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Corporate Edge Org (CEO) Small Business Consultants in Boston HOME | Contact | About us | Special Projects | Business Writing | Food Writing SHOP TALK Business Class by Kitty Kaufman Hot Tot Spots: Stroller Central There is nothing quite like the switched-on force of preschool kids at play. These junior executives in training with their paint brushes and easels, instruments and music, books, trucks and blocks, climbing, jumping, watching a play, moving to the rhythms of yoga, or simply listening to a story captivate our attention. We watch, hear their laughter and when we're very lucky, we get to join in. We have left our mittens at home as these warm May days stretch before us in unending enchantment. We are giddily awash in longer days and ready for something new. So to celebrate the return of spring, we've rounded up a variety of fun places just for you and your baby up to three. We've limited our choices here to activities for you and your preschooler to do together. You'll help them work out; they'll watch you work out; they'll sleep while you watch movies. They'll learn art, music, signing, and how to play nicely with others. They'll learn show business and you'll be jealous. Storytelling abounds; theatre too. And for those times when you can't be together, there's reliable preschool daycare. Please note: nearly everything requires registration or tickets so plan ahead. StrollerFit® Brookline Recreation Indoor/outdoor locations 617. 429. 6369 http://www.strollerfit.com/boston Diane Pokorny Wilson, instructor/owner, about her not-for-sissies workout, "You will definitely sweat!" Moms and dads with kids six weeks to 4 years turn strollers into fitness machines with cool aerobic and strength building routines: "Classes are tailored to any exercise level and you're never behind." Bonus: the kids are totally engaged with the music and goings-on that so there's no time for crying. Take your fitness to a new level and connect with other new parents in these small one-hour classes. StrollerFit® pass cards: 10 classes for $120; 15 for $160; and 25 are $220 (ask about monthly passes). Indoor locations: Pine Manor College, Newton Lower Falls Community Center, and Soule Recreation Center in Chestnut Hill. Once good weather arrives, look for outdoor programs at local parks. Contact diane@strollerfit.com. Box Office Babies Coolidge Corner Theatre 290 Harvard St 617. 734. 2500 http://www.coolidge.org Take movies! In the daytime! Bring your babies under12 months to matinees on Harvard Street every other Friday at 11 a.m. Former film maker and aptly named Elizabeth Taylor-Mead, events and membership director, started the bi-weekly program several years ago because: "Parents are people who used to go to the movies and this is a great way for them to be able to keep up with new films." There's stroller parking and changing tables at the back. You'll see whatever film is showing in the evening on the theatre's main screen. Cost: adults $6, free for babies under 12 months, $6 for all other children. Check website for coming attractions. Municipal parking is available behind the theatre. For specific questions about this program, Elizabeth@coolidge.org. Brookline Public Library Main Branch 361 Washington St 617. 730. 2340 http://www.brooklinelibrary.com At the main library, storytelling for two year-olds is Wednesday mornings at 10:15 (Register for this free series.) Catch Friday Flicks, ½ hour movies for preschoolers 3 and up, Fridays at 10:30. On the website under children's services you'll find links to other fun sites for preschoolers along with the American Library Association's (http://www.ala.org) Caldecott and Newbery award-winning books and listing for other upcoming library events. The library's books, magazine, cassettes, CDs, and books on tape circulate for four weeks; DVDs and videos for one week. Kids can get their own library card when they're three. Brookline Library Coolidge Branch 31 Pleasant St 617. 730. 2380 "Wonderful Ones," storytelling just for one year-olds, is Wednesday mornings at 10:15. "Terrific Two's" meets Tuesdays at 10:15. Registration is needed for these free sessions. Other preschool story times, Tuesday afternoons at 3:00, are drop-in. Brookline Library Putterham Branch 959 West Roxbury Parkway 617. 730. 2385 Storytelling for two year-olds is Tuesday mornings at 10:15. Register for this free series. Preschool drop-in storytelling is Tuesdays at 3:30. Artbarn Community Theater 50 Sewall Ave Temple Sinai Building 617. 975. 0050 http://www.artbarn.org Executive director Jackie Borck's performance troupes; and jazz, vocal, and theatre workshops offer kids 4 and up a variety of show business training. If your preschooler can sit for 45 minutes, see the 1st-3rd graders Duck Soup Troupe's spring show May 20 and 21, Give Me a Sign, about a deaf baseball player and what it's like not to hear. Performance is sign interpreted. Cost: $7. Her Barncats ensemble of 4th to 6th graders next performance is Bugsy Malone June 10-11. Cost: $7. Borck brings her Traveling Ducks performance programs to local libraries and nursing homes. (Your kids can be Ducks once they reach 1st grade.) And the Beansprout theater workshops, where her staff goes out to nursery schools, work well for very young children, with storytelling, singing, dancing, costumes, and props. Cost: $120 for one-hour workshops; series of 12: $1,320. Temple Sinai Preschool Programs 50 Sewall Ave 617. 277. 5888 http://www.sinaibrookline.org Rabbi Andy Vogel and education director Heidi Smith Hyde offer two preschool programs. Tot Shabbat services are one Friday evening a month, 6:30-7:15 pm, for ages 2-7 including a brief service, singing, and storytelling followed by a reception. Their K'tonton program is taught by Karen Halfon who introduces three and four year-olds to holiday traditions with arts and crafts, songs, stories, and games one Sunday morning a month, 10-12 noon. Both are free and open to the community (registration recommended). Preschool 1 and 2 Infant/Toddler Daycare Brookline Recreation Soule Early Childhood Center 652 Hammond St 617. 739. 7598 Christine Glendon, center director, offer three programs. Preschool 1: kids 2.9 - 3.8 years and Preschool 2: for kids 3.9 - 4.11 years meets five mornings a week, 8:00 - 12:30 from September through June. Cost: $3,200. Extended day program: 12:30 - 6:00 is an additional $25/afternoon with a two-afternoon minimum. Activities: blocks, music, art, games, storytelling, cooking, outdoor play, and field trips. Class size is limited to 20 with three teachers. The infant/toddler daycare program is for kids 12 months - 2.8 years. Cost: $65/day with a two-day minimum. Weekday hours: 8:00-6:00 pm. Activities: music, art, storytelling, cooking, field trips, and gym time. Class size limited to ten. Both programs, which do operate during school vacations, are for Brookline residents and require registration. Isis Maternity 2 Brookline Place 617.264. 4747 www.isismaternity.com Certified instructor Maggie Magner runs three Itsy Bitsy Yoga® classes just for babies ( 6 weeks to almost crawling), mobile tots ( up to 24 months), and tykes (2-4 years). You guide baby's simple stretches (good for self-soothing, digestion, and better sleeping). Tot's level is a high-energy 60 minutes and tykes get a 45 minute workout in these six-eight week series. Cost: around $15/class. Magner's baby signs program facilitates pre-verbal speech by teaching parents and babies to sign. Magner says, "Babies can sign before they can talk." Register for this 60-minute, full parent participation six-week series for kids up to 18 months. Baby music classes with singing and dancing using the Kindermusik® Village curriculum include warm-up massage and traditional world folk music. Ages: birth-18 months. Check website for classes and times. Memberships are available. Puppet Showplace Theatre 32 Station St 617. 731. 6400 www.puppetshowplace.org Executive director Abby Subak, with two kids of her own, says summer shows Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. are geared to 4-6 year-olds but they'll help with specific show age-appropriate recommendations. So how great are puppets? "Live theatre is the best way to get young kids away from electronic media. It's magical for them to see these characters come to life. A kid who won't talk to a real person about how they're feeling will engage with a puppet." Cost: $9.50 for adults and children; $7.50 for members, reservations suggested. Gymtots Brookline Recreation Soule Gym 652 Hammond St 617. 730. 2069 Come September, kids 3-5 can tumble their way to self-confidence and coordination with 45-minute once a week classes that include warm-ups and beginning gymnastics. Eight-week afternoon sessions start with the three's. Recreation leader Cathy Robinson says the fun activities leads to better body control. Parents can watch. Cost: Brookline residents: $75; non-residents: $150. Aqua Babies 1 and 2 Brookline Recreation 60 Tappan Street 617. 713. 5435 Enjoy open swims every afternoon but Monday. You can also rent the pool for parties: they supply lifeguards, pool equipment, and the lobby where you bring on the cake and ice cream. Two-hour rental for up to 25 people: $125. Aquatics director Sharon Locke says watch for Aqua babies 1 and 2 return beginning fall 2007: half-hour classes geared to kids 6 months-3 years. © Spring 2006 for Our Town 40 St. Paul St | Brookline MA 02446 | 617. 388. 0062 |