Family Men Don't Wear Name Brands
      I'm a junky My wife left the house to meet an old friend for coffee, and my 5- year-old son was next door playing with the neighbor. It was the day after Halloween. I sat on the floor in my living room alone, staring at my boy's plastic pumpkin bucket of Halloween candy, debating whether or not to eat a piece.
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Toy safety tips for the holidays
By Dr. Alan Nager Special to the Acorn
      It's that time of year when kids start making their holiday wish lists, which of course include toys and games. As parents, we need to carefully monitor the toys that our children receive to ensure that they are safe and age-appropriate.
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And now to start packing
     IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers CHURCH HELPS OUT STUDENTS- Manzanita Elementary School students are excited about a $1,500 check from EVFree Church of the Conejo Valley. It will help provide scholarships so fourth- and fifth-grade classes can go to Sacramento to learn about the state capital and the gold rush. The money was raised at the church's Harvest Festival in October. Many students, including those pictured, are members of the church.
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Putting on their thinking caps
     WINNERS ALREADY—A robotics team known as the "Flaming Brains" from Sycamore Canyon Middle School finished first overall in a recent competition, hosted by the Lego Group, called FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). The winning team included Courtney Brousseau, Evan Borchardt, Zack Warner, Ryan Sandstrom, Noah Kovalick, Colin Rice, Sarah Nelson, Kaitlin Morissette, Iain Filkins and Spencer Dietrich. All were sixth- or seventh-graders. The students were also involved in finding a solution to a community problem. Their solution earned the praise of Mayor Jacqui Irwin.
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