North State Parent magazine

Martial Arts Give A Kick To Kids’ Physical, Academic & Mental Fitness The term "martial arts" often brings to mind Jackie Chan or Jet Li films, and the violence that goes along with them. The recent remake of the Karate Kid features a bullied child who is finally able to overcome his nemesis during a tournament with a swift crane kick. Read more...

Be the Change - Cindy Carlson, Butte County Founder and Director of Chico's Rose Scott School, Cindy Carlson has a knack for helping children develop their unique gifts. Her specialty is fostering a nurturing and creative learning environment geared for children who deal with the challenges of ADHD, high-functioning autism and other special needs... and giftedness. Read more...

Youth Roller Hockey - Fast, Fun Times For Girls & Boys In Safe Conditions Parents can't believe their ears when they hear their kids want to play roller hockey. Images of missing teeth, bloody noses and broken bones prevail. But that's not youth roller hockey, which is a noncontact sport that's not as well known as youth football and baseball, but just as loved. Read more...

How To Be A Good Spectator – Balancing Good Sportsmanship With Competition Have you ever been sitting in the stands of your child's soccer game and felt embarrassed for the actions of a fellow parent spectator? Were you ever tempted to lash out at the referee for a bad call or yell at the coach of an opposing team? Read more...

The Problem With Praise My eleven-year-old son rolled his eyes at me, indicating the woman sitting next to us. Watching my younger son's basketball game, we made the mistake of seating ourselves next to Avery's mom. We listened as she loudly sang her son's praises for an hour, "Yay, Avery, awesome! Good job!" Read more...

Bay Area Students Provide Hands-On Help In Haiti - Teens Join in Solidarity with Haitian Earthquake Victims As we walked past the customs officer we were immediately engulfed in a mess of bodies, luggage, humidity and sweat. At that moment I turned to my mom in amazement and said, "Mom, we're definitely not in Kansas anymore." Read more...

September is National Honey Month - Making Chico Museum A Sweet Place To Visit Honey, the nectar of the gods. Egyptian temple paintings dating back to 2400 B.C. show people harvesting, processing and storing honey. For thousands of years, people have risked their lives to raid the hives and collect the sweet liquid inside. In ancient cultures around the world, and even today, the honey bee has been worshiped and revered as a god-like creature. Read more...

Disneyland – One Mom Discovers Her Inner Roller Coaster Junkie My husband and I are outdoorsy, budget travel types, with a penchant for national parks and hiking trails. So our decision to take our kids to Disneyland was a major concession...a theme park trip, of all things. Read more...

Fun Family Bike Rides in Upper California What could be more fun than a family outing and specifically a bike ride that supports all ages and ability levels? Over the years bicycling has been one of the activities bringing my family together, whether it was when my daughter was so small that she rode inside a bike trailer Read more...

Day Tripper Last year my son and I faced a vacation dilemma. We had a whole week off from school and work, and we had nothing to do. It was Spring Break, time to take the family to Disney World or Aspen, unless of course, your family, like mine, lacks the funds necessary to finance such a trip. And because all of his friends had left town, David and I were destined to stay home with each other. Read more...