Recently in Jennifer Dean Category

Christian Arts and Theatre (CAT) will soon present "Honk! The True Story of Ugly the Duckling," opening March 2 and running for two weeks as its annual spring production.

Directed by Inland Theater League award winners Lori Henebelle, Brianna Lopez and Hollee Hennebelle, "Honk!" will take its audience back to Victorian England for a proper, yet rollicking good time.

"Honk!" is the story of Ugly, whose odd, gawky looks instantly incite prejudice from both family and neighbors. Lost and pursued by a hungry cat, Ugly must find his way home, back to the farm. But during his harrowing journey back, he not only discovers the meaning of true beauty, but also finds love and acceptance in all of its many forms.

The show, winner of the 2000 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, was written by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. The show provides a charming message of tolerance and is perfect for family audiences or anyone else who enjoys a good story.

Show times are 7 p.m. March 2 and 9; 2 and 7 p.m. March 3 and 10; and 2 p.m. March 4 and 11.

Tickets cost $12 to $16 and can be bought online at www.catcorona.org or by calling the box office at 951-279-2298.

Yesterday, the Carolina Journal ran a story about a preschooler at West Hoke Elementary School who was told to eat chicken nuggets from the school cafeteria because a state employee told her the lunch her mother packed her was not nutritious.

Here's what was in the lunch: a turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips and apple juice. Really? Doesn't that sound healthier than nuggets?

A U.S. Department of Agriculture agent was inspecting lunches in the little girl's classroom yesterday, and made that judgment.

The Division of Child Development and Early Education at the Department of Health and Human Services requires all lunches served in pre-kindergarten programs - including in-home daycare - meet USDA guidelines. The guidelines include one serving of meat, one serving of milk, one serving of grain and two servings of fruit or vegetables - even if lunches are brought from home.

And if a lunch doesn't meet these guidelines, then a child care provider must supplement with the missing items.

In the case of this little girl, the mom was given a note that afternoon stating these rules - and the fact that she did not pack a "healthy lunch" - and was charged $1.25 for the cafeteria food.

I find this completely outrageous for so many reasons. No. 1: That was a healthy little lunch. Adding three nuggets didn't change anything. Were they fried? Baked? No. 2: Kids are picky. And while I believe in trying to introduce kids to a variety of foods, I don't believe in forcing. I know what my kids like and I get the healthy mix of foods they like into their lunches. Because I'm their mom. No. 3: What about the vegetarian and vegan families? I have a good friend who is a stanch vegetarian. He takes great care to feed his children very well, getting in all necessary nutrients. It's not a religious choice, but one made from years of research on the topic. He truly feels it's important to avoid all meat. And that choice should absolutely not be taken from him. No. 4: If I am able to provide for my child, I am responsible for his or her meals, no one else. For those unable to provide, then I understand that providers should be held to some standard of care.

The most ridiculous part of this story was what the little girl actually ate that day. She came home with the lunch her mother packed still left untouched. When Mom asked, "What did you eat?" The little girl told her she ate the nuggets. She didn't like anything else on the tray. So her "healthy" lunch just consisted of nuggets.

AND, after talking to the spokesperson for the Division of Child Development, the mother found her lunch actually should have been fine. She assumed the potato chips and lack of veggies "disqualified" the lunch, but the spokesperson said the chips were fine, the turkey met the meat requirement, the cheese met dairy, and fruit met the fruit or veggies requirement. What a mess.

This isn't to say I don't understand the frustration childcare providers and many others feel with the parents who send a soda and Twinkie in their kid's lunch. Childhood obesity is a real problem. And I'm happy to see school campuses with healthier choices in the vending machines, rather than all junk, and offering good, healthy food for those who buy everyday in the cafeteria. I'm all for teaching children (and parents) as much as possible about the importance of eating right, exercise and all that good stuff.

But when you take choice away, I have a real problem with that.

For more on this and other family and health related topics, visit http://tsreads.com.

This weekend, the Theatre Arts Department at the University of Redlands will present a series of one-act plays written by university students call the New Works Festival. The plays, directed by Jennifer Stoessner, are all original works.

Showtimes at The Frederick Loewe Theatre are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. General admission costs $12; admission for students, faculty, staff and seniors is $8.

The plays include:
"The Knowing" by Ron Blakely
"The Unexpected Visitor" by Brianne Lopez
"Talthybius" by Aaron Stevenson
"Naptime" by Kelly Odor
"Studies in the Skies" by Kalehua Shamel
"Into the Rabbit Hole" by Sarah Perez
"Hatching Cocoon" by Olivia Spirz
"Mary" by Ryan Stewart

"My play, 'Studies in the Skies,' is about two strangers who are dissatisfied with their lives and the relationships they've formed," said Kalehua Shamel. "Their meeting is by pure chance and through a conversation they are each able to come to terms with the aspects of their lives that they're unhappy with."

Shamel hopes people who see her play will leave thinking about how day-to-day interactions with strangers can impact lives.

Sarah Perez hopes her play "Into the Rabbit Hole" will trigger discussions on mental disorders.

And Aaron Stevenson focused on the topic of war and its impact in his play, "Talthybius."

"This play is about humanity in war, its presence and its absence," Stevenson said. "An image I saw of a soldier carrying a civilian child in Afghanistan inspired me to try to create a piece that would bring the message Euripides sent the Greeks during the Peloponessian War back to the state in this time of war that is so familiar to history.

"It has been fantastic to have the opportunity to see my play in the process of production and I can't wait to see it on stage."

For more information on the productions, call 909-748-8728 or visit www.redlands.edu.

Artwork on an unusual canvas will be showcased at the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art on the campus of Cal State San Bernardino beginning Saturday. The exhibit "Full Deck: A Short Story of Skate Art" will be open at the museum through April 21.

The show is an anthology of skate art from the 1960s to present day with nearly 300 decks on display from artists, skaters and companies from all over the U.S.

The opening reception will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 16.

The exhibit will include hand-stained decks by Skip Engblom, co-founder of Zepher Skate Shop. The boards were seen in the film "Lords of Dogtown."

There will also be a collection of early boards on loan from pro skater Sam Cunningham, and a range of commercial decks from the collection of Mark Whiteley, editor of SLAP magazine in San Francisco.

More than 50 artists and lenders are participating in the exhibition.

In addition to the deck art, the exhibit will also include photography, painting, prints, sculpture and video displays.

The museum is located at 5500 University Parkway. For more information call 909-537-7373.

Kids can make something sweet for their sweetheart (or themselves) on Valentine's Day at the Murrieta Public Library. The library will host a holiday cookie decorating party for children in kindergarten through 5th grade at 4 p.m. Feb. 14 in the Library's Community Room.

The library will supply an assortment of cookies, trimmings and colorful icing. The activity will be limited to 50 children and tickets will be available 30 minutes prior to the program.

The event, sponsored by the Friends of the Murrieta Public Library, is free and open to the public.

The library is located at Eight Town Square in Murrieta. For more information call 951-304-2665 or visit www.murrietalibrary.info.

The Banning Cultural Alliance will present the 4th annual Black Heritage Celebration at the Banning Center for the Arts on Feb. 25. The event will honor three outstanding participants in the community.

Live entertainment will be provided by singer Zelyne Rudolph, Didi Jackson on the keyboard and a solo performance by Alliance youth, Kaylee Daugherty.

Tickets to the event, which cost $10, include a soul food dinner from Brandiva and Sir Jerks Catering.

The Banning Center for the Arts is located at 130 N. San Gorgonio in Banning. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 951-922-4911 or visit www.BanningCulturalAlliance.org.

Need to clear your head? Wake up? The Polar Plunge into Big Bear Lake might be the answer. And the plunge is for a great cause.

On March 10, the inaugural Big Bear Lake Polar Plunge will take place to raise funds to help sponsor year-round sports training programs and athletic competitions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities in the Inland region of Special Olympics Southern California.

Individuals who take the polar plunge challenge are asked to raise at least $50 through pledges. Participants who reach this goal will get an official polar plunge t-shirt. Special Olympics supporters who prefer to stay out of the freezing mountain waters can still raise pledge money, but must register as a "chicken" and will still receive an "I'm too Chicken to Plunge" t-shirt.

"All it takes is a few seconds in the chilly water for plungers to discover why we refer to it as 'freezin' for a reason,'" said Abbey Leffler, Special Olympics Southern California regional director. "They will immediately feel their hearts warm up with joy because they know they are giving to a great cause."

There will be awards given out to best costumes and those who raise big money. Pledgers can invite friends and family to watch their jump. There will be a family fun area, guest emcee, DJ music, a souvenir stand, vendors and a raffle drawing. There will also be a free barbeque lunch for participants and spectators may purchase lunch tickets.

The event will take place at Meadow Park at 41220 Park Ave. in Big Bear Lake. Registration is from 10 a.m. to noon. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. To register as a jumper, visit www.sosc.org/bigbearplunge or call 951-672-7707 or email aleffler@sosc.org.

The Lake Elsinore Outlets Kids Outlet has a variety of activities lined up for the month of February. All activities, which are free and open to the public, take place in Suite 106 from 11 a.m. to noon Wednesdays and Fridays.

Each Wednesday throughout the month, Lake Elsinore Library will host a story time with interactive stories, familiar nursery rhymes and a craft.

Today, the Lizard Wizard will visit. Children can touch a python, an iguana and the shell of a giant tortoise. There will also be insects and other animals. Visit www.lizardwizardandfriends.com for more information about the Lizard Wizard.

On Feb. 10, children can visit the Kids Outlet to create a Valentine's Day Puppet or Card Bag.

On Feb. 17, young sports fans can scratch the name and logo of a favorite sports team onto a Magic Color Pennant and design a giant paper finger.

Lastly, on Feb. 24 children can participate in a panda jar craft to hold favorite cookies or other treats.

For more information call the outlet at 951-245-0087 or visit www.lakeelsinoreoutlet.com.

My 10-year-old daughter is involved in this GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) after-school program over the next few weeks. Every Tuesday afternoon they meet and do some sort of mad-cap science experimentation. The first week she needed an empty plastic container with a lid and three rocks for the class. So we tracked that down and she trucked it off to school to create crystals with some sort of salt and ammonia mixture. I'm not sure where the rocks came into play.

The next week (last Tuesday) they needed balloons and baking soda to make the balloons blow themselves up. They also learned how to make a homemade volcano explode. So all the kids went home ready to blow stuff up. Yikes.

Next week she needs another empty plastic container with a lid, an empty water bottle and a chicken bone - preferably wing or thigh. So now I'm wondering what kind of voodoo experimentation these kids will be doing Tuesday. Regardless, I stripped down a chicken bone for her, boiled it clean and have it ready for next week's class. At least she didn't ask for a rag doll and some pins.

My Learning Studio in Woodcrest is bringing back its Workshops and Classes for kids starting in February. The weekly classes combine creative fun with educational topics using art and science experimentation. Here's the lineup for what's coming.

On Feb. 6, the S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Workshop "States of Matter" will begin, with classes every Monday afternoon. This advanced science workshop is for youth ages 11 and older will focus on the connections between classroom subject content and the real world.

The "Silly Science Workshops" begins Feb. 7 and will continue every Tuesday afternoon. Students will explore and create science projects every week.

On Wednesday afternoons beginning Feb. 8, "Simply Creative Art Class" will include projects such as making butterflies out of coffee filters and creative mosaics from craft paper.

And lastly, on Thursday afternoons starting Feb. 9, the "Creative Arts Workshop" will include glass painting, character drawing and working with clay.

The classes cost $49.99 for five weeks. For further details visit www.mylearningstudio.com or call 951-789-5402.

Riverside Art Museum has some sweet stuff going in on February for children with Youth Art Classes "Valentine's Day Crafts" and "Imagine Edible Art."

"Valentine's Day Crafts," geared toward children ages 6 to 12, will take place Feb. 11 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 1:30 to 4 p.m. Children will create memorable treasure boxes, as well as special cards. Class costs $30. ($27 for museum members)

"Imagine Edible Art" will take place Feb. 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. In the class, children will make a color wheel out of frosting, mix the colors to make new colors, and then paint color wheels made out of cookies.

Students will also "paint" with spaghetti. After the spaghetti dries it becomes a work of art.

Class costs $30 or $27 for museum members.

The museum is located at 3425 Mission Inn Ave. in Riverside. For more information call 951-684-7111.

Three San Bernardino County schools are showing great achievement in areas of disadvantaged students - and the state's department of education is taking notice.

These schools have been selected as nominees to be named National Blue Ribbon Schools. The California Department of Education announced the nominees in a release earlier this month.

The three schools are Judson and Brown Elementary in the Redlands Unified School District; Lytle Creek Elementary in San Bernardino City Unified; and University Prep in the Victor Valley Union High School District.

This year's National Blue Ribbon Schools will be named in September. The three San Bernardino County schools are among 35 in the state to be considered for the honor.

Those awarded each year with the title are elementary and secondary schools that are academically superior and have demonstrated great gains in student achievement in an economically disadvantaged population of students.

Keep up the great work!

International chorus champions, The Masters of Harmony, will hold the 12th Annual Young Men's Harmony Festival on Feb. 18 at the Robert B. Moore Theater at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa. The event, an all-day clinic and rehearsal for over 230 young men from high schools from all over Southern Calif., will culminate in a joint performance with the Masters that is open to the public.

Guest clinicians Dave Tautkus, Ken Potter, Jason Remley and Mark Freedkin with members of the quartet, OC Times will serve as leaders for the participating students. Award-winning quartet, The Crush and OC Times will perform on the evening show.

The purpose of the event, co-sponsored by the Southern California Vocal Association, is to expose young men and their choral music teachers to the barbershop style. All proceeds from the performance will go toward supporting choral music education throughout Southern California.

Interested singers who wish to participate in the festival can download the registration form from the SCVA website at www.scvachoral.org.

The theater is located at 2701 Fairview St. in Costa Mesa. Tickets for the evening performance at 7:30 p.m. cost $5. There is no reserved seating. Parking is free.

For tickets and information, call 949-559-9621.

First Sundays in downtown Riverside is back after a missed month in January (for New Years Day). On Feb. 5, six downtown organizations will host free family programs from 1-4 p.m.

The seasonal family program, sponsored by the Riverside Arts Council, will continue on the first Sunday of every month through May. Participating organizations include Riverside Metropolitan Museum, Mission Inn Museum, Riverside Art Museum, Riverside Public Library, UCR ArtsBlock, and Riverside Fox Theater Foundation.

Here is the list of upcoming activities:

"Chinese New Year," Riverside Public Library
Celebrate the year of the Dragon at the Library by creating a Chinese New Year picture frame craft from 1 to 2 p.m., listening to Chinese New Year stories performed by Karen Rae Kraut from 2 to 3 p.m., and then continuing to make Chinese New Year picture frames from 3 to 4 p.m.

"Wood, Rocks!" UCR ArtsBlock (Culver Center, Sweeney Art Gallery, and California Museum of Photography)
The ARTSblock First Sunday DIY team will be assisting participants in taking natural substances and turning them into artistic sculptures. Workshop participants can choose from various wood and rock samples to construct sculptures that honor both the great mysteries of the natural world as well as human creativity. "Wood, Rocks! will be lead by Maxwell H. Gluck Fellows Zachary Leener Ashley Ferriera,and Kimberly Zarate.

"For the Love of the Stage," Riverside Fox Theater Foundation at Fox Theater
The Fox Foundation will host a craft that includes Shakespearian crowns of Romeo & Juliet. and participants can also learn to recite some of their famous lines. Families are also invited to place their family's name on the Fox Theater's "Walk of Fame."

"Tiffany Stained Glass Windows with guest Artist Samantha Hart," Mission Inn Museum
Among the many treasures at the Mission Inn are eight stained glass windows by the famed glass artist, Louis Comfort Tiffany. This month, the Mission Inn Museum invites families to learn about these amazing windows and make their own "stained glass" artworks inspired by the Tiffany windows.

"Create Your Own Valentine Craft," Riverside Art Museum
The Riverside Art Museum will welcome back face painter Miss Pamela. Visitors can tour the museum's galleries and create a Valentine craft.

"Papermaking & Music," Riverside Metropolitan Museum
Families will create Valentine's Day cards from scratch and this crafting event. Learn how to turn junk mail into beautiful paper. Use pressed flowers to create a unique gift for special someone. Visitors can also enjoy music (including love songs) from local band, Lucky Cricket.

Got a little artist in training? Jo Thompson Art his hosting Kids Art Adventure Saturdays at the Life Arts Building in downtown Riverside on Saturdays through March 31. Classes began Jan. 14. The workshops are from 11 a.m. to noon every Saturday.

The classes are open to children ages 5 to 13 of any skill level or experience. Participants will use paint, mixed-media, clay and more while learning about color, shape, line and pattern to create 2-D and 3-D art works. All materials are provided.

Classes are small, relaxed and focused on individualized instruction.

Tickets cost $10 per class or $30 per student for the 5 class pass. The Life Arts Building is located at 3485 University Ave. in Riverside. For more information, call 951-660-4925.

Families can celebrate the Year of the Dragon at the Museum of History and Art, Ontario. The Chinese New Year Family Discovery Day will take place Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.

The museum will host Chinese New Year-themed activities including an artist-led calligraphy workshop with Calligrapher Cheng Chao Hung, storytelling with Storyteller Karen Rae Kraut and the Ontario City Library, and more.

The event is co-sponsored by the Pomona Valley Chinese Association. Admission is free.

The museum is located at 225 South Euclid in Ontario. For more information call 909-395-2510.

The inaugural XOS Battle of the Sexes Winterfest is coming to Big Bear. The two day event will take place Feb. 3 and 4 at The Big Bear Village at the Big Bear Visitor Center. The event will showcase the talents of men and women in three categories that include a snowboard rail jam, fashion shows, and DJ battles.

The purpose of the event is to educate and uplift women through fun, non-competitive events and to raise awareness of breast cancer and the value of living an active lifestyle.

"We want to give women a comfortable forum where they can showcase their talents without any pressures," said Marisa Lupo, XOS Productions event producer. "Winterfest is designed to give them a chance to playfully participate against the guys in a fun atmosphere.

"The other key piece of Winterfest is to communicate the message about breast cancer, the importance of self examination and early detection, and to provide knowledge to fight the deadly disease."

The event kicks off Friday with a night-time DJ concert, featuring DJs, and a fashion show inside a large structured tent. The following day, the Big Bear Visitor Center parking lot will transform into a winter-themed festival with a kid's snow play area, snowshoe demos, live entertainment, carnival-type games, food vendors, art displays, winter apparel and booths providing information about breast cancer awareness.

The main attraction Saturday is the XOS Rail Jam that features top female snowboarders that rival top male snowboarders on professionally-built rails and jibs for an exciting snowboarding competition.

Once the sun goes down, the music will return to the tented arena for a second DJ concert and fashion show. Headlining acts for both Friday and Saturday evenings include internationally-renowned DJs Revolvr, Tatiana Fontes and Kristina Sky. Other performers include 2Deadbeatz, Duality, Shibby, MC2 and Ayla Simone. The tented events provide entertaining male vs. female DJ battles, dance-offs and catwalk fashion struts.

Both of the evening tented DJ concerts are from 5 p.m. to midnight for visitors ages 18 and older. Admission costs $25 each night. (A portion of ticket sales go to Boarding for Breast Cancer, a nonprofit, youth-focused education, awareness and fundraising foundation for breast cancer.)

Saturday's daytime festivities are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission for all daytime activities, which include the XOS Rail Jam is free and open to all ages.

The Big Bear Visitor Center is located at 630 Bartlett Road in Big Bear Lake. For more event information visit www.xosproductions.com. To purchase discounted concert tickets and lodging packages log onto www.bigbear.com or call 800-424-4232.

Pennypickle's Workshop at the Temecula Children's Museum is hosting a science themed activity for the little ones. "Pint Size Science: Dinosaurs" will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13.

Little ones love dinosaurs as much as their big brothers and sisters do, so during the event it'll be their turn to discover all sort of fun facts about dinosaurs big and small. The activities will be geared toward children ages 3 to 5, but children of all ages are welcome to join the fun.

Tickets cost $5 and can be purchased online and picked up at the door.

The museum is located at 42081 Main Street in Old Town Temecula. For more information on this event and others, visit www.pennypickles.org or call 951-308-6376.

Throughout the year the San Bernardino County Musuem hosts a series of inexpensive family programs that include craft-type activities and earth science topics. The first program day of 2012 will take place Feb. 4 with "Family Program: Fossil Painting sessions" from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Family Program activities are free with museum admission. Children can paint cast fossils in any chosen color while visiting the museums exhibits and collections. Stations will be set up for the fossil painting.

Then, the museum will host another Family Program the following weekend, Feb. 11: "1880s at Work and Play at the Victor Valley Museum from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The San Bernardino County Museum is located at 2024 Orange Tree Lane in Redlands. Admission to the museum costs $8 for adults; $6 for seniors 60 and older; $5 for students with I.D.; $4 for children ages 5 to 12; and free for children under age 5. For more information on the Family Program visit www.sbcountymuseum.org or call 909-307-2669.

Ever thought about whether "Star Wars" could become reality some day? The Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana is exploring that question and more with the traveling exhibit, "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination."

The exhibit is presented by Bose Corporation. Visitors can build and test their own speeders and robots; ride a hovercraft and try steering; see real artifacts, costumes and props from all six "Star Wars" films; explore the technology of droids and landspeeders; and more.

The exhibit is open now through April 15. Admission costs $14.95 for adults; $12.95 for children ages 3 to 14 and seniors 60 and older. General admission is required to purchase the exhibit admission, which is $10 at the door or $8 online.

The science center has several "Star Wars" fan days scheduled. Children ages 3 to 14 wearing a "Star Wars" costume get in free. There's a limit of one free admission per paid adult general admission. The next fan day is January 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., titled "Clone Wars Takeover Day." The exhibit will feature games and activities based on Cartoon Network's popular series, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."

The science center is located at 2500 North Main Street in Santa Ana. For more information on the exhibit, including a full list of fan days dates and themes, visit www.discoverycube.org or call 714-542-2823.