The Backyardigans are Coming to PPAC

If your kids are fans of The Backyardigans, then get your tickets early because the live musical show is coming to The Providence Performing Arts Center on June 20-21, 2008. In this first live show from The Backyardigans, knights Uniqua and Tyrone have a special challenge from King Pablo. Along the way, Austin and Tasha join the adventure to Dragon Mountain. Something tells me that there is a Dragon on Dragon Mountain so even though Hannah enjoys the imaginative wanderings of The Backyardigans, this might be a show that we skip.

New Parking Payment System at Providence Place

I stopped by Providence Place yesterday afternoon to pick up a quick gift. After buying Hannah some ice cream, we wanted to hurry home to play outside. While in the food court area I noticed a new parking payment kiosk. This was my first indication that anything had changed in the parking garage. I didn't see any signs as I entered the garage (ok, maybe I was distracted there) and I definitely didn't notice anything as I came and went through the Nordstrom elevators. Of course I didn't bring my ticket in so I didn't pay inside, figuring this was a new option -- not a requirement.

Well, much to my frustration, a lot has changed upon exiting the Providence Place Mall. When you leave you are directed to an "Unpaid" line. Ok, that is fine I thought, I might just have to wait a little longer with all the other schmucks that didn't know about this new system. But wait, why is everyone getting out of their cars?

Yes. In case I'm NOT the last one in the world to know, the new system at Providence Place is completely ridiculous. To truly discourage someone from ever being this stupid again, you have to leave your car in line and lug your child (or children) into the security office near the toll booths to pay in person. Then, once you are back in your car (not the safest situation by the way), you are then blocked in by all the others around you doing the same thing. Eventually, someone moves and you can maneuver your way out.

So, do I care that Providence Place is moving to an automatic payment system? Not at all. Do I mind having to pay inside before I leave the mall? Not at all. But come on people, do you know a thing about customer service or marketing????

There should have been very noticeable signs upon entry to the garage and at EVERY mall entrance/exit reminding you to bring your ticket, then pay for parking before entering the garage. There also needs to be a payment kiosk at EVERY exit to make this simple. I'm not trucking to the food court or god knows where else they've hid them just to make this happen. And, during the transition, for the sake of safety and frazzled moms, put a GD person in a booth to collect tolls. Don't make people get out of their car and create chaos. It is unsafe and idiotic. The line alone will quickly discourage people from using this method.

I haven't been to that mall in a while so maybe this has been in effect for a while but given the other confused faces around me, clearly not long enough to have gotten the message across. Take a tip from airport garages, you need prominent signage, audio announcements, visuals on doors, and convenient kiosks to make this system work. Get it together!

Learning to Read with Hooked on Phonics

I've been tempted to buy the Hooked on Phonics set for a while but the cost always held me back. I wasn't sure what the package could offer that I wasn't already doing. Hannah has been able to recognize all her capital letters since she was 18 months old and quickly moved on to lower case and letter sounds. She's recently been sounding out words and seems eager to learn to read. However, not being a teacher, I was completely clueless on how to go from letter sounds to actual reading. And clearly, at less than four, it isn't exactly on the curriculum at preschool. But if that is what she is good at and enjoys, why wait until Kindergarten?

So on Sunday I broke down and bought the Learn to Read Kindergarten Edition from Hooked on Phonics and I LOVE IT! On Monday she was begging me to open it up so we got started and the program just works together so well that 1/2 hour later, she had read 28 words and 2 little books. Retention will be an issue and it will take regular "lessons" for it all to really click but I was really blown away (and yes, oh so proud.) The Kindergarten edition starts with a review of letter recognition and letter sounds and moves on to rhyming words like at, cat, mat, pat, rat, etc. Together with your child, you listen to an audio CD and read along, then pause the CD and read by yourself. After a few words, you read a short story -- first by yourself then along with the CD. It continues to build until you read your first "book."

The motivation is great (if your child is into that). They include a gameboard/progress chart and stickers so as you complete each "lesson" your child gets a sticker. The set also includes flash cards and a CD-ROM with some great games to support the workbook activities. It follows the same progress path and you have to "win" each game by getting five answers in a row correct before you can move to the next level. Of all the "educational" products I've seen and bought, so far this is clearly the best. If your child is reading to read and not getting what they need in school, I'd strong recommend it. They also offer Pre-K editions that focus on letter recognition and letter sounds, and 1st grade+ products. I'd love to hear your feedback and other suggestions.

RI Public School Choice

I've been so behind in my email, blog posts, and life in general recently that I feel like a gerbil on a wheel. However, I ran across something when finally sorting through old email that I thought was important to share with other Rhode Island Moms. If you are concerned about the state of education in RI and are interested in public school choice, there are a couple of websites that you might want to check out.

http://www.ripublicschooloptions.org

http://www.rifpso.org

To make your voice heard, sign the petition at http://www.gopetition.com/online/15702. Many thanks to Kelly Connerton from Cumberland for her passion and dedication to this cause.