Discover what's Cool for Kids at the Kid Expo
Mark your calendar for Child & Family Center's 10th-annual Kid Expo, held on Sunday October 13, from 11am to 4pm at Golden Valley High School. Join thousands of children and families as you pour over 100 local-business exhibits and learn about SCV-based products and services perfect for the children in your life.

The Kid Expo features exhibitors ranging from sports to karate, dance to art, gymnastics to books and tutors and so much more. Fun games, arts and crafts, reading and storytelling, art, music, sports, entertainment and special appearances by cartoon characters make the day fun for the entire family.

Admission for kids is free; adults are just $3. Proceeds will benefit the Child & Family Center, which provides mental health services for children suffering from emotional or behavioral problems. www.childfamilycenter.org

"I have been attending Santa Clarita School of Performing Arts (SCSOPA) for four years. Each year, I have learned so much about acting and who I am as an actor - and as a human being. I would like to thank Mr. Mike for giving me the opportunity to pursue my dreams at his school. Thanks to all the teachers that have taught me the techniques of acting through the following classes: improv, monologue, audition techniques, scene study, and table read auditions. These are just a few I have taken over the years. There are so many more amazing classes you can attend to pursue your dream of becoming an actor. Thanks to attending SCSOPA, I have an agent (They have agents every week.). Through my agent I have been on many auditions and booked many jobs, like Cee Lo Green's 'Forget You' as the young Cee Lo Green. I have been truly blessed and proud to be one of the students at SCSOPA. Thank you to the staff, teachers and students for all their support - and please check me out in my latest job on Youtube on MatthewJ8's channel in the short film "City of Angels" by Matthew Josten."
~ Josh Walker Santa Clarita School of Performing Arts 222-7910

The Ducks are Back!
Prepare to cheer on a flock of rubber ducky racers at Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers' 11th-annual Rubber Ducky Festival on Saturday, October 5 from 11am to 3pm at Bridgeport Park. Thousands of ducks will race through a waterway track competing for glory and the grand prize. Adopt your ducks today at www.duckrace.com/scv for a chance to win the $2,500 grand prize, second prize of $1,500 or third prize of $500 cash gift cards. (Winners do not need to be present to win.).

Regatta races begin at noon, with lucky duck qualifier winners from each round advancing to the Grand Regatta. Adoptions start at $5 per duck. Other adoption opportunities include: Quack Family (five plus one free duck for $25); Quacker's Dozen (10 plus two free ducks for $50) and Duck Flock (20 plus four free ducks for $100).

This fun-filled family festival also includes games, activities, vendors and entertainment. Admission is free. If you're quacking for a snack, food will be provided by In-N-Out Burger, Downtown Dogs and Tango Mango Italian Ice. All proceeds from this event benefit SDFHC's three Santa Clarita Valley health centers that provide quality, affordable medical care to the uninsured and underinsured. 257-2339, extension 302







Learn more about How a Truly Relevant Curriculum can Help your Child Thrive
We all want our kids to be happy; to have access to the best education; to develop a strong character; and to embody the skills needed to succeed in this ever-increasingly-complicated world.

It's easy to make a list of "wants" - but it's a whole lot harder to create a list of "hows." Most parents find themselves shuttling their children from a long school day to after-hours activities and programs in a break-neck attempt to ensure that their kids get every opportunity to thrive.

Parents at Legacy Christian Academy have learned that there's a less-stressful, more effective way to provide their children with a truly-relevant curriculum that prepares their kids for the careers of the 21st century. They've also discovered that their children are making joyous memories and are really enjoying on-campus enrichment experiences like league sports, Mandarin Chinese instruction, professional art and music classes, NASA-fueled science experiments and so much more.

If you've ever been curious as to what makes Legacy so different - and why the school has earned the consecutive titles of "Best Christian School" and "Best Private School" many years running - you'll want to attend an upcoming info session. Call for info-session dates or schedule a personalized, private tour.

Legacy Christian Academy Kindergarten Info Night: Thursday, October 17 at 6:30 pm

Legacy Christian Academy Middle School Info Night: Wednesday, October 30 at 6:30 pm

Early Bird Enrollment: Monday, November 4 through Friday, November 8
Legacy Christian Academy 257-7377

Courtesy of Shutterstock

Multi-age Classrooms Benefit Learners
SCVi chooses to use multiage instruction in many of its classroom communities because of the academic and social/emotional benefits. Multiage instruction focuses on individual progress through developmentally-appropriate practices. It's perfect for a school that believes every child is unique and deserves an individualized education.

In multi-age classrooms, learners stay with facilitators for two years or "loop." This allows for facilitators to build strong relationships with the children and their families - and for learners and families to truly feel like part of the SCVi community. Facilitators do not lose time at the beginning of the year trying to learn about a whole new group of learners. They know the strengths and challenges of their learners and where to begin for the best possible year.
SCVi Charter School 705-4820

Two Events that can Teach Character
It's one thing to tell kids about what "good character" is; it's another to show them. Here are two ways you can make an impact this month - because character counts!

Through Sunday | October 27
Canyon Theatre Guild Presents "The Miracle Worker" Annie Sullivan, through the power of love and faith, teaches the young Helen Keller how to communicate. 799-2702 www.canyontheatre.org

Sunday | October 27
20th Annual 5K Run/Walk Against Hunger & 1K Kids Run Participate in these runs to benefit the SCV Food Pantry. The run will begin on Newhall Avenue and Dalby Drive at 7am. Admission varies with age. www.scvfoodpantry.org

Four Reminders for College Planning
1. Your college senior should be focused on six to eight colleges when it comes to admissions. Yes - even if they're gifted athletes or rocked the SAT.

2. Your financial aid planning needs to start now; 2013 is the base year the government will look at when determining your family contribution and more.

3. Application deadlines are already looming and early-admission dates are coming up even faster.

4. If you feel unprepared (Or, worse, nauseous!) after reading this short list, call for help immediately!
College Planning Experts 295-9946

We're Proud to be One of "Ashy's Angels!"
Just look at that face - how could we not join Ashlyn's "Step Out" team? Sweet "Ashy" is a 5 year old with life-threatening Type 1 diabetes. She pricks her finger an average of nine to 12 times daily; takes insulin injections about four times a day and manages it all with her signature smile. Her family and friends - including us! - will be walking to show Ashlyn just how proud we are of her and how much we love her.

With careful planning, constant blood glucose monitoring and a diabetes life-saving kit that is with her at every moment, Ashlyn can still have a wonderful life despite having a disease that threatens it. "I have found that the more people who have jumped on board to support Ashlyn, the better she does. Her anxiety goes down and she is happier. It's very scary for a little girl to rely on others to take care of something so very serious. This has rocked our world, but we found that by making her disease 'our' disease, that the love and support it creates is getting us through," says Ashy's mom Sabrina.

"This walk does more than show Ashlyn that even strangers care about her and that the whole community is behind her and other children and adults with diabetes. It also raises really desperately-needed funds and awareness, because there's lots of misconceptions. Education about warning signs and prevention for Type 2 diabetes can save countless lives and prevent so much suffering," she continues.

Ready to walk? We'll start and finish the gentle four-mile trek at the beautiful Mann Biomedical Park located off the Rye Canyon loop in Valencia. Search "Ashy's Angels" on the walk's website to join us!

You can make a Difference for Diabetics!
Saturday | October 19
Valencia Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes Support the American Diabetes Association with their annual Valencia Step Out Walk at Mann Biomedical Park.
www.diabetes.org/valencia

What does your Rabbit Eat?
by LS Meriwether, DVM
Rabbits are herbivores that are designed to eat a diet high in roughages (high fiber grasses and hay) with a very limited amount of simple sugars or starches.

Their diet is one of the most important aspects of your animal being healthy and happy. Even small improvements can have a big effect on longevity and resistance to disease, too. The following is a brief guideline concerning the proper diet of a healthy adult rabbit.

While not technically a food, rabbits, like most animals, require a source of water that is kept clean and replaced at least daily. Whether you use a water bottle or a water bowl depends upon what works best for you and your individual rabbit.

Rabbits should have fresh hay available to them all day (And night!) long. After water, this is the most important part of their diet, as it provides the bulk of the fiber that rabbits require to live longer and healthier, maintain gut health and properly grind down their teeth.

Adult rabbits that are not overweight may be free-fed hay. A good guideline to start with is to feed a rabbit-sized portion of hay, so that the amount of hay that it eats is about the size of its body.

Fun fact: Rabbits have teeth that are constantly growing and require a high fiber diet to wear and condition them properly. Dental problems - common cause of "picky eaters" and drooling - are more common and severe in rabbits that do not receive enough hay in their diets.
All Creatures Veterinary Center 291-1121
Canyon Country Veterinary Hospital 424-9900

Purr-fect Family Fun
Sunday | October 13
Bow-Wows & Meows Pet Fair Held from 11am to 4pm at William S. Hart Park, this pet fair will have 70 pet-related vendors, low cost vaccine clinic, shows, pets for adoption and, of course, yummy people food. www.bowwowsandmeows.org