Family Fun

        Diversity: Can you picture yourself in the scene of a photograph taken by photojournalist Gordon Parks — known for his pictures on racism, segregation and poverty?

        The Cincinnati Art Museum offers you that perspective on Feb. 25. After touring Half Past Autumn: The Art of Gordon Parks, Marilyn Oldham from the Center for Peace Education will conduct a group discussion. Then participants put themselves in a Parks' photo using a Polaroid camera.

        The museum's Family Fun Workshop is geared to ages 10 to 17, accompanied by adults. Cost: $5 for members, $7 general admission. Register: 721-2787.

        The Gordon Parks exhibit opens at the museum Sunday.

Shelf Help

        Stretched: The American Health Assistance Foundation is offering I'll Be There: Caring for Your Parents, Job, Kids and Marriage a practical handbook for members of the “sandwich generation,” who are juggling caring for their parents, children, spouses and selves. The handbook is available for $5. Call AHAF at (800) 437-2423 to order, or log on to (www.ahaf.org) for more information.

Advice

        Burn danger: Toddlers can have a great time watching Mommy turn her hair from straight to curly — or vice-versa — with a curling iron.

        But curling irons can be dangerous for little ones who tend to reach for interesting objects. One quick tug of the curling iron cord, and the child can suffer a painful burn, say doctors at the Children's Medical Center of Dayton.

        Doctors at the center see about one toddler a month who has received a burn from a curling iron.

        Burns from curling irons can be serious: Second-degree burns, marked by blistering, can require medical treatment, including dressings changes and special medications.

        Cindy Brown, clinical education specialist at Children's, urges parents to remember to unplug curling irons. Besides the burn risk, they also pose a fire hazard.

        Preteens and teen-agers also need to be taught caution when using a curling iron.

Help Wanted

        Foster parents: Camelot Care Centers, 2245 Gilbert Ave., will hold a free informational meeting on how to become a foster parent at 7 p.m. March 5. Foster parents are urgently needed in the Cincinnati area. Call 961-5900 for more information.

Wired Kids

        Preschoolers: Always be there or close by and you choose what sites are surfed. At this age, children are still too young to go it alone. What sites can you start with?

        • The American Library Association's 50-plus Great Web sites for Parents & Kids, www. ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/50.html

        • Zoom Dinosaurs, www.EnchantedLearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/index.html, an online dinosaur dictionary.

Mark Your Calendar

        Broadway series: Cinderella, presented by Fifth Third Bank Broadway Series, Procter & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center for the Arts. Tuesday-March 4. 241-7469.

        Lollipop concert: Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Lollipop Family Concert, 10:35 a.m. Feb. 24, Music Hall. $10, $5 children. 381-3300.

        Cat show: Cincinnati Cat Club Show, Feb. 24-25; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 24, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 25, Albert B. Sabin Convention Center, downtown. $3-$5. (800) 725-4228.

        Stars on ice: Target Stars on Ice, 7 p.m. Feb. 25, First Star Center. $33-$56. 562-4949.

        St. Patty parade: Cincinnati St. Patrick's Day Parade, 11 a.m. March 17, downtown. 831-6991.

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