Elmo's Smiley Smoothie

Good Bite, Moon

Renowned fitness expert, Jillian Michaels, best known for her role as the tough trainer on Biggest Loser, will be contributing regularly to the #1 online health destination--everydayhealth.com--and we think the readers of kidzeum.org would love to read her exclusive interview with Jamie Oliver on "The Fight for Healthier Food."  Jamie Oliver is best known for his fight to instill a Food Revolution and to promote healthier and more nutritious eating in schools across America.

Read the full interview here: http://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/jamie-oliver-on-the-fight-for-healthier-food.aspx.

ALL consumer electronics will be banned from landfill disposal as of Jan 1, 2012. This will impact the hauling of residential trash items as well as Springfield's large item program and drop-off recycling. Fortunately, several organizations in Springfield that will accept electronics, see details below.

• Habitat for Humanityaccepts all computers and related equipment, as well as televisions, cameras, stereos, VCRs and other electronics. This is made possible by arrangement with Vintage Tech Recyclers of Illinois. See Habitat’s website at: www.habitatsangamon.com and click on News/Events.
• Goodwillaccepts all used computers and related equipment such as monitors, hard drives, software, printers, and ink and toner cartridges through a program with Dell Reconnect. See their website: www.llgi.org.
• Ronald McDonald Housenow accepts printer cartridges and cell phones for recycling, which supports their mission. See details of this program at www.rmhc-centralillinois.org.
• BLH Computersof Springfield accepts from residents or businesses any and all types of electronics of any age, in any condition, for recycling. See their website at: http://www.blhcomputers.com.
• ComputerBanc is a local non-profit organization that refurbishes and provides computers to children with learning disabilities and families in need, helping to close the “digital divide”. See their website at: http://computerbanc.org.

At Kidzeum, we pride ourselves as building a center which celebrates our community and the people and places that make central Illinois special.  We would be at a serious loss if we didn't recognize Illinois farm families and the great work they perform every day to provide us with healthy food.  One way Kidzeum would like to acknowledge the importance of Illinois agriculture is by featuring a brand-new space in the Healthy Community Gallery called Farm to Market exhibit. 

Please take a moment to view these new blueprint renderings, which are available now for investment by agricultural businesses and organizations, or for naming rights by individual contributors.  We appreciate what Illinois farm families do to make our community healthy, and we hope you will too!

Kidzeum was recently featured in a two-page spread within the Update magazine published quarterly by the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.  It is gratifying to know how important Kidzeum is viewed as a worthwhile investment in the Springfield community.  Click here to read the fantastic article and how Kidzeum is a facility that can help generate economic growth in Sangamon County and beyond!

Kidzeum's Executive Director, Farah Salim, was recently interviewed by Rachel Otwell of WUIS.  Click here to listen to the report and/or see a written transcript from the podcast.

The Kidzeum of Health and Science announced join the Let's Move! initiative started by the First Lady Michelle Obama and Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Susan Hildreth. The national initiative will provide opportunities for millions of museum and garden visitors to learn about healthy food choices and will promote physical activity through interactive exhibits and programs. 

• Priority #1: Eat healthy, get active exhibits 
• Priority #2: Learning about Healthy Choices through afterschool, summer and other programs 
• Priority #3: Healthy food service
• Priority #4: Learning about healthy food choices and physical activity using food  service operation

You never know what the future holds when it comes to your children’s health. Joey McLaughlin, a Kidzeum Board Member, and his wife, Michelle, faced a scary period of time with their son, Jack, when he was nearly two years old. Jack suddenly had developed spots on his tongue (a sign, they found out later, that he was suffering from malnourishment) and he started having major digestive problems. When he wouldn't get better, Jack's parents took him to the doctor. But after about a month of trying to diagnose Jack, his parents were beginning to worry that he might have cancer.

When Jack and his parents went to the gastrointerologist, the doctor thought maybe Jack’s antibiotic from an earlier bout of pneumonia had wiped out the good bacteria in his stomach as well as the bad, causing the stomach issues. He suggested Jack be put on iv liquids which meant he could have nothing else to eat or drink during this time. This was done to try to let his gastrointestinal system rest and recover. He had a central line IV put in to give him the fluids with a pump housed in a backpack. Jack's parents had to change his nutrient pack several times a day and we had to learn how to flush out the line. It hurt Joey and Michelle to see him lying there, and having to forego solid food for so long. 

The gastrointeologist had also taken some other tests while Jack was in the office. Among those was a blood test for celiac disease. Two days into the fluids, a call came into the gastroinerologist saying Jack’s blood test for celiac came back positive. What did this mean? The next step would be to get a biopsy of his intestines, the only way to confirm if he really did have celiac disease.

Celiac disease causes a person to be intolerant to gluten. Gluten is found in wheat, barley, rye and sometimes oats (via cross contamination). The doctor described it to us this way...gluten acts as sandpaper and causes the villi in your intestines to be sanded down to nothing. Without the villi, you lose the ability to absorb nutrients. If left untreated, the Celiac Disease Foundation says it can lead to damage of the small bowel that can be chronic and life threatening, causing an increased risk of associated disorders – both nutritional and immune related.

After finding out Jack had celiac disease, the family didn't know where to turn for help in understanding which foods were appropriate and which foods could cause Jack to spiral into another lapse if he ingested wheat. Finally, the family found some information from the University of Chicago after many, many hours of endless research and sleepless nights. And what they found was helpful, but they wished they could have had more local resources to help them break down the very strict parameters of a gluten free diet. 

A gluten free (GF) diet means NO wheat, barley, rye and sometimes oats. Wheat is in more than just bread and cookies. Wheat can be found in seasonings, medicines, cereals, as coating for some foods, etc. Jack's parents had to learn to read labels and what to look for to ensure there was absolutely no wheat. The research pointed Jack's parents to discovering gluten free products for things like bread, cookies, etc. so that Jack's life could be as normal as possible. They didn’t want Jack to go to a birthday party and not be able to have cake and pizza like the rest of the kids, so they began making their own gluten free cake and pizza to take with him.

After the family found out more about the disease, they realized that Jack's sister Sarah also experienced some of the symptoms, and upon having her tested, Sarah was diagnosed with celiac disease as well. Sarah's diagnosis was another reason that resources about celiac disease is so vital to the health of families...to be able to spot and recognize symptoms and learn to preemptively act before a scary situation occurs.

Because there wasn't somewhere locally to understand celiac disease, Jack's parents had to endure undue stress to take the time to research for information. But, Joey is actually a Kidzeum of Health and Science Board Member. And for that reason, within the Healthy Body Gallery, Kidzeum is determined to help other families, like Jack's, to learn more about celiac disease and provide them with resources to help manage their diet. Kidzeum will also offer other visitors, who may not realize what a gluten free diet entails, to understand the disease and to become empathetic to those who have been diagnosed.

Kidzeum will not be just an entertainment facility with the best interactive engagements to provide fun for children. Kidzeum will serve a very vital purpose by offering educational outreach, learning opportunities, and socialization to help understand differences, whether it be celiac disease, visual impairment, or utilizing a  prosthetic. Kidzeum is a community-oriented place where children and their families will discover ways together to help live healthier, happier lives, just like Jack and Sarah.

Check out all of the exhibit renderings that have been professionally designed by renowned children's museum exhibit creators Kraemer Design + Production Inc., Redbox Workshop, smallexhibits.com, and BLDD Architects!  Simply click on the links below to direct you to the appropriate listing.

• Healthy Body Gallery
• Healthy Community Gallery
• Healthy Earth & Environment Gallery

Many of these exhibits are available for naming rights and sponsorship - check out the Sponsor an Exhibit page for more information on how your business can invest in a meaningful and revelant learning opportunity!  We can even customize exhibits to match your company's mission, services, or corporate philosophy!

Join us for the Coins for Kidzeum Challenge from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. THIS FRIDAY, May 6 at any Springfield Town & Country Bank location listed below.  Volunteers will be giving away goodies, signing up Coin Champions, and generally having fun trying to raise money to build the Kidzeum of Health and Science!  Stop by even just to drop off some spare change under your car seat...ALL cents make sense!

• 601 Wabash Ave.    
• 2601 N. Dirksen Pkwy.
• 1925 S. MacArthur Blvd.    
• 2401 Wabash Ave.

And even though we're counting down the last few weeks of the Coins for Kidzeum Campaign sponsored by Town & Country Bank (ends May 18), there's still time be a Coin Champion! Coin Champions collect coins and deposit them at Springfield Town & Country Bank locations and compete to win prizes for the top fundraiser in one of these three categories:

• Individual
• Groups (3rd Floor Accounting Dept., Girl Scout Troops, Apartment Block C, you get the idea!)
• Classrooms (ANY grade, ANY school, ANY amount of students!)

Right now, we've raised about $3,500 of the total goal of $5,000, and so we need all those competitive teammates to sign up as a Coin Champion!  Remember, it's not about winning, but it's about being a Champion to make a BIG change by collecting spare change!

The Coins for Kidzeum Campaign sponsored by Town & Country is now at our halfway point!  We're excited to share that as of right we have more than 35+ individuals, 30+ groups, and 10+ classrooms participating as Coin Champions!

The Coins for Kidzeum Campaign runs from March 1 - May 18, but YOU can still get in on the fun and be a Coin Champion!  All you have to do is fill out and print the application found here, or visit a Town & Country Bank location to complete your form and submit it for your Coin Collection Kit including a Change Bank, posters, and more goodies!  Then, collect, collect, collect!  Gather spare change from under the car seat, in the sofa cushions, your family's cookie jar...you get the idea!

The top Coin Champions in each of the three categories (Individuals, Groups, and Classrooms) will compete to win prizes which will be given at the top-secret Coin Champion Celebration at the end of May.  So it's a WIN-WIN-WIN for all, and everyone's a Champion!  Collect to make a BIG Change for Good in our community!  Collect to build Kidzeum!

Sidenotes:

• You can deposit your change at any Town & Country Bank location in Springfield (during business hours) as many times as you would like
• Classrooms MUST provide a roster of all students who will participate in the campaign
• All change collected must be collected in good faith to benefit the Kidzeum of Health and Science

Creatively designed with a focus on fun and learning, Kidzeum will be a 15,000-square-feet structure in Edwin Watts Southwind Park (located off the Toronto Road exit on I-55) in Springfield, Illinois.  Kidzeum will feature hands-on exhibits, as well as inquisitive and entertaining programs to meet the needs of ALL children, including those with physical, cognitive, and/or emotional disabilities.

Kidzeum is committed to nurturing health and wellness, promoting science education, and to developing environmental and global awareness through innovative programs and exhibits.  This is no small effort! There are hundreds of people involved in the planning, building, and fundraising efforts, with much of the help coming from volunteers who have generously donated their time to their worthy effort. Learn more about how the Kidzeum concept developed, why it is so important to our community, and who is involved in this much-needed and greatly-anticipated project.

Welcome to Kidzeum of Health and Science!

A place to create memorable experiences of learning & discovery through play for children of ALL abilities.

The Kidzeum of Health and Science is a 15,000-square-foot children's museum being built in Edwin Watts Southwind Park in Springfield, Illinois. This unique educational and entertainment facility has a mission to serve as a place of learning and discovery through play for children of ALL abilities.  Kidzeum is committed to nurturing health and wellness, promoting science education and to developing environmental and global awareness through innovative programs and exhibits.

Through our Vital for Our Youth Capital Campaign, Kidzeum is raising money to not only build a spectacular green building, but to create educational and interactive exhibits that will help teach all visitors to lead healthier, happier lives.

We can’t build this amazing facility without your help! There are several ways to contribute to Kidzeum, from sponsoring an entire exhibit to attending one of our many fundraising events. We also accept in-kind donations of services or products.