For some parents across the country, weekends are measured in soccer game start times, baseball innings and tournament scores. Researchers estimate that over 14 million children play one type of organized sport and several of those youngsters play multiple sports depending on the season. Sports are important for teaching good sportsmanship, goal-setting, teamwork, and for encouraging children to have an active lifestyle. Aside from these obvious advantages, organized sports can also play a much larger and culturally significant role as well.

Sports combine athletic as well as social skills and mix them up into an organized framework. Children are often required to put aside their own desires and ego for the sake of their team. They spend time learning from and befriending teammates who often are more like brothers and sisters than mere friends. Team uniforms are worn to signify solidarity and equality; everyone’s uniform looks the same. Children learn to play, strategize and communicate with people from all walks of life; those of different religions, race, ethnicity, gender and culture and work toward a common goal - winning. They are often exposed at an early age to those that are different from themselves but possess equal or greater skills and they come to realize that everyone is different, but differences can be strengths as well. Consider the following sports when looking for a diverse team activity for your child:

1. Baseball - - Baseball not only requires good communication from all team members; pitcher and catcher, outfielder to infielder and between the out and in-fielders themselves, it also encourages children to assist struggling teammates who are not performing well. By succeeding individually, children help contribute to a winning team environment and each child knows that even though he or she may not have their best game that day, one of their teammates will pick up the slack.

Major League Baseball also has many international stars and role-models that children of different ethnicities and nationalities can look up to and admire. There are players from Japan, Korea, Canada, the US, Australia, Mexico, Cuba and several other countries around the globe. MLB has training centers in a number of Central and South American countries and are constantly providing instruction and education for their players. The teams play exhibition games overseas and have created a World Baseball Classic which features international teams competing against each other for the title.

2. Basketball - - Basketball requires communication as well. While on the court, players make each other aware of their positions as well as the position of the defenders. It also encourages and rewards players for unselfish play in passing the ball to others to score. It necessitates an understanding between all players and the coach when plays are created in practice or called out during the game. Basketball is a game of camaraderie and the more time a team spends together practicing, the better they know where teammates will be during any given play in the game.

Recently, the National Basketball Association has seen an influx of international players as well. There are players from all different walks of life and several different age groups, as the NBA allows high school players to participate. Basketball is a very popular international Olympic sport and thousands of fans from every different country come out to support their team during the trials and 2 week events.

3. Football - - In football, we truly see the uniform disguising all differences. The helmets children wear to protect themselves also offers a mask to hide skin color, gender differences and cultural distinctions as well. Everyone looks the same on the football field; there is no one better than another; the great equalizer. This helps children to be judged more on their ability to play, rather than what they look like or where they come from. Football, like Baseball and Basketball requires communication skills between teammates as well as a desire to unselfishly sacrifice oneself for another teammate.

4. Other Sports Programs - - There are a number of other special sports programs in communities across the country that focus on helping children with disabilities participate and establish relationships. Special baseball fields, basketball courts and tennis facilities allow children in wheelchairs, walkers and on crutches to play sports alongside of their peers. Mixed leagues provide children without physical disabilities the chance to participate and learn about children that are different from themselves.

Although many people may consider sports divisive and ego-driven with all players performing for themselves, parents can use sports as an opportunity to teach children about the satisfaction that comes from being part of a team. Children can learn life lessons as they play; leadership, teamwork, social skills and they can also learn that people that look, speak or play differently from themselves are people that they want to get to know and become friends with. Children are open to learning about others and accepting those who are different. We as parents need to be conscious of what we are teaching and the opportunities that we provide to them for doing just that.

It’s almost summer! That means it’s time for splashing around in the pool and escaping the heat by heading to the cool mountains for some outdoor fun. The products we use to protect us from the sun and from the pesky outdoor pests that we encounter during our summer activities can have less than desirable ingredients and chemicals listed on their labels. In order to avoid harmful substances that are absorbed into our skin, what should we look for to know we are using safe products for ourselves and our children?

Protection from the sun is important, but so is knowing what types of things to avoid in commercial sunscreens. Remember, our skin is our largest organ and anything absorbed into the skin can be transported to other organs in our body in about 7 seconds. In recognition of that fact, try to avoid the following common sunscreen ingredients:

PABA: Many people are very sensitive to this ingredient and can end up with red, itchy skin.

Benzophenone (benzophenone-3), homosalate, and octy-methoxycinnamate (octinoxate): These chemicals have shown estrogenic activity in lab tests. Oxybenzone is a derivative of benzophenone and it is linked to allergies, hormone disruption, and cell damage. According to the CDC 97% of Americans are contaminated with this widely-used sunscreen ingredient.

Parabens (butyl-, ethyl-, methyl-, and propyl-): Parabens are common in sunscreens so avoiding them may prove difficult. They are preservatives that have estrogenic qualities. They have produced abnormal hormonal effects following on laboratory rodents, particularly male, resulting in decreased testosterone levels and other abnormalities. They have also been found to accumulate in the breast tissue of women with breast cancer.

Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 (Avobenzone): While on the surface of the skin these chemicals appear to prevent UV damage but when absorbed into the skin they can actually damage DNA. There is evidence that the sun’s light may cause these chemicals to become reactive and cause free-radical damage.

Safe sunscreen components include any zinc oxide or titanium dioxide products that scatter, rather than absorb the sun’s rays. In addition, you can use protective sun clothing to keep your skin shielded when you are planning to be outside. Hats, sunglasses and UVA/UVB repellant swimwear are widely available and provide the safest protection for kids and adults alike.

To combat those pesky mosquitoes and other biting insects, we need to once again, examine what it is that we are using on our skin. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggests the use of “non-chemical” methods to deter biting insects before any consideration of chemical insect repellents. Most bug sprays and repellents contain DEET. DEET is a pesticide that is considered HIGHLY toxic. Experts report that up to 56% of DEET applied to the skin penetrates the skin and about 17% is absorbed into the blood stream.

One of the major adverse effects of DEET exposure to children is seizures and brain damage. As parents, it is wise to utilize caution, care and knowledge in your approach to protecting your children from dangerous insect bites.

Consider using barriers like window screens and netting to shield your children and protect their skin with long-sleeve shirts, long pants and socks. Other commercial products with safe and effective ingredients are:

MiEnviron Certified Organic Personal Bug Spray
SmartShield
California Baby SPF 30 + Bug Repellent

Now that warmer weather is here, families can spend time together enjoying being outside. If we can do a little bit of label reading before purchasing some of the summer necessities, it will be a safer and “greener” season for everyone!

Hello Everyone!!

This week we are participating in the mommyfest.com Blog Party!!  Click on this link to go and visit all of the other wonderful blogs that are participating.

To celebrate our participation, we are giving away one of our Regionz Kidz Tank Tops for infants, toddlers or moms FREE

To enter, just leave a comment with your email address on this entry with your favorite character, gender and design from our Regionz Kidz sketchbooks, found on our website home page.  At the end of the week, we will choose our winner and you will be contacted via email to choose your size!!

Also, in your comment, if you are interested in receiving our monthly newsletter, please make a note of that and I will add your name to our list.  Our newsletter contains articles on diversity, healthy kids, and growing up “green”, along with coupon codes and great partner deals.

Thanks and enjoy the PARTY

Moms deserve a special day all to themselves. Being a mom myself, I am probably biased, but… I believe that being a mother is the most difficult thing a woman can do & the accomplishment is something to be celebrated!

The origins of Mother’s Day have roots in the 1600s. Mothering Day as it was called in England, became an especially compassionate holiday toward the working class women. On the Sunday of Lent, servants and trade workers were allowed to travel back to their towns of origin to visit their families. Mothering Day also provided a one-day reprieve from the fasting and penance of Lent so that families across England could enjoy a sumptuous family feast—Mother was the guest of honor. Mothers were presented with cakes and flowers, as well as a visit from their beloved and distant children.

The modern day US celebration is very similar to the celebrations of the English so long ago. We shower our Mothers with flowers, greeting cards and gifts to thank them for their devotion and love. However, the Holiday is not specific to the United States and is celebrated all over the world in a number of different ways.

• 1. Argentina: During Día de la madre, young children gather their mothers together and read them poetry.
• 2. Japan: On haha no hi, families prepare traditional dishes that their mothers taught them to cook. The Japanese give their Mothers flowers (especially red carnations), scarves, handkerchiefs and handbags.
• 3. United Kingdom: The Mother’s day traditions include a gift of violet and the customary Simnel Cake, a glazed fruitcake inspired by a folk tale about a married couple, Simon and Nell. So the story goes, this pair could not decide bake or broil a cake. So in the end they did both. Thus Simnel Cake was born.
• 4. Finland: Mother’s Day is called aidipayiva and in the morning the family takes a walk, picks new flowers and makes a bouquet for their mother. A particular flower called the valkovuokko is favored. Mom is then presented with a decorated bouquet, while also being served breakfast in bed.
• 5. Sweden: Mother’s Day takes a charitable course; the Swedish Red Cross sells small plastic flowers leading up to the holiday, and the proceeds raised are given to poor mothers and their children.

This year to celebrate our wonderful Mothers in a new and different way, perhaps we can adopt a few of the unique customs that are celebrated around the world. Read a poem to your mom, bake a cake, serve her breakfast in bed, or make a charitable donation in her name. Take it from someone who knows, she will appreciate the originality and thought that is put into making Mother’s Day such a special and wonderful day of celebration!

Lisa Smith has a BA in Psychology & is the Owner/CEO of Regionz Kidz, a multi-cultural infant & toddler clothing line featuring ethnically diverse characters and designs. She publishes a blog on her website http://www.regionzkidz.com that discusses cultural diversity & children & is a frequent guest blogger on other blogs and websites regarding parenting and children’s issues. She is also a monthly contributor to Educated Mommy Magazine. You can contact Lisa directly at: lisa@regionzkidz.com

I would love to welcome Gigi to our Regionz Kidz blog! She is going to be putting up some great posts about Peru & its culture and traditions. Please welcome her to our wonderful community

Gilda (Gigi) Pedraza, a Social Entrepreneur and Former Director of Resource Development at the Latin American Association; graduated with honors from the bachelors degree program in Hospitality from the Center in Tourism Development in Lima, Peru. In 2000, on a scholarship from the Spanish government, Gilda received a Masters in Tourism with a focus in planning from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Univeristy.

Before leading the Resource Development Department at the Latin American Association, where she responsible for the fundraising activities as well as special events and public relations strategy; she worked as an events planner and coordinator of the “Guest Recognition” program at the Ritz-Carlton in Buckhead; training staff on quality management processes and increasing efficiencies in the hotel.

Gilda has also led several initiatives aiming to facilitate the traffic and delivery of service at the Peruvian Corporation of Civil Aviation, which included integrating suppliers, government representatives, corporations and the media in the projects at the Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima.

Currently, she runs the Inca Kids project, a fair trade initiative supporting skilled but unprivileged Peruvian artisans through the sales of their handcrafted items in developing countries.

Gilda is married to Omar Rodriguez, she is mother of a busy toddler and is expecting her second baby in July.

The Qoyllur Rit’i Festival…At 15,500 feet!

One of the things that I miss the most while living here in the US; is the number of festivals Peruvians enjoy during the year, and I am not talking about artist markets, I am talking about festivals that go back hundreds of years as traditions.

The Qoyllur Rit’i (pronounced “kouyuriti” in English means “Snow Star”) is a festival celebrated at the end of May that unites both the Andean and Catholic traditions of the country. It is basically a long pilgrimage that starts at the bottom of Mount Sinaqara (believed in the Andean tradition to be a god –Apu Ausangate) all the way up 15,500 feet! Thousands of people walk, dance and sing their way up the mountain while enjoying traditional food from vendors or other pilgrims. The story of the tradition says that an image of God appeared on top of the mountain and if you do a pilgrimage for 5 years in a row, God will grant you a special wish or miracle. Believers then plan their whole year around this festivity and bring their best and colorful clothes, food from their towns (because of the altitude is very difficult to cook up there) and dance and pray for God to give them strength to reach the summit.

After they reach the summit, some pilgrims bring pieces of glacier to their communities (they carry them on their back!) because they are believed to have medicinal properties.

If you think this sounds interesting, remember that you would be climbing a mountain so there is no hotel, you would have to carry a tent to sleep inside, and temperatures often reach 0 Fahrenheit degrees!!

Gigi Pedraza
Inca Kids, Fair Trade Artisan Toys and Accessories by Peruvian artisans.
www.incakids.org

Whole World
Illustrated by Christopher Corr
Sung by Fred Penner

“She’s got the fish of the sea
In her hands
She’s got the Whole World in her hands!”

Oprah loves us, and you will too! Oprah selected our Whole World book to be on her O magazine February “O List” of things she loves. This is a beautifully illustrated version of the song we all loved as children. Fred Penner, a famous children’s musician, contributed his talents to this catchy sing-along CD. The book also includes information about different ecosystems and has eco-tips on how to live green and respect our planet! The pronouns are mixed throughout the book, giving us all a better sense of how we are responsible for our own world.

“…this bright, lively interactive picture book makes a strong call for conservation. Each clear, spacious, double-page spread shows boys and girls of all races and places holding hands around the globe, playing together from the plains and deserts to the lakes and rivers and towns and cities … The chanting repetition with the colorful pictures of children everywhere will have even young preschoolers joining in the playful celebration of diversity and connection and saving the world.”
— Booklist

You can find out more about this book on my barefoot website, where the press release is listed as well as a few online activity sheets about our environment. This book is recommended for ages 0-9, but has a message we can all appreciate at any age! Along with spreading a message of global responsibility, Barefoot Books is donating 10% of Whole World sales to global conservation efforts. To find out more about this book, as well as find a list of our environmental partners, please visit my website at http://barefootfamily.mybarefootbooks.com

Jenn Aaron
US Stallholder US-1014367
Barefoot Books
http://barefootfamily.mybarefootbooks.com/