It’s August – that means the Illinois State Fair and its must-see, iconic butter cow sculpture is back again. And so is the annual miniature butter cow contest sponsored by Illinois Times and Prairie Farms Dairy. The contest, which started in 2020 when the fair was canceled because of the COIVD-19 pandemic, invites people to […]
Newsletter – Parent
Posted inSpecial Issues
Teach life skills this summer
May is finally here, and with it comes the end of the school year. Between all of the spring sports, concerts, plays, graduations and family parties, so many of us parents are ready for a well-earned break from the rush and are excited for the lull of lazier, slower, summer days. And while the first […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Children’s Woodland Garden to open this summer
Lincoln Memorial Garden has been a cherished outdoor space for generations of families, and this summer LMG will unveil its largest installation in nearly 60 years: The Children’s Woodland Garden. This natural playscape is located just beyond the nature center, which was also upgraded over the winter to include a large, shaded deck with picnic […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Wild about wolves
Most people are probably able to conjure the sound of a howling wolf. Whether you’ve heard a wolf howl in real life or as part of the soundtrack to a spooky movie, the sound of howling is ubiquitously associated with wolves in the dark, dusky midnight. But did you also know that several species of […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Keep your children reading during the summer
The school year is coming to an end and summer is quickly approaching. Summer is a time where school-age kids have more time to enjoy all sorts of fun things, like sports, bike rides, time with friends, vacations … and reading. Just like any other skill, it is important to continue to spend time reading […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Four reasons to work in skilled trades
When you’re thinking about a career change or a job to take on after high school, which types of jobs do you think of first? If most of your work ideas revolve around an office, you probably aren’t thinking about skilled trades jobs. So, what is a skilled trade? At the most basic level, a […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
How to get unstuck
One of the best compliments I get from clients is when they say, “We’ve made more progress in the past six months working with you on [insert complicated problem here], than we have in the past six years.” Facing a tough or ambiguous problem at work or in your personal life is like staring into […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Make your Job Fair experience a success
The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce Job Fair gives you the opportunity to network with a broad range of employers. You’ll find booths staffed by HR professionals from a cross section of industries, including health care, government, education, nonprofit, IT, insurance, food service and labor. HR recruiters from four organizations participating in the Job Fair […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Sound mind, sound body, sound success
When asked what we want to be when we grow up, no one says “fit and healthy.” Instead, we think of our education, training and various ways we might wish to spend 40-50 hours per week. When we enter the workforce, our jobs often take priority over our fitness. Many of us have made the […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
The sandwich generation
The term “sandwich generation” was first coined in the 1980s by sociologists Dorothy Miller and Elaine Brody to identify people in their 30s and 40s who were taking care of their children as well as their elderly parents or extended family members. According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 54% of Americans in their 40s […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Reaching out with art
The Springfield Art Association and Springfield School District 186 have entered into a partnership that allows art to flourish for students selected to participate. The program in total involves 52 District 186 students this year, with 16 high school and 10 grade school students participating each semester. SAA asked art teachers from the three Springfield […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Ginormous Jorts and Best Wishes
I’ve mentioned this before, but one of the many things I love about children’s literature is the author’s ability to help young readers learn a lesson, at times without explicitly calling out that lesson. As a parent, kid lit can be a helpful tool to use when conversations are difficult or when your child needs […]
