Louisiana Outdoor Writers™ Association – Youth Journalism Contest

Sponsored by the Louisiana Outdoor Writers™ Association and The Advocate Educational Services, this essay and photography contest is designed to stimulate an interest in outdoor journalism and photography in Louisiana youth.  Besides cash prizes, and other awards, the winning entries will be published in publications and websites across the state.

CONTEST RULES:

The contest shall be open to all students.

The contest is not open to the immediate family members of any Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association member. Immediate family member is defined as a son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, grandchild, or step-grandchild.

There are two categories you may enter -Â written essay and photography.

For the essay category, prizes will be awarded for two separate age groups: Senior (14-18 years of age) and Junior (13 years of age and under).

For the photography category, any age before 18 years of age and under is eligible.

ESSAY

An original, unpublished essay about personal experience pertaining to hunting, fishing, boating, camping, hiking, or other related outdoor experience. The essay must be at least 300 words in length, but not more than 1000 words in length. The submitted essay must be typed, double-spaced, and only on one side of each sheet of paper. The essay will be judged on the following criteria: interest, subject matter, readability, spelling, and grammar. Winning essay should be available in an e-mail format
to facilitate publication.

PHOTOGRAPHY

An original, unpublished photo, in either color or black and white print form.
The photo may be either a 4×6 inch, 5×7 inch, or 8×10 inch print, centered mounted on 8×10 inch poster or mounting board. Slides will not be accepted.

All entries should be postmarked no later than July 3, 2009.

All entries will be judged by professional educators and outdoor communicators.
Winners will be notified by mail.
All winners and their chaperones will be honored at the annual LOWA.  Fall conference held in October this year.

Youth Outdoor Journalism Contest
Submit your entries to:

The advocate
ED. SERVICES/LOWA
P.O. Box 588
Baton Rouge, LA 70821

First place in each of the categories will receive a $150 cash prize and will be presented a certificate from the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association.

Second place in each category will receive a $100 cash prize and an award certificate from the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association.

Third place in each category will receive a $50 cash prize and an award certificate from the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association.
honorable mention in each category will receive a $25 cash prize and an award certificate from the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association.

www.laoutdoorwriter s.com
www.2theadvocate. com/sports/ outdoors

CASH PRIZES IN ALL CATEGORIES DONATED BY THE LOUISIANA CHAPTER OF SAFARI CLUB.

Submissions cannot be returned unless accompanied by a SASE.

The following must be included with each submission:

At the top of the first page of each article or attached to the back of the mounting board of the photos:

NAME:
AGE:
SCHOOL:
HOME ADDRESS:
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
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MUSIC DAY CAMP – 2009
Emmanuel Baptist Church

July 13 – 17, 2009
Early Bird Singing: 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Camp: 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Camp Performances: Friday, July 17, 1:00 & 7:00 p.m.
For Students: 1st Grade – 8th Grade
Registration Dates: May 1 – June 26
Registration Fee: $30.00
TRYOUTS for Speaking and Singing Parts:
June 17th – June 26th
Call Celeste Davis (233-5176)
For appointment times

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This is a way for AHSA to earn extra money through magazine subscriptions, new or renewals. Andrew Bollich was kind enough to set up this account last year. It is still active, and a great way to contribute to AHSA while buying the magazines that you are already buying possibly through another route. Read below for more details. Just copy and paste the web address in to your address bar, and ENTER. Then, you enter the student’s name so that they can receive credit for the sale.
Here is a link that you can email to people with a request to renew their subscriptions for magazines at this time.
http://store.gafundraising.com/landing.aspx?SID=1034164
They can renew now no matter when their subscriptions expire. 40% will stay with the AHSA account and they will receive the same magazine with the same # of issues as they get now but they will be supporting our organization as long as they continue to buy through this account.

Here is how it works. The average magazine subscription runs $20. The average household spends over $100 annually in magazines. If we get them and any businesses we use to renew all their subscriptions through our organization, that is a donation of about $8 per sub or $40 per avg. household/business.
Older couples ie. grandparents account for the largest population by far of magazine consumers. Next are businesses with waiting rooms(hospitals, medical offices, lawyers, dentists, hair services, auto repair facilities, etc.). What we need to keep in mind is that they support us without spending any more money than they are already spending. It is similar to boxtops for education, community coffee proof of purchase, or registering at businesses to support local schools and organizations. We are taking advantage of an existing revenue stream!
Thanks for your time and consideration. AHSA is definitely worth the effort. We hope to continue to meet the sports needs of our home school community for years to come.
Jana Dudley, AHSA secretary

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This is from Meghan Sheridan and Sheridan Productions:

Late Summer Session 2009 (July 13 – Aug 20)
12 classes in six weeks – each class is held on Mondays and Thursdays.
Registration Deadline! Registration for the following classes will CLOSE on July 6. At that time, any class with less than 3 students enrolled will be cancelled to make room for other classes. Call Meghan at 896-1874 (or email familysheridan@bellsouth.net) for more information about tuition and classes.

1:00-2:00 – Dance History 1.1 – ages 12 and up.
2:00-3:00 – Acting 3.1 – NEW! Costume Improvisation. Exploring character development through use of costumes. Students must have completed either Acting 2.1 or 2.2.
3:00-4:00 – Modern – NEW! A special one-hour class that is the quintessential modern class workout. This class exercises the dancer in improvisation, movement motivation, balance, swing, musicality and expressiveness. Ages 13 and up.
4:00-5:00 – Rehearsal – This space is reserved in our schedule for setting the material to be included in the Sheridan Productions Fall 2009 Charity Performance. There is no cost for this. Participation is by invitation only. If you are interested, please speak to Meghan.
The following classes will meet once per week, with a total of 6 classes in the session. Tuition for each of the following classes is $60. Family discounts do still apply.
MONDAYS 2:00-3:00 – FUNDANCE 12-17 – NEW! This is the dance class for kids who want to have fun exploring a little bit of jazz, hip hop and modern. Great extra curricular fun for teens and pre-teens.
THURSDAYS 2:00-3:00 – Alternative Moves – formerly known as “the boys only class”, this one is for boys ages 5-11. We explore modern, jazz, hip hop, breakdancing, and a few other things that the boys are inventing along the way. This is definitely the coolest class in the building!
If you are interested in taking Creative Movement (3-5yr olds), Beginning Ballet for Teens, or Pre-pointe, please call 896-1874 to have your name put on the waiting list. If we have room in the schedule and enough people signed up, we will add these classes to the schedule for the July 13-Aug 20 session.

The FREE SPIRIT Newsletter is pleased and proud to be able to publish for the first time this article by Acadiana homeschooling mother ‘L. ‘Ailina Laranang.   She lives in Lafayette with her husband and five children.  She is a member of Magnolia Home Educators homeschooling group and maintains a column, “Winds of Wonder,” in AcadianaMoms magazine.  Contact ‘Ailina at alaranang@gmail.com.
 
Crayons, Comic Strips, & Creative Writing

Through the course of my parent advisement sessions, a common complaint is, “My child is so imaginative but says she hates writing. She won’t do more than the minimum required for a passing grade!”  I believe the root of the problem is, many children never learn to enjoy writing.

In homeschooling my own family, I discovered children “write” much earlier than they learn to construct words on paper.  At three, my daughter, Maile, loved to color, and she loved to tell stories about the characters in her coloring book as she worked.

Maile was engaging in active composition, even if she wasn’t committing her ideas to paper in sentences and paragraphs.  She experimented with character development, plotting, and conflict in her own toddler way. I helped reinforce these ideas with guiding questions and comments: “Do you think Mackie will set aside his bullying ways and learn to be a friend?”  “This is such a mystery!  I wonder what will happen next!” 

In time, Maile graduated from coloring books to creating her own drawings.  Her elaborate scenes depicted children in sticky or surprising situations.  She liked to include cartoon-style speech bubbles that contained nonsense scribblings representing words.  When I asked her to explain her drawings, Maile narrated a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end; she’d successfully composed an early form of creative fiction.  Again, I asked questions that allowed her to expound on the story unfolding in her head.

When Maile learned to write words and sentences, single-scene drawings no longer satisfied her need for expression.  She moved on to produce comic strips with sequential scenes.  Now, her speech bubbles contained “real” letters.  Through a need for more tools of expression, she reached into the bag of punctuation marks and used them with enthusiasm!

By this point, Maile caught on to the use of dialogue, interrupted speech, and exclamations.  She grew accustomed to creating unique characters with individual motivations, strengths, and quirks.  She was acquainted with more complex conflicts (thanks to living with four siblings) and used different techniques, such as humor and suspense, to illustrate them.  Finally, Maile learned how to end a story on a powerful note, whether it was the punch-line to a joke, or a neat-and-sweet happy ending.  As we discussed her more sophisticated story form, I used important terms like, “plot,” “climax,” and “main character,” laying the foundation for a wide literary vocabulary.

Now nine, Maile still enjoys drawing comics, but her love for storytelling has evolved.  She doesn’t always have to draw to satisfy her creative urges.  In addition to writing on paper, she’s also learned to type and compose in a word processing program.

When Maile envisions her original character drawings and visualizes her stories from scene to scene, she now translates her ideas straight to the page (or to the computer screen) in the form of true written narrative.

Maile may not have developed such a love for writing if she hadn’t been encouraged in her artistic but “non-writing” pursuits.  Many homeschooling parents may overlook the literary development taking place when their children color and draw.

Storytelling through art and sequential construction is a precursory form of creative writing.  By asking guiding questions and drawing attention to subtle literary elements, parents reinforce the mental composition process.  We do well to give our children the time and tools they ask for when they have an itch to put crayon and pencil to paper.  Someday, that itch may turn into a real passion for writing.

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Art and science camps launched
The Acadiana Center for the Arts and the Lafayette Natural History Museum and Planetarium this week launched the first in a series of three weeklong summer art and science camps for children ages 6-12.
The camps combine art and science in a hands-on environment to explore engineering principles.
“The Art & Science of Mechanical Engineering” is scheduled to run from June 29 to July 3, and “The Art & Science of Electrical Engineering” is scheduled to run from July 27  to July 31.
Call (337) 233-7060.

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Reliable Teenager needed to work weekends at Youngsville barn. General horse care. If you are interested, please contact Kate at katecorkern@yahoo.com

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The Lafayette Parish Public Library has loads of programs for children and teens in the summer.  Below is a list from the Library’s website.  Please verify the event with the library and make sure that, if registration is required, you register.
MAY 29 –JULY 17, 2009 PRIZES
AWARDED IN EACH AGE CATEGORY
Kids can show off their natural talent by designing a bookmark using this year’s summer reading club theme, “Be Creative: READ!” Bookmarks will be judged on three criteria: design, originality, and theme. Bookmarks will be judged by age categories: 3– 5 years; 6 – 9 years; and 10 – 12 years. The word “Read” should be incorporated in the design. Kids may enter only once. A winner will be chosen from each libray location for each age category. Winners will have their entry posted on the library website. Entry forms are available at each library location.For further information, call the Children’s Department at 261-5779.

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IT’S WHATEVA TWEEN BOOK CLUB 
Tweens 9 – 12 years are invited to meet with others their age every two weeks during the summer to discuss books they have chosen to read. The Book Club will meet at the Main Branch at the times listed below.

Main Library downtown Browsing Room 12:00 – 1:30 PM on the following Tuesdays: June 30; July 14, 28
Preregistration begins on Monday, May 18. Call 261-5779 to preregister.

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Book a Trip with Teddy
For ages 3 – 10
Teddy Bear Travels
June 2 – August 31   
Teddy has packed his bag and is ready for boys and girls to check him out and take him on vacation. Children may check out one of the library’s traveling Teddies from any Lafayette Public Library location beginning Tuesday, June 2nd. Teddy can be checked out on a 14-day loan. 

While on vacation, the child should take souvenir photos with Teddy, showing where he or she and Teddy have travelled. Once Teddy returns from vacation, the child should write a short note about the place(s)Teddy visited while on vacation and what the bear did.

There will be prizes awarded to the child who:
submits the best vacation photo with Teddy.
writes the best vacation adventure with Teddy.
mails the postcard from the farthest vacation spot.
Please Note: Remember to include the child’s name, address, and phone number on all entries. Winners will be notified by phone in September.

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SUMMER FUN SCRAPBOOKING *
Make a record of your summer fun times by creating a colorful scrapbook. Preregistered participants are asked to bring photographs to use in making their personal summer scrapbook. Preregister your 7 – 12 year old by calling 261-5779 beginning Tuesday, May 26.

Main July 17 10:30
 
SWITCHPLATE FUN CRAFT
Brighten up your room with a handcrafted giraffe switchplate. Students 7 – 12 years will turn an ordinary switchplate into a work of art using craft sticks and paint. All materials will be supplied. Call (337) 261-5779 beginning Tuesday, July 7, to preregister.

Thursday, July 23 2:30 – 3:15 PM
Main Library downtown

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OFFICIAL BOOK RELEASE AND SIGNING
As a child growing up in Southwestern Louisiana, Arthur “Roy” Williams heard many stories about the humorous Creole folktale characters “Bouki,” the tricky rabbit, and “Lapin,” the simple-minded donkey. Williams, a retired educator, will share his love of the Creole culture and its folktales during a reading and autograph session celebrating the official release of his book, Bouki’s Honey.

Bouki’s Honey, the first in a series of ten Creole folktales, has a rich and fascinating history, hundreds of years old. These folktales tales, originating from Senegal, Africa, were first recorded in the United States in 150-year-old cabins on the grounds of the Louisiana Creole Plantation, “Laura”. Bouki’s Honey includes words and phrases from the French Creole culture. A Zydeco band will be performing during the event. Books will be available for purchase. The program is open to persons of all ages.

Monday, June 22 10:30 am Meeting Room/Main Library downtown.  

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CARTOONING WORKSHOP WITH ROB GUILLORY 
Rob Guillory brings his interactive art tutorial-style workshop to guide 9 – 12 year olds through the stages of producing comic art. Participants will also create their own comic character. Preregistration is required. Preregister at Main branch beginning Monday, June 8.

June 29 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Main Library downtown 261-5779

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ZOO ZOOM’S LITTLE TRAVELING ZOO ON WHEELS 
The little zoo on wheels is more than just a petting zoo. Brett and Lori Matte will bring a collection of native as well as exotic animals to the Children’s Department at the Main Library downtown. The Mattes will educate young ones on how to interact with the different animals in their environments. Some of the animals they will bring include wallabies, snakes, guinea pigs, lizards, and more. Admission is free.

June 27 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM Children’s Pit Area/Main Library downtown

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GET EXCITED ABOUT SCIENCE 
Science Whiz Steve Belliveau delivers a fast paced science show that incorporates large props, music, humor, and audience participation. Recommended for ages five and up.

Thursday, July 9 10:30 – 11:15 AM 261-5779
Meeting Room/Main Library downtown

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HARVEY RABBIT AND FRIENDS SHOW  
Mr. Tim and Ms. Laura, a performing duo favorite engage the fun-loving large puppets Harvey Rabbit and his friends Cecil and TBoy with a mix of music, comedy, magic, ventriloquism, and audience participation. Don’t miss seeing one of two shows . Recommended for ages three and up.

Tuesday, July 28
Main Library 10:30 – 11:30 AM

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MUSIC WITH FOX AND BRANCH  
Dave Fox and Will Branch perform a crowd pleasing program of old blues, jug band songs, fiddle tunes, Cajun numbers, and New Orleans flavored jazz that is sure to please music lovers of all ages.

Thursday, July 30
10:30 – 11:30 AM Main Library downtown

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*
TEENS, AGES 12-18, are invited to “Express Yourself” this summer at Lafayette Public Libraries. The “Express Yourself” Teen Reading Alliance offers a Fashion Illustration workshop, Wii Free Play, Photography course, 3-D Design Digital Art class, Website Design, and a Comic Book Workshop. The South Regional Library will host an All Day Anime as well as the Battle of the Wii Bands. From May 18th through July 31st, teens can join the Alliance and then read books of their choice, including comic books and manga or listen to audiobooks, to be eligible to win prizes in a weekly raffle. Teens can submit entry forms for every book read. 

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Photographing Your Life 
Bring your digital camera or camera phone and learn how to take better photos of yourself, your friends and your life with Daily Advertiser multimedia editor Claudia Laws. Extra cameras will be on hand for those who cannot bring a camera. A photo consent form is required. Registration begins June 2.

June 23 1:00-3:00 PM Main Library, downtown

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Cartooning Workshop 
Rob Guillory, Lafayette artist and cartoonist will give insight into “breaking in” the design world, talk up the stages of the creative process, and answer questions on cartooning. Teens will get a chance to create their own cartoon character. Registration begins June 8.

June 29 2:00-3:30 PM Main Library, downtown

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Digital Art 
Teens will use GIMP imaging and freeware software similar to PhotoShop to manipulate photographs and other images. Computer graphics artists and interns with LITE will present this free workshop. A photo consent form is required. Registration begins June 2.

July 7 1:00-3:00 PM Main Library

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All Day Anime at South Regional 
Our mini-con offers hours of Anime, Japanese snacks, sushi making, art, and a cosplay contest with anime-related prizes. Co-hosted with the UL Lafayette Anime Club. Art contest entries due Monday, July 6.
Registration begins June 2.

Contest Registration Form

July 11 12:00-4:00 PM South Regional Library

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Here is a link to the Library’s calendar.  From this page, you can access the programs available at any of the branches:  http://www.lafayette.lib.la.us/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp

The Nature Station Young Naturalist Club in Lafayette will begin its new group July 18th.

This group will meet the 3rd SAT of each month from July 2009 to June 2010 at 9am until noon. It is for 10-13 year olds only.

Call the Nature Station to reserve one of the 14 spots available. 337-291-8448

https://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/

Every other Saturday Lowe’s sponsor’s free workshops for kids.  Check the website for details and locations.  Best of all – it’s FREE!!!

http://www.rstswimming.net/

They offer many different programs for the summer and throughout the year.

http://www.womansfoundation.com/course/category.php?id=29

Sponsored by the Woman’s Foundation Inc.

Safe Sitter participants will learn: 

• What to do when a child chokes 
• Safety for the sitter 
• What to do in an emergency 
• How to set up a babysitting business 
• How to screen job requests 
• How to manage problem behavior 
• How to prevent injuries 
• How to manage injuries 
• Infant and child CPR 
• Infant and child choking rescue 
• How to entertain children of different ages

From the website:  http://www.Jillscookingwithkids.com/

Summer is finally here and we are ready to start cooking! When planning summer activities and camps for your children, cooking classes are a great option. Individual classes, as well as three and four day camps are available.

The classes are in my home for a realistic experience. They are indoors and therefore cool and comfortable. The children learn many basic and advanced cooking techniques they will use throughout their lifetime.

I am now offering a limited number of classes for children five years of age. All other classes are for ages 6 – 16.

Jill’s Cooking with Kids offers beginners and advanced cooking classes. The children  use their own creativity, while having a great time. Exploring the world of cooking can be fun and rewarding.  Call now to schedule a class for your child.

Inviting all children who love to explore new activities:

• theater
• drama
• character
• costume
• improvisation and more

to come join in the fun Sundays from 10:30 until 11:45, June 7 – July 26.  The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lafayette is sponsoring a theater program taught by Josh Coen, a dynamic young theater major at Northwestern University.  Each Sunday will focus on different elements of the theater arts through fun hands-on activities.  For example, the children will make simple puppets and a puppet show may be rehearsed and performed in the next few weeks.  

The lessons will culminate in a play the students will plan and produce for an audience of parents and friends.  The play will be held on July 26th at 11:00 am.  If your child would like to participate in the puppet show or play, please commit to attending as often as possible.  We know summer schedules are varied, with vacations, camps and other activities, but the lessons will be cumulative and build on one another.  Please commit to bringing your child to two out of the three lessons prior to the play (July 5, 12, 19) as well as the performance July 26.

There is no charge for participation.  Parents will be asked to volunteer to bring juice and a simple snack on a rotating basis.  Parents will also be asked to be classroom assistants on a rotating basis. Classes held at Cite des Art.

For more information call Josh Coen at 337-781-0756 /e-mail bacoen@cox.net or Ann Burruss at 337-326-4229 /e-mail annburruss@yahoo.com.

Firelight Children’s Theatre
http://firelightenterprises.com/Theatre.html

Evangeline Players
http://www.evangelineplayers.org/index.html

Iberia Performing Arts League (IPAL)
http://www.geocities.com/iberiaperformingartsleague/

Opelousas Little Theatre
http://www.opelousaslittletheatre.com/

Baton Rouge Little Theatre
http://www.brlt.org/

Acadiana Theatre Happenings
http://acadianatheatrehappenings.blogspot.com/

Kids can bowl 2 free games everyday during the summer.  We are lucky that both bowling lanes in Lafayette are participating this summer so you can sign up for either one.  

Go to: http://www.kidsbowlfree.com/ and sign up the kids.  Shoe rental is extra if you don’t have your own.

We have a group that meets at Acadiana Lanes on Wednesday at 1pm to bowl.  So join us!