Get out of a rut with these ideas for learning, fun

By Christina Knott
Watertown Daily Times

As a parent working from home right now, I’ve found working from home means my typical 8-hour shift is now a 12-hour one, with lots of breaks for taking care of kid problems in between. Is this the week I hide in a closet to get some work done? How else do you stay sane?

One idea a friend suggested is to share with friends on Facebook what your kids are doing, but refer to them as your coworkers. It does add some levity to the situation to read, “My co-worker just ran down the hall in his underwear.”

I think everyone, kids included, are getting a bit stir-crazy stuck at the house, so we are trying to come up with ideas to keep things interesting.

If you’re in the same situation, here are some ideas to change things up.

Little Free Library

If you are running out of books to read to your little one while larger libraries are closed, now is the perfect time to stop by a Little Free Library location. You may know where one is, but if not, check out the littlefreelibrary.org to see where the nearest one to you is. You can also take the time drop off some books you’ve already read to help others.

Audible

Audible is offering free streaming audiobooks for children up through teen years right now. You can listen to “Winnie-the-Pooh” by A.A. Milne or “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley and tons of stuff in between. Visit stories.audible.com to browse their selection.

Libby

This is an application by OverDrive that is utilized by many libraries, including the ones in the north country. Even if you can’t visit the physical location, the library has thousands of e-books for you to browse and borrow. You can get books for Kindle or to read on your phone or computer. They also have audiobooks for all ages. The best part, your books will be returned automatically (no late fees!).

Tumblebooks

This website at www.tumblebooklibrary.com offers free e-books for children to view online. They can listen as the narrator reads the story with added audio elements. Or you can turn the sound off and read on your own.

Write a letter

This can be a good way to connect to others while helping children practice handwriting and self-narratives. Write one thing you learned or something fun you did. Tell your recipient something you like about them. Or have them share an interesting fact they picked up.

Learn to sew

This project can help improve fine motor skills, math, organization and attention to detail. One reader, Jessica Patrzyk, and her 7-year-old daughter made over 200 face masks to donate to those who need them. You can find free patterns at several places online including www.allfreesewing.com.

Record a show

Have your child research an animal, a planet or something else of interest and record them telling others about it on your phone. You can give it a fun name or let them wear a silly costume while they perform. Kids love watching themselves on camera, and you can share it with family members curious to see what you are up to.

Photo scavenger hunt

Hand over your old iPhone and let your kids take pictures of things that start with different letters of the alphabet. Kids love taking pictures and showing them off. And it’s neat to see things from their perspective.

The North Country Library System has plenty of free resources aside from books. You will need a valid library card. All of these are available at https://catalog.ncls.org/.

ArtistWorks

This service provides video-based art and music instruction.

Universal Class

This offers access to over 500 online classes in a variety of categories. Of particular interest now may be lessons for homeschooling, mathmatics, science or general education subject areas.

Transparent Language Online

Pick up some language skills with this site that offers scientifically-proven methodology and a wide variety of learning materials. All lessons are taught by native speakers.

Early communication and language skills depend on the important work of child’s play

By Christina Knott
Watertown Daily Times

At any point during the weekday, preschoolers at schools across the north country are busy passing toy cars back and forth, baking cakes in pretend kitchens or dancing along to their favorite song.

It may look like all fun and games. But according to speech language pathologists Mary C.T. Runge and Dani E. Shirkey, the Arc of Jefferson-St. Lawrence, those preschoolers are hard at work, developing language and communication skills they’ll depend on throughout their lives.

As part of Better Speech and Hearing Month, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) highlights the importance of communication development and the work of speech language pathologists and related professionals and their role in building a strong foundation for language and literacy, academic and social success.

“A person’s communication skills are critical at each stage of life,” ASHA states in a news release about its annual observance.

Fortunately, Runge and Shirkey say there is a simple way the parents can help foster their child’s early language and communication development — through play.

Here are fun ways parents and caregivers can help encourage their child’s early development through simple play.

SING A SONG

Singing along with your preschooler is one of the most effective ways parents can help their children learn and grow. Simple songs and nursery rhymes like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and “Wheels on the Bus” help infants, toddlers and young children learn the rhythms of speech, according to information on ASHA’s website. It is also a good way to teach them about different sounds and words, and hearing rhymes will help young children learn to read.

“You are doing comprehension. You are telling a story. You’re sequencing. There’s just so many things you can target just by acting out a nursery rhyme,” Runge said.

Incorporating hand movements or dance to songs and rhyme can further help build language development as they build motor skills. Children are able to wave before they can say “hi” or “bye,” Shirkey explained. Imitating actions that go with a song can help infants and children connect to others.

“So doing any sort of dancing, acting out the different plays and songs and rhymes gives kids a chance to imitate what the parent is doing on a gross motor level,” she said. “If you get to finger play, you’re working out the fine motor level. Which also would proceed oral motor (development).”

Parents who need help finding songs with dances or hand movements can find a treasure trove of videos for kids online. But Shirkey and Runge both said children get more out of nursery rhymes when it’s done with another person, rather than on a screen. Instead of letting YouTube have all the fun with your kid, parents should join in the fun too.

“Go ahead, turn off the screen and sing the song to yourselves and act them out,” Runge said.

GO OUTSIDE

While there has been less research on the benefit of outdoor time for language development, decades of research have found multiple benefits for outdoor play for children, including an increase in physical activity, independence and self-confidence as well as a decrease in stress. Outdoor play gives children a chance to shout, engage in creative play and explore. A number of studies have also found an increase in school performance with increased outdoor play.

Shirkey advises parents, “Get outside. Stay there for a long time.”

The ASHA website encourages parents and caregivers to take a nature walk with children as a way to help build vocabulary and engage with each other. Ask what they see and hear, ASHA advises. Do they feel a breeze? What do they smell? Can they find something blue or yellow? What are the birds or squirrels doing? How many sticks can they find? Which are short and which are long?

Outdoor play is a great opportunity to incorporate sensory-based exploration as well, which can strengthen their vocabulary and help children with sensory issues broaden their comfort level.

“You can get those different consistencies and textures on your hands,” said Runge. She and Shirkey also work with children who have feeding and swallowing disorders as part of the scope of their profession. “A lot of the nerves in your hands are the same nerves in your mouth. So introducing those textures through play can really help if you want to introduce a similar texture with feeding.”

Socially, playgrounds are a great way for kids to play with other children as they develop their language skills, especially for ones who haven’t had as much time with their peers as they normally would have over the past few years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Studies have also found that outdoor play has generally declined over the years. So as the cold weather begins to wane, now is a great time to head out to the backyard, take a walk around the neighborhood or visit the playground at a park.

PLAY PRETEND

Children are natural pretenders, seeming to live in a world of imagination. Again, it’s all part of their hard work of learning and growing.

The skills developed during pretend play include the areas of cognition, pragmatics of communication and language development.

Children can reenact things they’ve watched adults do, building abstract thinking and problem solving, as well as developing “theory of mind,” or the understanding of perspectives outside of one’s one experience, as explained by ASHA. In other words, pretend play helps children understand the world around them.

Playing doctor, house or school gives them a chance to step into the role of others. So how can parents help facilitate pretend play, particularly in the middle of a busy day?

One simple idea that Runge recommends is setting aside a kitchen cupboard or drawer just for children. While an adult is busy making dinner, children can join in on their own.

“If you have the space for it, I highly promote it,” said Runge. “Their kid can pull out those dishes and imitate and play as well. They just have that little cupboard or that little basket of their own, where it’s like, ‘OK, Mommy and Daddy are making this or now our sibling is making this. Let’s play along.’”

When parents have time to sit down for play with their child, Shirkey and Runge recommend meeting them at their eye level.

“Even if you’re talking to them, rather than (standing above them), kneel down or sit on the floor,” Runge said. “It just makes things more personal. It helps make stronger connections.”

“That connection shows respect,” added Shirkey.

GIVE AND TAKE

An important part of communication is give and take, the listening and sharing of information. An early model for this, explain Shirkey and Runge, are how children pass toys back and forth in mutual play.

In other words, playing catch or zooming cars back between each other is actually part of language development.

Shirkey explained how getting preschoolers to engage in reciprocal play is an important early skill for language development. “That give and take of communication kind of starts with pushing a ball back and forth or a car back and forth.

“It’s speech,” she added, “because I’m giving you the truck and you’re giving me the truck. When we communicate, I give you my words and you respond with your words. And sometimes I give them back.”

As children grow older, reciprocal play grows more complex. Children build social rules and follow patterns of play and communication to facilitate friendship.

But parents hoping to work on the early building blocks of this important aspect of development can start by simply rolling or tossing a ball to their child and holding out their hands for them to give it back.

BE OK WITH BEING SILLY

Finally, both Runge and Shirkey recommend adults not be afraid to be silly when playing with their children.

“I can’t tell you the number of things I’ve had on my head,” Shirkey laughed. Cars, spiders, shoes all go in odd places to teach under, inside, above and on.

“We learn all those kinds of things,” she said. “But it’s still play.”

Shirkey said they try to build absurdity and silliness into everything they do when working with children.

“A lot of times I’ll sing, ‘Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, life is full of ice cream.’”

The kids will laugh at the unexpected line. Shirkey follows with more questions: What’s your favorite flavor? How do you lick ice cream? Now, let’s make silly faces with our tongues!

“It just really opens up being silly and having fun,” she said. “You know, a lot of that being silly is weird rhymes or making up animal memes. We put the rhinoceros head on the elephant body, so now it’s a ‘rhinocerant.’”

These elements of rhyming and takings words apart, moving them around and putting them back together, they are all important for language and literacy development. But for the preschoolers Runge and Shirkey work with, it’s just fun.

“I think it just lends itself into that without really thinking about it,” Shirkey said.

Did you know?

Better Hearing and Speech Month was founded in 1927 the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and takes places each May to raise awareness about related problems and interventions.

Speech and language disorders are one of the most common treatment services in schools, with more than 1 million students nationwide receiving therapy support each year.

In schools, speech language pathologists assist students in speech sounds, spoken/written language, fluency or stuttering, cognition challenges, social communication, problems with voice production, augmentative or alternative communication and feeding or swallowing disorders.

Parents with concerns about the need for therapy services for their child can speak with their family pediatrician for a referral or contact a speech therapist directly for questions about care.

Resources

Free PDFs are available as a resource for communication skills that parents should expect to see in their child by age and tips for how to support children’s development: http://wdt.me/ashatoolkit

Ready and set for success: How to encourage early literacy and language skills

By Christina Knott
Watertown Daily Times

Reading and literacy skills have been correlated with student success throughout life — from increased odds of graduating high school to the probability of attending college. According to the Children’s Reading Foundation, students who lag behind in kindergarten often fail to make up the difference between them and their peers, and by high school, make up the largest portion of those who fail to graduate.

The statistics may be dire, but experts say encouraging literacy in children doesn’t have to be a chore.

Speech language pathologists Mary C.T. Runge and Dani E. Shirkey, the Arc of Jefferson-St. Lawrence, support early literacy and reading development as part of their mission to build language and communication skills. As part of Better Speech and Hearing month, they offer several easy ways for parents to encourage their child’s success in reading.

Find words in everyday places

Books aren’t the only places we use words. Words are everywhere. Parents can also add labels to objects like doors, kitchen appliances or boxes of toys. Point out words on cereal boxes or shampoo bottles. Look for “stop” signs on the road, or point out McDonald’s or Target as you drive by, suggests Shirkey.

Also, parents can share what they’re writing. “So if you’re writing down a grocery list, engaging the child in that,” Shirkey said.

Parents can help children search road signs for certain letters, trace the letters of their name or play with letter magnets.

When it comes to books themselves, parents can also teach children the vocabulary of the book’s cover or spine. Point out the difference between a word and a letter, what a page is and where to find the author and illustrator.

“So getting that specific vocab about books, rather than just from books, helps out a lot,” Shirkey said.

Grab a book (or five)

From a young age, parents should include books among their child’s toys. A 20-year study published in the Social Science Research journal in January 2019 found presence of a home library increases children’s academic success, vocabulary development, attention and job attainment. In the study, children raised in home with a library of 500 books stayed in school an average of 3 years longer than those who had no books at home. Even as few as 20 books made a significant impact on the child’s future education, the report found.

One of the best things parents can do for their children, unsurprisingly, is to read to them. Often.

“All the time,” Runge and Skirkey agreed.

Reading to children is linked to phonological awareness — the ability to recognize and manipulate the spoken parts of sentences and words — and of literacy development later in life, Runge said.

Books also help introduce children to new objects and ideas.

“Like we don’t have skyscrapers and subways in Watertown,” Shirkey said. So, by reading a book about a city, “they get an experience that they wouldn’t get in an everyday life. A kid in New York City might read a book about a farm.”

One study from The Ohio State University reported that young children who are read to at least five times a day will hear nearly 1.5 million words by the time they turn 5. For that reason, professionals often suggest a goal for parents to read to their child five times a day, but any amount is beneficial. The American Library Association cited a study found 3- to 5-year-olds who had been read to at least three times a week were twice as likely to recognize all the letters of the alphabet, have word-sight recognition and understand words in context.

It’s OK if their minds wander

It’s important to know that not every young child will want to sit through an entire book — let alone five.

“I know a frustration that parents have said is that, if they’re reading a book with the child — especially if they’re really young and they have difficulty with attention — they’ll say (their child will) lose interest and go off and get a different book,” Runge said.

But Shirkey and Runge want parents to know that’s OK.

“Even if they’re getting a different book, and they’re flipping through it, they’re imitating you sitting there reading and flipping through a book,” Runge said. “They may not be totally attentive to what you’re saying and what you’re reading, they’re still attentive to you and what you’re doing and trying to copy it.”

Getting through a whole book is a good goal, Runge said, but “don’t be totally discouraged that they don’t want to sit there” for the whole thing.

Holding them down for story time will increase children’s anxiety about reading, Shirkey added, which won’t make reading any more fun.

For young children, she also recommends tactile books — such as “Never Feed a Shark” — to encourage them to engage in the story.

“They add that sensory experience,” she said. “The parent can read one page, and the kid can play on the other page.

Fun before perfection

Another important thing to remember is that it’s fine to be imperfect, especially if you’re having fun. You don’t even have to read all of the words in a book, Shirkey said. You can even make some up.

“Sometimes I pick out a book for a therapy session and I open it up, and I’m like, this is a chapter book,” Shirkey said. “And I read to the child, ‘The dog is in the car.’ Flip!” Next page.

“As they get older, and they get that one-to-one correspondence with what reading is, but at the younger ages, you can make it up. They don’t know.”

As part of making book reading enjoyable, Shirkey and Runge suggest parents pay attention to how much their child is engaged. Feel free to pause for questions, or to move on if their interest fades.

“There’s that give-and-take when you’re reading a book,” Runge said.

For example, if a child loves construction vehicles, and they’re reading a book about construction vehicles, “then we’re probably gonna stop on each page and ask, ‘What’s this? What’s he doing? Who drives that?’” Shirkey said. “But if we’re reading a book about robins and the kid’s like, ‘I don’t care about birds,’ then we might go a little quicker and ask a few less questions.”

Resources for reading

The public library is one of the best resources for parents looking to keep their child engaged in reading. Parents can find plenty of children books, preschool storytime events and an annual summer reading program, along with experts in child literacy — the librarians themselves.

Parents can find second-hand books at thrift stores and libraries such as the Flower Memorial Library in Watertown, which can be an affordable way to increase the size of home libraries.

Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, also offers resources for caregivers to build language and literacy skills online at wdt.me/reading, with links on phonological awareness, emergent literacy, vocabulary and more.

FiveBooks.com offers lists of great books for children through adults, as suggested by experts in their subject. For children, books are divided into books for ages baby to 2, ages 3-5, ages 6-8, ages 9-12 and young adults at wdt.me/kidsfive.

The Children’s Reading Foundation, offers parents tips and advice to make literacy and language learning fun for children with free downloads, reading trackers, programs and book lists at readingfoundation.org.

The Imagination Library, online at imaginationlibrary.com, offers free children’s books to families no matter their income — as well as information and resources for parents and caregivers.

Table troubles: Picky eating may be a sign of bigger issues

By Christina Knott
Watertown Daily Times

Many parents at one time or another will struggle with getting their child to eat what he or she should — from refusing vegetables to avoiding certain smells or textures.

At the Arc of Jefferson-St. Lawrence counties, speech language pathologists Mary C.T. Runge and Dani E. Shirkey work regularly with children who have feeding or swallowing disorders, in which the infant or child avoids eating certain foods.

“Like they only eat mushy food. They only eat certain foods. They only eat foods that melt in your mouth. We see a lot of that,” Shirkey said.

Frustrated parents may feel their child is just being stubborn or lazy, but feeding or swallowing disorders may be genuine problems for infants and children that can lead to weight loss, malnutrition and problems with daily functioning.

“I think too a lot of families don’t realize there are problems feeding and there are things that can be done about it,” Shirkey said. “Like sometimes it’s just like, ‘Oh, that’s how he eats.’ Well yeah, but, it could be better.”

Children at risk for feeding disorders may include those with nervous system disorders, reflux or other stomach problems, premature or low weight at birth, heart disease, cleft lip or palate, autism, breathing problems, sensory issues, behavior problems or muscle weakness. Children who have been intubated are also at higher risk of feeding or swallowing disorders.

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, signs that may signal that intervention is needed for children include:

Eats only certain textures, such as soft food or crunchy food

Arches, cries, stiffens or falls asleep when being fed

Takes a long time to eat

Coughs, drools or gags during meals or has problems chewing

Has a gurgly, hoarse or breathy voice during or after meals

Not gaining weight or growing

“Between 2 and 3, if they’re not expanding their diet,” Shirkey said, “then it would be worth a look” at whether intervention is needed.

That’s the age when children start to pick out their preferences, Runge explained. Parents can start to see if children prefer fruits over vegetables or if they are avoiding a specific consistency all the time.

And if there is an issue preventing him or her from expanding their diet, “we have to teach the skills to get to other foods,” Shirkey said. Feeding disorders usually start with sensory or motor issues, but Shirkey said, as the child gets older, it can become a behavior problem. Children are less likely to try something that caused a problem for them in the past. This is why it can help to address issues early.

In addition to motor and sensory issues, Runge said something that can go overlooked is an allergic reaction to foods that may be causing the problem. She suggested following up with an allergist or an ENT to make sure there isn’t a problem internally that the child isn’t able to explain.

“The child may be avoiding a certain food because it’s causing irritation to their stomach or their esophagus,” Runge said. “And we don’t have x-ray vision and we can’t see that. And it may not be so severe that it causes them to cry or vomit or something like that; it might just be a little irritation so they avoid it. And it’s seen as, ‘Oh my kid just doesn’t like it.’”

If eating peas makes their stomach hurt, for example, children aren’t likely to want to eat peas.

Beyond that, parents may not realize some of their own eating preferences may be passed down to their children. Parents may need to do a better job modeling the behavior they want to see in their children.

“The parent says, ‘Oh, he never eats vegetables,’ and I say, ‘What vegetables do you eat?’” Shirkey said. If parents don’t eat vegetables or keep them in the house, they probably shouldn’t expect their kids to eat them.

“So that’s kind of a big thing too if parents aren’t eating something, the kids aren’t going to be exposed to it,” Shirkey said.

Another reason it is important for parents to model good eating habits is that, for a lot of children, exposure to new foods comes from trying something off their parent’s plate.

“If it’s something they’ve never had before but mom is eating it, that’s kind of a motivation for some kids and it’s not as high pressure as having it on their plate,” Shirkey said.

Even for adults, “If you’ve never had sushi before, you’re not going to go out and order a whole tray of sushi,” Runge said. “Like you might look at it, smell it, maybe take a bite.”

“Try one from your friend’s plate,” Shirkey added.

“What may seem like everyday food to us, ... it may seem more exotic to your child,” Runge continued.

For all children, introduction to new foods in a low pressure environment is key to broadening their palate, both Runge and Shirkey agreed.

“Just introducing a little bit at a time and not putting on that full expectation,” Runge said. Have them “try a little bit. You can always give them more” if they like it.

Sometimes children may hesitate to try something new for fear of what will happen if they don’t like the taste. In that case, it’s fine for parents to give children a place to put the food they don’t want to finish.

“This may sound disgusting, but ... have a cup, a red solo cup, that the kid can spit into,” Shirkey said. “If you want to, try it, and if we don’t like it, we can spit it out.

“That’s something that we all do. We try something, we pick up our napkin, and we spit it out. We’re just a little more discreet about it. And that’s OK.”

Runge agreed, “They’re going to be more likely to try it because they know if they don’t like it, they have a place to put it.”

Making food exploration enjoyable and fun is important for all children in broadening what they eat. For children with aversion to particular food textures, one idea Runge and Shirkey suggest is letting children explore food with their hands. Sometimes, it can be OK to play with food.

“Especially those kids that have had intubation or anything like that,” Shirkey said. “Taking away the pressure that surrounds eating and letting it be a playful experience can make a big difference.”

Parents can let children finger paint with pudding. Bring their cup and spoon into the bathtub and let them play and make a mess as they explore their food. Or bring their food outside and let them spill and make a mess without worrying about the floor. Using play can help children approach food with pleasure instead of anxiety.

“Feeding and eating is intrinsically motivating,” Shirkey said. “Kids make messes, and it’s okay.”

While parents generally mean well, there are some bad habits that can be hindering their children’s positive feeding behaviors.

For one, parents should avoid forcing children to eat all their food or to sit until their plate is clear. All of these can increase anxiety, which in turn decreases appetite.

“That’s just a lot of expectation,” Shirkey said. “We want (eating) to be calm and relaxing.”

Another thing parents should avoid doing is letting their children graze throughout the day instead of sitting down to a meal.

“When kids graze, they tend to just eat enough for the calories they’re about to burn off. They’ll eat one grape and run around for 20 minutes, then they eat one grape and a cracker run around for 20 minutes again. So in the act of grazing, they’re burning more calories,” Shirkey said.

Part of what makes mealtime so enjoyable is the social aspect of dining together.

“That’s where you can put the emphasis on meal time being enjoyable,” Runge said. “Like, food is enjoyable and social. If you don’t have that specific time and kids are grazing and running, you don’t get to target and focus on and develop those skills.”

When families don’t sit down regularly to eat together, children are also missing the opportunity to observe their parents’ eating habits and to try something new from Mom or Dad’s plate.

Eating on the run can also increase the risk of choking.

The danger of choking is one reason the Bright Beginnings preschool at the Arc of Jefferson-St. Lawrence has a policy to cut up grapes, hot dogs (lengthwise) and cherry tomatoes. Runge and Shirkey encouraged parents to do so as well.

“I would feel better about the world if (we cut up those foods) through age 5. I just don’t trust those little things,” Shirkey said.

“I was gonna say we’re kind of paranoid about it,” Runge said.

Finally, one of the most misunderstood aspects of feeding and swallowing disorders is the belief that children will eventually eat rather than starve themselves. Sometimes even doctors are unaware that this is not true.

“It kind of goes back to that, having the skills,” Shirkey said. “If you gave a 2-month-old steak, the 2-month-old is going to starve to death because the 2-month-old can’t eat steak. If the child can’t physically eat the food for whatever reason, they are going to starve.”

This goes for fluids as well, Runge said.

Children who depend on sippy cups won’t necessarily make the transition to regular cups if you took their sippy cups away.

“They can go several days without drinking anything,” Runge said. “Or if they only like milk in their sippy cup and one day you put water in that cup could sit there full all day.”

Parents who feel they’ve done all they can and need extra help getting their child to eat the way he or she should can reach out to their pediatrician for a referral to a speech language pathologist. Or, if the child is preschool aged, parents can make the referral themselves, Shirkey said. Either way, they shouldn’t lose hope.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time, there is some underlying factor, and the challenge is finding out what that factor is,” Shirkey said.

Asian Market offers a taste of authentic world cuisine in Watertown

By Christina Knott
Watertown Daily Times

WATERTOWN — Bright red snapper, frozen, peek out of a display case. A colorful sign on the wall displays the price of sokkori, samgyeopsal and ojingeo, all written by hand in Korean hangul. The English translation — ox tail, pork belly and squid — help those shoppers who may be stumped.

On nearby shelves, cartoon characters on various packages reflect an animated product line.

With its diverse products, ranging from biscuits to brooms, Asian Market, 552 State St., is an enclave of cultural cuisine and things that many people don’t expect to find in a city the size of Watertown.

“The first time customers come in and say, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this is here,’” said Rich “Jake” Jacobsen, who owns the store with his wife, Mikyong.

Asian Market is where you’ll find bok choy, bitter melon, Jamaican jerk sauce, bottled bubble teas from Taiwan and Korean kimchi, as well as row after row of ramen and udon noodles. Mr. Jacobsen boasted of the store’s vast noodle varieties, as well as a rotation of sweet treats .

“We just got these in,” Mr. Jacobsen said, pointing to a box of tiny, biscuit-shaped chocolate cookies near the register. “They’re from Japan.”

Mr. Jacobsen, a native of Watertown, met his wife in South Korea while he was serving in the military overseas. He spent six years there. After he returned, he and his wife purchased the store from a Korean woman when her husband died and the store was too much for her to run on her own.

“We’re a small enough business that most of my customers, I know them and they know me,” he said. “It’s usually just me and my wife, and sometimes my son.”

As Mr. Jacobsen was explaining how many of the products in the store come directly from customer requests, Jacque Mundt stopped Mr. Jacobsen to ask about raw peanuts.

“I didn’t see them,” she said, shopping with her husband, Gary. After looking, Mr. Jacobsen told her they must be out, but he promised he’d add more to his order the next day.

Ms. Mundt, originally from the Philippines, has lived in the area for 27 years with her husband, who is originally from the Rochester area.

“This is the only Asian store we have. We were so happy that we have one,” she said. “It’s hard to find food from our country.”

If not for Asian Market, Ms. Mundt said she would take an hour-long trip to Syracuse if she wanted to keep making the dishes from her home, that connect her to her culture.

“I would not be able to make my food,” Ms. Mundt said.

Aside from food, customers might pick up a steel wok or an Asian tea set — hallmarks of domestic life back home, or items they’re just curious to try.

While most specialty Asian grocery stores predictably see a majority of customers from Asian countries, only about a quarter of the customers who visit Asian Market are from Asia, Mr. Jacobsen said. The foreign-born population of Watertown is only 4 percent, according to the most recent census, but the military community from Fort Drum brings people to the region who have lived in places all over the world.

One challenge of serving such a niche market near a large military base is the rotating cast of customers who move to other bases every few years.

“They come in and say, ‘Ah, we’re going to miss you. We’ll be gone,’” Mr. Jacobsen said.

Fortunately for his store, “there’s always new customers, always someone new coming in,” he added.

The majority of his customers are those who have an appreciation for world cuisine, whether they be service members or those in the neighborhood. For many of them, Asian Market is the only place to find speciality products such as goat meat, chicken feet or pig tails.

“Those are all things that are hard to find,” he said.

To keep his store stocked from countries all over the world, Mr. Jacobsen can spend up to seven hours a week on the road to meet suppliers. “As I go out, I look for different things, so that every time customers come in, they’re seeing something different,” he said. “One month, we’ll get a case of this. One month, we’ll get a case of that.”

An increasing number of Americans are traveling overseas, according to figures released by the U.S. Commerce Department. In 2018, Asia alone saw an 8.4 percent increase in travelers from the U.S. In total, 41.7 million travelers from the U.S. visited other countries, an overall increase of 9 percent from the previous year.

The exposure to Asian culture isn’t just from people traveling abroad. Last weekend, the Korean film “Parasite” won four Academy Awards wins, including the Oscar for Best Picture. It was the first time a non-English language movie has won the Academy’s top award.

In April, Korean pop music boy band BTS became the first Asian group to surpass 5 billion streams on Spotify. They performed at ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” in Times Square. And in 2019, they were named the fourth most successful group on the Billboard chart, ahead of the Beatles, Queen and Imagine Dragons.

As evidence of how pop culture can influence food trends, look no farther than the 2018 Netflix teen romantic comedy “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” which featured an Asian-American protagonist, Laura Jean Covey. At least 80 million viewers tuned in to watch the film, in which the iconic Asian probiotic yogurt, Yakult, had a starring role in one storyline.

By the end, the non-Asian American heartthrob Peter Kavinsky falls in love with both Laura Jean, as well as her favorite drink — and he wasn’t the only one. According to Bloomberg, the film helped propel a 6 percent decline in the Yakult company stock to a 2.6 percent increase after the release of the Netflix romance that year. The film’s sequel, “To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” was released Wednesday.

A particular Beijing-based social media company has also helped inspire food trends as well, causing a rush on Straw and Fruit Jelly candies.

“Do you know what Tiktok is?” Mr. Jacobsen asked. “Well, I went last week and bought a case of straws and a case of the jellies. And they’re gone.”

Mr. Jacobsen said he’s always on the lookout for what other trends customers might be interested in. These might include bubble tea drinks, Ramune, Japanese soda that comes with a marble as a stopper; Pocky or Pepperro, thin cookie sticks dipped in chocolate; and hard-to-find varieties of Kit Kat bars not usually found in the U.S.

“We’re very proud of the fact that we have a big ramen variety. It’s a bigger variety than even the big Asian market down in Syracuse.”

Jacque and Gary Mundt left the Asian Market with a small bag of groceries, highlighting another aspect of smaller convenience stores: It’s easy to stop by, grab the few items needed and step out again without the travel or long lines at major grocery stores.

Mr. Jacobsen has suppliers from Korea, Japan and China, but they also stock items from the Philippines and Jamaica. And after the Great American closed a half a block away, the Asian Market started carrying grocery staples, too: milk, butter, eggs and bread.

“My idea was, we were already selling groceries,” he said. “Let’s add (this) as a convenience.”

Since the larger grocery store closed, the nearest full-line grocer is at least a half mile away.

“People that live in the (Midtown) Tower, people that live in the houses in this neighborhood, who don’t have vehicles, who used to walk to the Great American to get groceries, now have to get a taxi or an Uber or a friend to take them up to Arsenal Street or up to Save-A-Lot.”

For his part, Mr. Jacobsen’s family doesn’t shop at other grocery stores, which is another way he’s able to keep products in rotation. Aside from variety, “it’s about keeping things as fresh as you can.”

Frank Olean: The man who helped make Public Square friendly

By Christina Knott
Watertown Daily Times

Frank Olean was a young, 17-year-old boy walking down the street on Public Square in Watertown when the clothing store that would one day be his called out to him. Literally.

The owner of Smith and Streeter, John C. Streeter, was standing in the doorway of his store in need of an errand boy. He saw Mr. Olean walking and asked if the boy wanted the job. He did. And on Jan. 20, 1868, his career with the clothing company began.

There Mr. Olean stayed, rising quickly from errand boy to clerk and, eventually, part owner. bought out the man who hired him to own the store, along with Mr. Streeter’s son, Fred W. Streeter, and another associated, Henry J. Brimmer.

Before he was partner, tension among stores in Public Square was fierce, as Mr. Olean described in an article about his retirement published in the Watertown Daily Times in 1925, from which the majority of this story is found.

“I well remember that our chief competitor and rival was the Great Wardrobe Clothing company, owned by George Wiggins and others. In those days, there was no fraternal spirit between the different merchants. They had nothing to do with each other. They never went in each other’s stores or had anything good to say about each other.”

Mr. Wiggins and Mr. Streeter would not even speak to each other on the street, he added, even though their stores were located almost next door to each other.

After the older store owners retired, Mr. Olean and his partners worked to improve relations.

“We immediately tried to establish friendly terms with our business competitors, and a fraternal spirit grew up, the product of which you can see among the merchants of today.”

Mr. Olean and his partners would visit each other’s stores and even send a clerk to search a competitor’s shop if they weren’t able to find what a customer needed.

Tailors, too, closely guarded their trade skills for fear that a rival tailor would learn his tricks. The only way to learn the trade was to pay a “great sum of money” to a tailor for the privilege of learning the skill. But the tailors too embraced the fraternal spirit, and organized into an association that freely shared knowledge with each other.

One more impact Mr. Olean had on the Public Square economy, his store was the first to get rid of haggling and introduce a fixed price system of having one definite price for all. Soon the other clothing stores followed their lead.

Speaking of prices, Mr. Olean also recalled as he retired how the cost of “whiskey, best grade and good sized glasses” cost three cents at any bar during his younger years.

Upon his retirement, Mr. Olean had been working as a salesman for 33 years, having left the clothing in 1892 to move into sales, and he remembered his career.

Mr. Frank Olean lived another six years after he retired from business. He died Feb. 10, 1931, at age 80 of bronchial pneumonia at his residence, 324 Sherman St. He was survived by his wife, his brother and law and sister and a niece. In the newspaper interview before his death, Mr. Olean summed up his long career saying, “My business life has always been most happy and successful. I have always enjoyed my work.”

Fact vs. opinion: What’s the difference?

By Christina Knott
Watertown Daily Times

Have you ever wanted to know something new about the world?

Maybe you wanted to know if ice cream was good for your body. (If it is, maybe your parents will let you have as much of it as you want.)

Or maybe you wanted to know what the best flavor of ice cream is. (Maybe they are all the best?)

There are a lot of big ideas in the world today. Both kids and adults have a lot of different questions and sometimes they have even more answers.

When trying to understand the world, one thing everyone should know is how to tell the difference between a fact and an opinion.

What is an objective (Fact) statement?

An object statement is information that can be proven true or false. It is either true or not true.

Some examples of these are:

• The sun is a star.

• The earth is a planet.

• Chocolate is the most popular flavor of ice cream.

All of these can be proven to be true or false with information. If things can be proven true or false, they are “falsifiable.”

Facts can be proven to be true. But they can also be proven to be false. No matter who is saying the statement, it is “objectively” true or false because it is not based on feelings.

As scientists learned more about the world, some of the things they thought were true were later proven to be false after new or better information was discovered.

One factual statement that has been proven to be false is:

• Cavities in teeth are caused by small tooth worms.

Scientists didn’t know what bacteria was when they thought worms were responsible for holes in teeth. While cavities may look like tiny tunnels, we know now they these are caused, in part, by bacteria.

As scientists learned more about how the world works, they realized they were wrong.

Another statement scientists learned was untrue is:

• The earth is the center of the universe.

The scientist Nicolaus Copernicus argued this statement was untrue about 500 years ago when he said the earth and all the other planets travel around the sun.

As scientists learned more about the universe — such as Galileo Galilei’s observations through the telescope of planets in orbit — they found more information that proved the earth is not the center of the universe.

The more scientists learned about the universe, people were able to understand even more about about the world around us. But there are still things scientists don’t know.

What is a subjective (opinion) statement?

A subjective statement is one that can not be proven true or false. It is an opinion.

An example of this is:

• Chocolate ice cream is the best flavor.

The statement that most people like chocolate ice cream is something we can prove by asking many people what their favorite ice cream is and recording their answers. But does that make chocolate ice cream the best flavor of ice cream?

Not really.

“Best” is a word that when used on its own is not falsifiable. Instead of objective, it is subjective, meaning that it depends on what someone thinks. What is the “best” is an opinion.

Other people might disagree that chocolate is the best because they think strawberry ice cream is the “best.” Someone might say the “best” ice cream is one that has less sugar. Someone who likes to take pictures of their food might say the prettiest ice cream is the “best.”

Opinions can be based on facts, but that doesn’t mean they are true or false. Chocolate ice cream is the most popular ice cream, but that doesn’t mean it is the best to everyone.

Subjective statements aren’t right or wrong on their own. You can agree or disagree. And there can be lots of different ideas about what is the best and why.

Why does it matter?

Facts tell us about the world. This is important. Opinions tell us about what people think about the world. This is important too. But everyone should know the difference so that they know how to think for themselves.

People often try to treat their own opinion statements as truth statements because they want others to think they must agree with them. If you have a sister or brother who tells you that chocolate ice cream is the best, you can tell them that’s just their opinion. If they try to back up their opinion with the fact that chocolate ice cream is the most popular flavor, you can tell them that this may be true, but being the most popular doesn’t make chocolate the best.

Listen and see if you can find examples in your own life of facts and opinions. Some opinions you may agree with and others you may not, but you get to choose for yourself.

Now that you have an idea about what is objective (true or false) and subjective (opinion), see if you can correctly identify each.

Quiz yourself

Which of these statements are objective (true or false) and which are subjective (opinion)?

STATEMENT 1

Objective or subjective:

Dogs have a better sense of smell than humans.

STATEMENT 2

Objective or subjective:

Dogs should not jump on people because it is rude.

STATEMENT 3

Objective or subjective:

The United States is the most beautiful country in the world.

STATEMENT 4

Objective or subjective:

The United States is a popular travel destination.

STATEMENT 5

Objective or subjective:

The Yankees are the best baseball team in the Major Leagues.

STATEMENT 6

Objective or subjective:

The Yankees have more World Series wins than any other team in the Major Leagues.

STATEMENT 7

Objective or subjective:

Reading can help you learn more about the world.

STATEMENT 8

Objective or subjective:

Reading is fun.

STATEMENT 9

Objective or subjective:

President George Washington had nine siblings.

STATEMENT 10

Objective or subjective:

President George Washington was the worst president in history.

Answers:

1: objective

2: subjective

3: subjective

4: objective

5: subjective

6: objective

7: objective

8: subjective

9: objective

10: subjective

First-time fathers learn ropes in parenting class for fathers

By Christina Knott
Jefferson City News Tribune

Expectant first-time father Jay Forbis joked about his inexperience with child rearing at a new parenting class for dads at St. Marys Health Center.

"I'm proud of the fact that in 36 years, I've never changed a diaper," Forbis said, but with a Sept. 9 due date for his daughter's birth, he expects that to soon change.

With cell phone on hand in case of labor news, Forbis said he looks forward to being a parent and hopes he'll be as good of a father as his dad was to him.

Rookie Dads 101, which held its first class Wednesday evening, is designed to teach fathers parenting skills they may not be familiar with.

The class is led by Matt Krause and Mike Huebert, two full-time dads whose wives are both doctors. Their own parenting experiences and the medical resources from their wives make the class both practical and informative.

Dads now are more involved in caring for their children than ever, Krause said, yet they have few experiences to draw from.

"We don't learn this stuff from our dads," Krause said. "My father wasn't allowed in the delivery room. Now it's weird if you're not there."

Hospital administration added the class to the schedule in response to the changing role of fathers, said Patrick Walker, with public relations for St. Marys.

"This class is going to meet a basic need in the community," Walker said. "As a new dad, this is the tool for you."

Parenting and birthing classes already are offered for both parents, but Huebert said an all-male class environment will help dads feel more comfortable.

"You don't see a lot of guys raising their hands in a regular classroom," Krause added.

Topics include how to diaper, feed, bathe and hold babies, what to plan for both in the delivery room and in the first days, car seats, crying, day care and dealing with lifestyle changes.

The two-and-a-half hour class is divided into an hour of lecture, then a break before a second hour of hands-on, small group instruction and, lastly, time for questions.

Huebert and Krause said they expected a slow start before word of mouth got around. Until then, with one person attending their first class, Krause said they might have the best student-teacher ratio rate ever.

Cost for the class is $15. People can sign up by calling the hospital at (573) 761-xxxx. The next class will be on Sept. 10 and one will be held each month until December.

Huckleberry Charlie Sherman: A colorful north country legend

By Christina Knott
Watertown Daily Times

Charles “Huckleberry Charlie” Sherman, born on Feb. 15, 1842, in Watertown was a conspicuous figure of the north country, with a reputation that continues to intrigue local historians, including his own chapter in the book, "Colorful Characters of Northern New York" by David Shampine.

Huckleberry Charlie made his money (and earned his nickname) picking and selling huckleberries. He claimed that the huckleberries he picked on Pine Plains, which is now Fort Drum, were the best there were.

Huckleberry Charlie had a penchant for brightly-colored clothes that were given to him by merchants in the city who donated out-of-season clothes to him at his request, which contributed to his eccentric look. Huckleberry Charlie also sold newspapers and other wares from his wagon, singing and playing his banjo when he wasn’t busy making sales.

The Watertown Daily Times wrote frequently of the self-appointed "wandering minstrel," during his life. His eccentric personality was well-known. Various stories relay tales of him entertaining students at Watertown High School, aggravating military personnel during war games and "accosting" a wealthy millionaire.

A Sept. 14, 1915, story in the Times mentions the encounter Huckleberry Charlie had with the visiting wealthy businessman Frank W. Woolworth, a north country native who created the five-and-dime stores. Huckleberry Charlie accosted the millionaire, it was said, for the 50 cents Charlie claimed was owed him from their school days. Apparently amused, Woolworth agreed to pay him the money.

In another story, Huckleberry Charlie interrupted maneuvers at Pine Camp in 1910. He was a familiar figure at every regimental headquarters. In one exercise, Huckleberry Charlie observed the "Blues" advancing in secret upon the "Reds." He called out to the Red team of the approach, and ruined the attack, to the consternation of officials for the Blue team, who noted his interference in their day's report.

While most articles mentioned his amusing personality, some especially focused on his appearance and attire.

An article from Sept. 29, 1910, focused on the attire of Huckleberry Charlie, who appeared up on Public Square with a new, bright red suit "patterned somewhat after the style of those worn by band masters and lion tamers." White stripes decorated the legs and coat. He carried a cane and wore a red cap with a white visor "pulled to a level with his tilted up nose." In the same article, they noted a "turkey-red" hat in the style of young boys worn by him days ago.

“Of medium height, but thin, straight as an arrow and lanky,” an article from 1921 describes, “‘Huckleberry Charlie’ was one of the most colorful characters the North Country has ever known. And his apt and witty sayings as well as his florid and sometimes flaming attire are still indelibly impressed upon the memory of many of the older residents.”

The newspaper also credited him for his detailed knowledge of local history, giving "figures and dates with no hesitation" as to the history of older buildings in Watertown and Great Bend. And although he made an odd impression based on his appearance and manner, the newspaper warned readers not to cross him:

Huckleberry Charlie had a long local pedigree to add to his unique personality dating back to the early settlers of the area.

His great-grandfather was Dr. Abel Sherman, a physician, farmer and the first sheriff of Jefferson County. His great-grandmother, the wife of Dr. Abel Sherman, was Susan Hall, the adopted daughter of Roswell Woodruff, an early Jefferson County pioneer. Huckleberry Charlie's father, Eli P. Sherman, was a wealthy Wall Street commission merchant. Notably, his uncle was John A. Sherman, owner of the old Washington Hall, who bequeathed the building to the YMCA.

Huckleberry Charlie was married to Della Palmer Sherman for nearly 50 years. After the death of her husband, Della Palmer Sherman lived with her granddaughter, Mrs. Frank Bullis of Great Bend, until she died at age 88. She was buried in Sunnyside Cemetery in Great Bend, where her husband was buried.

When Huckleberry Charlie died around age 79, his funeral was packed with locals who thought of him fondly. Although reports of Huckleberry Charlie have died down since his time, reported stories of his adventures continue to surface throughout the history of the Watertown Daily Times a hundred years later.