Paint 'em Happy this Summer
Summer is here - and that means an opportunity to sign your kids up for extracurricular learning and fun! Painting with a Twist meets that criteria in spades with their Kids Summer Camp, a week-long art camp for kids. By the end of the week, your child will have five paintings to proudly display and, on the last day, family and friends are invited to drop in and view the artwork during the Open House.
Check out the event calendar for details and take advantage of convenient online registration: www.paintingwithatwist.com/santa-clarita/calendar. 673-7820

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Safety Education for Young Children
Safety Town is Where it's Safety First for Santa Clarita's Kids
These are just a few of the safety rules that children learn at Safety Town. Does your young child know all of these?

• What are the colors of traffic lights and what do they mean? Red - stop! Yellow - slow down or wait! Green - go!
• What do you do in an earthquake? Drop, cover and hold on!
• What should you do before you cross the street? Stop at curb, look left/right, wait, listen!
• What should you always do when you ride a bike? Wear a helmet!
• What should you always do when you ride in a car? Buckle your seat belt and don't bother Mom or Dad when they are driving.
• What number do you call in an emergency? 9-1-1.
• When you go swimming, what should you always do? Swim with a grown up.

In July, the Santa Clarita Optimist Foundation will sponsor two safety education camps for children from 4.5 to 6 years of age. Children learn how to safely navigate streets and sidewalks as pedestrians in a small-scale "town," complete with buildings, streets, street signs, a traffic signal and as drivers (In pedal cars with seat belts!). Credentialed teachers and trained youth volunteers make learning about safety fun, engaging and practical. Santa Clarita's own safety professionals - firefighters, crossing guards, lifeguards, CHP officers, Sheriff deputies and more - visit and give participatory safety demonstrations each day. Throughout camp, children make crafts, sing Safety Town songs and play games that reinforce the safe conduct rules they have learned.
The application to register your child for a Safety Town camp is available at www.safetytownscv.com. 383 -7453

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Play in the Cornhole Tournament,
Help Residents with Developmental Disabilities
Support people with developmental disabilities by raising necessary funds to provide them with life-enhancing opportunities - and have a blast at the same time! On Saturday, July 1 from 10am to 4pm, compete in a cornhole tournie for cash prizes, shop for silent auction items, enjoy lunch (And cake and ice cream!) and so much more. Your two-person team entry is $100; saying you won a cornhole tournament is priceless.
702-9788


Help SCV Seniors Build their New "Home!"
Have You Made your Donation Yet?
Did you know that the fastest-growing Santa Clarita (city and valley) age group between the years 2000 and 2010 was the population of residents 85 years and older - and that we're expected to see a whopping 92+-percent increase in the population of residents ages 75 and older during the time frame from 2020 to 2035?

Yes, Santa Clarita has a growing community of seniors - more than the current SCV Senior Center can adequately accommodate.

That's why Inside SCV Magazine publishers and staff are actively supporting the SCV Senior Center New Building Campaign, which recently announced that only $1.75 million remains to be raised before construction can begin on this vital Center.

Says Campaign Co-chair Peggy Rasmussen: "We're deeply grateful to each person who logged onto Newseniorcenter.com and donated; to the business owners who have invested in the Center and our seniors; and to the private donors who have committed to us [since the Campaign began]. If this kind of support continues, we should be able to get 'shovels in the ground' as early as this summer."

"These generous donations get us closer to breaking ground on the 30,000-square-foot two-story center," says Kevin MacDonald, SCV Senior Center's executive director. "We're redoubling our efforts and reaching out to every corner of Santa Clarita to secure the remaining funds. We're actively seeking community partnerships with philanthropic organizations, business groups, volunteer organizations and others. Interested parties or individuals can contact me directly at the SCV Senior Center."

The 2.5-acre site of the new building can be found on Golden Valley Road in Santa Clarita and will serve SCV's growing senior population and those who love them. Exciting additions to the new Center include an expanded Adult Day Program; Health & Wellness Center; Employment and Financial Centers; Culinary Arts Kitchen; multi-purpose rooms; a "living room" with fireplace and socialization area and much more.
Donations can be made online at www.newseniorcenter.com; by writing a check to SCVCOA-Building Fund (Memo: Capital Campaign) and mailing it to 22900 Market Street, Santa Clarita, CA 91321; calling in a credit-card donation to the SCV Senior Center (259-9444) or working with Executive Director MacDonald to arrange gifts of stock, securities and more
(259-9444, extension 123). Building naming opportunities, commemorative plaques and more are available and donations are tax deductible.

Thumb Sucking & your Child's Teeth
Sucking on a thumb or finger is a normal habit that some babies develop even before they're born. If sucking habits go on much past the age of 3, however, it's possible that bite problems may arise. In a normal bite, the upper teeth grow to overlap the lower teeth. But it's possible for the pressure of a thumb, finger or pacifier resting on the gums to interfere with normal tooth eruption and even jaw growth. Some thumb-suckers develop an "open bite," meaning the teeth don't overlap when a child bites; instead, there is an open space between the upper and lower teeth.

Most children break thumb-sucking habits on their own between the ages of 2 and 4. If you're trying to get your child to stop, the first thing to do is simply ignore it. Pacifiers will usually be given up more quickly than thumbs or fingers. If your child seems unable to stop when it's time, positive reinforcements tend to work better than negative. If necessary, your child can be fit with a special oral appliance called a tongue crib, which physically prevents thumb sucking and can usually break the habit in a few months.
Valencia Children's Dental Group 294-1800