Children love bugs and learning about them is a great way to introduce them to the wonders of the natural world.

The Macomb County Library's "Creepy Crawler" program starts tomorrow, July 8, at 2 pm. The program's featured presenter, Dan Briere, is a wildlife educator and he runs Little Creatures Co. His presentation at the library will be an opportunity to see live insects like hissing cockroaches and giant centipedes. You must reserve a space to participate and space is limited. Call 586-286-6660 to register.

The "Creepy Crawler" program is one component of the Macomb County Library's summer reading program and it fits right in with the library's theme for this year, "Catch the Reading Bug!"

Hopefully, kids (and adults) who see Mr. Briere's presentation will catch the reading bug and get a few books while they are at the library. The library is open from 9 am-9pm, Mon.-Thurs.; from 9am-5pm, Fri.-Sat.; and from 1pm-5pm on Sundays from September to May. Visit www.macombcountylibrary.org to learn more about programs that the library sponsors.

Macomb County Library
16480 Hall Road
Clinton Township

Since last fall, the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Education Center has been the site of two very informative workshops on teen drug use. These workshops, entitled Teens Using Drugs: What to Know and What to Do, are free and open to the public and registration is not required. The presenter, Ronald E. Harrison, SW has more than 30 years of experience in working with teens who have engaged in substance abuse and with their families.

The workshops take place on Tuesdays from 7:30-9 pm. This Tuesday, June 3, you can attend Part 1: What to Know. If a teenager in your life has succumbed to substance abuse, then you know what a heartbreaking experience this is. Still, you can attend to learn more and offer advice on what you've experienced. If you have teens or soon-to-be teens in your house or family, then you will want to attend to be better informed. Even if you are certain that the teens you know do not abuse drugs, you cannot be certain about their friends.

The St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Education Center is located at 5305 Elliott Drive, Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Visit http://www.teensusingdrugs.org for more information. You can contact program staff at jessa@med.umich.edu,

or at 734- 973-7892.

Although the academic year is winding down, it is never too soon to prepare for school in the fall. This is especially true if you are shopping for schools. Your child’s early years in school can really set the tone for their view of education so it is important to be informed and choose a school that really suits your child.

On Thursday, May 22 at 4 pm the Reach Academy is having a Parent Information meeting to let interested Macomb residents learn more about this school. You are invited to come out and find out about Reach Academy’s child-centered approach to education.
Reach Academy, a public school academy, will open this fall to serve young 5s up to 5th graders. The school will add a grade every year for the next three years, stopping at the 8th grade.

They are also taking applications for enrollment , so if you like what you hear then you will be able to put in an application.

You can call 586-498-9171 or visit the Reach Academy website to get more information on the school.

Being introduced to music and learning how to play an instrument can truly change a child’s life.  Music is about more than just sound, it also has a mathematical component to it. There are many math scholars who are also gifted musicians. Whatever the reason you many have for introducing your child to music, you can be assured that they will lead a much fuller and more well-rounded life because of it.

See what music has done for some Macomb County Youth by learning more about and supporting the Metropolitan Youth Symphony (MYS). The talented musicians of the MYS will perform in concert on Sunday, May 4 at 4:30 pm and the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts. This nonprofit organization includes elementary, middle, junior high and high school students from our area. Students must audition for the opportunity to join the MYS’s three orchestras—String Orchestra, Concert Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra.

Visit the Metropolitan Youth Symphony website to read more about the great work they are doing with Macomb County youth.
The Macomb Center for the Performing Arts is located at 44575 Garfield Road, Clinton, MI 48038.

Macomb County, you can catch a Michigan version of that runaway smash it, High School Musical, tonight and several more times during the month of April.

If you haven’t heard the story by now, or seen it on the Disney Channel, or watched High School Musical on Ice, then we won’t spoil it, but we can say that the story takes place at a high school and that is involves high school students. (There, that wasn’t too much was it?)

Here’s a little more: It is a story about hidden talents, breaking away from the status quo, and what happens when you try to step out of your comfort zone. Of course things don’t go as planned, but they do work out for the best, with some unexpected, but pleasant surprises along the way.

All tickets are $10 and you can call the Athens Theatre Box Office at 248-823-2914 or visit www.athenstheatrecompany.com to learn more.

In addition to tonight’s 8pm show, you can all see in on April 12 at 2 and 8 pm; April 13 at 3 pm; April 18 at 8pm ; April 19 at 2 and 8 pm and April 20 at 3pm.

Sometimes we get the idea that art is something that is way out of our reach. We think of it as paintings hanging in fancy museums and figure that it isn’t for us. This is why it is so important to support local artists. Seeing art created by people from the area makes art more real and accessible to us. It also gives them the encouragement they need to keep at it. There is great art being created right here in Macomb County.

The opportunity to talk with an artist about their work makes it that more enjoyable. You will have the chance to do just that tonight at the Borders in Utica from 7-9 pm. John Meaghan, a Senior Biological Illustrator at the University of Michigan's Museum of Zoology, will discuss his children’s book W is for Waves. He will also bring some of his original paintings. So come out with your kids to show them that art is within their grasp. Kids love animals, so Megahan’s illustrations are sure to please them.

Borders
45290 Utica Park Blvd.
586-726-8555

Fencing has continuously been featured in our modern-day Olympic Games. It is both an art and a sport. In athletic competition, fencing is scored and the athletes competing must train and practice rigorously. In its more artistic forms, fencing is a more choreographed affair. In movies and in plays, the fencing matches that further the plots are full of flourishes and fancy footwork. These combatants jump on and off furniture, swing from chandeliers, and manage to carry on witty dialogue as they go along.

Many young people have discovered an interest in fencing thanks to the popularity of the Spiderwick Chronicles books and movie. You and your kids will have the opportunity to see a live demonstration of fencing this Saturday at the Borders in Utica.

This is a great teaching moment. If your kids have been fascinated by what they’ve read in the Spiderwick Chronicles, this is a time to show them a real life application of the fictional accounts.

March is Reading Month and this demonstration is part of Borders’ efforts to celebrate the joy of reading. They will have an event each Saturday this month at 11:00 am.

Borders
45290 Utica Park Boulevard
Utica, MI 48315
586-726-8555

Comcast will present the film “The Great Debaters” on February 28 on Southfield. The film starts at 7 pm and there will be a special celebrity guest appearance by Jurnee Smollett, the actress who plays Samantha Booke in the movie.

The film is based on the real-life story of Professor Melvin Tolson (played by Academy Award winner Denzel Washington). Tolson was a professor at a Wiley College, small African American school in Marshall, Texas. Tolson inspired his students and shaped the schools debate team—taking them further than they ever thought possible.

We’ve certainly had our fill of debates recently, as we look to November and this year’s presidential election. There is an art and a science to debating. One must be logical and include sound arguments, but debates are not won with logic alone. A debater must also manage to sway the listeners to his or her point of view, convincing them to ignore the opposing viewpoint.

Before you watch the debates onscreen, you’ll be able to see some live debates starting at 5:30 pm. West Bloomfield High School and Southfield Lathrup High School will debate on a topic that will be announced at the event.

The event is free and you can call 248-4568 for more information.

If parents wait until a child starts going to school to think about literacy, they will have missed a great opportunity to further their child’s reading skills. From birth on, children are gathering up the skills and vocabulary they will need to read and become literate. When you read to a baby or a toddler you are helping them learn about letters and sounds. You are also giving them an all-important introduction to print and the written word.

The Macomb County Library has Baby Lapsit Story Time on Tuesdays at 10 am. The program has been custom designed for the youngest infants to those who are 18 months old. The ½ hour program is divided into two parts. During the first half children and their caregivers can enjoy singing and dancing to music. The second half is reserved for play and interaction with the group. Young children get the opportunity to spend time with a caregiver in another setting and to socialize with their peers.

Toddler Time StoryTime is a similar program for toddlers ages 2 ½ -3 1/2. The program takes place on Wednesdays at 10 am and includes stories as well as music.

Call 586-286-6660 to reserve a space.

If you and your little sweetheart want to attend the Dads and Daughters Valentines Day Tea Party and Dance at the Downriver Family YMCA, you must register by tomorrow, February 7, 2008. The dance will take place from 1-3pm on Sunday, February 10, 2008.

Dads, you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity for quality time with your daughter. She won’t stay little forever, but memories from an event like this will always remain in her heart. How often is that you and your little girl(s) are able to dress nicely and enjoy an afternoon together? You want her to see how a gentleman acts when he takes a lady out for dancing. Father-daughter pairs will be able to learn dances and will be treated to punch and cookies.

In the long term, your daughter will remember that you took the time to make her feel special. In the short term, however, she may leave the party with a valuable prize. Each daughter that attends will be eligible to win the latest doll from the American Girl Collection, Mia.

This event is $25 per father and daughter pair and $12 for each additional daughter.

Remember you only have until tomorrow to register! Call Julie Cataldo at 734-282-9622 to learn more.