Spend less on batteries

Batteries can be a drain on the family budget, but you can spend less with these suggestions from Parents magazine:

• Get the right battery for the job. Appliances and toys with motors (portable CD players and remote-control race cars, for instance) gobble power and do best with premium alkalines. They cost about 25 cents extra per battery but last longer.
• Get a battery tester. It costs less than $10 and will enable you to check an old battery’s strength. That’s particularly wise if you’ll be using the battery in anything that takes several cells, because a single weak one will rapidly deplete the others.
• Invest in rechargeables. They cost more (about $10 for a two-pack of AAs, plus the cost of a charger), but they can be reused up to 1,000 times.

Barbie seeking best arts teacher in country

New York — Mattel’s Barbie brand and the Entertainment Industry Foundation have launched their annual search for the best elementary school arts teacher in the country.

To make a nomination, 6- to 12-year-old students can submit an original essay of 250 words or less explaining why their dance, music, theater or visual arts teacher deserves to win.

All entries should be postmarked by April 15 and mailed to The Entertainment Industry Foundation, Barbie Arts Teacher of the Year Search, 1463 Tamarind Ave., Los Angeles CA 90028.

Twenty regional finalists will be named in June, with each of their arts programs receiving a $50,000 grant. In the fall, one teacher will be selected for an additional $10,000 grant and a trip to Los Angeles.

Most fun towns listed

New York — Increasingly, families are choosing to live in towns outside a major city, which have back yards and barbecues but also are close enough to cultural and transportation hubs.

Nick Jr. Family Magazine, after learning that 66 percent of American families live in these suburban towns, devised a list of the most playful places in the country.

The magazine’s April issue profiles its top 10 choices: Moscow, Idaho; Benicia, Calif.; Shaker Heights, Ohio; Montclair, N.J.; Wayzata, Minn.; Germantown, Tenn.; Keene, N.H.; Columbus, Ind.; Alpharetta, Ga.; and Oro Valley, Ariz.