Show 69: Springtime in Alaska

Can you feel it, too? The days are getting lighter, the temps a little warmer and our cabin fever is starting to break. This time on KTD we’re exploring what effect the springtime change of season has on the bodies and the minds of people of all ages. We'll learn about getting outside with kids in any weather, find out about the sun/vitamin D connection and we'll ask, "Is there really a medical explanation behind spring fever?”

IN-STUDIO GUESTS: Joining host Shana Sheehy in the studio to talk all things springtime in Alaska are:

- Jennifer Aist. She has been taking her four children into the backcountry since they were each newborns. She is passionate about exploring, discovering and connecting children with nature, and is the author of Babes in the Woods: Hiking, Camping and Boating with Babies and Young Children. She is also a lactation consultant and the director of parent education at The Children’s Hospital at Providence 

- Matthew Benson, M.D. is  one of two pediatric endocrinologists in Alaska. He is a provider with the Pediatric Subspecialty Clinic at The Children’s Hospital at Providence where he specializes in the treatment of pediatric hormone disorders, treating thyroid gland problems, growth disorders, early or delayed puberty, diabetes, obesity, low blood sugar and disorders associated with Vitamin D deficiency.

RESOURCES FROM THIS PROGRAM:

• The Children’s Hospital at Providence
• Wilderness for Kids (Jen Aist's website)
• 'Fact or Fiction: Is 'Spring Fever' a Real Phenomenon?' (Scientific American)
• KTD Show 1: Babes in the Woods
• KTD interview: The Role of Vitamin D in Treating Asthma
• Alaska Botanical Garden
• Junior Master Gardener program
• Agriculture in the Classroom
• StopSuicideAlaska.org
• Alaska Careline (suicide hotline): 1-877-266-HELP (4357)
• Alaska State Suicide Prevention Council

FEATURED STORIES:

- Gardening with Kids - The daylight is back, stores are full of gardening supplies, and for many Alaskans, getting seeds started is one use for all that “spring fever” energy - and it's great fun for kids, too. KTD contributor Jessica Cochran explores gardening with children.

- Springtime Suicide Prevention - Is it true that spring really does see more suicide attempts? KTD producer Sarah Gonzales spoke with Kate Burkhart, the Executive Director of the Statewide Suicide Prevention Council, the Alaska Mental Health Board, and the Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse to learn more.

- Spring Skiing in Alaska - It can be hard to get out and about in an Alaska spring, waiting for the snow to melt. Our KTDontheGO blogger mom, Erin Kirkland, has a solution: just embrace it by hitting the slopes.