wichita family december 2014
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Wichita Family December 2014TRANSCRIPT
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CHRISTMAS GIFT GIVING GUIDE
december 2014
HOLIDAY SHIPPING 101
PREP YOUR DEVICES BEFORE HOLIDAY TRAVELS
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The list of top Christmas gifts has something for everyone on your list this year
Prepare your devices before you head out on the road this holiday season
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News and Information from our partners at Wichita Public Schools
Grandparents should consider giving their grandchildren life insurance as an alternative Christmas gift
december 2014
Inside:
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Call for a free consultation about your child’s development.Sedgwick County: 316.945.7117 • Butler County: 316.320.1342
Early Intervention Services
Success begins at an early age
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Copyright 2014 by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Wichita Family Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or contest fulfillment from third parties. Reproduction in part or in whole without written permission is strictly prohibited. Wichita Family is distributed free of charge. The magazine’s advertisers make this possible, so support them! We reserve the right to edit submitted material. All submissions will be considered for publication, but we reserve the right to refuse material. Materials will not be returned. Any editorial content or advertising published
is the property of Lucky 7 Publishing LLC.
published by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC
316.295.8465
Publisher Todd Vogts
Advertising inquiries contact:
Publisher Todd Vogts [email protected]
Wichita Family Magazine is published 12 times a year by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. Wichita Family Magazine is available free, at schools, stores, restaurants, libraries, retailers and local attractions, as well as other places families frequent. For a complete list of where to find Wichita Family, or for subscription rates, email us at [email protected] or visit our website at www.wichitafamily.com.
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Message from the PublisherWe made it. The year is nearly over, and I say,
despite it’s ups and downs, it has been a great one. In a few short weeks, we will be strolling into the
new year, and I for one am excited.2015 is going to be a big year for Wichita Fam-
ily Magazine. The format is going to be changing. Instead of the horizontal magazine you are reading
now, it will be changed to a more vertical format.
There are also going to be several branding changes, such as a new logo, and much more. I’m super stoked about it all!
I’m also excited about Christmas! It is truly the most wonderful time of the year. It is a time to
spend with family and take part in fellowship. As I said last month, don’t get caught up in commercial-ism and materialistic goods.
Remember the reason for the season, if you will. Even if you can’t afford that new television or
gaming system, give the gift your time to your loved ones. Sit down for a meal together, or go play catch in the front yard. Whatever it is, it will be special, and it will be one gift that won’t be discarded after a few weeks once interest in it wanes. It will be the most special gift someone can receive.
However, if you are worried gift giving, don’t worry. We have you covered.
Our feature for this month is a great gift guide, and for anyone reading this trying to figure out what to get me, that “Sherlock” gift set would be pretty awesome to have.
Also, we have a great suggestion for an alterna-
tive gift grandparents can give their grandchildren, and we answer your questions concerning the mail-ing of gifts to loved ones both near and far.
If you are like me, the holidays will mean travel-ing to see family and friends, so don’t forget to check out our story about having all your electronic devices prepare and ready to go when it comes time to hit the road.
Basically, this issue has all your holiday needs.So I will close by wishing you the merriest
Christmas, and I hope you have much luck and fortune in the coming year, especially with those pesky New Year’s Resolutions. I’m personally going to try to come up with something attainable. I’m not going to resolve to work out every day, but I am going to try to eat healthier and have more sponta-neous fun.
What is your New Year’s Resolution going to be?
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News and Information from our partners at Wichita Public Schools
T-Mobile gave L’Ouverture a $3,000 check at the end of their visit.
Nearly 100 employees from T-Mobile came to L’Ouverture Career Explorations and Technology Magnet for the day and left it better than when they arrived. The employees, accompanied by the Hands On
Network, worked on landscape projects around the school during the day. The biggest project the employees created was a reading garden called the Huddle Up Zone that will be used for outdoor learning opportunities.
T-Mobile employees help beautify L’Ouverture landscape
The 2015 Choices Fair is Thursday, January 29, 5 – 8 p.m., at Century II Exhibition Hall. The Choices Fair allows parents to do “one-stop school shopping” to look at the different educational options the district offers for students. Representatives from 24 magnet schools, the district’s neighborhood
schools, alternative middle and high schools, special programs and district support programs will be on hand to provide information and to answer parents’ questions.
Magnet school applications for the 2015-16 school year will be available online starting on December 1.
All magnet school applications are due on February 13, 2015.
More information about magnet schools, applications and the Choices Fair is located at www.magnet.usd259.org.
Wichita Public Schools Choices Fair is January 29
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Enders students send care packages to U.S. troops
Students at McLean Science and Technology Magnet had an engaging lesson to wrap up a unit on mollusks and cephalopods. The fourth-grade students dissected squids in science class. The students had to
measure and weigh their squids before locating parts of the squid including the brain, siphon, beak, gills, hearts and ink sack. The students were most excited about discovering if their squid was a boy or a girl.
McLean students dissect squids in science class
Kindergarten students at Enders Elementary collected items to make care packages to send to troops stationed in the United Arab Emirates. The son of an Enders teacher is currently deployed
to the UAE with the U.S. Air Force and teachers thought this would be an excellent opportunity for students to show support for the men and women who serve our country.
Enders students and families donated enough items to fill seven large boxes filled with food and personal care items. The kindergarten students also wrote messages, drew pictures and made paper flags to include in the care packages.
One student described as “eew and cool at the same time.”
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A Book for Your CookIn this new full-color edition of Smoke & Spice, the definitive book on smoke-cooked barbecue, outdoor cooking experts Cheryl and Bill Jamison serve up many new and updated recipes, lots of color photos, and loads of BBQ wit, wisdom and lore. Completely revised throughout, this James Beard Cookbook Award-winning title, which has sold more than one million copies, has the latest information on the tools, fuels and techniques of first-rate “Q.” For more information, visit www.harvardcom-monpress.com.
Santa’s ListREVEALED
Unique gifts for him, her and more
This holiday, take some tips from the big man with the jolly red hat. Whether shopping for family and friends young or old, you’re sure to find something for everyone on your list with these gifts, specially selected from Santa himself.— Family Features
Light Up Her HolidayGive the gift of stellar style with spar-kling crystals and celestial designs. PANDORA's new Winter Collection offers charms, pendants, rings and ear-rings inspired by the starry beauty of the night sky. Create and combine ex-pertly crafted, hand finished jewelry in .925 sterling silver and 14-karat gold to
celebrate the wonder of the season. For more gift ideas or to locate an authorized retailer, visit www.pandora.net.
Safety, Fun in a First PhoneGive the gift on every kid’s list with added peace of mind for parents. The new TracFone LG Optimus Fuel Android smartphone with the SpongeBob bundle comes with content for kids, including fun wallpapers and videos. More importantly, it includes a free one year trial of the Family Guardian parental control app, allowing parents to manage and monitor usage for a safer experience. For more information on TracFone, visit TracFoneParents.comPhoto courtesy of Getty Images
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Whether it’s co-workers at the office or your stylist at the salon, when the holidays come around, you likely have a lot of gift giving to do. Check those names off your shopping list and tuck these delightful gifts under the tree. This guide has something to make everyone’s season a little brighter.— Family Features
Inspire the ImaginationThis holiday, give that special little girl a gift to awaken her mind. A timeless, clas-sic gift that provides hours of imaginative play, Calico Critters of Cloverleaf Corners promote wholesome family values. These fuzzy, adorable miniature figures are avail-able in a variety of cute animal families - from the Hopscotch Rabbit family to the Hopper Kangaroo family - you’re sure to find one your little recipient will cherish. Find out more at www.calicocritters.com.
Beyond the BoxSometimes the most meaningful gifts don’t come in a box. This little gift makes a big impact, changing the way someone you love sees the world - literally. With VSP Direct, starting under $17 a month, you can give the gift of good vision to those without vision insurance, providing high-quality eye care, yearly eye exams, allowances for frames or contacts and the lowest out-of-pocket costs in vision care with average savings of $200 annually. Visit www.givevsp.com.
High Tech HolidayThis holiday, get the affordable high per-formance laptop that is sure to delight the whole family. Give your computer an up-grade with the new Zenbook UX303LN, the ultimate in laptop technology with a 13.3-inch touch screen display, Intel Core i7 Processor, HD camera and up to 7 hours of battery life. You’ll love its light, sleek and powerful with a polished metal-lic finish. For more details, visit www.asus.com.
An Action-Packed PresentThe gift of Emmy Award winning en-tertainment fits perfectly under the tree. With a bonus disc with rare footage and commentary, the new Sherlock Limited Edition Gift Set includes the first three seasons of the hit show. A contemporary spin on the classic crime-solving duo of Holmes and Watson, this thrilling, highly-entertaining Blu-ray and DVD combo captures the pair as they navigate a maze of clues to get at the truth. For more information, visit www.bbc.com.
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“Did you know that mouth breathing, especially in children, can be problematic? Over time children whose mouth breath-ing goes untreated may suffer from abnormal facial and den-tal development as well as lack of sleep leading to difficulty in concentration. Dentists typically request that their patients return every six months for check ups which means that most children see their dentist more then they see their physician. As a result, dentists may be the first to iden-tify the symptoms for mouth breathing. Early treatment with either orthodontic or surgical intervention can greatly improve quality of life. If your child suffers from this condition, speak with a health care provider knowledge-able about mouth breathing.”
— Dr. Brett Begnoche, DDS
Doctor’s Orders
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The busiest travel weekend of the year is just around the corner and a smart traveler knows that before you hit the road here in the U.S. or head overseas, you do some planning and prep.
Wardrobe, medications, itinerary- but what about your phone? Have you made sure you’re maximizing your phone’s use-fulness and minimizing your costs?
These travel prep tips will help you get the most out of your phone and help you save money.
Get the Right Gear• Smartphone? Tablet? Both? - Depend-
ing on the length of your trip, consider whether you need to bring all your de-
vices, or just a few. Today’s smartphones are mini-computers with access to maps, powerful mini-cameras, and tons of enter-tainment apps. If you want to travel light, consider leaving the camera and tablet at home and invest in upgrading to a larger screened smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S5 or the LG G3.
• Chargers - For overseas travel, invest in an extra charger with an international plug for the region where you are travel-ing or look for adapters that will let you charge in multiple countries. You may want to look for one with a surge protector built in. Other options are wireless charg-
For the Big Kids! Ages 17 years +
Jam to three Pink Floyd Cosmic Light Shows.Friday, Dec. 26 & Saturday, Dec. 27Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Kansas in Miniature Holiday MusicThru Sunday, Dec. 28
Explore Store Discount Shopping WeekendThursday, Dec. 4 - Saturday, Dec. 6
Winter Break EdventuresMonday, Dec. 22 - Friday, Jan. 2
Let It Snow!In the Boeing Dome Theater and PlanetariumThru Sunday, Dec. 28
Details at www.exploration.org300 N. McLean Blvd., Wichita, Kansas 67203
Celebrate the Holidays with Special Family Festivities!
continued on page 12
Prep your devices for holiday travels
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
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ing pads or USB battery packs. Check out T-Mobile.com for the best travel accessories for your device.
Check Your Data PlanYou’ll probably use a lot more data than
usual when you’re traveling. Make sure you have the right data plan to cover those map downloads and Facebook photo posts. Internationally, calling and texting back home can be expensive and can quickly add up to hundreds of dollars a day or more. To call and text while traveling, you have a few options:
• Check your plan - Call your network provider and find out what you already pay
for and if you need to do anything to beef up your data. If you have a Simple Choice plan from T-Mobile, unlimited data and texting is already included in your plan at no additional cost in 120+ countries and destinations.
• Turn Off Data Roaming - If you’re not with T-Mobile, avoid hefty fees by turning off data roaming on your phone under “set-tings”. It will save you money, but severely limits your communication options.
• Use Wi-Fi - Whether traveling in the U.S. or abroad, Wi-Fi is pretty much ev-erywhere in the world and many of today’s new smartphones are equipped with Wi-Fi Calling capabilities. In the U.S., you can use Wi-Fi at coffee shops, hotels and even campsites. When traveling abroad, use local Wi-Fi to make unlimited, free calls back to the States from virtually anywhere. You can also boost your Wi-Fi coverage at home with a T-Mobile Personal CellSpot to make sure you get full-bar coverage.
Stock up On AppsAs always, make sure your phone is
loaded up with the right apps for the best connection everywhere you go.
• Free Wi-Fi Finder - You’ll never be without the proper connection with this useful app, which scans your current loca-tion for Wi-Fi hotspots nearby.
• GoGo Talk and Text - Stay in touch in flight! GoGo is offering free, unlimited texting and visual voicemail access on all U.S.-based airline flights exclusively to T-Mobile customers.
• HopStop - Get all your public transpor-tation options at your fingertips. You’ll find information on metros and buses, biking and walking directions, and maps to help you get around.— Family Features
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Protect your grandchild’s future with a life insurance policy
Tired of purchasing toys that break or that her grandchildren will out-grow, 62-year-old Barbara Carlson* decided the holidays were a perfect time to purchase a gift that will con-tinue to protect both of her grandchil-dren well into their futures.
“I just became a grandmother for the second time, and I bought a permanent youth life insurance policy for my new granddaughter that could either one day help protect her finan-cially if the unexpected happens or help her pay for college,” said Carlson.
She is not alone. Grandparents are increasingly giv-
ing the gift of life insurance to their grandchildren for many reasons.
For Carlson, it was a way of help-ing her son and daughter-in-law dur-ing a time when budgets are tight.
She purchased the two youth whole life insurance policies so the new parents could focus on more im-mediate concerns, such as increased childcare expenses and other neces-sities.
“I bought both youth policies when the grandchildren were newborns and their policies will mature in 20 years,” added Carlson. “That means when my grandchildren reach age 20, they can either keep their policy as life insur-ance protection or they may decide to borrow against the cash value to help pay for college.”
Carlson pays approximately $15 a month for each child’s policy and
those premium payments never increase.
Her son maintains sole control of the policies until her grandchildren reach the age of 16, with some restric-tions.
Three Tips for Purchasing
Youth Life Insurance1. Consider youth policies that are
whole life policies. Whole life youth policies are a form of permanent life insurance. That means the child continues to be insured, regardless of changes in her or his health condi-tion, as long as the policy remains in force and the premiums are paid. The premium payments are guaranteed and never increase.
2. Purchase youth life insurance at younger ages. While many orga-nizations offer youth life insurance up to age 18, typically the earlier you purchase the policy, the less expensive it is over the coverage period.
3. Different life insurance organiza-tions offer additional child-friendly benefits. In addition to offering youth life policies, life insurers such as not-for-profit insurer Royal Neighbors of America, also offers its members ben-efits which currently include scholar-ship opportunities that can help fund the costs of a college education.
For more information on life in-surance products or member benefits such as scholarships, log on to www.royalneighbors.org or call (866) 845-
6665. * Details have been altered to ensure
personal privacy.— Family Features
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If one of your holiday tasks is shipping gifts to family and friends across the nation, knowing a few tips and tricks will ensure your packages
get to them in time for the festivities. From shipping deadlines to packaging, there are
many factors to consider when sending gifts, espe-cially during a busy time like the holiday season. Fortunately, there are dozens of resources available to help make shipping holiday gifts more conve-nient than ever.
“Priority Mail is a convenient and afford-able shipping option for holiday gifts,” said John Budzynski, consumer advocate at the U.S. Postal Service. “It offers features like package redirect, free package pickup and text update alerts.”
Budzynski offers this advice to help make your holiday shipping simple and stress-free.
• Take advantage of services that make ship-ping more convenient. For example, the U.S. Postal Service lets you order free Priority Mail shipping supplies from usps.com and delivers them right to your door - from boxes to envelopes and stickers.
• Be informed about policies for handling fragile gifts or items that may be hazardous, such as per-fume, cologne and other liquids.
• Always include a return address. It tells the shipper where to return the package if it can’t be delivered.
• Pack smart. Pick a strong and sturdy box, cush-ion contents with packing peanuts, newspaper or bubble wrap, and tape it closed with strong packing tape.
• Print postage at home using Click-N-Ship from the U.S. Postal Service at usps.com/clicknship. It not
only saves time, but money too; you can receive up to an 11 percent discount by buying postage online.
• Don’t get caught in the holiday rush. Schedule a free package pickup from your home or office.
• Stay updated on the status of your package. Use Priority Mail to receive tracking to monitor your package’s progress toward its destination. You also can sign up for text and email alerts through my.usps.com to help you track package delivery.
• Check key shipping dates to ensure your pack-age arrives in time for the holiday. The U.S. Postal Service provides these deadlines to help you plan ahead for delivery by Dec. 25:
Dec. 2 - International First-Class Mail
Dec. 2 - Priority Mail InternationalDec. 10 - Priority Mail Express InternationalDec. 15 - Standard Post Dec. 17 - Global Express GuaranteedDec. 20 - First-Class Mail Dec. 20 - Priority MailDec. 23 - Priority Mail ExpressNote: Priority Mail Express postage refund eligi-
bility is adjusted for shipments mailed Decem-ber 22-25.
For more shipping tips and online tools, visit usps.com.— Family Features
Holiday Shipping 101
Photo courtesy of Daniel Afzal for U.S. Postal Service
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