.
 
2:30-3:30 p.m. Children's July 4th Bike Parade along 13th Street organized by Parenting Place; come early to decorate.
 
2-5:30 p.m. Stroll globally and celebrate ties with Boulder's Sister City communities in Africa, Asia and Central America at Municipal Building Plaza. Learn about projects and exchanges in this people-to-people program.
 
8-10 p.m. Ralphie's Independence Day Blast at Folsom Field featuring a Boulder 150 birthday party.
 
Following the July 4 celebration, the next major event for Boulder's Sesquicentennial will be a "Coming Back Home," extending the city's friendship with the Northern Arapaho tribe, Aug. 7-8, on the Pearl Street Mall.
For more information on the Boulder Sesquicentennial, go to the Boulder 150 Web site at www.boulder150.com.