'OHANA BRIEFS
More say 'I don't'
Advertiser News Services
The National Marriage Project at Rutgers University just released its annual report on the state of marriage in the United States, indicating that more and more American couples are choosing to live together before marriage or not marry at all.
About a third of all children and more than two-thirds of black children are born out of wedlock, the report says.
In addition, since 1960, there has been an 850 percent increase in the number of cohabiting couples who live with children.
Remember to wash
Warm weather often means a visit to a farm, fair or petting zoo. But Kansas State University scientists want to remind you to take basic health precautions.
"It's important to remember that any animal we handle may carry infectious disease," said Karen Penner, professor and food safety specialist with K-State Research and Extension.
Children and adults should wash their hands with soap and water and dry them thoroughly after being around animals, Penner said. It's especially important to wash hands before eating.
And even if you don't touch animals directly, bacteria can live on other surfaces — fences, gates and walls — for long periods of time.
Smokers, kids
Need another reason for parents to quit smoking?
A new study shows that fourth-graders who live with at least one smoker are more likely than those who don't to miss school because of a respiratory illness, Reuters reported.
Living with more than one smoker further increased the likelihood that kids would call in sick, especially if the child had asthma, according to the report.
Book doubles as toy
Just about everyone knows the wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round, but does anyone ever ask "Where does the bus stop?"
The folks at Reader's Digest Children's Books did, following a little blue bus filled with four-legged passengers through town.
In "The Wheels on the Bus," illustrated by Sarah Dillard, young readers visit Cool Cat's Pizza Den and whiz by the Sunny Seaport.
A bonus is that the pictures also are four-piece puzzles. The artwork is repeated underneath the pieces, making it easier to put it back together.
Other new books that double as toys are "Colors of the Sea" and "1 Toy Train" (Reader's Digest), both by Jane E. Gerver and illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church.
The board books are held together in neat little boxes, but when a toddler pulls on the handles, the stories literally unfold.
