North Texas Kids

Ancient Fish Fossil Discovered in Fort Worth

First Coelacanth Fossil Ever Discovered in DFW

SMU scientists and an amateur fossil collector from Fort Worth have unearthed a clue to the mystery of one of the world’s most famous fish, the coelacanth (pronounced SEE-la-kanth).

Coelacanth fossil bones have been discovered on almost every continent. Now they’ve been found for the first time in North Texas. Small skull bones are those of a new species of 100 million-year-old coelacanth, says SMU paleontologist John Graf.

Fall Craft for Kids: Pine Cone Princess

Easy Crafts for Kids

by Minette Riordan

One of my daughter’s and my favorite activities is to take a walk around the neighborhood or a local park and see what we can find that is bright and colorful. When we lived in Texas, there were a couple of pine trees in the neighborhood and over the years, we collected quite a few pine cones. One year, we decided to make “art” out of what we found. My daughter wanted to make a pine cone princess and what you see in the picture is our creation.

This fall craft would make a beautiful and inexpensive fall decoration or part of a center piece for your Thanksgiving table. You could make one for each member of the family and use it as a place holder, too. Every year we also make a cornucopia of fresh gourds and fruit, and we love to include fall leaves, pine cones and acorns as part of our decoration.

5 Reasons Volunteering Benefits Your Family

How Volunteering Can Help You Spend More Time With Your Kids

by Nick Carroccio

Our daily lives are filled to the breaking point with work, chores, and school. All these activities sometimes fall short of the fulfillment we crave. May I suggest you can find that complete satisfaction by volunteering for our children? There are few things in this world as fulfilling as seeing the excitement, pride, and a great big ear to ear smile on a child’s face.

As a young boy, I was blessed with very involved parents. They made time in their schedule for things we could do together. There is no doubt in my mind that my dad had as much fun in Boy Scouts as I did, and that the time together brought us closer. Thanks to my parents I derive that same joy with my children and with being a volunteer.

Today as a parent I get to pay it forward with my daughters. My oldest took an interest in my tournament Bass fishing. When she asked to go fun fishing with me the first time at the age of 3, of course I was happy but thought it would be one time and out. I was happily surprised when she not only had fun but asked to go again. Just when I didn’t think it could get any better, my 4 year old has started fishing as well. Of course “catching” is more fun than fishing but the time we spend together is priceless.

A natural extension of spending time with our own children is volunteering for the benefit of children in our community. In case you need some, here are 5 great reasons to volunteer:

Thinking Green at Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a Good Time to Minimize Wastefulness

By Dana Gunders

Amidst groans of being more stuffed than the bird itself, Americans will toss a whopping $282 million of uneaten turkey into the trash this Thanksgiving, contributing to the $165 billion in uneaten food Americans waste every year.

See Clifford The Big Red Dog this Sunday!

See Clifford the Big Red Dog Live at the Winspear Opera House on Sunday Afternoon!

Presented by AT&T Performing Arts Center

To celebrate his 50th birthday, Clifford the Big Red Dog from PBS KIDS® is galloping across America in his brand new musical adventure! See him on Sunday, November 18 at 3:30pm at the Winspear Opera House.

Come along as Clifford and Emily Elizabeth journey to Birdwell Island with their friends Cleo, T-Bone, Charley, Jetta and Mac. Emily Elizabeth wants to put on a musical revue—but everybody has ideas of their own!

See Mother Goose at Theatre Britain

Theatre Britain presents MOTHER GOOSE by Jackie Mellor-Guin

Theatre Britain’s 2012 holiday show is Mother Goose, opening December 1 and running through December 30 at The Cox Building Playhouse in Plano.

Written by Jackie Mellor-Guin, Mother Goose is another of our world premiere pantos, a traditional tale told in the style of melodrama. The audience is encouraged to cheer for the good guys, boo and hiss the villain and to join in with the characters on stage. It’s a family-friendly show that works on two levels so there is plenty for adults to enjoy as well.

Poor old Mother Goose! She is about to be turned out of her house because she can’t pay the mortgage. All looks bleak until along comes Lucy the Goosy who lays golden eggs and saves the day. Mother Goose is now rich and she shares her good fortune with the whole town. But behind the scenes a good Fairy and a dastardly Demon are fighting over her fate. Will Mother Goose be content with what she has or can the Demon tempt her into betraying her friends and her principles? A classic tale of Good versus Evil, panto-style!

Apple Cranberry Cake

Fall Dessert: Apple Cranberry Cake The perfect fall dessert. You can nap while it cooks. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Ingredients 11/4 cups all-purpose flour 300 mL…