Happy September! This week marks a return to Family Ties, where I’m keeping an eye on all things family- and parenting-related in our fair city.
If you have anything to share with other local families – be it an upcoming event, a favourite local resource or program, or an idea for future coverage – please shoot me an email, [email protected], or find me on Twitter,
@juliemaclellan.
Baby Talk is back
First up, here’s one for the moms of newborns and infants. If you’re just getting back on your feet again and adjusting to life with a tiny being demanding your attention around the clock, then this group could be a lifesaver.
Baby Talk sessions, which run in partnership with Fraser Health public health nurses, run regularly at Centennial Community Centre on Wednesday afternoons. The weekly sessions give moms (and dads, too – though the vast majority of participants are moms) a chance to meet other parents, learn about various aspects of baby growth and development, have baby weighed and measured, and just plain have some fun. Each session covers a different topic, with a guest speaker and some time for informal discussion and socializing.
Upcoming session topics (subject to change) include Babies and Books on Sept. 16, Infant Development Program on Sept. 23 and Speech, Hearing and Languages on Sept. 30.
October topics will cover sleep, eye and dental health, chiropractic, parenting toddlers, and introduction to solid foods. November will include separation anxiety, planning for daycare and adjusting to parenthood.
Centennial Community Centre is at 65 East Sixth Ave. Call 604-777-6740 for more information about Baby Talk. You don’t need to register, and the sessions are free – just drop in.
Help for families
Here’s another great local resource for parents with small folks: New Westminster Family Place.
Family Place offers a free drop-in program for families with children from newborn up to age five – for moms, dads or grandparents with kids.
There’s a regular drop-in Monday through Friday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., plus Monday and Tuesday afternoons from 1 to 3 p.m.
There are also a variety of parent education programs, information sessions, support groups and a toy lending library.
Family Place is at 93 Sixth St., unit 101. Call 604-520-3666 or see www.nwfamily.bc.ca for more details.
Cheer them on
If you have a little wannabe acrobat in the house, be sure to check out a new offering from Royal City Cheer. The group offers cheer and tumbling programs for kids aged three and up – including a new Toonie Tuesday, where drop-in sessions run for $2.
Sessions are held in the Massey small gym at New Westminster Secondary School, with drop-ins coming on Sept. 22 and 29.
Kids aged five to nine can take part from 5 to 6 p.m., with ages 10 and up from 6 to 7 p.m. Check out www.royalcitycheer.com for info about the group’s programs.
Cultured kids
Wanting to experience a little culture with the small people in your life?
River Market plays host to regular monthly workshops by ArtStarts, with 45-minute workshops giving youngsters a chance to delve into a variety of aspects of the arts.
Up next, on Sunday, Sept. 27, kids can enjoy the Axis Theatre Company’s presentation ofHamelin: A New Fable. The presentation, loosely adapted from the tale of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, is described as a “musical-adventure-live-action play with an important message about keeping your word” – with performers who triple as musicians, actors and puppeteers.
There are two sessions, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Check out www.rivermarket.ca or www.artstarts.com/weekend.
Symphony coming to New West
And speaking of culture … it doesn’t get any more cultured than the symphony!
I couldn’t be more excited about this one (and I must thank Allison of the New West Moms Group for posting this on Facebook!).
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has long held a popular series of Tiny Tots concerts for toddlers and preschoolers – but parents have always had to venture out of town to enjoy them.
Now, the concerts are coming to town: the four-concert series will be presented on Saturday mornings at the Anvil Centre.
The concerts feature Let Your Music Shine With Lisa and Linda, an introduction to orchestral music geared specially at the under-five set.
On Saturday, Oct. 31, families can enjoy Folk and Fiddlin’ Time. On Saturday, Dec. 5, it’s Holiday Hooray!, while Feb. 20 sees Jumpin’ Jazz Time and May 14 sees the Shine-Time Music Olympics.
All the concerts run at both 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. in the Anvil Centre Theatre.
Check out www.vancouversymphony.ca/tots for more information.
