CURRENT ISSUE

EDITOR'S PICK

Meals made easy

by Tamara McKee

Parents make their own choices for their kids when it comes to nutrition but here are some new options, exclusive to Sobey's, IGA and Pricechopper stores, which are sure to put a smile on their faces.
These days many kids' foods are laced with high glucose fructose (corn syrup). High sugar and high sodium are linked to many childhood diseases.

These are three favourites:

1. Breekie Bites - Whole wheat, cinnamon mini waffles
2. Alpha Bites - Alphabet mashed potato letters
3. Fruit Pic Mix - Dried fruit mix in raisin, berry, apple

It's nice to read the ingredient list and not see any artificial flavours, chemicals or preservatives.

Disney and Sobey's have combined forces to make meals easier and healthier for kids. The new Compliments Junior line includes more than 100 new products, of which 75 per cent bear the Health Check symbol. As with anything, check the ingredients.

posted 12.10.07

REALITY TV SHOW COMES TO DURHAM

BY DANIELLE HARDER

child actor

There's a new television show coming to the cable network, TVtropolis, and Durham region will be at the heart of it.
The show, Kidz For It...Live, takes viewers inside the lives of young entertainers, auditioning for one of 20 spots in K.F.I., a group that will eventually perform at the Dance For It, an annual charity in support of breast cancer.
The 13 episodes are a backstage pass to all of the drama you would expect in rehearsals, performances and final cuts.
There will also be several surprise celebrity guests.

Kidz For It...Live is the creation of two Durham dance instructors, Kerry Brough and Haylie Dobie.
Dobie says the idea came to them when it was announced there would be a Canadian version of the American show So You Think You Can Dance?. "Unfortunately, a lot of our students were upset when they found out because they're not old enough to audition," she says. "They're just as talented as the adults, sometimes more, and they just don't get the same opportunity as the adults to showcase what they can do."

Dobie and Brough decided to launch their own show, created for children, written for children and hosted by children.
Alex Stacow of Oshawa and Kyra Dietsch of Whitby, both experienced performers, will host Kidz For It...Live. However, Dobie says there are no requirements to audition.
"There are kids out there who are just really raw. We want that to come out as well," she says. "We have experts coming in to work with these kids throughout the whole process so, just because you haven't taken lessons before, if it's just in you and something you feel passionate about, you should try out." K.F.I. is more than a dance group. Dobie says part of the fun is that the show is built around singing, dancing AND acting.

"It's kind of going to have a Saturday Night Live feel to it, where there's different segments," she says.
There are a lot of big names involved in the production, including Blake McGrath, a professional dancer from Mississauga who was on the first season of So You Think You Can Dance? and the MTV reality dance show DanceLife with Jennifer Lopez.

He'll be joined by Matthew Clark, the five-time award-winning choreographer of the Canadian National Tap Team, and David Clemmer, wardrobe consultant on the show Style By Jury.
Clemmer is also slated to be a judge, as is Denise Simpson, a graduate of the National Ballet of Canada who teaches dance and judges competitions across Canada. Dobie says the music judge is still being finalized.
Auditions are open to children aged eight to 16 and will begin this month at various locations in and around Toronto.

Dobie says launching the show is a dream come true for her and Brough.
"I'm from Ajax originally, and Kerry is from the area as well, and you just never really think that one day you'll wake up and have this nationally televised show," she says with excitement. "Especially doing exactly what we love to do. That's really, really exciting for us."
Kidz For It...Live will air this fall and Dobie hopes it will be so successful it will carry on for several seasons, and that K.F.I. expands to perform beyond the fundraiser.
"For us, because we're used to working with kids and we watch them grow up, you always hope they get to go on and do bigger and better things," she says. "It would be great for us to watch those kids who become a part of our group maybe get other opportunities they wouldn't have gotten without this exposure."

For audition rules and locations, or to find out more information about Kidz For It...Live, visit www.kidzforit.com.

Danielle Harder is a freelance writer in Whitby, who also teaches healthy eating cooking classes. You can reach her at danielleharder@rogers.com

10.12.07