Distance-learning is starting to end for the summer and now parents are asking one question: what now? Producer Jessica and Tammy discuss fun things to do with your kids while at home for the summer with a special guest, Tammy’s daughter Taylor!
Programs to Help Military Families During the Holidays
By Kaylah Jackson – Entercom ConnectingVets.com
While for many the holiday season remains a joyful time to spend with family and friends, it can also be stressful. Purchasing gifts, entertaining, even arranging travel can sometimes ruin holiday cheer. This holds true for many military families as well.
If you’re interested in helping a family in need this year, or if you are part of a military family yourself that needs assistance, check out this list of organizations.
“Delivering the spirit of Christmas to military families—one Christmas Tree at a time.” Through generous donations, Trees for Troops provide free trees for military families all over the country. Last year, the organization donated and deliver over 17,400 Christmas Trees to 70 military bases and 250 trees to four international bases.
Since 1947, the Marine Toys for Tots Program has distributed 548 million toys to date. Through the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, less fortunate children receive toys during the Christmas season.
Through donations from “Layaway Angels,” the organization travels throughout the country during Back to School and Holiday seasons to help families by pay off their layaway balance which often include gifts for children like books, toys, and backpacks.
Junior enlisted military families have been able to enjoy over 320,000 toys and over 25,000 baskets of food for Thanksgiving and Christmas thanks to generous donations toward Operation Holiday Joy. Find your local YMCA branch here.
While the organization has multiple initiatives throughout the year to support the military, during this time of year, Holiday Meals for Military and the Holiday Toy Drive are in full swing. Military families can register for the various distribution events throughout the year. Meal kits include turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and vegetables. Follow Operation Homefront’s Facebook page to learn about the dates of their toy drive and how you can receive or donate to a military family.
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Holiday Lights – Where To See Them in San Diego
There are great Holiday displays of Light all over San Diego. We picked a few from North, South, East, and West to feature. Where is your favorite place to see Christmas Lights in San Diego?
North County Coastal
San Diego Botanic Garden – 125,000+ lights illuminate the Garden. Holiday crafts, visits with Santa, marshmallow roasting and more. Dec. 1-23 and 26-30, 5-8:30 pm. – sdbgarden.org
Carlsbad – Holidays at Legoland California – Experience the magic of the holidays with music, twinkling lights and a 30-ft LEGO Christmas Tree. Enjoy live entertainment, a holiday light show and character meet and greets at the Holiday Village. Nov. 17-Dec. 31. legoland.com
Oceanside – Oceanside Harbor Parade of Lights – Boats decorated in holiday lights circle Oceanside Harbor. Dec. 8, 7 pm – oceansideyc.net
North County Inland
Carmel Mountain Ranch – Fairway Village, east and west sides of Stoney Gate Pl. 100+ homes decorated in “Holiday Magic.” Dec. 15-Jan.1, 5:30-10:30 pm.
Poway – Hickory Ct.,Hickory St., Butterwood Ct., Rockrose Ct. All off Twin Peaks Rd. & Silverset St. named “Candy Cane Lane.” Entire cul-de-sacs are lit up. Dec. 8-24, 6-9 pm.
South Bay
Coronado – Hotel del Coronado Celebrate “A Christmas Legend” as this California gem transforms into a winter wonderland with Skating by the Sea, jingle s’mores, Polar Bear Tea, Santa Brunches, holiday parties and lavish feasts. From soaring red turrets decked in thousands of white lights to a Victorian lobby dressed in holiday splendor, visitors of all ages delight in the best West Coast winter. 1500 Orange Ave. 619-522-8490. hoteldel.com
Chula Vista – Whitney St./Mankato. Circle between First and Second Ave. off H St. & 1st Ave. “Christmas Circle.” 61st year of decorating 55+ homes. Dec. 8-26, 5-10 pm.
East County San Diego
El Cajon – Jingle Bell Hill (also known as Pepper Dr. Lights). Solomon Ave./Pegeen Pl. and surrounding area. Off 67 & Bradley. Dec. 8-26, Mon-Th, 6-9 pm, Fri-Sun, 6-10 pm.
San Diego Central
Jungle Bells at the San Diego Zoo. The Zoo will be aglow with holiday cheer and activities to keep the whole family jolly. Seasonal decorations, animal experiences, costumed characters, live entertainment and more. Dec. 14-Jan. 6, 9 am-8 pm (until 5 pm Dec. 24). Free with Zoo admission. 619-231-1515. sandiegozoo.org
Clairemont Mesa – Lana Dr. & Jamar. Off Mt. Abernathy Ave. Circular street. “Clairemont Christmas Park”. 40+ homes decorated. Dec. 1-25.
San Diego Coastal
Mission Bay Christmas Boat Parade of Lights. Over 100 vessels. Begins on Quivira Basin. Dec. 8, starts at 6 pm. 858-488-0501. mbyc.org
SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration. SeaWorld is decked out with more than a million holiday lights and a 40-ft. tree with an animated light show. Also visit Rudolph’s Christmastown, check out holiday-themed animal shows such as Clyde & Seamore’s Christmas Special, Dolphin Island Christmas and O Wondrous Night, a living nativity performed nightly under the stars, told through the eyes of the animals. New this year is Rudolph’s Movie Experience featuring special effects such as snowfall and the aroma of hot chocolate-daily in the park’s Mission Bay Theater. Nov. 17-Jan. 6.
San Diego Bay Parade of Lights. 47th Anniversary. “Tropical Island Christmas” theme. Dec. 9 & 16, 5 pm. Starts off Shelter Island, goes through the harbor and ends at the Ferry Landing, Coronado. sdparadeoflights.org
The lights are up in @BalboaPark for #DecemberNights2018! Get excited for San Diego’s favorite holiday tradition, this years entertainment schedule is now live at https://t.co/NevZ5u0tqE! ✨❄️ pic.twitter.com/3t5hdVFoci
— City of San Diego (@CityofSanDiego) November 21, 2018
People Gave Out Some Weird Stuff Instead of Candy for Halloween
Some people really thought…errr…outside the bag of candy this year when it came to Halloween treats.
Behold…a few of the weirdest things kids got in their bags this year…
(A copy of the Constitution? Gee, thanks.)
This gives us some ideas for NEXT Halloween!
Dogsitting for a friend and I am anticipating the trick or treaters.
But considering giving these out to see if they’ll egg my friend’s house pic.twitter.com/3bVtjvfps5
— Ted Kelly (@TeddyRedder) October 31, 2018
🎃I let kids adopt a lot of my kids stuffed animals when I gave out candy this Halloween. 🎃
They sure did enjoy it. I went from this to this…. pic.twitter.com/tZlfxOuEUK— Sheri Peterson (@SheripetersonS) November 1, 2018
No lie. A guy gave my kids a pack of @Topps baseball cards from 1988 for #Halloween. And yes the gum was also from 1988. pic.twitter.com/Yt8VPe82Ig
— Cody Spain (@Cdspain) November 1, 2018
Come at me, trick or treaters!
Except for you, jerkface kid who tells me I’m doing Halloween wrong by giving out Play-Doh and glow sticks rather than candy. Pound sand. pic.twitter.com/I1Fy0H9WbD
— Katie Cunningham (@kcunning) October 31, 2018
My dad just gave 1 dollar bills to kids in my neighborhood if they danced to baby shark 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️😂😂😂
— Elizabeth (@fizzysalinas) November 1, 2018
They gave a hot dog to my niece when she went Trick-or-treating LMAOOO pic.twitter.com/6UUE3jKk26
— 💕 (@Imissmyqtgf) November 1, 2018
This house really gave out tacos instead of candy for Halloween 😂 pic.twitter.com/1MANQNcc0z
— jack-o-lantern (@jacquelinenamor) November 1, 2018
This Halloween, we gave out comic books and candy.. Kids loved the comic books…….. pic.twitter.com/7mh6nqgf3l
— Virginia Smith (@VaSmith12) November 1, 2018
man people give out some weird shit for halloween these days. gave my kid a bath bomb…
— Knud I, the Great (@kms512) November 1, 2018
No seriously someone gave this out. #Halloween #TrickOrTreat #companytown pic.twitter.com/3sWZivmXrH
— Moira Whelan (@moira) November 1, 2018
Child experts file FTC complaint against Facebook kids’ app
By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Children’s and public health advocacy groups say Facebook’s kid-centric messaging app violates federal law by collecting kids’ personal information without getting verifiable consent from their parents.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and other groups asked the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday to investigate Facebook’s Messenger Kids for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA.
The complaint says the app does not meet COPPA requirements because it doesn’t try to ensure that the person who sets up the kids’ account and gives consent to have their data collected is the actual parent. In fact, the groups say, someone could set up a brand new, fictional account and immediately approve a kid’s account without proving their age or identity.
Facebook said Wednesday it hasn’t yet reviewed the complaint letter. The company has said it doesn’t show ads on Messenger Kids or collect data for marketing purposes, though it does collect some data it says is necessary to run the service.
But the advocacy groups say the privacy policy of Messenger Kids is “incomplete and vague” and allows Facebook to disclose data to third parties and other Facebook services “for broad, undefined business purposes.”
Facebook launched Messenger Kids last December on iOS and has since expanded to Android and Amazon devices and beyond the U.S. to Mexico, Canada and elsewhere. It is aimed at children under 13 who technically cannot have Facebook accounts (although plenty of them do).
Though the company says it has received a lot of input from parents and children’s development experts in creating the app, groups such as the CCFC have been trying to get Messenger Kids shut down since it launched.
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