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Holiday Signs

Happy Holidays from Baby Fingers!
signs from hands4learning.com

Christmas

Family

Snow

Birthday

There’s a young “woman” in my neighborhood who continues to impress me, year after year. She happens to be one of my son’s classmates and her mom is a friend of mine–but all biases aside, Samantha is incredibly poised, creative, and philanthropic.

Samantha, with the help of her mom and younger sister, designs beaded jewelry– mainly bracelets and necklaces.  Her “company” is called Beauty and the Beads.

This necklace above features a single small smooth brick of green-black jasper, surrounded by a strand of faceted black onyx rounds. Occasional glass pearls provide visual contrast.

This bracelet to the left is sure to be a conversation starter. It combines beads of naturally occurring dark green jasper, in two eye-catching shapes — diamonds and rounds.

Since 2008, Samantha has donated 10% of all gross sales proceeds from Beauty and the Beads collection to Smile Train (www.smiletrain.org), a global charity that provides surgical reconstruction for children born with cleft lip and palate in developing nations. As Smile Train likes to say: “We don’t just give a new smile — We give a future!”

http://www.etsy.com/people/SamanthaAndSuzanne As of October 2011, Samantha is proud to say that her out-of-pocket contributions to Smile Train (matched by corporate charitable contributions from her Dad’s employer) have funded NINE complete cleft-repair surgeries, and we are working toward our next donation.

http://smiletrain.org/ Vision & Mission: Every child born with a cleft anywhere in the world has the opportunity to live a full, productive life. Clefts are a major problem in developing countries where there are millions of children who are suffering with unrepaired clefts. Most cannot eat or speak properly. Aren’t allowed to attend school or hold a job. And face very difficult lives filled with shame and isolation, pain and heartache. Their clefts usually go untreated because they are poor – too poor to pay for a simple surgery that has been around for decades.  Smile Train is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit recognized by the IRS, and all donations to Smile Train are tax deductible to the extent of the law.

There are so many wonderful things to do and places to go in NYC with your family.  If you don’t live in NYC, these suggestions could entice you to visit and/or lead you to places closer to home—a few even offer on-line learning (like Webinars from Baby Fingers!).  Some are very age-specific, others offer things for your growing family and children at all stages of development.  I’d like to offer my suggestions below of classes, products, books, and other resources based on my own experience, my research, and my personal opinion.  This list is by no means exhaustive, and each of these things is, of course, a personal choice.  I’ll include resources that are free in addition to options that have a fee attached, and I’ll be as detailed as possible in a limited space, so you can then decide to check it out on your own.  Let me know if you try any of these things, activities, places, and what your experience was—let me know if you’d refer these to a friend and if you have other suggestions as well.  And please share your Baby Fingers experience with us when you have a moment.  You can find a lot of this information in Time Out NY Kids magazine and also New York Family magazine, along with some good articles written by and for parents.  But here are my personal opinions—choose the topic headings below that you’re most interested in learning more about.

YOGA

For Pre and Postnatal Yoga, I strongly recommend the Prenatal Yoga Center on W. 72^nd St.  Take a look at their website:  www.prenatalyogacenter.com.

Yoga for kids of all ages, and family yoga, my recommendation is Karma Kids Yoga on W. 14^th St.  Their website is:  www.karmakidsyoga.com.

My friend and colleague teaches Itsy Bitsy Yoga, a different style designed for young children.  You can register for her classes on www.mybabyfingers.com.  To learn more about Itsy Bitsy classes, take a look at:  http://www.itsybitsyyoga.com/.

Prenatal and Karma Kids both offer a variety of workshops and special programming.  You can find Baby Fingers classes in both of those terrific studios too!

MUSIC

I have to be honest, here—I recommend Baby Fingers Music for Babies class at the Prenatal Yoga Center.  If the location or schedule doesn’t work for you, my next suggestion would probably be Music Together.  They have classes in multiple locations and cities. (I get NO benefit from telling you this, but before starting Baby Fingers, it was our favorite class, though it really depends on your teacher).  If you live downtown, the Church Street School for Music and Art has a great reputation.

LANGUAGE

Needless to say, I strongly recommend joining us at Baby Fingers to learn American Sign Language with your baby/toddler.  Check out http://www.mybabyfingers.com/classes-and-offerings/.  One of the great things about ASL is that you can introduce sign language AND another spoken language—it helps, rather than getting in the way.  Unique to Baby Fingers, we offer Webinars, so you can take a live or recorded series of classes with me from the comfort of your own home computer if you can’t get to our classes—no matter where you live.  For additional sign language resources, I suggest ABCmesign, Hands4Learning, and Sign with Your Baby.  You can find many helpful sign language resources on our website: http://www.mybabyfingers.com/links.

For other languages, I recommend the following:

Planet Han (Chinese for babies through age 12)- http://planethanchinese.com/ and also Musica Para Mi (Spanish/music classes for babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers)-http://www.musicaparami.com/.

INFANT MASSAGE

Yes, Baby Fingers offers Infant Massage.  I became certified this year and it has been added to our programs.  Again, check out http://www.mybabyfingers.com/classes-and-offerings/.  Wherever you are, I recommend a class with an Infant Massage USA Certified Educator.  Take a look at:  http://www.infantmassageusa.org/.  You’ll see me listed under New York when you click on “Parents” and then “Find a Class”.  There are CEIM’s (Certified Educators of Infant Massage) offering classes around the country—and Infant Massage USA has great resources as well.

MUSEUMS and PLAYGROUNDS

Why have I put museums and playgrounds in the same heading?  Well, before my older son could walk on his own, he signed “elephant” + “playground” to indicate his desire to go to the Museum of Natural History!  The playgrounds are free—the museums do have admission fees, but some offer a “pay as you wish” either all the time or at certain times.  The Museum of Natural History does offer family membership, pay as you wish, and free admission for the last hour it’s open each day.  Our favorites:

The Museum of Natural History (be sure to visit the Discovery Room).

The Children’s Museum (though if you live in or visit Rochester, NY, the Strong Children’s Museum is PHENOMENAL!  Also in Philly, the Please Touch is lots of fun, and in Corning, NY the Corning Glass Museum is a MUST-SEE).

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (including their educational programs for students of all ages).

Hippo Playground (Riverside Park); Mariner’s Playground (Central Park); The Great Lawn, Turtle Pond, and Sheep’s Meadow (Central Park)

We LOVE the Transit Museum in Brooklyn.; Native American Museum (National Museum of the American Indian); The Intrepid; Chelsea Piers; SONY Wonder Technology Lab (Free, but make a reservation!).

Central Park Zoo, Central Park Carousel, and the Bronx Zoo.

PLACES TO EAT

Some of our favorites have sadly closed since our kids were younger, but here are a few family friendly places that are still available (Reminder—I am not getting any benefit from ANY suggestions I make in this blog, I just like to share good things!):

Deans, W. 85^th; Ditch Plains, W. 82^nd (Kids menu and TVs at each booth); Gypsy Joint (Great Barrington MA); Cheeburger, Cheeburger, Cheeburger (Charlotte Beach in Rochester, NY); Gabriella’s on Columbus; Artie’s on B’way; Amsterdam Diner on Amsterdam; Starbucks all over; The Moxie Spot (Brooklyn); The Boat Basin in Riverside Park.  I asked my children for their suggestions of places where kids eat free—my younger son said “Everywhere.  I never have to pay—you do!”

SHOPPING

I think the best place to shop WITH a child is Barnes & Noble bookstores, across the country.  There used to be a Baby Gap nearby with a big, clean bathroom with seats for nursing/feeding your baby and a good changing table—it is unfortunately no longer in our neighborhood.  I think we’re missing places with good, clean bathrooms and nursing areas.  I’d say the best place to shop FOR a child is A Time for Children in NYC.  They have a beautiful selection of unique gifts for newborns through around age 5 or so–their proceeds benefit the Children’s Aid Society.  On-line shopping, take a look at organic and fair trade merchandise (clothing, toys, bottles and more that are actually affordable!) at www.GracefullyGreenBaby.com, and unique checkpoint friendly bags (clear bags, backpacks, and laptop bags—including wheelchair bags—great for school, work, travel, doubling as diaper bags, and also affordable!) at http://safetyfirstbags.com.

ENTERTAINMENT

There used to be horse stables in our neighborhood—stopping by on a walk and watching the horses during riding lessons was a fantastic source of entertainment and passage of time.  We definitely missed the stables when they closed.  In terms of actual concerts and shows, we have always enjoyed TADA! Youth Theater and the New Victory Theater.  Symphony Space also has a variety of performers year round, and Jazz at Lincoln Center has some excellent children’s and family programs.  The Little Orchestra Society is a great way to introduce kids to classical music concerts, and there are a whole host of free concerts in the Central Park summer series.

GAMES

Right now, we’re on a cycle of Monopoly, Risk, and Life.  We have two versions of Life, the “new” and the “old,” and we moved on from Monopoly Jr. with the Toy Story theme to the original Monopoly.  We also love Skip-Bo, Apples to Apples, and other card games.  We have fun with Blokus, Stratego, and Zingo.  Matching games (like concentration) have always been popular in our family too. High School Musical board game was a hit for a while, along with Clue Jr., but they’ve now been handed down to cousins or donated to the church near us.  We have a new Beatles Trivial Pursuit and a Twister that we still have to break out.  Wii also has a selection of active games that can get the whole family working up a sweat!

BOOKS, DVDs, & CDs

I’ll just list some of my favorites for parents, and some favorites for kids.  Again, by no means is this list exhaustive, but there are some good ones.  You’ll find these and more on our website links page.

Books for parents:  The Kindness of Children by Vivian G. Paley; Siblings without Rivalry by Adele Farber and Elain Mazlish; The Blessing of a Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogel; The Out of Synch Child by Carol Stock Kranowiz; Scream Free Parenting, by Hal Edward Runkel; Dancing without Words: Signing for Hearing Children’s Literacy, by Marilyn Daniels.

This is an important month.  Different organizations have different names for it– National Bullying Prevention Month, National Anti-Bullying Month, Stop Bullying Month, Bullying Prevention Awareness Month…. call it what you wish, each has the same purpose.

Watch Lora’s YouTube video of Mark Wills’ song “Don’t Laugh at Me.”

http://www.youtube.com/user/babyfingersASL?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/UmWrDXEQlFY

Peter Yarrow took this song and created a curriculum that has become well known for use in schools and camps around the country to extinguish bullying behaviors.  Take a look at http://www.operationrespect.org/.

Below are some other useful links on this topic:

http://www.teachsafeschools.org/bullying-prevention.html

http://www.nobully.org.nz/guidelines.htm

http://www.friendlyschools.com.au/about.php

We can all make a difference in the life of a child.