EASTER, PASSOVER and daylight-saving time all hit the same week. What a wonderful spring! Granted, it’s been chilly, but the daffodils are out, the tulips are budding and the cherry trees are just about to burst. It’s time to think of better things to do that just curl up with a bad movie or a good book.
Fortunately for us unorganized types, the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks has lots of programs. My favorite right now is the award-winning Stream Team.
Dedicated volunteers monitor the health of nearby streams, including the Little Patuxent, which passes through Savage Park.
According to usually reliable sources, the way volunteers do this by going netting. Two volunteers with good rubber-soled shoes wade into the stream with a big net. Then they take the net to shore, identify and count the critters in the net, record the information and return their captives to the water.
Water quality can be accurately gauged by knowing which species require cleaner water. The more of those found, the better the stream’s health. There’s a training class scheduled for tomorrow at 8: 30 a.m.
For details and more importantly, directions, call Sue Miller or Dan McNamara at the department, (410) 313-4697.
Parent training
One of the toughest realizations any parent makes is that this most important job is learned on the job. Most of us don’t really know what we are doing. And, to make matters worse, just as we finally figure out how to deal with a child — she grows a bit. She enters a new phase, and all our hard-won knowledge is now obsolete.
Well, harried parents can get a better idea of how to be good parents at the Parent Effectiveness Training (PET) sessions offered at Hammond High by Patricia Pinto.
She is a certified PET instructor who will teach parents how to listen to children, how to develop self-esteem in children and have more influence over children. It’s an interesting program.
The three-hour sessions will be held for eight Wednesdays from 6: 30 p.m. to 9: 30 p.m. beginning April 24. The cost is $130.
Bike maintenance class
Howard County is so very beautiful that, now that spring is here, it’s a lovely place to bicycle.
But, if your bike is a little the worse for wear and storage, bring it along to Hammond High on Monday evenings beginning April 29.
Larry Black will cover all the most important aspects of bike maintenance and repairs. Learn to make emergency repairs, tune the bike and generally get more use out of it.
He’ll also cover aspects of riding touring and competitive biking. The five 1 1/2 -hour classes begin at 7 p.m. The cost is $35 for the five-week session.
Quilting and piecing
Chris Miller teaches Baltimore album-style quilting and piecing at Hammond Middle School beginning at the end of April.
The Baltimore Album quilts may be the most beautiful ones ever made. They feature applied designs of fruit baskets, flower wreaths and other beautiful designs on large blocks.
Often they were made by a group of friends for a particular occasion such as a wedding.
The beginner’s class features a small wall hanging made in the Tuesday night sessions. The two-hour classes begin April 23 at 7 p.m. and continue for six consecutive Tuesdays.
Those with a little more confidence in their sewing abilities might prefer the Thursday night classes for Intermediate Baltimore Hand Quilts. This class will make a wall hanging, and meets for eight weeks beginning April 25. The two-hour sessions begin at 7 p.m.
For more details about any of these programs, to register or to get directing to the sites, call the Department of Recreation and Parks at (410) 313-7275
Hammond High notes
Hammond High’s Junior Varsity Competition Cheerleading Squad placed first in the Maryland-D.C. Cheer Classic for this region and placed second in the state.
Captain Sarah Black placed first in the captains’ competition. Congratulations to Ms. Black and to other members of the team, sophomores Jenny Surface and Laurel Fleming and freshmen Jenni Thomas and Christina Woo.
Pub Date: 4/12/96
