Meet Emily, a student at Carlmont High School and founder of Pickle Puzzles 🥒🧩. Through Carlmont’s Sustainability Club, she launched Pickles and Puzzles to upcycle broken pickleballs and keep them out of the landfill. Emily and her teacher are currently testing various puzzle molds and have already created tangrams and other small items.
Since June, she’s diverted over 1,800 pickleballs from landfill—and now you can join the effort! ♻️ Look for her upcycling bins at the Red Morton Tennis & Pickleball Courts, where you can drop off broken balls instead of tossing them in the trash. 🗑️🙌 With these courts being so popular, her project is helping turn waste into something playful and new.
🏓 Why Pickleball Recycling Matters
Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S., with over 5 million players and counting.But this boom comes with an environmental cost: an estimated 500 million pickleballs are produced each year, generating approximately 77 million pounds of plastic waste annually.
The lifespan of a Pickleball can vary, but generally, a ball lasts about 3–5 games before it’s recommended to replace it for optimal play. Factors like aggressive play (from “bangers“), hard court surfaces, temperature, ball material, and use with ball machines can all impact durability. Can you use one longer? Sure, but they will eventually crack and dent, ultimately leading to frequent replacements and increased waste.
Most pickleballs are made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE #4), a type of plastic that is not easily recyclable through standard municipal programs . Consequently, many used pickleballs end up in landfills, where they can take up to 100 years to decompose.
Spread the Word: Encourage fellow players to participate in recycling efforts.
Support Sustainable Products: Consider using eco-friendly pickleballs and equipment.
Pro Tip: For tips on how to prolong the lifespan of your Pickleballs, go here.
Emily’s initiative not only addresses this environmental concern but also inspires creative reuse within our community. Let’s support her efforts and contribute to a more sustainable future!
If you grew up listening to your parents tell you that every apple would have a razor blade inside, some of these helpful tips will sound OBVIOUS to you. If you are more the type to take candy from a stranger (which we will all be doing on Halloween night), then read on! We have put together a great list of safety tips over the years with help from our Redwood City Police Department to help all of us – adults and children alike, even your pets- have a safe and candyriffic Halloween night!
ADULTS
Welcome trick-or-treaters with your porch lights and any exterior lights on.
Remove any outdoor obstructions that could pose a threat to people walking onto your property. (toys, hoses, gardening equipment)
Patrol your street occasionally to discourage speeding motorists, acts of malicious mischief and crimes against children.
Report any suspicious or criminal activity to your police department immediately. Call 9-1-1.
Do not give homemade or unwrapped treats to children.
MOTORISTS
Exercise extreme caution when driving a vehicle. Be on the alert for excited youngsters, whose vision may be obscured by masks, darting out into traffic.
Leave yourself plenty of travel time. Drive slower than usual. It’s one night. Being late is a better option.
TRICK OR TREAT TIPS
Make sure your kids dress up safely
Make sure costumes are flame retardant so children aren’t in danger near burning jack-o-lanterns.
Keep costumes short to prevent trips, falls, and other bumps in the night.
Try make-up instead of a mask. Masks can be hot and uncomfortable, and they can obstruct a child’s vision, a dangerous thing when kids are crossing streets and going up and down steps.
Make sure kids wear light colors or put reflective tape on their costumes.
Wear comfortable, safe shoes.
Make trick-or-treating trouble free
Create a map of a safe trick-or treating route and set a time limit for your children to “trick-or-treat.” Your neighborhood Nextdoor group now has a candy map which can help you to create your safe-route!
Make sure older kids trick-or-treat with friends. Together, map out a safe route so you will know where they are going. Tell them to stop only at familiar homes where the outside lights are on and be very clear about your expectations for the evening.
Trick-or-treaters should always be in groups so they aren’t a tempting target for real-life goblins. Parents should accompany young children.
Try to get your kids to trick-or-treat while it’s still light out. If it’s dark, make sure someone has a flashlight and pick well-lighted streets.
Do not go inside anyone’s home. Remain on the porch at all times.
Do not accept rides from strangers.
Remind kids to keep a safe distance from moving cars.
Cross only at street corners, NEVER between parked cars, and never diagonally across an intersection.
Look in all directions before crossing the street, and obey all traffic signals. Walk, never run, across the street, and use sidewalks, not the street, for walking.
Do not take shortcuts through back yards, alleys or parks.
Do not eat any treats until parents have inspected them.
Discard any homemade or unwrapped treats.
Check all treats before eating
It’s hard for kids to hold back from eating their treats until they get home. One way to keep trick-or-treaters from digging in while they’re still out is to feed them a meal or a snack beforehand.
Check out all candy in a well-lighted place when your trick-or-treater gets home.
What to eat? Only unopened candies and other treats that are in original wrappers. Don’t forget to inspect fruit and homemade goodies for anything suspicious. By all means remind kids not to eat everything at once or they’ll be feeling pretty ghoulish for while!
Halloween can be a lot of fun for parents and kids alike–if everybody remembers the tricks and treats of playing it safe.
Call 9-1-1 if you suspect any tainted candy.
PET SAFETY
Just Like July 4th, Halloween can pose stressful for your animals as well as deadly.
Keep your pets away from the door. Dogs are especially territorial and this night can bring out the worst in them. A comfortable secure room in your home will keep your pet happy and they will be very thankful.
Tell your child if they see an animal, even one they know, to remember that they are in costume and may be extra scary to their 4-legged friend.
Two things that are DEADLY to dogs are Chocolate and the chemical, Xylitol. Xylitol can be found in sugar-free gum, candy, breath mints and baked goods– which we already told you not to hand out. 😉
PETMD says to keep your outdoor cats inside several days before and several days after Halloween. “Black cats are especially at risk from pranks or other cruelty-related incidents.”
Decorations and the excessive number of extension cords can pose harmful.
Make sure your animals are properly tagged in case they escape.
WOW! It’s been a great first week of Summer Camp Registration! Here are some FUN observations and THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW moving forward! We are constantly learning around here and want to share some of our findings with you.
First, Fun Observations…
Parents love discounts! (Ok, we knew this) This week, most of you took advantage of our 10% camp discount! Register soon! You have until April 15th to claim it!
We had a record high this week of enrollment into Camp High-5 (AM, PM and Full Day options for 4-6 year olds). If you are planning on signing up for this camp, we suggest you do it sooner than later.
Over 80% of all first week registrations happened online.
American Express was our second highest used credit card type. We used to only accept Visa and Mastercard, but have since added Amex and Discover to our list!
Things you should know…
If you are using the “Wish list” functionality on our online registration page, we found that it only works once online registration has begun. We are very sorry if you were effected by this. If you haven’t tried it, wish lists are great to use for camp planning. You can save your ideas and then place them into your cart later when you are ready to register!
OOPS! We did not add the “Bridge” graphic to the Afternoon Camps that qualify for Bridge Care in our Activity Guide. If the Camp is from 1-4pm and is at Red Morton or the Community Activities Building, it likely qualifies. We will make sure to mark them on our summer camp website which will be posted very soon.
If you click on the Camp Instructor listed under each activity code, there is a dynamic link that has a bio and a link to their website. We are still populating this information, so some may still be blank, but check back with us soon if you want more info about a specific provider. Try it! Click the “Instructor” link for “Mad Science” on this page here.
Lastly, have we told you lately how much we appreciate you? WE DO!
Once again, we thank you for your patience while we all adjust to our new registration program.
It’s Day Seven of our A Camp-A-Day Series, and this is one I think you will be EXTREMELY excited about if you have kids in the 4-6 year range! It’s Camp High-5, and there are oodles of options!
What is High – 5? High 5 Camp offers a traditional Summer Camp with a twist! Designed by our Preschool Director, Edna English, High-5 Camp will provide an enriching theme each week to activate your child’s imagination and engage them in summer-long learning in a fun and playful way! Topics include: the Universe, Engineering/Building Concepts, Castles and Dragons, Theater, Science, the Animal Kingdom, cooking and of course, DINOSAURS! We’ll provide snack each day, ample supplies, and don’t worry, each theme will have different activities each week in the AM and PM modules. Yes, I said it… “PM!”
NEW THIS SUMMER! Camp High-5 in the Afternoon, PLUS Bridge Care!
Camp High-5 will now be running a morning option, an afternoon option and an ALL DAY option! What does this mean? It means FLEXIBILITY for an age group that usually has few choices! By adding “Bridge Care” as mentioned in one of our previous posts, we are allowing young campers to stay a full day! Let us give you some ideas. (Please note, “Bridge Care” is globally available for ages 4-14)
Options galore for Ages 4-6…
Select Camp High 5 all day from 9am to 4pm
Take High 5 in the morning (9am-12pm), sign up for “Bridge Care” from 12-1pm, and then experience a completely different camp from 1-4pm that our staff will walk your child to.
Take an enrichment or sports camp in the morning from 9am-12pm and then have our Bridge Care staff pick up your child for a supervised lunch and an afternoon of Camp High-5 until 4pm.
Take an enrichment or sports camp in the morning, sign up for Bridge Care, and then take another specialty camp in the afternoon!
It’s important to note that only camps marked with a “Bridge” will qualify for Bridge Care.
Details
High -5 Camp Ages 4-6 with Recreation Staff Weekly from 6/23-8/15 9am-12pm, 1-4pm or 9am – 4pm Half Day: $168/$148 Resident Discount
Full Day: $335/ $315 Resident Discount
Bridge Care 12-1pm: $48 / $40 Resident Discount or $10 lunchtime drop-in in a pinch!
Lastly…
Our activity guide will be posted online, TOMORROW!! See you then!
It’s Day Two of our A Camp-A-Day Series, and we have a great sneak peek for you!
As promised, here is our Camp Calendar. It’s a snap-shot of what’s listed in our Activity Guide’s Summer Camp Section! Click the image below to view it full size! Please keep in mind that we do our best to list all of our programs, but not every single camp is itemized individually and sometimes the age ranges in the left hand column represent a combination of all of the camps listed in that row.
We know many of you are already starting to plan your summer, hopefully this helps! See you tomorrow!
Our staff has been working non-stop to get parents our summer 2014 schedule. We are so very close to releasing it, but in the meantime, we thought we would highlight one of our MANY camps each day until registration begins on March 12!
Today, we thought we would start with a few basic housekeeping items.
We will post the Activity Guide online for you to see prior to it actually being mailed. THE FIRST RULE ABOUT THE ONLINE ACTIVITY GUIDE IS, YOU MAY NOT SEND IN A REGISTRATION FORM PRIOR TO IT HITTING THE POST OFFICE.
Did you know we have a Camp Website? We are not up and running yet, but the URL is so easy to remember… ready? It’s RedwoodCityCamps.org. Seriously, don’t go there yet. It’s not up.You will be disappointed.
We have a special early sign-up incentive coming your way this season!We are rewarding our early registrants with a 10% discount on some of your children’s favorite recreation camps, including: Polliwog, Mountaineers, Explorers, Kaboom, Whatchamacallit, Summer Adventures and High-5! You will automatically receive this deduction when you register in person, by mail or by fax, as well as online by entering the code “SUMMER10” after you place each week of these camps into your shopping cart! We chose an early bird deadline of April 15th. We thought for a variety of reasons, it should be easy to remember. *wink*
We will be offering something NEW this year, called “Bridge Care.” Bridge Care is a program that helps to link-up morning and afternoon sessions of select camps in order to create a full day opportunity for kids that want to try a couple of different camps each week. Want to take a Sports camp in the morning and a Tech camp in the afternoon? Maybe your child would like to do a Science Camp first and then take a Lego Camp later. Whatever the combination, we have options. Our staff will pick your child up from their morning camp and then walk them to the Community Activities Building for lunch from 12:00-1:00 pm. After lunch, we will escort them to their afternoon camp. We have specifically flagged a handful of camps that are in a reasonable walking distance to our lunchtime destination. We apologize that we could not accommodate all of our camps this year for this pilot program.
That’s it! Please come back and visit our blog daily, or better yet, subscribe! You can also catch us on Facebook and Twitter. We will be leaking a new tidbit every day. I am hoping to get you the coveted “Camp Calendar” tomorrow… stay tuned!
This week we will be tackling one of the most common frustrations of gardening in our area… CLAY!
Q: My yard has clay in the soil and even though we have turned it over many, many times and have added bagged soil to it, the ground still hardens up. What can I do to improve the soil for my plants? – Carrie B.
Unfortunately for us and our gardens, the native soil in most of the SF Bay peninsula regions (bordering the bay) is very fine, bay-mud clay!
Proportionally, most ideal garden soils are made up of only a very small part clay. Good garden soil is mostly sand, silt, and organic material and only about 10 to 20% clay.
Continual “amendment” of your clay –that is, the addition of about 6 inches of organic materials (like composted Redwood Chips, Organic materials, etc.) tilled or turned into the top 8 inches of clay, will likely have to be done every spring for at least 3 years until you will begin to notice an improvement in the condition of your soil from year to year. You do not have to evenly distribute the organic material into the clay –in fact, most experts caution against that. You can use a motorized tiller the first year and turn the soil with a spading fork thereafter.
Spading Fork
Another very important step that you can take is to keep a thick (3 to 4 inch) layer of mulch on the surface of your planting bed. The mulch aids in amending the soil by providing organic material for the worms and other insects to incorporate down into the soil profile. The insects and the organic material can help to change the texture of the soil –making even a clay-based soil drain better- by making it crumbly (friable), and allowing air into the root zone. The mulch also prevents the rain and irrigation water from pelting the surface of the soil and further compacting the surface layer. This layer of mulch also keeps the moisture in the soil, prevents weed seeds from germinating and makes your soil “healthy” by giving it the beneficial microorganisms that are so vital for plant nutrition and competition against plant pathogens.
A side note: If you are attempting to grow plants that need “sharp” drainage (very fast draining soil) it will probably be necessary to plant them in a raised bed –with your root zone elevated above the natural grade.
Welcome to our first installment of our gardening advice blog! Our Landscape Pros will be doing their best to demystify dirt, revive your roses and green-up your grass in our new blog series! Of course, we cannot guarantee your results, but hopefully we can put you on the right track and turn your thumb from black to green.
Q: Can Avocado trees be raised in containers? – Angel G.
A: Growing any type of fruit tree in a container is tough. The operative word here is “tree.” Trees generally need more root space than most containers can give them, but it can be done! I wouldn’t use a container smaller than a ½ wine barrel- a container with at least 2.5 ft width by about the same depth.
Choose a dwarf-type tree. If a fruit tree is to be kept in a container longer than a few years, it is usually only successful using a dwarf variety. ‘Wurst’ (also called ‘Little Cado’) is a dwarf variety and is sometimes recommended for container planting. This avocado is a hybrid type (a cross between Mexican and Guatemalan varieties) and it is not tolerant of temperatures below 30F. The one advantage to a container grown plant is that you do have the option to move the container to a protected place when the temperature plummets.
You could also consider a ‘Stewart’ avocado for this climate. It is not a dwarf, but it is a smaller, compact tree and tolerates colder temperatures better than the ‘Wurst’. I can speak from personal experience to the success of keeping a ‘Stewart’ in a container for a few years before it required root-pruning and re-potting.
Quick Facts
Avocados like a planting medium similar to citrus. Make sure that it is slightly acidic and drains well.
Don’t expose your young tree to intense sun during the summer.
Avocados are very sensitive to salts accumulating in the planting medium, so be sure to flush the salts from the pot periodically.
Do NOT over-fertilize avocados –especially when planted in containers. Watch for leaf burn, both from intense sun and over fertilization.
Mulch the surface of the pot to keep the shallow roots cool, while allowing air circulation.
Don’t expect fruit too soon after planting! It can take 5 years or more before your tree may bear fruit.
We had 25 people – including some of our City Staff, members from our Senior Walking Club, Parents, Children, and one dog (Awww), show up to walk with us today to commemorate the American Heart Association‘s National Walking Day! This crew was lead by our fitness enthusiast Intern, Jennifer Schultz, on a stroll through our lovely Red Morton Park! Thank you to those who came out to make their commitment to health with us on this somewhat brisk and foggy Bay Area morning!
You too can improve your health, wellness and reduce risk factors by walking just 30 minutes a day! Walking is probably the easiest physical activity to achieve, and can be a great way to socialize (face-to-face!). You don’t need expensive equipment, you don’t have to pay for a membership, and you can just step out the front door and get started! No excuses!
Our nation is becoming more sedentary by the minute. We are spending more time at work than ever before, as well as many of us are glued to our electronic devices (guilty!). The American Heart Association states that these increased levels of inactivity can double our risk of heart disease!
More of us are overweight.
Adult (and childhood) obesity/overweight level continues to increase: 65% of all Adults are obese or overweight.
It is more difficult today to create an active lifestyle.
People are less active due to technology and better mass transportation; Sedentary jobs have increased 83% since 1950; Physically active jobs now make up only about 25% of our workforce. That is 50% less than 1950.
Our average work week is longer. Americans work 47 hours a week – 164 more hours a year than 20 years ago.
Extra weight costs us physically and financially.
Obesity costs American companies $225.8B per year in health-related productivity losses.
The average healthcare cost exceeds $3,000 per person annually. An obese employee costs employer additional $460 to $2,500 in medical costs and sick days per year.
As you age, your body is slowly wearing down, and without physical activity, this process is accelerated. Did you know that for each hour you exercise, you can gain about 2 hours of additional life expectancy? [2] Sounds like a good deal to us! Also, exercise greatly improves your quality of life, positively effecting: circulation, weight, blood pressure, mental health, self-image, strength, bone loss, heart disease, you name it! The benefits are endless. Do you need more reasons? Click here.
Lastly, we have so many ways for you to get moving in Redwood City! We have Fitness Classes, a Drop-In Fitness Center, and Open Gym times to name a few. In addition, here is a list of parks with trails in our immediate area that will help you to ignite your walking addiction!
Camp Organizers have a tough job. They are trying to coordinate camps that can keep children of wide age ranges, backgrounds, maturity levels and attention spans engaged for the day. Coming up with curriculum can be a challenge, and even more so, there’s the daunting task of firming up the appropriate age groups to actually thrive in their camp environment. They have done their best to design parameters for their programs and hope that all is harmonious once camp starts.
Now, fast forward to Springtime. Parents are trying desperately to find interesting and fun camp activities for their kids. There is nothing worse than sitting down and thumbing through your favorite activity guide, only to find the perfect camp (you think) and have your child be just shy of the minimum age requirement.
What happens next? You ask WHY? Why, Why WHY? You feel your child is fully capable of launching a rocket, playing golf or has a real proficiency building (or deconstructing) their sibling’s Ninjago Lego™ sets. You pick up the phone to voice your concerns. Some common parent comments are: My child is very mature for his age, He loves older kids, I need a longer day for them, can’t you just add her in? Yes, we are camp providers, but many of us are also parents. We feel your pain. We hear your words. We understand your needs (is this helping?), but we have guidelines for a reason. Let me add some perspective.
Let’s say you have a 10 year old that is very excited to come to science camp this summer. The chosen week listed is for children ages 5-12. Let ‘s also throw in the variable that registration of the ages will vary. We could have three 12 year olds, ten 9 year olds, a couple of 6 year olds and then someone has requested their 4 1/2 year old join in. From the older child’s perspective, the camp may feel like it is going too slowly, since they are waiting for the youngest child to finish their project. The older child may also be needing assistance but the younger child requires far more attention than the staff ratios can bear. Now the camp is revolving around making sure the little one is having their needs met as opposed to the general group. From our 4 year old’s perspective, it may be hard to build relationships with their peers, have fun during free time, or they may just be intimidated by the sheer size and energy of an older group of children.
Minimum and maximum age requirements are set by our camp providers after years of experience and evaluation of curriculum for their camps. Sometimes overrides are allowed, but many times, those overrides end in the child not staying for the entire session. This could be based on reasons of their own, or by the needs of the camp and the ratios that just won’t support the requirements of someone younger. Now, I bet your next response is. “What about children with different learning styles, energy or focus?” My short answer to you is that by limiting the age range, providers have a smaller sample to work with. It’s camp. It’s not school, but there are still expectations of listening and attentiveness for not only learning, but safety and cohesiveness.
Another reason why some providers won’t bend their requirements is based on maturity and skill level. Children not of the minimum age value may not have the gross motor skills or strength to be able to support the equipment provided for the camp. They may not have the fine motor skills to build or take apart their creation without excessive assistance. They may lack the experience of a classroom setting that makes it very difficult for them to sit for long periods of time.
At the end of the day, camp is supposed to be fun! Kids can learn and grow, make new friends, surround themselves with new experiences, and build memories to last a lifetime *sniff*. Camps are designed with your child in mind. Providers want to create the most predictable atmosphere to best deliver their curriculum as well as to build a positive and supportive peer environment. By selecting age ranges that best allow them to do this, is the easiest way to control the population of their camp and create harmony.
We know every child is different, but we need to hold to some standards in order to ensure a smooth ride. We know there are exceptionally talented kids in our midst as well as athletically gifted children than can outrun, outplay and outlast a child twice their size. We are serving the masses. We need to have some sort of benchmark to organize these activities or we would be holding interviews and auditions for campers to give them preferred placement.
We hope we have shed some light on the camp provider perspective. Before choosing to ask for special allowances, make sure that you take all aspects of your child’s Summer happiness into consideration.
Since June, she’s diverted over 1,800 pickleballs from landfill—and now you can join the effort! ♻️ Look for her upcycling bins at the Red Morton Tennis & Pickleball Courts, where you can drop off broken balls instead of tossing them in the trash. 🗑️🙌 With these courts being so popular, her project is helping turn waste into something playful and new.
