June 2011

“Don’t be fooled,” laughs Kerin Morgan, owner of Richmondbased Morgan Swim School. “Kids can do so much more than you think.” It is the last lesson of the day for Morgan, whose 16-year-old school has helped thousands of kids learn to swim, and she is up to her waist in…

You can’t effectively plan your Walt Disney World Resort vacation without charting out the parks and the attractions you want to visit. That’s a lesson Richard Conti, director and chief wonder officer of the Science Museum of Virginia, learned years ago. “You have to plan and most people don’t,” says…

I’ll never forget the day I learned how to ride a two-wheeler. When I looked over my shoulder – just for a second until I felt my handlebars start to wobble – and saw the look of pride on my dad’s face, I knew it was the beginning of a…

Every once in a while, we’ll find a local Richmonder we’d all like to know a bit more about. Same questions each time, from the Prying Publisher, and the answers are just for you. This month, we caught up with Nutzy, the Richmond Flying Squirrels mascot who has stolen the…

June is here! The end of school is nigh! Run for your lives! OK, maybe that’s my take on summer break. Maybe you actually look forward to mosquito-bitten days of tedium and kids bored to petty crime. Or, maybe you are one of those people, who actually fills the endless…

The little figure on the conference room table squirmed. His tiny nose snuffled at the stale office building air, or perhaps it was the burnt coffee wafting from the break room. Huge malted-milk-ball eyes darted about the room, wide open – almost flirting. It was his first production meeting. “Oh,…

When my daughter was four months old, my mother asked when I would turn her rear-facing car seat around so she could be “more entertained and less prone to suffer from motion sickness.” Tiny from the get-go, my daughter was nowhere near the height and weight recommendations for the forward-facing…

According to Podium Foundation co-founder David L. Robbins, very few of Richmond’s public high schools have literary journals, and none have school newspapers. Contrast this with the neighboring counties, where most every high school features both. “Richmond’s just like urban school systems nationwide,” Robbins says. “Public schools are retreating from…

What you need: • Blue construction paper • Dark crayon or marker • Scissors • Gold glitter • Bottle of clear-drying glue   What you do: 1. Fold a piece of blue construction paper in half lengthwise. 2. Using a dark colored crayon draw an arch (like a rainbow) reaching…

While they don’t result in hearing issues for anyone, prominent ears can have a significant psychological impact on children. Most kids (and the parents who love them) do not sense a problem until six or so, when children start to become more aware of appearance in general. That’s when teasing by…

Q : Our desktop computer is in a family-access area. Now my 12-year-old has inherited a laptop, which she has started taking to her bedroom. How should we go about setting limits? A While your daughter is reaching an age where, developmentally, she is going to become more independent and…

1. Couscous and Chicken Salad  For the dressing, whisk together ¼ cup white wine vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, and 1 clove minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Bring 1¼ cups chicken broth to a boil and stir in 1 cup couscous. Remove from heat, cover,…