Child Life articles from March 1996

Child Life archives from March 1996

From Russia, with love. (12-year-old Russian tennis player Katja Kojohina)
March 1, 1996... It's eight o'clock in the morning in Moscow. Eager and confident, Katja flicks her brown ponytail and marches up to her coach. "Who can I beat today?" she asks. It's a typical day for twelve-year-old Katja Kojohina (cot-TYAH ko-jo-HEE-nah),...

How duckboots were invented. (short story)
March 1, 1996... Once upon a time there was a boy who lived with his father on a small farm. His father cut wood and sold it to people for his job. He had a wood-cutting shop near a pond where some ducks lived. One day before the boy's father left to go to...

The tree. (poem)
March 1, 1996... I planted a tree the other day, In a far-off spot Out of the way. It's not much to look at, well at least not yet, Just a scrawny branch. It will grow up soon, I bet. But I know it's growing just like me, Little by little. It's just...

Growing up. (poem)
March 1, 1996... I am growing and I am changing very quickly. It's scary for you To see me grow up, But then, it's lots scarier for me. Help me deal with all of this, even though it is hard. Try to be understanding with me, And I will try to be...

Signs of spring. (poem)
March 1, 1996... I woke up one morning and Saw a birdie on my sill. I looked out my window To see a lovely daffodil. I looked up in a treetop and Saw a robin in its nest. Then I knew that winter Had gone to take its rest.

Rain. (poem)
March 1, 1996... Rain is the sweet nectar that crops desire; It is the enemy of fire. It is sometimes pure, sometimes not. It sure feels good when it is sunny and hot.

I wish. (poem)
March 1, 1996... I wish I was a horse running free With my mane and tail behind me. It would be cool to be a horse And run when I want to, To run free and have No one behind me.

Jordan. (poem)
March 1, 1996... I love my Labrador named Jordan; He keeps me away from boredom. We play soccer and volleyball In the winter, spring, summer, and fall. We like to run and play hide-and-seek. When he finds me, he licks me on the cheek. Jordan is my...

Home. (poem)
March 1, 1996... A home is a loving place Where you don't have to hit Or make a face. You can go to your home when you're having doubts, Where you know your parents will help you out. You can go to your home in time of fear, Where your family will...

Catching the dragon's tail. (instructions for a children's game)
March 1, 1996... Twist this way. Turn that way. Watch out! Keep away from the dragon's head or...you could be eaten alive! Chuo Tung Wek, or "Catching the Dragon's Tail," comes from eastern Asia. In China, long lines of children hang on to each other trying to...

Baked potato soup. (recipe)
March 1, 1996... Here's a taste o' the Irish for your St. Paddy's lunch or dinner! Do you like baked potatoes with a wee bit o' sour cream, chives, and bacon? This is a healthful way to get that same savory flavor, and it's easy to make. Make sure you have...

Half a pair. (short story)
March 1, 1996... Douglas McDougal was a peddler who sold pots and pans, shoes and scarves. He dispensed frippery and flattery in equal measures and earned a good living at his trade. But he was not satisfied. "I want to sell more than any other peddler this...

Tulip Time Scholarship Races. (competition for children held in April 1996)
March 1, 1996... The Fitness Farm is definitely not quiet and boring in the springtime! Come run in the 1996 Tulip Time Scholarship Races on Saturday, April 27, 1996, and you'll see why. The races will be held at the Children's Better Health Institute's Fitness...

Picture this. (how children can enter the 1996 Tulip Time Scholarship Races without entering the actual races)
March 1, 1996... If you can't come and race with us at the Fitness Farm, you can still join us in the "Picture of Health" Contest! Draw a picture or have a photo taken of yourself while participating in your favorite sport. If your entry is chosen for a Child...

Take the challenge. (requirements for the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, which is part of the 1996 Tulip Time Scholarship Races)
March 1, 1996... Take the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Challenge! This event will feature activities like curl-ups, v-sits, pull-ups, shuttle runs, and a one-mile run/walk. You will need to meet the requirements for kids your age in order to...

I have black spots around my nose. What are they?(Ask Doctor Cory)
March 1, 1996... Dear Elizabeth: It sounds as though you have what are commonly called blackheads, or comedones (com-uh-DOE-nees). These tiny black spots are often found around the nose and the chin. Dead skin cells and sebum (natural skin oil) often collect...

When you have a bloody nose, are you supposed to lean forward or backward?(Ask Doctor Cory)
March 1, 1996... Dear Erin: If you get a nosebleed: * Stay calm. * Gently blow your nose. * Tilt your head slightly forward. * With a tissue in your hand, firmly pinch your nostrils (the soft part of your nose) shut with your thumb and your finger....

One day, I just broke out in hives and itched for three days. What do you think caused this? I started taking Benadryl. It helped a lot. They went away by the next evening.(Ask Doctor Cory)
March 1, 1996... Dear Ashley: Hives are blotchy patches of red, slightly raised areas of skin. They are lighter in the middle. Hives can be quite small, or they can be several inches wide and cover most of the body. Often they are very itchy. Hives are an...

BTV - before television. (activities children did before television was invented and the basic lifestyle of people)
March 1, 1996... Can you imagine life without TV? No Cosby reruns, no after-school cartoons, no creepy videos for Saturday night sleepovers. Your grandparents may have missed out when they were kids. Many of today's conveniences had not been invented yet....

Shirley Temple, the Little Colonel. (actress describes her favorite role and her life)(reprinted from Child Life, April 1935)(Interview)
March 1, 1996... THE Little Colonel is the new role that Shirley Temple is playing on the screen. This story about a small girl of the old South is one of the best beloved books ever written for children and it seems very suitable that the best beloved little...

Eletelephony. (poem)
March 1, 1996... Once there was an elephant Who tried to use the telephant - No! No! I mean an elephone Who tried to use the telephone - (Dear me! I am not certain quite That even now I've got it right.) Howe'er it was, he got his trunk Entangled in the...

Antonio. (poem)
March 1, 1996... Antonio, Antonio Was tired of living alonio. He thought he would woo Miss Lissamy Lu, Miss Lissamy Lu Molonio. Antonio, Antonio Rode off on his polo-ponio. He found the fair maid In a bowery shade. A-sitting and knitting alonio. Antonio,...

Across the street. (poem)(reprinted from Child Life, June 1935)
March 1, 1996... The Linktum Toddy and the Winktum Wee Lived just across the street from me. A very strange pair they seemed to be, The Linktum Toddy and the Winktum Wee. The Linktum wore his head in a bag; The Winktum's tail went wag, wig, wag. Neither went...