Month: September 2010

Unity Fest International – 2010

One of my friend told that she was contributing to the dance festival. So, I went to the Unity Fest International at the Putnam IMAX. I was thrilled to see the perfromances along with some free goodies and a chance to see Davenport Mayor, Mr. Bill Gluba!!

Unity Fest International

Unity Fest International is a partnership between QC United and Putnam Museum. It  is a cultural festival that celebrates diverse cultures and people residing in the quad cities. This year, the event was held in the Putnam IMAX, Davenport. The performances included dances by Indians, African Americans, Phillipines, Scottish, Latin Americans, Vietnamese, Hispanics, and other international and local singers. It was amazing to see the performances that reflect international cultures and dances.


The entry was free but the organizers encouraged to bring food packets to donate to the local churches. Davenport Mayor, Mr. Bill Gluba spoke at the festival. He said that, America is of diverse origin and it appreciates the diversity and unity among the international workforce residing in the Quad Cities. He added that it is intersting to find that the local schools enrolled students in about 57 dialects.

Putnam Museum

Putnam museum contributed for this great event which included many arts and crafts for children. The children got to understand which craft originated in which country and were assissted by the volunteers to make the crafts on their own. Some of the arts and crafts included were face painting, rangoli, bead threading, paper flowers, mask painting, rock painting, and others. The children also could visit some of the local animals such as rabbits, goose, turtle, turkey and dogs. Cockroach races entertained the children as well as the adults.

Apart from the event, visitors got free entrance to some of the exhibits in the museum. Organizers say that the event is to celebrate the differences in the community and to appreciate and learn from each other.

Quad City Kite Festival – 2010

The second annual Quad city kite festival was a hit on Sunday due to the perfect weather for kite flying. The sponsors along with the IPTV guys made the show a big hit this year. 🙂

Quad City Kite Festival

Quad City Kite Festival is an annual kite festival hosted by the Quad City Kite Club. The kite club along with the local sponsors such as the IPTV, Happy Joes, Davenport Fire Department, Bettendorf family museum and others hosted this year’s event on last Saturday and Sunday at the Centennial Park, Davenport.


Owing to the weather the festival was good on Sunday. Many local residents visited the park for the kite flying fun. Professional kite fliers performed kite stunts which had amazing synchronization. Betendorf family museum stall had some activities to make their own rockets, parachutes, pin wheels and kites. Davenport fire department allowed kids and families to get in to the fire truck and experience the kite festival from inside the truck and at an elevated height. Visitors could buy kites, or supplies, and T-shirts at the stalls.

The riverside park along with the beautiful view of the Mississipi river and the Centennial bridge was good. Centennial park had ample parking space, play areas and open spaces for the visitors.

Overall, the event is perfect for a get-together or picnic along with the kite flying!! I took a picture with IPTV’s Dan Wardell. Our kite was the highest in the sky, though it took a lot of time in pulling it down. 🙂

CRY Walk – Naperville, IL

My husband was keen on the walk so we set off last Sunday morning to the CRY Walk. The 5 KM or 3.1 mile walk was a good experience along with the satisfaction of contributing for a social cause and the fun of family walk and nature study. 🙂

CRY

Child Rights and You (CRY) is a non-profit organization driven by its vision of a just world in which all children have equal opportunities to develop to their full potential and realize their dreams. The following are the achievements of CRY in 2009-10. 

  • Covered over 13089 villages and slums across India
  • 728,799 children were impacted through our programmes
  • 30427 children were mainstreamed into government schools
  • 14433 government schools retained 100% of the children mainstreamed into the schools
  • 17076 of births were registered
  • 1288 ICDS Centres (anganwadis)/ Primary Health Centres (PHCs) were revived/ retained
  • 351 Panchayat Village Education Committees were activated
  • 315 villages were made 100% child labour free
  • 3254 children’s groups were formed and strengthened

    • You can join the CRY as a member or volunteer and donate or contribute toward the cause.

    Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve

    Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve in Naperville is a natural area that has reaped the rewards of conservation. The conservation teams take care of the natural vegetation and wildlife. The forest area is a perfect place for sightseeing, nature study, jogging, walking and biking. The trails are long and peaceful with beautiful trees around.

    You will not feel the tiredness of the walking or biking as you will be immersed in the beauty of the surroundings.:) Further, the forest has additional facilities such as golfing, boating, horseback riding, hiking, picknicking, fishing, camping and other activities for your recreation.

    While walking is best for your health, it is also better if your family accompanies you. Overall, the CRY walk was fun and am glad we could make it. Further, my seven year old completed the five kilo meter walk that surprises and makes me even more happier. 🙂

    Boy Scouts Popcorn Sales

    The Boy Scouts of America are a self supporting organization which earn through popcorn sales. Scouts sell yummy popcorn online and face to face to earn money for their troops.

    The Boy Scouts of America

    The Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation’s largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations. The BSA provides a program for young people that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness.


    For nearly a century, the BSA has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. The Boy Scouts of America believes — and, through nearly a century of experience, knows — that helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society.

    To buy popcorn and support your local scouts visit Trail’s End.

    CRY 2010 Walk – Let’s make a difference

    Dear Readers,

    It would be great if you can make it for this event or even donate for this cause.
    Take few minutes to go through some of the numbers on children in India and in America

    http://america.cry.org/site/know_us/cry_america_and_child_rights/stat…
    =============================================================

    CRY America Chicago Action center presents

    WALK FOR CHILD RIGHTS 2010

    By participating in this walk, you can ensure that thousands of
    underprivileged children in India are restored their basic rights to
    live, learn, grow and play.

    5 KM and 3KM Walk for families

    Sunday, September 19, 2010

    Time: 9.30am onwards
    Venue: Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve (opp. Springbrook Golf
    Course) 2220 W 83rd St, Naperville, IL 60564

    Other than snacks and water, participants will also receive an
    attractive CRY T-shirt and finishers of the walk will receive
    participation certificates. Post event activities include balloon &
    mehndi artists, Dosa BBQ and exciting raffle prizes.

    For more information, email i…@crychicago.org or call Sunil
    Kulkarni: (630) 440-8718; Girish Rao: (847) 372-1068

    Sponsors for CRY Walk 2010 in Chicago include Zee TV, OfficeMax and
    CyberKorp.

    CRY – Child Rights and You America Inc. (CRY America) is a 501c3 non-
    profit organization driven by its vision of a just world in which all
    children have equal opportunities to develop to their full potential
    and realize their dreams.

    Family Free Day at Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa

    Do not the miss the family free day at the Figge Art museum, Davenport this Saturday from 1-3pm in the afternoon. Sponsored by John Deere the event is free for all to enjoy the displays and shows.

    Fall Harvest Family Free Day is on September 18th, Saturday 1 pm to 3pm. Story time, art search, 3-D Harvest Collage, pumpkin coloring and other events are planned for the entire family.

    Tanners Orchard, Speer, IL

    Tunners Orchard at 740 State Route 40, Speer, IL 61479 (309.493.5442) is one hour drive from Quad cities and offers a unique farm experience for visitors. The farm, the picking and the activities make it worth visiting every September.

    Apple Picking

    Apple picking is a different experience in the Fall. The fat and cholesterol free fruit is the favorite for many of us. Children can easily pick the fruit as the trees are short and the fruits are easy to reach. After picking them, handle them gently and store in a cold place. Apple picking tips must be followed for enjoying the fruit.

    Tanners Orchard

    Tanners orchard, since 1947, are in the apple business. The drive to the farm in the country side is pleasant. You get to see many barns and windmills in the route along with wide and open fields. I wonder how much energy the windmills produce and after how many rotations.

    The farm has ample parking and restrooms. They do not charge the entry fees, but you need to buy a bag for $10 before entering the truck. The covered truck takes you to the apple farm, pumpkin farm and corn farm. You can get down at different places to pick. The apple farm has the apple trees lined up and full of apples. You can find green, red and yellow apples. The farm is full of bees and mosquitos. Depending on the weather you may have to choose the appropriate dress and shoes.

    Once you are done with the apple picking, you can wait for the truck to come and take you to the pumpkin farm. After the pumpkin farm, the truck drops you back at the start point where you find the corn farm. The orchard staff have organized a corn maze game. To enter the corn maze, you have to pay an entry fee of $7 for adults and $5 for children.

    Children’s Play Area

    The entrance fee for the children’s play area is $7 for children and $5 for adults. 50% of the fee directly goes to the local emergency fund. Children can play a wide variety of games inclluding the T-Ball, Mini golf, Slides, Swings, School bus games, mini rides, pony ride, barrel train ride and so on. Adults can ride a pedaling bike with large tyres on it. I was exhausted after 6 rounds. 🙂

    Different goats and other farm animals are on the show in the orchard. You can feed the animals by collecting their food from the nearby machine. The pony ride and tree house are good to watch.

    Store

    The store is my favorite place where you get yummy donuts, cider, frittles (egg-less), pies, jams, pickles, sauces and so on. They have a bakery where you can buy coffee or icecream. Different decorative items are on display. Also seen are large pumpkins and mums on sale. Overall, the trip leaves a good memory for all especially for children. 🙂

    Fall is ‘On’ and so are children’s activities

    With school reopening and kids running around most of the time, parents are busy picking and dropping. I am glad to have free time in the mornings. 🙂 But also am pretty busy in arranging sports and other activities for my kid. In the Fall season, kids can be engaged with a wide range of activities, but may have to chose based on the priorities.

    Moline Parks and Recreation

    The Moline Parks and Recreation board along with other local sports clubs is offering wide range of sports sessions for children at an affordable cost. What may be costing around $200 per kid if we approach separately, will cost $45 now with the special offer. You can register the Moline Parks and Recreation and add the required activities for your child.

    The sports club participating in this event include the Quad City Tennis Club, Quad City Mini-Wheekers, Summit Gymnastics Academy, and other local schools. The sports taught are Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling, Basketball, Soccer, Football, and Gymnastics.

    It is better to expose your child to multiple areas so that they can decide which activity is better suited for them.

    Blackhawk College Aquatic Center 

    The Blackhawk College Aquatic Center is offering swim sessions in fall thru spring on Saturdays and Wednesdays. The cost is $38 per session and each class is for 45 minutes. Wednesday evenings the batches are from 6.15 pm to 7 pm and 7.15 pm to 8 pm. In later sessions, a 5.15 pm to 6 pm batch may be started. Saturday morning sessions are from 9.15 to10 a.m., 10.15 to 11 a.m. and 11.15-Noon.

    You can reach them on 309 796 5601 and register and may pay the check at the time of the session.

    Quad Cities Kite Club

    The Quad Cities Kite Club is organizing a kite festival on September 25th and 26th. The admission is free and different cultural events and performances aer planned. You can reach them at 563 650 4143 for more information.  The event is at the Centenial park in Davenport, Iowa.

    The kite battles for children and adults are some of the events aprt from the India Kite Message Tree. Several games and contests will be there and prizes too. 🙂

    Choose Wisely

    Whatever activity you plan for your family must be based on your family priority and goals. Do not overload the child and yourself with too many activites. Plan properly so that your kid is engaged while having fun. 🙂

    Scouting – Developing future citizens

    Scouting is popular worldwide for nurturing and developing children. The names of the organizations may differ in different pars of the world, but the basic motto of supporting young children in their physical, mental and spiritual development remains same. Girl scouts and boy scouts are active in Quad cities local schools.

    What do Scouts do?

    Boy scouts or Girl scouts are trained in a wide range of outdoor activities and educational programs. Their leaders teach about multiple skills and topics including the country, God, society, personal safety, sports, aquatics, nature, outdoor adventures, camping, hiking among others. Character development along with life skills is a part of scouting.

    Scouts abide by common oath and common principles. They meet weekly once or according to their preset schedules. The scouts are grouped based on the age or grades. So, the kids can relate and learn from each other while learning and having fun.

    How much does Scouting cost?

    Young children ages five and above can become a member of the scouts for a minimal annual fee of $12 to $15. Additional charges apply for the uniform and camping. If you want to send your child for a camp, you may have to purchase additional camping gear.

    Most scouts are self-supporting and raise funds through popcorn sales or the yummy cookie sales.

    What can parents do?

    Parents can be part of the activities and fun during their children’s meetings. Offer additional information if the child has any queries about their scouting experiences. Parents can help their kids by offering extra support through the scouting.