HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! This Sunday is Father's Day and a time to celebrate dads, grandfathers, uncles or that special male role model in your child's life. 

In our house Father's Day is much different than Mother's Day...while I enjoy a day of pampering that includes breakfast in bed and quiet time to read a book or magazine, my husband prefers to get up early and go fishing followed by a family hike and picnic.  We don't like to fight the crowds at restaurants so our dinner is usually spent at home and I cook his favorite meal.  As far as gifts go, that's easy too!  He prefers sentimental gifts like framed photos of the kids for his office.  This year we will be casting the kids handprints in cement which makes a nice stone for the garden.  The kids will paint it, decorate it with colorful stones and date it --- we just know he will love it. 

Have you made Father's Day plans yet?  If you are looking for ideas, consider:

• Planning a family hike in the beautiful hills surrounding Santa Barbara
• Packing a picnic lunch or dinner and heading to the beach
• Going for a family bike ride on the boardwalk
• Treating dad to an indulgent meal at his favorite restaurant
• Sending him golfing for the day - you make all the arrangements and send him on his way (maybe you could team up with another family and have another dad join him)
• Checking the movie releases and heading to a family friendly movie for the afternoon

Here are some interesting facts about dads:

• Many child development experts believe the influence of a father on his children is most critical from the ages of 6 to 14
• In families where the mother works outside of the home, 14% of fathers are full-time stay-at-home dads
• Nearly a quarter of all married dads have three or more children living at home
• One in five single parents with primary custody is a dad
• 11% of Dads are stepdads, living full-time with their spouse's children
• Two-thirds of children under the age of six eat dinner with their dads every day
• One in twelve men serving in the US Army are dads
• 38% of working dads say they would take a pay cut to spend more time with their kids

Do you know of a mom or dad making a difference in our community? It need not be YOUR mom or dad; just a Santa Barbara mom or dad that impresses you.  Please tell us, so we can give them the opportunity to be featured on our site! >>
YOU will be entered to WIN two tickets to the advance screening of Eclipse on Tuesday, June 29 at 8pm at the Arlington Theatre. This advance showing is a fundraiser for Angels Foster Care of Santa Barbara. If you don't win tickets, you can buy them yourself... $25 for general admission, $100 for VIP (includes preparty at 7pm and first seating). Submit your mom or dad comments here >>

For those of you still trying to find ways to keep your children busy this summer, remember to check out the Camp Guide and the A-Z Family & Tourist Attractions for lots of ideas!

Below is only a partial list of upcoming events and activities so be sure to click on our EVENT CALENDAR so you do not miss anything >>

Use the PARENT PLANNER to click on events and resources you are interested in and click PRINT MY PLANNER to print or email your list.

Camp Calendar | School Schedules | Movie Showtimes

Photos and article by Sarah Fretwell of swimSB.com

Summer is starting and many Santa Barbara families are thinking about swimming lessons. At the same time, with all of the BBQs, pool parties, and time at the beach, many parents worry that their kids are not yet "safe" around the water.

Regardless of your child's swimming skills, there are several things you can do at home to help your kids make "water smart" decisions. It is important to establish family rules around water and discuss with your children why it is important to be "smart" around the water.

Your kids will inevitably ask "Why can"t we go in the water alone?". My favorite answer is a rhetorical question, "What is it we cannot do under the water that we can do above the water? Breathe! We cannot go in the water alone because we need a grown-up there who can help us if something goes wrong and we cannot take a breath by ourselves".

Once you have discussed your rules, present your kids with a few different scenarios to ensure that they understand your family rules around the water and the importance of them.

As a parent, the most important rule of water safety is that kids need constant supervision around water. For your child, the most important thing to remember (no matter what level of swimmer they are) is to stay out of the water unless they are with an adult who is ready to supervise them.

Here are a few more steps you can take to help keep your kids safe around water:

1. Teach your child how to swim. Santa Barbara is a community surrounded by water, which makes it important for children to spend time in the water as early as possible. The more familiar children are with the aquatic environment, the less likely they are to panic during an unexpected dip. Even infants can be taught to rollover, float on their back (where they can breathe), and get to the side of the pool. If you can't fit swimming lessons into your schedule, you are better off to spend time in the pool playing with your child, than to not have them in the water at all.

2. Reduce potential risks. At home make sure that children cannot access small bodies of water around your home (buckets, inflatable pools, bathtubs, sinks, toilets, and fountains) without adult supervision. Remember that your child's safety around the water is your sole responsibility.

3. Practice "touch supervision" around the water- where you maintain physical contact with your child while they are in and around the water. While it is convenient for non-swimmers to "swim" with arm-floats and other inflatable toys while parents watch from the side, it is important to remember that swim rings are toys and not a replacement for "touch supervision". Letting children play on their own with these toys gives them a false confidence in the water that can lead to accidents later.

4. Don't assume that a child who knows how to swim isn't at risk for drowning. It's important to supervise kids while they're in the water, no matter what their swimming skill levels. If you're at a party, it's especially easy to become distracted, it is essential to designate a "lifeguard" who will be responsible for watching the children. Most children who drown in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents.

6. Going to the Beach? Even if you are a confident swimmer, swim by a lifeguard. According to the United States Lifesaving Association the risk of drowning at a lifeguard protected beach is almost nonexistent (18,000,000 to 1). No lifeguard? No Swimming.

7. Teach older children about "Rip Currents" and how to get out of them. What are they? Rip currents are columns of water moving in a seaward direction (pulling you away from the beach). Even the strongest swimmers have difficulty swimming against these currents. It is important to stay calm and remember the column is usually a small section of water. If you swim parallel to the shore (in either direction) you will eventually swim out of the current and then swim to shore. If you are too tired or panicked - signal the lifeguard.

The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is excited to announce the start of a KID'S FARMERS MARKET in the fall for low-income children. The market is a hands-on approach to improving the long-term diets of children in Santa Barbara County. The program will not only provide nutrition education, but also allow participants to take fresh produce home in order to put in practice what they learn at the class and market.

Educational aspect will detail how fruit and vegetables are grown, how they are cooked and used, what makes them nutritious. A learning activity will be incorporated into each distibrution with prizes, vegetable starts, recipes and other items for the kids to take home.

The aim of this program is to:
• Increase awareness of the importance of eating fruits and vegetables
• Encourage long-term nutritious eating patterns
• Create fun and new opportunities for learning about nutrition at school and home
• Give children the confidence to try different foods
• Promote gardening as a resource for producing healthy foods
• Teach children about the seasonality of foods
• Provide fruits and vegetables for home use

The program will be tailored to serve 50-100 children at each site.

In partnership with the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics the Foodbank will be responsible for developing curriculum/activities and presenting nutritional component to the program.

Volunteers Must Possess:
• A desire to change the lives and eating habits of children in our community and county
• Sensitivity to different social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds
• Skills in teaching and monitoring children and young adults
• Minimal technical knowledge of good nutrition required, knowledge of basic good eating habits

Because of the necessity of having stable instructors/mentors for the children and time involved in training, committed volunteers are necessary to ensure the success of this program.

It is critical that every volunteer attend each month's Kid's Farmers Market.
• Volunteers must be able to commit to 10 months of volunteer service (School year October 2010-June 2011) 2-3 hours each months on designated day and time (has not yet been determined but the markets will be in the afternoon)
• There will be a required training for volunteers in Santa Barbara August 26th 2pm-4:30pm and September 9th 2pm-4:30pm. Training will include instructions on Curriculum, cooking, preparing and working with the kids.
• Volunteers will be provided binders, hand-out and other basic supplies needed in order to conduct monthly lessons.

This is a great volunteer opportunity for students and active parents. If interested please contact Diane Hadighi, Community Relations Manager, Foodbank Of Santa Barbara County, 805-967-5741 ext. 112