Jason Lea, "Dad Matters" columnist for Northeast Ohio magazine, shares with us a conversation he had with his daughter about the value of friendship and how life with friends can change.

Students across the country have settled into their back to school routine. Many schools are offering Makerspaces. Makerspaces go by many names: Creation Labs, Fab Labs, to name a few. Schools have been finding ways to incorporate creation labs into their buildings. Some districts have built spaces from scratch, while others have renovated existing classrooms or libraries. Regardless of the name, size, equipment, or location, creation is the fundamental core characteristic of the space.   

Produced for the Akron Zoo's "Training Tales" video series about animal care, this video introduces Keeper Kaitlyn and Angel the cockatoo.

Wild Winter Lights transforms the Zoo after dark with hundreds of dazzling displays across holiday-themed areas including Candyland, Enchanted Forest, Conservation Trail and Santa’s Workshop. This year, guests can experience Wild Winter Lights on foot or in their personal vehicle.

In the October issue of Northeast Ohio Parent magazine, we feature a few party planners and entertainment experiences to choose from around the region. Check out these advertiser listings and see our party planning directory for more opportunities.

Since April 2020, Northeast Ohio Parent has been bringing you video and virtual fun each week as part of our KidStream newsletter. Now, we’d like to see what our readers and followers have been up to! Each month, we’ll choose a theme and our followers can submit videos for a chance to be featured in KidStream — plus one lucky winner will win a fantastic prize!

Kristen Kelly, blogger at "Ready, Set, Parenthood!" provided readers with information about hand-foot-and-mouth disease, a common childhood infectious disease. As stated in her 2014 blog post, after doing some research online and speaking with her son's pediatrician, she learned so much about this disease that she wishes she would have known before her son got it. With the new school year and the typical germ season underway, Northeast Ohio Parent editors thought we would re-share to help families.

Jeannie Fleming-Gifford shares her journey as daughter and caregiver of her mother, who was diagnosed with a stroke in 2015, in “The Gift I Never Wanted: The Journey of Caregiving and Lessons Learned.” She provides some insights into her book, but also how she has dealt with decisions as her mother’s caregiver. 

Each time period paints motherhood with a unique color, capturing the grace, courage and unconditional love of this human experience. The "Picturing Motherhood Now" exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which opened on Saturday, shows artists' works who reimagine what it means to be a mother.

As parents, we watch for every milestone — whether you have an infant or school-aged child — with careful caution and hope. We want to ensure our children have the basics down, like eating, talking, and mobility of their hands and feet. When issues do arise, it can be difficult to understand, and we might be tempted to play the blame game with ourselves. But for children who may have any delay, such as with hearing or language, it’s important not to wait.