SMILE On!

Miss Lori

“At the start of the new year many grown ups talk about their resolutions. Do kids make resolutions too? Are they something personal or do you discuss them with your friends? What helps you bring those resolutions to fruition?”

Abi age 10~
I make resolutions every year. I sit down with my family and we write our resolutions down in a notebook. My Mom helps and encourages me to meet my resolutions throughout the year. I work on them a little bit at a time, and before I know it I am done. I like setting goals for myself. I like how I feel when I reach them.

Tess age 9~
My resolution is to be nicer to my brother. He drives me crazy, but I really thought about it, and my life would not be the same if he was not around. I talked about it with my mom, and think about it myself. I don’t know how good I will be at a resolution, but I am going to try.

McKenna age 11~
Kids can make resolutions too. Sure they might be a bit weird or immature, but they’re resolutions. Most of the time, the kids will forget their resolutions. So when a kid will remembers and follow their resolution, it’s a sign that they’re getting more responsible. Your resolutions can totally be personal like; “I will eat healthier this year.” Or a very common one, “I will clean my room everyday,” (which probably never happens). So, if you have really good friends you might tell them if its really personal, but you should only tell them the resolution if you feel comfortable telling them. If you don’t feel comfortable, don’t tell them. When you start a resolution you have to keep reminding yourself how good you’d feel if you kept this resolution through the year, and maybe even on into the future.

Elita age 9~
I make resolutions too! Sometimes they are personal, sometimes they are for sharing! I just tell myself I can do it, and I usually do!

Ava age 11~
Just like adults we do make resolutions. Some of our teachers make us write paragraphs about our resolutions, and make us share them to the dreaded class. Though I’d rather share with friends and family, just to let them know, and ask them to help me keep this resolution.

Ariana age 9~
Some kids do make resolutions. The reason why they make resolutions is because they want to be a better person in the future. It’s okay to discuss resolutions with your friends. Sometimes your friends can encourage you to do better. If you did a lot of bad things in the past, you can change them in the future. Someone can be nice to you if you’re nice to them.

Anaiya age 7~
I think your friends can help you change and help you become a better person. So I think you should tell your friends your resolutions, because then they can help you do them.

It’s time for Winter break. A chance for our children to shake off their school routines and hang loose for two weeks. (I think I am looking forward to it even more than my own kids. This has been a hard semester!) Typically vacations have meant just that, VACATIONS, a chance to get away from your regular routine by getting out of town. But money is tight for so many people these days that traveling is not often and option. Lucky for us we live in a city rich with opportunities for enrichment and fun. I love visiting Museum CAMPUS, Millenium Park and Navy Pier downtown. But I also love visiting The Kohl Children’s museum and Make-a-Messterpiece in Glenview, OR the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, OR Ikea and Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, (now that’s my kind of Amusement park!) The CAMPUS Kids and I have had the great pleasure of performing at so many wonderful sites around Chicago, and there are still so many more we have yet to encounter. So I asked them which Chicago attractions they would most like to visit during a STAYCATION this holiday break. There suggestions paint a beautiful picture of this wondrous city.

SMILE On!

Miss Lori

Winter Break is almost upon us. With the economy as it is many people are doing “staycations” instead of traveling. Imagine yourself as a tourist visiting Chicago, what attractions would you most like to visit?

Abi age 10~
I love going to Navy Pier, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Zoo Lights at Brookfield Zoo. The Museum of Science & Industry has Christmas trees decorated from all over the world. They also have a dollhouse of the White House there right now. The zoo is fun to go to at night and see the animals surrounded by tons of Christmas lights!

Sinead age 17~
Chicago is a great city! I’ve lived here for about 9 years, but I still love going downtown Chicago! It’s always exciting to visit, and it never gets old! If I had never been to Chicago, and had only one day to tour the city, I would definitely go to Millenium Park, because it’s always so packed with people. I love being around a lot of people! Michigan Avenue is my street, of course, because of all the shopping. So that would probably be at the top of my list! There are so many stores that surround you while walking down Michigan Avenue, not to mention the Water Tower Place, a mini mall in itself. Every 17 year old girl’s dream, if you ask me! There’s definitely not enough time in a day to fully experience Downtown Chicago, that’s for sure. But if you’re looking to shop, downtown Chicago is the right place to be!

Tess age 9~
I would like to see the Science and Industry Museum. I want to goto the Mayor’s Sports event. I also want to goto Devon Avenue and Little India!

McKenna age 11~
Well I would like to see the Willis Tower, (aka Sears Tower), for the phenomenal view of the city. I’d also go to see the Big Bean, I love going there. While I’m there I’d go to the outdoor ice skating rink, even though I’m not the best ice skater. On the top of my list would be Macy’s, the Walnut Room, (located in Macy’s) and the Magnificent Mile.

Elita age 9~
I would like to see American girl doll place, and Dillions Candy Bar!

Kyra age 11~
I would visit the Willis (Sears) Tower first, and then probably go down to Navy Pier. I would also like to see some of the museums. Chicago really is a cool place.

Jaedyn age 6~
Museums! Museums! Museums! Navy Pier. And my favorite, The Kohl Children’s Museum!

Ava age 11~
Skating in Millennium Park by the Bean is the coolest, but sometimes too cold when you fall a lot! But it’s a lot of fun. I think the Science and Industry Museum with all the Christmas trees from around the world is very pretty. I would love to see more shows with singing and dancing. And of course shopping is fun. Sightseeing too!

Ariana age 9~
I would most like to see the Sears Tower (I keep forgetting it’s the Willis Tower now). I want to go up to the very top of the Sears Tower and see how far away I can see. I wonder if I can see other states from up that high!

Anaiya age 7~
I would want to go to Navy Pier and take a boat ride. I also want to ride the big ferris wheel and the hot air balloon they have at Navy Pier. Me and my family could spend an entire day there and not get bored!

In my DVD Activate & Be Great The CAMPUS Kids and get ready for one of our fit-family-fun performances by practicing our songs and dances. In the Summertime we perform those shows live 4-5 times a week. In the Winter it’s only a couple of times a month. It can be hard to stay active when the weather makes you want to burrow underneath the covers to stay warm. At my house we have turned our family game night into a family video game night that involves physical competitions using the Wii. In the event of a power outage we break out our mini trampolines and have jumping contests in the living room. Anything to get our blood pumping. That’s the trick, whatever you do make sure you raise your heart rate and break a little sweat. That along with healthy meals throughout the day, will ensure a peaceful nights sleep. Like I always say, “Active Play, Healthy Food, and Peaceful Sleep” added together equal AWESOME Fun!

SMILE On!

Miss Lori

“The weather outside is frightful which makes it hard to get regular exercise. What do you do in the winter months to keep yourself active, healthy and fit?”

Abi age 10~
During the winter I take dance classes and play Wii fit a lot. I drink a lot of water and try to eat healthy snacks like apples, strawberries, grapes and carrots. I also like doing sit-ups and push-ups with my mom and brother. We have competitions and it is fun.

Sinead age 17~

In Winter, show choir season really starts up at my high school. With rigorous dances, I get so much exercise rehearsing every week! I never dance harder throughout the year than I do in Winter, because competition season begins in January, and the months leading up to competitions are spent solely on dancing our butts off to prepare for competing! I also teach gymnastics throughout the winter. I think it’s really important to stay active, even throughout the winter, and teaching gymnastics helps me to get the exercise I need on an almost daily basis while I’m at work. Plus, it’s fun! I really love being active and running around, so I make sure to stay fit throughout Winter!

Tess age 9~
To keep my self healthy and fit I do indoor speed skating, (and of course gym at school).

McKenna age 11~
Well I dance all Winter long… It’s my winter sport. My dance team rehearses more in the winter than in the summer…. but during Winter Break… I love playing in the snow!!!!! We have a BIG hill right behind our house. No more than 5 minutes… (well not when we’re in snow gear). I love going to the hill with my friends. Last year they were doing construction and my older brother Jason and I went to the hill to find a GINORMOUS hill of dirt. It was SO steep and SO much fun to go on. I also like going to my friends houses and making snowmen and drinking hot chocolate. That takes a lot of energy!!!! (no joke!!!!). If we’re not found at my friends houses, we like going to the YMCA. Most the time we go swimming. They have a diving board and if we get lucky the diving board will be open and all we have to do is take a couple minute swimming test and we’re in!!!! This year we’re old enough to go in the exercise room, so we might go there this year, I’m not sure though. Thats how we get exercise in the cold winter months though!!!!!!!

Elita age 9~
My family and I are concerned on how to stay fit, but we found an answer! We will do exercise tapes and jog on our mini tramp! I think those are two great solutions!

Kyra age 11~
Sometimes we choose to take public transportation instead of driving places. Since the train station is 6 blocks away from our house, I get exercise that way. At Christmas and other seasonal holidays with lots of sweets, I try not to eat to much!

Jaedyn age 6~
I do the Wii Fit Plus! My favorite games are Hula Hoop, Ski Jump and Obstacle Course. I like them because they are really fun and really active. The Hula Hoop is really active because you are moving around like you have a hula hoop on your waist.

Ava age 11~
During the winter season I like to swim and when the weather is nice I ride my bike or walk. If there is snow on the ground I might have a HUGE snowball fight with my neighbors. I also live near a forest and my family and I take long walks with my dog.

Ariana age 9~
I love being active. My favorite activity to do when it is cold outside is swimming! Yes, I said swimming but of course, it would indoors! Swimming is my favorite activity because it works out all of the muscles in your body. My mom, sister and I play games in the pool. Sometimes we pretend to be mermaids and other times we will play water volleyball. For some reason, even other sports seem more fun when you play them in the water!

Anaiya age 7~
I love doing gymnastics! I just started taking gymnastics classes and I love doing it and the best part is, you can do gymnastics even when it’s cold outside! I am learning to do flips and handstands the right way so that I don’t hurt myself and I get to learn with my friends which makes it even more fun!

Miss Lori

“With the economy as it is, unemployment at an all time high, violence in schools and H1N1 on the minds of everyone who sits next to someone who is coughing or sneezing, stress levels are high for parents. But it’s also high for kids too. What is stressing you out these days, and what do you do to deal with it?”

Abi age 10~
I stress about schoolwork a lot. I deal with it by asking my parents for help and practicing things that I have trouble with.

Sinead age 17~
As a high school senior applying for colleges, I am most stressed out about preparing for the future! It becomes very surreal when you start seeing deadlines for college applications. I never thought the day would come, but here I am applying for college, deciding what I’ll be majoring in, and getting ready to leave my family and venture out into the “real world,” all on my own!! I began questioning whether I am ready or not to make my own dinners, or make sure I’m up on time for classes every morning, or do my own laundry! I know most 17 year olds won’t agree with me, but if it were my choice, I’d take my mommy and daddy along with me to college in a heartbeat! It doesn’t help that all my friends talk non-stop about college; where they’ve applied so far, and where they’ve gotten in or been rejected! Every high school senior across the nation that is preparing for college feels the same way right about now! As an aspiring performer, I will also have to complete auditions for programs at different schools, which will ultimately decide whether or not I am accepted, and whether I am granted scholarships. Which is also very important. (Hey! College is expensive!) The future holds a lot for me right now, and I’m just trying to prepare myself… if it’s possible!

Tess age 9~
Sometime I get stressed—like when our school was giving out vaccines. I was trying to decide if it was good because I am scared about needles. The economy stresses me out because my family doesn’t have money for things, and I worry about that because sometimes I want things, but those aren’t needs.

McKenna age 11~
Well, I feel scared sometimes when I know my parents are spending a lot of money on me with dance. I get scared that they’re spending a little too much sometimes. I also am scared that with the flu going around that I’m going to get sick. I’m starting the new school year out great; good grades, making a great impression on all my new teachers. I don’t want to get sick and get loaded with makeup homework. I’m not as scared about getting H1N1 though. It seems kind-of weird, I know, but I’m just not as worried about it as anything else. I’ve heard H1N1 isn’t the nastiest flu around, so I’m not as scared about it. Also one of my dance instructors and her son just had H1N1 and they’re fine. So, I’m not that scared at all. One thing that’s been on my mind is cancer. You see one of my favorite, youngest teachers I ever had just died of breast cancer. She was diagnosed with it just as soon as school got out, so I had no idea that she had cancer until a couple days before she died. I saw her a couple weeks before she died, after her Chemotherapy I later found out, and she looked and acted fine. Apparently she was feeling fine until a couple days before she died. She went to the hospital Halloween weekend and then, November 1st, she died. She was so healthy when school got out and then that happened. So I ‘m afraid of getting cancer, (even though it’s very rare), or getting really sick.

Elita age 9~
I, as a girl, am going through troubles with friends, siblings and growing up in every way; maturity, achievements, and other places

Kyra age 11~
Plenty of things are stressing me out, and some of them are the same things that concern my parents, such as H1N1 and business. But a lot of them are more related to girls my age, especially things like being embarrassed. I deal with troubling issues in plenty of different ways, by praying about it, asking my parents and youth group leaders about it, and reading books about it.

Jaedyn age 6~
Not feeling well, and my brother and sister fighting stresses me out. So I cuddle with my Mommy.

Ava age 11~
Everything that I’m doing, including homework stresses me out. To help me calm down I just take it one day at a time.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It’s a day where the whole Country gathers with friends and family to nourish their hearts, and their bodies, (sometimes a little too much of the body). Thanksgiving offers us many opportunities to connect through traditions old and new. This week I asked The CAMPUS Kids how they feel about the upcoming holiday. They offered wonderful examples of just how enriching the day can be.

SMILE On!

Miss Lori

“With Thanksgiving fast approaching what are you really looking forward to with the holiday? Does your family have any special traditions? Is there a new tradition you would like to initiate yourself?”

Anaiya age 7~
I’m looking forward to all of the good food I get to eat! Thanksgiving is like having my own special buffet and I get to pick everything that goes on my plate. My Grandma always makes really good pie for Thanksgiving too, and we get to eat the food that we have left over for a week after Thanksgiving too. I also want to play with my cousins. I miss them sometimes because I don’t get to see them a lot but when the holidays come around, I always get to play with them more.

Abi age 10~
I am looking forward to seeing my relatives. We always have Thanksgiving at my house. There is a lot of food and we watch football and play cards. I like Thanksgiving because I get to see everyone I love.

Sinead age 17~

I am from South Africa, where Thanksgiving is not celebrated. When we moved to America and started celebrating Thanksgiving, it quickly became one of my favorite holidays! Every year, my family meets with a bunch of my parents’ South African friends and their families. We have all become so close over the years, and we have become each others’ families, since we all left our families when we moved to America. We eat lots of food, sweet potatoes baked with marshmallows being my personal favorite, and just sit around and enjoy the company. Thanksgiving has been this way for years, and it’s definitely a tradition in my family! I love the Winter holiday season, because it has Thanksgiving and Christmas, my two favorite holidays, and they both really center a lot on family, and togetherness. That is something I’d like to carry on for the rest of my life. No matter what happens year round, when it comes time for the Winter holiday season, I want to spend as much time as possible with my family, and remember that the holidays are all about loving those who make your life better everyday!

Tess age 9~
For Thanksgiving our family always goes to Michigan and has turkey, stuffing, (gluten free and normal because of my brother), cranberries, pumpkin pie, and stuff I can’t even remember! We also stay up late and watch bad, old horror movies!!!!

McKenna age 11~
I love seeing my family!!!!! Some of my family I haven’t seen since the 4th of July! I’m so excited to see them!!!!!! Of course, I’m also excited about Thanksgiving Dinner!!!!! Turkey, Stuffing, Rolls, etc. I love Thanksgiving dinner! This year my Dance team is going to be performing to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in the Thanksgiving Day Parade downtown. I’m so excited for that!!!!!! This will be the first time I perform in a parade and I’m so Excited!!!!!! ANYWAY… This year we FINALLY have the WHOLE family from my side of the family coming to dinner and I’m so excited about that!!!!!!! I love my family and I can’t wait to see them all!!!!!!!!!!! My family really doesn’t have any traditions on Thanksgiving, besides watching football. Except that Thanksgiving is always at my cousin Kristen’s house. I really like Thanksgiving and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Elita age 9~
Last year my family and I started a tradition at my house; we made a list of all the things we are grateful for. I am looking forward to spending time with my family. I love Thanksgiving,

Kyra age 11~
Every Thanksgiving, my family and anyone visiting us all receive three pieces of corn dry, colored corn. Then a bowl is passed around the table, and we say something that we are thankful for for each kernel as we place them in the basket. It’s a great way to remember our blessings. This year, my family and I are going to the McDonald’s Thanksgiving day parade for the first time, and since it is the first time I’ve ever lived in a big city, it’s the first time I’ve ever been to a big Thanksgiving parade. I would like to start doing that every year.

Ava age 11~
I am really looking forward to seeing my grandmother who just got done with her chemo. She will be attending this feast and I know that my whole family is very thankful that she is going to be here. In the morning my brothers and my dad play a huge football game with lots of people in the neighborhood. While that’s happening my mom, my uncle,and I are getting ready for the big feast such as cooking, cleaning etc. But the boys don’t get it easy, once they come back they either help set the table or they clean up afterwards. We have a pretty traditional meal but one thing some people might not do is that we grill the turkey. Though I love our turkey, next year I would like to try a deep fried turkey.

Ariana age 9~
I am really looking forward to spending time with my family. All of my cousins that I don’t get to see a lot, my uncle and my new little cousin, Jayden. This will be Jayden’s first Thanksgiving so I would like to start a new tradition. I would like to start a story telling tradition. We can all sit around the dinner table and talk about every Thanksgiving that we have had and talk about all the many more Thanksgiving’s we will have together.

Jaedyn age 6~
I love getting together with my whole family and showing them all of the great projects I have made for Thanksgiving in school. I am really looking forward to making raisin rice with my Gammy. It has rice and raisins in it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H47f9lfQt-A