Karate classes for children and adults in Downtown Sanford

Two Dragons Tang Soo Do opened its doors in March of this year in Downtown Sanford. Owned and operated by Master Constantino Terrigno, they offer Karate classes Monday – Thursday for children and adults. He accepts children from 8 to 12 years old, but I’ve seen some younger than 8 attend. It all depends on your child’s readiness. Adult classes are for ages 13 and up. My son and husband attend classes here at separate times.

The facility is a nice 1800 sq ft with an open waiting area, 1100 sq ft training floor, and changing rooms. It’s a very family friendly environment. The thing that attracts me most is Master Terrigno himself. He began his martial arts training in 1981. He has a calm, soothing, wise demeanor that reminds me of Chuck Norris; even in his appearance. Whether he is training children or adults, he relates his training to real life scenarios and teaches the importance of self defense, self discipline, and self confidence.When I think of a martial arts instructor, I think of people like Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid movies and in my opinion Master Terrigno falls right in line with the best of them.

Overall, the classes are very affordable for 4 days out of the week. There are also combined rates for families. You can come as often or as little as you’d like. However, your success to the next level or the next belt depends on your commitment to learning the art and training. Occasionally, Master Terrigno will offer Women’s Self-Defense classes or Buddy Day for kids currently enrolled to bring a friend for one free day of instruction.  Currently, my son has 2 passes left for Buddy Day on Monday, June 20^th, 2011 from 6:15p to 7:15p for all you young budding martial artists. Contact me, if you’re interested.

Two Dragons Tang Soo Do is located at 115 S. Oak Avenue in Downtown Sanford.  You can find them online at http://www.twodragonstsd.com or phone them at 407-312-9702 for more information.

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“Lifeskills” Class for Homeschoolers at SPARK! on Fridays

We homeschool our children, David and Loralei, with a hands-on, child-led approach.    They take many classes and go on 8 to 10 field trips (or outings) a month.  I strive to expose them to great literature and authentic learning experiences rather than workbooks and seatwork.  Not sure what I mean?  The following examples may help:

Sea Turtles

Gather information about sea turtles.
Visit a sea turtle rehabilitation center.
Record observations in science notebook.
Create a lapbook about sea turtles.

Honey Bees

Gather information about honey bees.
Visit and talk with a local beekeeper.
Make bee crafts such as beeswax candles.
Share facts learned via a blog or website.

Manatees

Gather information about manatees.
Visit a natural manatee refuge.
Write a letter to lawmakers thanking them for
making laws to protect the manatee.

Pioneer Life

Read “Little House in the Big Woods.”
Visit a pioneer village or museum.
Learn to churn butter and make candles.
Create a lapbook about Pioneer Life.

Space

Gather information about space.
Visit Kennedy Space Center or planetarium.
Develop a model of the solar system.
Go stargazing and record observations.

We absolutely love homeschooling and feel that this eclectic approach that emphasizes life learning is the right fit for our family.  Our children are active learners and don’t even think we’re “doing school” because they’re engaged in what we’re doing.  

I recently returned to graduate school and have been finding that I need more time to complete assignments than I expected.  As a homeschooling mom, I am with them 5 days a week, so finding those extra hours to study can be challenging.  When I heard that SPARK Family Enrichment Center in Winter Springs was going to be doing a new Lifeskills class for homeschoolers on Fridays, I decided to give it a try.  I was excited about the fact that I’d be able to have a few hours to study while they learn to sew, cook, and more at Spark.

Last Friday was our first week, and I’m happy to report that they had a blast!  They learned to sew and even made their own pillows.  They also made quiche and learned some French terminology.  They also participated in a drama class (with costumes) that encouraged imaginative play and cooperation.  I feel that this class falls right in line with our homeschool philosophy.  I like knowing that they’re learning so much while having FUN. The fact that this class provides me with a few ”kid-free” hours once a week to work on papers and do research is just the icing on the cake.   

Here is David with the pillow he made at Spark.

This class runs every Friday from 10:30 to 3 at Spark.    It costs $35 for the first child and $30 for siblings.  When you consider the fact that they’re providing 4.5 hours of classes as well as the materials for the activities, it’s really a great value. If you’d like more information, give them a call at 407-649-7775.

 

 

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“A Gift for Music” Winter Orchestra Concert Dec 5th!

A guest post from Deidra Lynch:

I hope that all of you can attend the upcoming “A Gift for Music” Winter Orchestra Concert being held on

Dec 5th at 3:00pm
First Unitarian Church of Orlando in the Sanctuary

1901 E. Robinson St

Orlando, FL 32803

AGFM served 13 Title One schools in Central Florida last year by offering free violin rentals and weekly instruction for all third graders as well as advanced classes for interested students in 4th and 5th grade.

Participating schools for the 2009-2010 school year include:

• Azalea Park Elementary
• Eccleston Elementary
• Fern Creek Elementary
• Orlo Vista Elementary
• Three Points Elementary
• Ventura Elementary

Talented middle school students that are willing to make the weekly Saturday commitment to rehearsal are invited to participate in the Core Orchestra and switch to viola, cello or bass.  They may audition for the Chamber Orchestra when they reach a high school performance level.  Many of these students do not have orchestras in their middle or high school music programs so AGFM continues to put classical strings training in the hands of deserving but disadvantaged Central Florida students.

The AGFM Core and Chamber orchestras will be playing for us and their families in the sanctuary at 3:00pm and we will then have a small reception after wards in Gore Hall.  AGFM will be supplying coffee, cups, punch and cookies.

Lear more about “A Gift for Music” by watching the video online.

Volunteers interested in helping to organize or decorate for this free concert are welcome to email msdjazzy@gmail.com!

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Yomedics offers Unique Health and Wellness program for Kids

Yomedics is a health and wellness program for kids that was created by Dr. Lisa R. Ramey of Integrative Pediatrics in Oviedo and Heather Quillen, a health care advocate and mom of two. I met with both of them a few weeks ago and was impressed with their vision and passion for children’s health. They have put together an impressive and extensive program to help children and their parents get on track with making consistently healthy choices in all areas of health and wellness for long term health.

The goals and benefits of the program are:

• To educate children and families on healthy lifestyle changes to improve the health of the child.
• To allow the child to obtain his or her optimal weight.
• To improve mental health thus allowing the child to have a sense of well-being and confidence in themselves and their ability to deal with the issues of daily life.
• Decrease the risk of obesity related chronic disease such as, but not limited to, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lung disease and orthopedic abnormalities.
• Improve the child’s ability to obtain more successful career later in life.
• To decrease the financial burden on society of obesity related health care costs.

Yomedics 12 week program can be facilitated by a licensed facilitator.   The program is ideal for any wellness setting such as integrative medicine practices, chiropractor offices, public and private schools, enrichment centers and fitness centers.  Any organization interested in facilitating the program can get information at www.yomedics.com or by calling 407-314-8749.

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Saturday Morning Stroll in Winter Garden

Saturday mornings in historic downtown Winter Garden offer visitors the opportunity to exercise, explore and relax.  The West Orange Trail runs right through the middle of downtown on the center median of Plant Street.  The West Orange Trail is 19 miles long starting in Oakland at the County Line station going up to Apopka.  The Winter Garden station is at mile 5.  On Saturday mornings bikers and runners go zipping by safely in the center median.

If you don’t have a bike but would like to explore the West Orange Trail downtown Winter Garden has two bike shops and a running shop.  Winter Garden Wheel Works offers bike rental at reasonable rates (starting at $6 per hour with a two hour minimum).  You can rent a bike for each member of your family and if needed a trailer to pull your younger child.  They even offer rentals of tagalong bikes, a half-size kid’s bike that attaches to an adult bike.  Tri & Run of West Orange offers triathlon and marathon training programs and running shoes and clothing.  Both are located right on Plant Street  in the heart of downtown Winter Garden. 

Winter Garden also hosts a Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings.  It is located at the corner of Plant Street and Lakeview Avenue.  You can find fresh produce and plants and an array of other food and unique items.  I shop there each weekend and often save almost 50% on my produce purchase over buying in a grocery store.  I have always found the items to be fresh, colorful and tasty.  Bring your own shopping bags and green bags for things like small potatoes or tomatoes.  These are priced by weight and it helps to have green bags for each item.

Once you have gotten your exercise and produce shopping out of the way, it is time to relax.  There are many stores to explore and restaurants offering good food and outdoor dining.  Sweet Traditions is a French bakery and cafe offering a long display case of pastries and yummy breakfast and lunch items.  You will often see groups clad in biking gear dining outside the cafe.

Heading off Plant Street down Main Street be sure to check out Daisy’s Children’s Boutique.  Daisy offers many toys crafted from environmentally friendly and organic materials.  Along the way you will also discover Winter Garden Fencing Academy, Garden Music School and Winter Garden Feed & Seed.  Winter Garden Feed & Seed offers items to feed and care for horses and livestock.  They also have great deals on items for smaller family friends like dogs.  If you have not been in a feed store, definitely stop in and check it out.  They often have small animals like goats and chicks for sale and they have their huge pet pig in the back. 

Following Main Street will also take you to Boyd Street and the Central Florida Railroad Museum.  The Railroad Museum is free and offers a fine collection of Florida railroadiana.  It is operated by the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and they also operate the Heritage Museum, History Center and The Garden Theater.  All of these wonderful resources are located right in downtown Winter Garden.  Be sure to click through the Hertiage Foundation link for information on locations and hours.

Kristy has one son and since his birth she’s been researching to find healthier ways to do things and live a life of less impact. In a city that is less than “crunchy” it has been an adventure and she hopes to share some of what she’s learned both here and at her store Wee Willie Winks where she offers cloth diapers and other earth/child friendly parenting solutions. She also hosts Cloth Diaper News.

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CSA Preschool: A Unique Setting for Preschool & VPK

Complete Soccer Academy in Apopka opened their CSA Preschool program this past fall. My son Dax was one of their first students and we have been there to see the school grow and now expand into providing voluntary prekindergarten (VPK). CSA Preschool’s philosophy and environment focuses on a preschooler’s natural development to learn through movement. I am so thankful to have found a place where my son is encouraged to run, play and explore while learning.

A typical day at CSA Preschool starts out with a sports class for 45 minutes. Expert instructors in soccer, yoga or gymnastics take the kids through fun activities geared for their age and skill level. The emphasis here is on fun and encouraging gross motor development. After sports class, they have a large group meeting around the big circle. Here they go over the topic of the day, the calendar, and early concepts like letters, numbers, shapes or colors.

Next they move on to an hour of choice time in the Learning Centers. The Learning Centers include Construction & Design, Dramatic Play, Creativity & Art, Reading & Listening, Math & Manipulatives, Science & Sensory, Writing, and Sports. Each Learning Centers is purposefully set up to develop certain personal and social skills through play. For example, the CSA Preschool website describes the Construction & Design Learning Center as follows,

Children have space to engage in construction activities and let their imaginations soar. Some typical items in this center include:

- Numerous sets of blocks of all shapes and sizes: Lincoln Logs, wooden blocks, Legos, alphanumeric cubes, KNex
- Large and small trucks, cars, airplanes, ships, and other vehicles
- Racecars and tracks
- Wooden train set complete with trains, tracks, tunnels, bridges, map, people, and accessories
- Construction toys, hammers, wrenches, bolts and screws
- Theme related books plus paper and pencils so they can draft design plans and illustrate structures

What children do:
Practice designing, building, organizing and implementing projects.
What children learn:
Cognitive skills such as classification, spatial relationships, balance and cause and effect.
How children grow:
Children gain a great deal of personal satisfaction and pleasure as they work in groups and build relationships with their peers.

The children have the freedom to move between Learning Centers freely and explore their personal areas of interest. This child-led learning philosophy is one of the reasons the program has been such a good fit for our family.

During this time kids may also work in small groups or may be pulled to work individually on needed skills. Small class size ensures that each child gets the individual attention that he or she needs. Classes are capped at ten children for one teacher or 18 children with two teachers. After Learning Centers the children then clean up and have lunch. They end their day with free play.

Through Seminole County, CSA Preschool offers free voluntary prekindergarten (VPK). If your child turns four prior to September 1, 2009 he or she is eligible for VPK for the 2009-2010 school year. The VPK program at CSA Preschool runs Monday through Friday from 9am to 12pm or Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 9am to 2pm. CSA Preschool currently has openings in either session.

CSA Preschool is a thirty-minute drive for us each way so I researched other VPK providers that were closer to home. I was discouraged to find programs that seemed to have less emphasis on personal choice and individual development. I found many programs that scheduled all of the VPK hours in the first semester by requiring attendance five days a week all day, leaving no VPK hours for second semester. I also found one program that would not accommodate our personal meal preference of a vegetarian diet without refined sugar. My research only strengthened my preference for CSA Preschool and highlighted their unique set up.

Claudia and John Cassidy own Complete Soccer Academy and the CSA Preschool. They are parents of four young children. Their website states,

We understand that young children naturally need to get out of their seats, move and play. A strong, active body is crucial for building a strong, active mind.

Missy Rodriguez is the Preschool Director and she is licensed through DCF. Missy strives to make many of the activities from found items and recycles materials for later use throughout the year. Kevin Bowersox is the Preschool Assistant. Before coming to CSA Preschool, he taught PE at Wekiva Elementary for four years. He also coaches some of the soccer classes.

If you have a preschooler, stop in and discover CSA Preschool in Apopka. They offer flexible and affordable programs for kids ages three to five. These include two, three or five day preschool programs plus VPK. The school year ends June 5 so stop by now to check out your options for next fall. Complete Soccer Academy offers soccer camp all summer for kids five and over so you can stop in to see the facility throughout the summer months.

For more information please visit the CSA Preschool website or call
407-802-6858.

Kristy has one son and since his birth she’s been researching to find healthier ways to do things and live a life of less impact. In a city that is less than “crunchy” it has been an adventure and she hopes to share some of what she’s learned both here and at her store Wee Willie Winks where she offers cloth diapers and other earth/child friendly parenting solutions. She also hosts Cloth Diaper News.

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Preschool at Orlando Science Center

Here’s an interesting flier I got for those with kids 3-5 years old when renewing my membership.  It sounds exciting!

Preschool at Orlando Science Center

With our years of experience educating children in our summer camp and school field trip programs, Orlando Science Center is proud to provide full day preschool for children ages 3-5.

Your child will be well cared for in the strcutrued, but entertaining way that has consistently made the Science Center a hit.

Space is limited to the first 20 children. Reserve your spot by calling 407.514.2166

Orlando Science Center
777 East Princeton Street
Orlando, FL 32804

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Are you looking for Summer Eco-Theme Day Camp?

Ever the “green events” party girl, I finished 5k racing and sock hopping and now I’m off to teach summer camp kiddies with a vegan and homeschooler friendly eco-twist!

Anyone is welcome to come aboard for summer camp, UU style!

It’s non-profit and camp registration costs basically go to put on the “eco theme “ half day camp. You do not have to be a church member to attend summer camp. We’re doing it for good, green jollies.

Seventh Principle Day Camp

Brought to you by:

Children’s Religious Education and the Green Team

What: A day camp celebrating our Seventh UU Principle:

We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence.

(We believe in caring for Mother Earth, the home we share with all living things.)

When: June 16 – 20, 11:00 am – 3:00pm

Who: Children of all ages are welcome to join the fun; however, we do request that children under five be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Cost: $7 a day or $30 for all 5 days. All lunches will be vegan and we have lots of inexpensive and easy suggestions. We are also accepting donations of sunscreen, “green” bug spray, and clean spray bottles

Activities will include: creating a composting system, planting a garden, creating a wall mural in the courtyard, making ourselves camp tee-shirts, taking an eco-tour of our campus, visiting Dick Azalea Park, and celebrating Mother Earth and our seventh principle in song, dance, and play.

Campers have the bonus option of sharing their camp experiences with family and friends in the June 22, Midsummer Sunday Morning Worship Service.

Need more info?

• Contact Abbie Potter, Lifespan Religious Educator
• Contact Cat Rigby, Green Team Chair

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Keeping it Safe This Summer

Summer is here and you are eagerly planning your first pool party of the season.  The decorations are up, the pool is perfect, the potato salad has been prepared and you have found the perfect bathing suit.  The kids can’t wait for their friends to join them for games of Marco Polo and splashing big sister.  You are ready!  Or are you?

Whether you plan to spend long, lazy afternoons at the pool or to travel with the family on a dream vacation, dealing with accidents and emergencies is probably the furthest thing from your mind.  When it comes to safety, it is always best to be prepared. 

Summer fun can be interrupted in a second with a sunburn, a skinned knee or worse.  Here are some quick tips to help you get prepared to have a safe summer:

Take a CPR and a Basic First Aid class.  Even if you’ve taken one before, studies show that your skills become rusty after a year has passed.   If you are a pool owner, it is especially important to make sure that you would be able to perform CPR in case of a drowning emergency.  Taking a class will ensure that you can react calmly and quickly in an emergency when seconds count.  

Check out your first aid kit and buy a Basic First Aid manual.  If you don’t have a first aid kit, buy or make one!  If you do have one, make sure that you have replaced any used supplies.  You may want to consider having multiple kits.  It is a good idea to have a kit for your car, diaper bag, pool, and house.

Keep some basic natural ingredients on hand to enhance your first aid kit.  Honey heals minor scrapes and wounds, aloe vera soothes burns.  Used tea bags can be patted against a sunburn for instant relief (remove from boiling water and allow to cool thoroughly before using!).   Mix a few capsules of Vitamin E (use a pin or needle to puncture the capsule, then squeeze out into a container) with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, rub gently over dry, sunburned skin and you’ll have a very effective burn reliever.

Establish and enforce pool rules.   Post your rules on a piece of poster board and go over them with everyone who is going to be near the pool.  Make sure that everyone understands the rules by asking each swimmer to restate them to you. Always designate a responsible, non-drinking adult to supervise swimmers.  

While an accident free summer may not be possible, taking these simple precautions and steps to being prepared will help you maintain your cool and give you the ability to act quickly to handle the unexpected.

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Family Festival 2008

The Jewish Community Center of Orlando will once again host its Family Festival, this year with the need for more space, they are moving to Lake Eola. Free live entertainment will be provided by Walt Disney World with Mr. Richard and Jack Hartman!The festival will feature rides, games, crafting areas, and local artists displays. They plan on having several interactive areas such as a health and safety zone, toddler town, circus town, and an inflatable forest.

The real icing on the cake is the Go Green and Planet Earth Area. Here kids can learn how to protect our Earth. There will be green craft projects, hands on activities, recycling searches, relay games, and more!

The JCC Family Festival will be held on Sunday, April 13, 208 from 10-5 at Lake Eola Park in Orlando. Admission is free but there is a charge for rides, games, and food.

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