Check out a field trip
Finding affordable family-oriented activities for 12
children was often a challenge for my parents. Fortunately, there were two
institutions of real family value in the community — the Corning Glass Center
and the public library. Each offered programs that encouraged our creativity
and helped to develop curiosity about the world. Today that cultural connection
has come full circle for me. In a unique partnership between the Rochester
Public Library (RPL) and the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG), families may now use a
library card to borrow a family pass to MAG at a discounted price.
The pass entitles a borrower to $5 admission for a
family of any size. This allows families who might not otherwise have the
chance to see what the Gallery has to offer. The passes, available at the
Central Library and all city branches, may be checked out to any adult with a
valid library card on a first-come-first-served basis. Passes circulate for one
week.
Thanks to a generous Friends to Friends grant, RPL and MAG have developed an exciting
new series of family programs that complement the special art exhibits. The
programs are designed to interest families in each of the upcoming exhibits as
well as to expand their knowledge and appreciation of the exhibits through the
use of library resources. Next up: programs on February 5 (Arnett Library) and
February 13 (MAG) to coincide with the Paper
Sculpture Exhibit.
Check it out! For more information call 428-8301.
— Carolyn Schuler
This week for families:
Bepop to Bach: A Family
Concert Sun,
Jan 30. Children ages 2-7, Harley School, 1981 Clover St, 2-3 p.m. $5.
tsmith@harleyschool.org
Brighton Memorial Library Stories for pre-K: Mondays
10 a.m.; for toddlers: Mondays 10:30 a.m.; for families: Thursdays 7 p.m. |
Through Feb 25: Alice B. Wilson Literary Awards Contest, for Brighton residents
grades 6-12. | 2300 Elmwood Ave, 784-5300
Daisy Doodle Sat, Jan 29. Girl Scouts of
Genesee Valley, ages 5-6, 1020 John St, W Henrietta, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. $15.
292-5160
Down in the Valley, Two by
Two Wed,
Feb 2. Storytelling and singing, David Anderson, Sankofa with Akwaaba, Wheatley
Library, 33 Dr. Samuel McCree Way, 3:45-4:30 p.m. 428-8212
Helmer Nature Center Thurs, Jan 27, adventure
blanket, grades 5-6, 4-7 p.m. $15. |Fri,
Jan 28, Friends with Feathers with Ron Walker, 7-8 p.m. $3. | Helmer Nature
Center, 154 Pinegrove Ave. 336-3035
Henrietta Public Library
Storytimes for preschoolers: Wed, Jan 26, 10:15-10:45 a.m. | 455 Calkins Rd. 359-7092,
www.hpl.org
Karate Lessons City of Rochester Recreation
Centers, ages 8-17. $5.Starting
Mon, Jan 31: #46 school, 250 Newcastle Rd, 3:30-4:30 p.m. (428-7294) and East
High School, 1801 E Main St, 6:30-7:30 p.m. (428-7294). Starting Wed, Feb 2:
#42 School, 3330 Lake Ave, 3:30-4:30 p.m. (428-7829)
Preschool Workshop Thurs, Jan 27. Art project,
story, Gallery tour, ages 2.5-5, Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave,
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. $17. 473-7720 ext 3056
Rochester Museum and Science
Center 657
East Ave. Sat, Jan 29, Science Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | Surprise! It’s Science, through May 2005 | Rochester’s Frederick Douglass, through January 2006 | Live Science! demos and theater, Sat 2,
3 (sign-interpreted), 4 p.m.; Sun 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 p.m. | Ongoing exhibits
include: AdventureZone, Carlson Inquiry Room, At the Western Door | Hours: Mon-Sat 9
a.m.-5 p.m., Sun 12-5 p.m. Tix: $5-$7. 271-1880, www.rmsc.org
Shabbat Alive! Fri, Jan 28. Rick Recht,
family service, Temple Sinai, 363 Penfield Rd, 8 p.m. 381-6890
Start With Art Thurs, Jan 27. For
preschoolers, storytelling, art activity, Creative Workshop faculty, Barnes
& Noble, 3349 Monroe Ave, 10 a.m. Free. 473-7720 ext 3056
Storytelling with Rafe
Martin Sat,
Jan 29. Visual Studies Workshop, 31 Prince St, 7 p.m. $5. 271-4548,
www.cobblestone.org
Strong Museum 1 Manhattan Square. Adventures with Clifford the Big Red Dog,
Jan 29-May 1. Opens Sat, Jan 29, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun, Jan 30, 12-5 p.m. |
Long-term exhibits include National Toy
Hall of Fame, Can You Tell Me How To
Get To Sesame Street? and Super Kids
Market. Hours: Mon-Thurs 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fri 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m.-5
p.m., Sun 12-5 p.m. Tix: $7; $6 seniors, students; $5 children. 263-2700
Swimming Lessons Saturdays through Mar 21.
Ages 7-13, various recreation centers and schools. Free. 241-4443
Wednesdays For Tots Wed, Feb 2. Songs with Bart
and Kevin, Strong Museum, 1 Manhattan Sq, 9:30 a.m. $7, $5 kids. 263-2700
Cold medicines
Coughs, sneezes, and honking noses are everywhere as
we slog through another “cold and flu” season. Folks will spend a lot of money
on over-the-counter medications promising multi-symptom relief. Most do not
help. Here is my brief guide to common, non-prescription cold drugs.
Decongestants. There are only two kinds:
pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) by mouth and decongestant nasal sprays (like Afrin).
Both work by shrinking mucous membranes in your nose, but wear off quickly,
leaving your nose even more congested. As stimulants, they raise heart rate and
blood pressure, making it hard to sleep. I rarely recommend them. Salt water
(saline) nose sprays are better.
Cough Suppressants. There is only one:
dextromethorphan, which barely works. It doesn’t work well if you have lots of
mucus to cough up. It works best if you just have a tickle in your throat.
Don’t buy it in any form that lasts less than 12 hours. Tea with honey and
lemon is about as good.
Expectorants. There is only one of these,
too: guafenesin. It is controversial because research shows that drinking lots
of fluids is as effective. It is supposed to loosen mucus in sinuses and lung
tubes. So does drinking and gargling.
Antihistamines. These include
diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and loratidine (Claritin, Alavert). They decrease
allergy symptoms. Diphenhyrdramine makes people spacey, sleepy and irritable.
Both make mucus thicker and drier, and don’t help with colds or influenza.
Fever and Pain Drugs. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and
ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) work well for fever and pain. Unfortunately, they are
often sold with the drugs above in fixed combinations so that you have to buy
medicine you don’t need.
None of these medicines will change the course of
your cold. Often the side effects are worse than the benefits. Buy only
single-ingredient medicines and ask your doctor how best to use them. Sleep,
fluids, gargling, and saline nose sprays work about as well. If you’ve eluded a
cold so far this winter, keep washing your hands!
— Laurence I. Sugarman, MD
This article appears in Jan 26 – Feb 1, 2005.
