Fort Worth schools star on TV

Tune in this Labor Day weekend to Reading Rockets, a public TV show featuring a segment with two Fort Worth ISD elementary schools. A Chance to Read is hosted by actress Molly Ringwald (Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club) and is part of the award-winning series Reading Rockets: Launching Young Readers. Produced by WETA in Washington, D.C, the series looks at how children learn to read, why so many struggle and what we can do to help.

Watch our local kids and teachers in the "Untapped Potential" segment, airing on KERA on Sunday, Sept. 2 at 8:30 a.m. It examines students at Versia Williams ES and Westcliff ES. The “Untapped Potential” section of the program highlights how the study approaches teaching cognitively disabled students and shows how the students respond to the instruction.

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

Lisa

Boys' and Girls' Clubs

Now that you’ve gotten the kids back to school, you may have a little more time on you hands, but you’ll still need to figure out what you’ll do with them after school.

That’s where scouting comes in. The Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas are enrolling girls now for this school year. Stop by a recruitment event, happening Sep 6, at various locations including Andrews Elementary, Brinker Elementary and Prince of Peace, in Plano.

Check out www.gsnetx.org for more info and for details on these, and other, recruiting events.

And for the boys, there’s the Circle Ten Council, encompassing all of Dallas and Collin Counties. The official Join Scouting Night is Sep 11, and you can read more at circle10.org.

Happy scouting!

-liz

When Life Hands You Lemons...

If it seems like we’ve been distant lately, we’re really not neglecting you! Once again, we’re just getting ready to finalize an excellent fall issue—and, we’ve got lots to say. So, stay tuned—September’s almost here.

But, for now, it’s still August, and it’s still very hot. Cool off with a glass of lemonade this Sunday (8/19) at a lemonade stand with a purpose. Dallas sisters Mackenzie and Madison Meadows (7 and 6, respectively) are hosting this summery fundraiser with the help of Half Price Books, and all proceeds will benefit the North Texas Food Bank’s Food 4 Kids program.

The Meadows girls aren’t the only ones dabbling in non-profit causes and making a difference. We’ve discovered families across North Texas are exposing their kids to philanthropy, and in some very surprising ways…and you'll read all about it next month.

Mackenzie and Friends Lemonade Stand
Sunday, August 19
2-4pm
Half Price Books
5803 E. Northwest Highway

-liz

Building Your Nest (North or South of 635)...

Our August issue is packed full of goodness this month, and in it, two new sections make their debut – Nesting and Parenting North/South of 635.

Nesting is our home + garden guide to living with kids, since we know that when they enter the picture, many things change, and your décor is one of them. We’re putting our two cents in on how to still live beautifully, peacefully and the way you’ve grown accustomed to (pre-kids), even if you do have three pairs of ketchup-covered hands running around your white-washed room.

Parenting North/South of 635 is our special zoned section, tailor made for those of you living in Dallas County (South of 635) or Collin County (North of 635). In it you’ll find “Mommies and Shakers,” “Talk” heard in the carpool line, and various other bits of information and stories that are for and about people in your neck of the woods.

We hope you enjoy these new sections as much as we’ve enjoyed putting them together for you. We’d love to get your feedback and hear your thoughts on them! Email us at editorial@dallaschild.com.

Cheers and have a great weekend!

Lauren

Trouble in Toyland

Hopefully, you saw last night's news of the massive Fisher-Price toy recall. Eighty-three different models of toys are affected, so if your little ones love Elmo, Dora or Diego, chances are you might have one of these models in the toy chest.

The toys were manufactured in China, and their paint could contain traces of lead. Most of the models affected will be those purchased after May 2007.

Follow this link to Mattel's website for a list and pictures of recalled toys. You could qualify for a voucher, but most importantly, you'll want to evict those toys from your home a.s.a.p.

-Liz

Fashion Frenzy

North-Texas’ most fashion forward teens have collaborated to put on a fashion show to get area teens prepped and ready for the new school year at 3pm, this Saturday, Aug 4 at Galleria Dallas. KISS-FM’s Billy the Kid, along with experts from Cotton Inc. and Seventeen Magazine will help get the style party started.

Lauren