Triangle TRACKS Now Offers Groups for Parents in Each Triangle Town

Triangle TRACKS now offers individual groups to parents in 16 different towns or cities across the region. If you live in Apex, for example, and want to meet other Apex parents or just discuss topics relating to children in Apex, Apex TRACKS Connections is the group for you. Maybe you live in Raleigh but operate a children's business in Chapel Hill. If so, why not join the Raleigh and Chapel Hill Tracks Connections groups? It's easy to join. Just go to this link, find your town, then click on "join." We think you'll find the "Groups" feature ian effective way to reach out to and share ideas with your community.

Before Forecasters and Satellites, Surprise Snowfalls Made for the Most Magical of Mornings

Once again, we're featuring a column written about childhood by Tom Poland. This one is sure to hit home with all of you - especially those of you who grew up in the south.

Once Upon A Time Magic Was Literally In The Air
By Tom Poland

My childhood days unfolded in a remarkable manner. They were as simple as a hammer. My family and I were, in a way, cut off from civilization. Woods surrounded our home out in the country, and we had a rudimentary phone: a party line that rarely rang.

The Information Age had yet to materialize and in those uncomplicated days, we had no Weather Channel to tell us days in advance that snow was coming. It either came or it didn’t, and most of time, living in eastern Georgia and far from the mountains as we did, it didn’t. But when it did, well, it provided joy like no other weather can.

Magical mornings. My parents would wake me up. “Look out the window.”

There it was! A winter wonderland rare and sublime. There it was, that crystalline miracle, snow. Gold dust might as well have fallen during the night. Adrenalin surged through me. Mere sleeping had transported me to the land of the midnight sun and ice and snow. An altogether new architecture redefined all that was familiar into white lines and soft, glistening curves. It was as if a milky species of kudzu had carpeted the county.

Soon my sisters and I were marring the perfect surface with our tracks. (I always hated making tracks on that smooth, crystalline surface. I was ruining the only perfect thing I’d known. But out the door we went.)

On those rare, snow-blanketed mornings I awakened first, I could tell something was different. The world seemed muted, and a strange, soft silence muffled morning. A distant car seemed to slush down the Augusta Highway. And then I’d notice that the light seeping around the blinds and curtains seemed bluish. Peeking through the window jolted me. Snow had softly fallen throughout the night.

Memories of childhood snows live within me still. Rare happenings rarely fade. Those snows of childhood held magic. Few things rival the spellbinding beauty of quarter-sized flakes tumbling through the air. Mesmerized by their fall, I knew that nothing but good could come from flakes like that. No school. A snowman. A friendly snowball fight. Snow ice cream! Just skim a layer off the car roof into a bowl, mix in sugar, vanilla extract, and milk and, voilà, ice cream!

Freshly fallen snow meant a chance to walk through muffled wintry woods that seemed more like Vermont to me, though I had never been to Vermont. But there with the boughs crusted white, limbs sporting a meringue of white and creaking a bit and the ground softly cloudlike, the woods behind home seemed Vermont-like. As I walked through the trees, my boots crunched and squeaked, a deafening noise in that muffled winter wonderland.

Suddenly the creatures of the woods revealed themselves in a way like no other. Tracks galore. Dad and I once tracked a rabbit down until we found it sitting as still as stone, melding into a patch of brown leaves so perfectly seeing it came as a total shock. Raccoon tracks and birds of all types did their part to stencil wintry wildlife patterns onto the snow. A snowfall reveals evidence of the denizens of woods and fields like no other time. It’s a powdery lab where biology refuses to be ignored.

A snowfall made for a time of adventurous survival too. Those rare days of childhood snow sometimes knocked out the power. That meant tomato soup warmed over gas space heaters, wet clothes, and freezing hands and toes. And even that misery held its own peculiar brand of joy.

All those magical winter moments live in a place called recollection. To this day, snow unleashes a medley of memorable experiences in childhood and the remarkable thing is those memories retain their magic forever. As I write, I see a nine-year-old boy, Tommy, donning a cheap parka and gloves. Soon his fingers will burn from snow’s icy flames, but he won’t care.

Photo: "Tommy" around age 8 or 9


My Dad, as many dads did in the ’50s, bought a Bell & Howell 8 millimeter camera and made home movies. To this day, I can see the snowfall he captured on film; I want to say it’s the winter or late spring of 1958. I do believe it’s April. Our dog, Duke, romps in the snow. Mom holds up a handmade sign giving the date and I believe the snow’s depth of eight inches. The film jerks and swings wildly. Suddenly someone else is filming and my father runs into the camera: red from the cold, his heavy 5 o’clock shadow evident. Closer he comes, his face near the lens. Mom always said that shot made him look like an escaped convict. He was but 32 years old. He was a boy playing in the snow. Snow made children of us Southerners. That’s its true beauty.

—

Snow today? It means a hassle for those who drive to work. Over here in the city, as traffic snarls and fender benders break out like some metallic rash, area body shop owners anticipate a windfall of sorts.

Well before the snow arrives (it usually doesn’t), schools start giving notice that there’ll be a three-hour delay the next morning or even better to the kids, no school at all. But generally all that happens is a huge front of disappointment moves through. You could say a depression moves in ’cause every kid’s spirit plummets when snow fails to materialize.

It’s just a fact of life. Southern weathermen today are no good at predicting snow. Whenever a weatherman says it’s a certainty snow is coming, I know it’s not. But that doesn’t stop people from making a run on bread, milk, and soup at all the grocery stores. As soon as weathermen, those new celebrities born of clouds and climate, predict snow, people rise up like a horde of locusts and strip the shelves bare.

I can’t speak for you, but I much prefer the old days when a blanket of snow, thin though it may be, caught us by surprise. You wake up and there it is covering the land like an unanticipated veneer of confectioner’s sugar.

The allure of the exotic and the magic of discovery I guess is where the joy of snow came from in my youth.

Things changed, sadly. Now it’s unwise to eat snow ice cream. The air is filled with toxic particles, pollution, and other particulates that put snow ice cream on the “do not eat” list. Thanks progress. And driving in the snow amounts to a demolition derby down here where it doesn’t snow enough to justify snow plows. When it does snow, some northern transplants like to make fun of us, both our unbridled glee and our traffic troubles. “My Gawd, it’s just a little snow.” (Perhaps some of you recall the July 1995 heat wave that struck up North. In Chicago, 525 people died. “My God, it was just a little heat.” Of course I write that tongue in cheek. Well, not really.)

So, here we are deep into January with the coldest month of all, February, yet to come. Is there a chance we’ll have a record snow like the one that hit in 1973? I don’t know and I am doubly sure weather forecasters don’t know. Here’s hoping the so-called weathermen get it right just once this winter. Give the kids some snow, but do us a favor. Don’t predict snow. If you and your leaned ways and satellites know for sure snow is coming, don’t forecast it. Let a new generation of children experience the magic of a surprise Southern snowfall.

For your children’s’ sake, I hope they go to bed one night soon dreading a test at school the next day. And then throughout the night, here they come: fluffy alabaster flakes tumbling onto Georgia earth, a soft whispering accompanying their fall. Early the next morning, the world seems bluish and quiet.

And then dad or mom or both come into the bedroom. “Look out the window.”

A day of magic, one the kids remember the rest of their live, is about to unfold.

Photo: Tom's granddaughter, Katie, enjoys the snow in January 2009.

Triangle TRACKS Hosts Facebook Fan Page Contest

Are you a Facebooking Triangle TRACKS parent? If so, you may already be a fan of our Triangle TRACKS Facebook Fan Page. If you aren’t yet, we have a few good reasons for you to "fan" us on Facebook today.

Any Triangle TRACKS member who is also a fan of our Facebook page will be automatically entered into a random drawing to win some great prizes not one time, but TWICE. That’s right, your name will be entered TWICE into a random drawing to win these great prizes.

- 1 Nick Jr. show family 4-pack for “Nickelodeon Storytime Live” Sat. May 15 show at 2 p.m. at Progress Energy Center for the Perfoming Arts in Raleigh.

- 1 Family Pass to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham

- 3 Bounce Back BounceU Reward Passes (to be used during Open Bounce sessions)

- 1 Sitter Connection Premium Annual Membership (enables you to contact Sitter Connection up to five times/month to request a sitter. They do the legwork to find a sitter for you; you pay the sitter directly.) The names of Facebookers who become fans of our Facebook page but have not become members of Triangle TRACKS will be entered into our random drawing one time only.

We use our Facebook page to post links to fun events and interesting topics, so these posts will appear in your Facebook feed once you become a fan of our page. We think you'll find it convenient and helpful.

We’ll close the contest Jan. 21 at midnight and announce the winner Jan. 22 at noon. Good luck!

Homeschool Resources on Triangle TRACKS

We've heard from several parents who are interested in connecting with homeschool parents and resources. You may have already visited our Homeschool resource page, which links off our Education TRACKS page. There are quite a few resources there for parents interested in learning more about homeschooling, and connecting with other homeschoolers. If you know of a homeschool resource we don't have on our page, please post a comment here or email us to let us know about it.

Triangle TRACKS has Laura Kelly Holiday Activity Sheets for Kids

We've posted links to download each activity sheet on our home page. You can also view images of each sheet on our home page photo slideshow.

50 Fun Things for Track 3 Families to Do During Their Break

Hey Track 3 families in Wake County, there's no shortage of things to do when you're tracked out during Halloween. Here's our looong and spooky list of stuff for you to do while you're on your track-out break!

1. Hill Ridge Farms Fall Pumpkin and Harvest Festival (through Oct. 31)
2. Tweetsie Railroad Ghost Train (through Oct. 31)
3. October ZooFEST at the North Carolina Zoo (through Oct. 31)
4. Museum of Life and Science Presents Halloween Village (through Nov. 14)
5. North Carolina State Fair (through Oct. 25)
6. Town of Apex Pumpkin Decorating Contest (through Oct. 31)
7. Classic Productions Presents "Junie B Jones" (Oct. 19)
8. Educational Concert by the North Carolina Symphony (Oct. 20)
9. Come See the #6 Con-Way Freight NASCAR "Show" Truck at BounceU of Apex (Oct. 20)
10. Double Author Night at Quail Ridge Books (Oct. 20)
11. The Durham Bulls Celebrate Their Triple A National Championship With a Party at DBAC on Oct. 21
12. Wild Things (Chapel Hill Author Clay Carmichael) book discussion and signing (Oct. 22)
13. "Astro Boy" Movie Releases Oct. 23
14. TheatreworksUSA Presents "Seussical" Oct. 23
15. Witches’ Tea, Oct. 23
16. New Hope Valley Railway Pumpkin Party, Oct. 23
17. Halloween Boo Bounce at BounceU of Apex, Oct. 23, 30 and 31
18. The Durham Jaycees and American Tobacco District Present the 37th Annual Haunted House, Oct. 23-31
19. North Carolina Symphony Presents "Fantastique", Oct. 23
20. BOO at the ZOO, Oct. 24-25
21. Raleigh Wide Open/City Plaza Grand Opening, Oct. 24
22. Halloween Storytime at Barnes & Noble, Oct. 24
24. Kids Halloween Spooktacular at Borders, Oct. 24
25. 2009 Raleigh Jaycees Terror at Possum Creek: Kids Day, Oct. 24
26. Magic of Michael Creech and Jeff Lloyd, Oct. 24
27. Halloween Train at New Hope Valley Railway, Oct. 24
28. Tricks & Treats Halloween Bash, Oct. 24
29. Broadway Series Youth Presents the Vienna Boys Choir, Oct. 25
30. Children’s Pumpkin Carving at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, Oct. 25
31. Museum of Life and Science Presents Science Spooktacular with a ChemMystery Show, Oct. 28-29
32. Free music and movement class for tots at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, Oct. 29
33. Morehead Planetarium and Science Center Presents "Scare-o-lina Skies", Oct. 29, Nov. 1
34. Darkside Haunted Estates Low Scare Night for Kids, Oct. 29
35. Trick or Treat at Crabtree Valley Mall, Oct. 30
36. New Hope Valley Railway Ride Day: Steam Spectacular, Oct. 31
37. BATOLOGY at the North Carolina Zoo, Oct. 31
38. Chapel Hill Creamery hosts Plow Day with the NC Percheron Horse Association, Oct. 31
39. HollyFest 2009, Oct. 31
40. 7th Annual Day in Downtown Fuquay-Varina, Oct. 31
41. The Phantom of the Orchestra! Oct. 31
42. Natural History Halloween at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, Oct. 31
43. NC Museum of History Presents "Make It, Take It: Make Your Own Fun", Oct. 31
44. Fright Night '09 at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, Oct. 31
45. Free Family Day at the Nasher Museum of Art, Nov. 2
46. N.C. Museum of History Presents Time for Tots: American Indian Life, Nov. 3
47. NC Museum of History Presents History Corner: Aw Nuts! Nov. 5
48. Raleigh Little Theatre Presents "Snoopy!!! The Musical", Nov. 6-22
49. PAGE Super Saturday is Nov. 7 at NCSU's Talley Student Center, Nov. 7
50. NC Museum of History Presents Make It, Take It: Army Dog Tags, Nov. 7

Track 4 Track-Out Fun: 40+ Fun Things To Do!

The weather is cooling and kids' activities are mounting up like piles of leaves! Track 4 families: check out all of the fun things you can do while your kids are on their fall break. For more, visit our calendar!

1. Carolina Ballet Presents "Swan Lake" (through Oct. 4)
2. Hill Ridge Farms Fall Pumpkin and Harvest Festival (through Oct. 31)
3. NC Museum of History Presents History Corner: An Apple a Day (Oct. 1)
4. ANIMALIA Golden Rod Puppets - by Hobey Ford (Oct. 1)
5. Fall/Winter Kidz Stuff Consignment Sale - Hayes Barton Baptist Church (Oct. 1-3)
6. Wild Rumpus Teacher Celebration at Borders (Oct. 2)
7. NC Museum of History Presents First Friday at the Movies: “The Pirate of the Black Hawk”
8. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and Meet Josefina at Barnes & Noble (Oct. 2)
9. Tweetsie Railroad Ghost Train (Oct. 2-31)
10. Iron Man Tournament at Dreamsports Center (Oct. 3-4)
11. October ZooFEST at the North Carolina Zoo Begins Oct. 3 (through Oct. 31)
12. Raleigh Author Tisha Duncan Reads From Her Book "My Dirty Cat Mutt" at Quail Ridge Books (Oct. 3)
13. Fox 50 Family Fest at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham (Oct. 3)
14. PETER AND THE WOLF- with face painting and crafts! $5 for performance; $2 combined for crafts and face painting (Oct. 3-4)
15. Celebration of Children in the Arts at the Cary Ballet Conservatory (Oct. 3)
16. New Hope Valley Railway Ride Day (Oct. 4)
17. Carolina Kids Consignment Sale at Smithfield National Guard Armory (Oct. 4-5)
18. Meet Author Angie Sage and New Septimus Heap Book (5th in Series, "Syren") (Oct. 5)
19. "Grease" Comes to the Durham Performing Arts Center (Oct. 6-11)
20. N.C. Museum of History Presents Time for Tots: Down in the Pumpkin Patch (Oct. 6 and 13)
21. Just 4 Kids Fall/Winter Consignment Sale at LifeSpring Community Church in Fuquay-Varina (Oct. 6-9)
22. Great Pumpkin Contest at the NC State Farmers Market (Oct. 8)
23. N.C. Transportation Museum Will Host "Disney's A Christmas Carol" Train Tour (Oct. 9-10)
24. Parent's Night Out at BounceU of Apex (Oct. 9)
25. Family Fun Night -- Curious George (Oct. 9)
26. Readers Theater: Design, Create, Perform for Your Family and Friends! At Eva Perry Library in Apex (Oct. 10)
27. Raleigh Dance Theatre's Storybook Tales (Oct. 10)
28. Cary Diwali: Festival of Lights at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary (Oct. 10)
29. Wolf Awareness Week at the Museum of Life and Science (Oct. 11-17)
30. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Book Release party! (Oct. 12)
31. Author Event: Katie Kazoo KATIE KAZOO: GOING BATTY at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh (Oct. 12)
32. Museum of Life and Science Presents Halloween Village (Oct. 14-Nov. 1)
33. North Carolina State Fair (Oct. 15-25)
34. Town of Apex Pumpkin Decorating Contest (Oct. 15-30)
35. DPAC Presents "Imagination Movers National Tour" and Buy-One-Get-One-Free Kids Night (Oct. 15)
36. "Where the Wild Things Are" Movie Releases Oct. 16
37. Taste of the Market at Wake Forest Farmers Market (Oct. 17)
38. The Second Annual Hillsborough Handmade Parade (Oct. 17)
39. NC Museum of History Presents "Government Matters!" (Oct. 17)
40. Haunting at Harris: Land of Oz (Harris Lake Park) (Oct. 17)
41. Battle of the Books Club and Graveyard Book Party at Quail Ridge Books (Oct. 18)
42. In advance of the June 18, 2010 release of "Toy Story 3," Disney Digital Studios will release a double feature of "Toy Story 1" and "Toy Story 2" in 3D Oct. 2 at theaters nationwide.