It is well known that many children, especially those from families with limited financial and transportation resources, lose about 2 months of schooling during each summer vacation. That loss compounds year after year ultimately leaving the children many months or years behind their more affluent peers.

That need not happen, and it is not necessary to attend often expensive focus camps or excellent programs such as those available through OMSI and other organizations.

Let’s start with reading since literacy is directly correlated with future social, personal and occupational functioning. The science is clear that children benefit when they are read to every single day beginning in the first months of life. In the school years and during summer vacation, we can provide informal reading experiences such as that of reading a recipe while helping in the kitchen or reading labels while grocery shopping

Finally, if we expect children to maintain reading skills during the summer, we adults should not be so uptight about what the children read as long as it is child appropriate. Let the kids select the books. Exercise books and the classics which teachers and middle class parents think are so great just don’t cut it with kids. A biography of a pop or sports figure that is read is a lot better than an unopened biography of Thomas Jefferson. A spring book fair at the school or park might be an idea for our neighborhood to consider.

With math, opportunities abound in the kitchen (think, doubling a recipe, calculating the number of ounces in ¼ cup, etc), workshop (measuring, calculating how many screws are needed), and garden (planning how many plants to place in a row given the spacing requirement and row length). Younger children can acquire a number sense while setting the table for meals.

These are just a few thoughts for us to consider.      Next month: Head Lice

David B. Bell, M.D., Ph.D.

Rose and Dr. David B.Bell are the owners of Second Time Around Boutique Shop.

Based on feedback from the City of Portland’s outreach, this project will move forward for the approval of the City Traffic Engineer and the Transportation Director.

The City of Portland has indicated that the future maintenance and design of the pocket park improvement at NE 13th Avenue will require further discussions with the neighborhood.

Project information for the NE Holman Street Project:

Updated: NE Holman Street – Existing Conditions and Route – Click here.

Updated: NE Holman Street – Project Proposal and Possible Intersection Improvements – Click here.

Updated: NE Holman Street – Possible Intersection Options for 13th, 15th, 33rd and 42nd – Click here.

Updated: NE Holman Street – Crossing at Martin Luther King Jr. Option – Click here.

Updated: NE Holman – Boulevard Evaluation Goals – Click here.

This open house was a follow-up to an initial PBOT presentation about the project last month. Like they did at that first meeting, nearby residents expressed full support for the project. Cheers erupted from the standing-room only crowd when PBOT announced plans for two specific pieces of the project; the crossing of busy Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd. and plans for a “pocket park” at Holman and NE 13th.

Read the whole story on BikePortland.org

The support of the entire community is needed to make Sunday Parkways possible. Over 300 volunteers assist with project such as park set up and roving bike mechanics at each event. The greatest need is for Intersection Superheros: the essential volunteers who staff every intersection along the course for safety reasons.

There are two cool ways to get involved. If you’re thinking of just yourself or you plus friends, you may volunteer by yourself or with friends and family to throw an intersection party, decorate it, make it your own, have fun.

The other option is to bring your group (organization, cause, riding club, etc) together to host an intersection and promote your organization. You get to “own” the intersection, decorate it, promote your cause, and have fun. With 25,000 people coming right past your station, this is a great opportunity to get the word out.

Check out the schedule and plan for a summer full of fun, traffic-free Sunday Parkways events!

PortlandSundayParkways.org

Believe Movement Studio invites you to join them, along with neighbors Buffalo Gardens, The Purple Garden and Good Neighbor Pizza to a celebration of the Vernal Equinox. You can take advantage of a spring sale on class cards, session packages and retail items. These businesses also have contests for April. There will be food, live music, and festivities for the entire family. Rae Minten will offer a free session of sun salutations to honor the return of the sun at 1:30PM and 3:30PM.

FREE Body Composition Analysis; Saturday, December 5th  from 12PM – 4PM

An incredibly informative session that will determine lean muscle mass. Great baseline information to start your new year goals off right. No appointment necessary. Should take around 20 minutes.

FREE Teacher Training Yoga Class;  Saturdays, December 5th, 12th, and 19th from 5PM – 6:30PM

This is an ALL-LEVELS class that is taught by the current Prananda Yoga Teacher Trainees. It is supervised by Joy Wolfe (director). Tell your friends. This is part of the training so you are helping the trainees too! First come, first serve basis.

FREE Yoga Classes for Seniors; Mondays at 1 PM (ongoing)
On a personal note, I’ve been going to yoga classes at Believe Movement Studio for the past few weeks and I highly recommend them!  The space is lovely and welcoming and you get personal attention and instruction from the teachers.  Make sure you check out their calendar, rates and events at www.believemovementstudio.com.

When: Friday, November 6, 2009 7:30 pm
Where: Village Ballroom 700 NE Dekum St Portland, OR
Admission: Open to the public at a sliding scale of $10 to $25
Contact info: Mike Meyer, mmeyer //at// efn.org 503-680-6576
Website: http://www.pnhp.org/

Come join your community for a free-form dance, food, conversation, live music, and many more healthy activities to benefit community health care solutions. This celebrational evening will feature Portland’s famed ecstatic dance in a beautifully decorated hardwood space and will intertwine live music into your dance.

The electrifying sounds of DJ Raku will get you flying out of your mind and into the etheric realms of rump-shaking
global-funk-freakout! The evening’s program will take dancers on a journey through a musical landscape that stimulates the heart and spirit into greater vibratory awakening. Come melt your mind and become the dance!

Enjoy the street yoga presentation, groove to live musicians Max Ribner, David Lipkind, and many surprise guests. And speaking of surprises – we screen a visually stunning healing movie downstairs while adding visual delights upstairs in the ballroom with artistic flair. A vegan menu will be available for those who come hungry.

Physicians for a National Health Program is a non-profit research and education organization of 17,000 physicians, medical students and health professionals who support single-payer national health insurance. See their website for more information.

- By Dr. Jennifer Rupert, MD

What do walking and biking to school have to do with obesity, mental health, and asthma? — A lot! Children who walk and bike to school have higher physical activity levels throughout the day, helping them meet the recommended 60 minutes of activity daily. This level of activity helps prevent childhood obesity and supports healthy bones.

Walking and biking to school is also a great way for kids to get the physical activity needed for healthy minds. Kids who are more physically active have better academic performance. Studies are also beginning to show that exposure to nature and free outdoor play can reduce stress and relieve ADHD symptoms.

If that isn’t enough to get you out of your car, think about the air quality around a school when dozens of parents sit in idling cars while their children jump out. Air pollution has contributed to childhood asthma rates doubling between 1980 and the mid-1990s. Asthma rates remain at historically high levels and cause 14 million missed school days every year.

Walking and biking to school is healthy for kids, healthy for communities, and healthy for the planet.

Dr. Jennifer Rupert is an Obstetrician and Gynecologist practicing at Kaiser Permanente in North Portland. Dr. Rupert was one of six dignitaries to address James John Elementary students on Walk+Bike to School Day.