A resource for families in Santa Cruz County
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A Backyard 4th!
I once visited the iconic LL Bean store in Maine. The outdoor outfitter inspired many an adventure in woods, beaches, mountain trails, desert and rock formations, secret swimming holes, lakes and rivers.

Yesterday I visited LL Bean online and what did I find? The answer to my question "How will families celebrate the 4th of July at home this year?"

"Backyard Bliss." Click on the image above and you will find a printable plethora of outdoor activities to share with the family all summer long. These are the kind of activities that fill the soul with warmth, wonder, joy, satisfaction, awe, imagination.

Read Ask Nicole! Nicole Young shares with us her personal story of living with prejudice. She draws upon her experiences to share with us how to develop within our children an abiding appreciation and respect for those who are different from us.

Recently, when I was thinking about tweens and teens, their fierce desires to hang out with each other, the extension of SIP, the uncertainties in their lives, the challenges of distance learning and all the other complexities of growing up, Suki came up with THE answer, a solution both simple and profound and too obviously missing in the lives of some members of our society. Then, yesterday she expanded on the topic aiming her essay at us, her adult audience. Scroll down past the FAMILY EVENTS for the answer for all of us.
Let's think about all we LOVE about our country and have a positive, patriotic time on the 4th. Happy Independence Day to you!

Parmalee
Family Events
Monterey Bay Aquarium Opens
Fall in love, all over again. From sea otters to seaweeds, our unique oceanfront location and timeless galleries bring the wonders of the ocean to life for our visitors. Details
All the Farmers Markets!
Just picked, fresh from the farms to you, and often musical entertainment and special, delectable eats for foodies! Details
Exploring Homeschooling Free Workshop
This fast paced, one and a half hour introductory workshop will help new homeschooling families find out more about the legal ways to homeschool, the various styles of homeschooling, and the area resources and programs for homeschooling. With veteran Homeschooler, Heddi Craft. Details
Santa Cruz Virtual Firecracker Run
July 4 - You can still celebrate the biggest summer holiday with a run or walk with your family and a few good friends. Details
July 4 Pleasure Point Parade - It’s a 4thof July DIY parade with masks and 6' spacing. Details
Mike the Magician - You are invited to a virtual magic show with Mike the Magician.
Tour the UCSC Farm with a Docent
July 5 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm - See first-hand how to build fertile soil and control pests, recycle yard and kitchen waste, conserve water, and encourage biodiversity. Details
Join us at The Art Factory for our 12th year of extraordinary art camp! Due to Covid-19, we are running a virtual program this year. Camps are 1 week long and meet for 2 hours per day, June 8 through August 28. Themes are: CATS & EMBROIDERY, for three separate age groups: 5-7, 8-12, 12-17. Details
Perry Yan’s Magic Show
July 8 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Perry Yan aka “Perry the Magician” is a full time professional kids and family entertainer who is also a highly skilled Balloon Artist! Details
Rockin’ Pop-Up with the Geology Gents, July 8 @ 3:00 pm, Free - Join the Geology Gents, Gavin and Graham, for weekly conversations about rocks live on Facebook. Each week we’ll explore a different geologic topic, from Santa Cruz formations to tips for being a more effective rockhound. Details
More Library Summer Entertainment Our librarians have been busy lining up entertainers for us. Sign up now to reserve your spot, and put it on your calendar. Details
Positive Discipline Community Resources (PDCR) Monday’s and Thursdays 3-4:30pm, Rotating topics for all ages and parents. Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties welcome to join FREE! Details
Tales to Tails goes virtual!
Wednesdays, 10-11am, How will this work? Join us!
Redwood Forest Steam Train, Roaring Camp, Daily 11 am, 12:30pm, 2pm, masks required. Travel over trestles, through towering redwood groves and up a winding narrow-gauge grade to the summit of Bear Mountain as conductors narrate the history of Roaring Camp , the railroad and the forest. Opening June 26 Details
Join SCPL for a weekly Dungeons & Dragons campaign, Fridays, 1-4pm, Details
New Moms Support Group, July 8 @ 11:30 am - 1:00 pm , Ask questions about your newborn, share your joys and challenges while sheltering in place, and a Mindfulness Meditation exercise at the end to start the afternoon off right! Details
See 4th of July Events in the CALENDAR!
Summer Camps for the children!
Many are open and following safe practices.
Education

AB 77, as amended, Committee on Budget, Education finance: education omnibus budget trailer bill, all 321 pages, has passed and been signed by the governor.

John Fensterwald explains AB 77: Costs of delayed payments July 1, 2020

If you are recently new to homeschooling via a homeschool charter program, check with your program to see if/how this may affect you.
Suki: Humans need meaningful work
…and if you don’t have any, you have to make it up for yourself!

Humans are built for meaningful work. We thrive on it. And it’s clear that “meaningful” doesn’t have to mean important, exciting, or high-status. A fellow school-mom told me that she found her job as a garbage truck driver extremely fulfilling, and I could go on and on about people I’ve met in all walks of life who found satisfaction in a job well-done—no matter what the job.

I think that this leads to an extremely important parenting issue during this pandemic: Continue for Adults > > >

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
. ..the same message for teens, in words that will reach them...
Meaningful work is what’s going to help you through boredom, frustration, loneliness, and all those other things that come along with hard times like these. Continue for teens > > >
Ask Nicole: Anti-racism Resources for Parents
Nicole M. Young, MSW
I am a woman of color, raised in a White family, mother of two bi-racial children. I’ve experienced racial ignorance, microaggressions (words and actions that seem trivial, but are hurtful because they’re based on stereotypes), prejudice, and racism in my personal and professional life – even in my own family.
 
But I am not Black, and I can’t even pretend to know what it’s like to live in fear that doing everyday things like jogging (Ahmaud Arbery), sleeping at home (Breonna Taylor), driving (Sandra Bland), watching birds (Christian Cooper), or waiting for a friend at Starbucks (Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson) could put my life or my children’s lives in danger.