Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/1150484
6 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • August 2019 PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR Chris Jones Quincy, Hayden & Olive's dad MEDIA & ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Megan Walsh: Mia, Noelle, and Adelaide's mom DESIGN & PRODUCTION Cheryl Carter, President, Carter Creations Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom WEBMASTER Karen Charney: Joshua & Spencer's mom SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING MANAGER Lovedy Carroll: Meredith's mom CALENDAR & COOL THINGS TO DO ELETTER Leigha Pecher: Jake and Luke's mom EDUCATION AND INFANT ELETTERS Debra Caffrey: Aidan's mom parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540-429-3572 EMAIL leighanne@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & SOCIAL MEDIA E-MAIL webmaster@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540-429-3572 E-MAIL fredparenteditor@gmail.com SNAIL MAIL P.O. Box 7884, F'burg, VA 22404 www.fredericksburgparent.net The publishers reserve the right to reject any advertisement, editorial or listing that does not meet the publication's stan- dards. No part of this magazine may be reproduced with out permission. Listing and advertising rates are available upon request. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information con- tained herein, however, the publisher cannot guarantee such accuracy. Listings and advertisements are sub- ject to typographical errors, ommissions and/or change without notice. For terms and conditions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2019 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved. LIKE facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent SIGN UP www.FredParent.net TWEET twitter.com/fredparent PIN www.pinterest.com/ fredparent FOLLOW @fredparentmagazine Where did summer go? Within the next couple of weeks, eager parents will happily shuffle their kids into the direction of their bus stop, close the front door and breathe a sigh of relief. On the other side of that coin, terrified children will board the bus for the first time (or be dropped off on a college campus!) and the question will be, "Who cried most? Mother or child?" Switching from the summer to fall schedules in the home can be quite the adjust- ment. Each year when school starts for my boys, it takes about a week for each of us to get adjusted. For me, it's the return of all-out focus time in my home office. No more blood-curdling screams, shuttling kids to camps, extended bedtimes, and cries of "I'm bored!" For them, it's back to a heavily regulated sched- ule, predictable mornings and evenings, and their choice of after-school activity. While my sons have gravitated toward sports for their activities — baseball and soccer — my 3-year- old daughter has been taking ballet. Watching her dance and seeing her blossom with her relation- ships, vocabulary, and creativity outside of dance led me to the theme of this issue — creative after- school activities. I'm not sure what your kids are into, but creative activities like art, dance, music and performing arts are highly beneficial to your children. Through the arts, kids learn to create, solve problems, express themselves (which is the basis for art ther- apy, which worked wonders for one of my boys!) and interpret the world around them. If your child is looking for a change of pace from sports, or is on the fence about what interests them, explore the arts. People from the late Steve Jobs to the ever-funny Tina Fey are prime examples of exceptionally creative minds . Even STEM education is a form of artistic expression. Engineers work with architects to produce some of the most amazing structures, buildings and bridges that begin within one's imagination and is brought to life by the other's. If you've never considered creative after-school pursuits for your kids, I hope this issue will help you and your child to explore what's out there in the Fredericksburg region. There is no shortage of opportunities to get your kids involved. What hap- pens next could surprise you. WRITTEN BY CHRIS JONES letter to readers Creative Spark ...creative activities like art, dance, music and performing arts are highly beneficial to your children. Unleash Your Child's "