Super Summer Bargains!
What’s better than an inexpensive family outing? A FREE one of course! Let the fun begin with these not-to-be-missed summer events.
• Beczak Environmental Center. Located right on the riverfront this Hudson River interpretive center has a tidal marsh and park for exploring out-of-doors. While the center holds fee-based summer programming for youngsters there is a free Summerfest July 21 where everyone can kayak, roast marshmallows and more and a free Light Craft Demo Day, Aug. 11 where everyone can learn to paddle. 1135 Alexander St., Yonkers. 377-1900. www.beczak.org.
• Blue Star Museums. More than 1,500 museums across America have joined Blue Star Museums to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2012. In our area participants include: American Museum of Natural History; Bruce Museum; The Hudson River Museum; Katonah Museum of Art; Mid Hudson Children’s Museum; New York Botanical Garden; Stamford Museum & Nature Center; Stepping Stones Museum for Children; Wave Hill and more. For further details and a complete list of Blue Star Museums see www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.com.
• Bowling: Free for Kids All Summer Long. AMF White Plains announces their free summer bowling program for kids ages 15 and under. Just register online and receive a voucher good for two games per day. Shoe rental not included. 47 Tarrytown Road, White Plains. 948-2677. www.freebowling.amf.com.
• Governors Island. The perfect day trip! Enjoy ongoing exhibits and events including art, sculpture, fashion and outdoor music and dance concerts. Most events are offered free. Island open free on Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays until Sept. 30. Free Bike Holiday Mondays allows visitors to borrow a bike and take a free one-hour ride around the island. See website for complete schedule. Take the free Governors Island Ferry from the Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan, which adds to the fun. www.govisland.com.
• Lakeshore Learning Center. If it’s a rainy day or the family could use some time in air-conditioning try Free Crafts for Kids! Stop in anytime between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and let the kids get creative. 969A Central Park Ave., Scarsdale. 472-1820. www.lakeshorelearning.com.
• Local Libraries. Check several local libraries’ calendar of events since many offer free summer programs that are open to all. www.westchesterlibraries.org.
• Muscoot Farm. This 777-acre interpretive farm museum near Somers is open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily with free admission. Stay for an hour or the day! Visit with the animals, tour the barn, picnic on the lawn or take a hike. 51 Rte. 100, Katonah. 864-7282. www.muscootfarm.org.
• Saint Paul’s Church National Historic Site. This 18th-century church served as a Revolutionary War hospital. Burial stones in the cemetery here date to 1704! Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and the second Saturday of each month from noon to 4 p.m. with free admission. See website for special programs and events. 897 S. Columbus Ave., Mount Vernon. 667-4116. www.nps.gov/sapa/index.htm.
• Wave Hill. Visit this 28-acre public garden and cultural center that overlooks the Hudson River. Free admission Saturdays year-round from 9 a.m. to noon and on Tuesdays in July and August from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Park free off-site and use the free shuttle van service. See website for van schedule. 675 West 252nd St., Bronx. 718-549-3200. www.wavehill.org.
• Westchester County Nature Centers. Free programs with knowledgeable naturalists at many area nature centers including Read Wildlife Sanctuary and Marshlands Conservancy in Rye. See http://parks.westchstergov.com/nature-centers for calendar of events.
For more great ideas subscribe to the Westchester Family enewsletter at westchesterfamily.com with weekly updates for other free and fun activities. Also see our monthly calendar of events – in print, and our complete digital edition – for a comprehensive collection of family fun!
Summer Read
Sometimes the gentler pace of summer is the only time moms actually get to start – and finish – an entire book. Try this hupbeat, chatty and interesting read that’s perfect for the beach or backyard.
Secrets of a Jewish Mother: Real Advice, Real Stories, Real Love (Dutton, 2010) is filled with witty and wise tips on all aspects of life from the breakout star of the hot series The Real Housewives of New York Jill Zarin, with her sister Lisa Wexler of the award-winning radio program, The Lisa Wexler Show, and their mother Gloria Kamen.
These three gals can help you learn how to get what you want for yourself and your family, and provide a few laughs along the way. They share the real story of their lives and give straightforward advice. This is no boring how-to book. There’s plenty of verbal sugar to help make the medicine go down.
Cell Phone Use in Pregnancy Linked to Behavior Problems
Yet another study has emerged on the health effects of cell phone radiation. Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine have found that exposing pregnant mice to radio-frequency radiation from cellular telephones negatively affected the behavior of their offspring.
The study’s authors are calling it the first experimental evidence that fetal exposure to cell phone radiation affects adult behavior. Prior cell phone research has focused mainly on the potential cancer risk that arises when body tissues absorb the radiation that the phones emit. Findings in that area have been inconsistent and several U.S. agencies – including the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control – maintain that current science doesn’t conclusively prove any cancer risk from cell phone use.
In the pregnancy study, scientists exposed mice to radiation from a muted, silenced cell phone placed on an active call for the entire 19 days of their pregnancy. A control group of mice were kept under the same conditions but with the phone deactivated. The mice gave birth and when their mouse pups grew up, those exposed to radiation as fetuses tended to be more hyperactive and had higher levels of anxiety and lower memory capacity. The researchers theorize that this is because the radiation changed development of the prefrontal cortex regions of the mice’s brains – the part that regulates decision-making and moderates social behavior.
ADHD in human children is associated with changes in the same brain region, and the same changes in behavior that the mice experienced. The researchers theorize that the rise in ADHD and other behavior disorders could be partially due to the fact that babies are increasingly exposed to cell phone radiation in the womb.
But they emphasize that mice are not humans. Mice are born with less-developed brains than are human babies, and further experiments are needed in humans or non-human primates to see if the results might be similar.
The study results are published in a recent issue of Scientific Reports, a Nature publication. Large studies in humans in the United States and Europe continue to explore possible long-term health effects of cell phone use. These include the COSMOS study, which launched in 2010 and will follow 250,000 adult cell phone users for 20 to 30 years.
