Feather Yoga Studio
Prenatal yoga classes.
Heather Powell: 509-469-2559

featheryogastudio.com

Prenatal Yoga

Mondays 6-7 p.m.

Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital’s Education Center

2506 W. Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima

Lori Gibbons: 509-248-7322

lorigibbons@yvmh.org

Yakima Yoga

509-910-1151

yakimayoga.com

Kids’ Yoga:

Surva Yoga

Kids’ 4-8

910 Summitview Ave., 6A

509-965-2346

Get artsy this fall with these options:

*Allied Arts of Yakima Valley, 5000 W. Lincoln Ave., Yakima; 509-966-0930. alliedartsyakima.org

Mommy and Me Art Class. 10-11 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from Sept. 20 to Oct. 6, Oct. 18-26, Nov. 1-22, and Nov. 29-Dec. 15. Moms can enjoy art class with a pre-kinder child. Moms are required to stay on site, and they can sit and socialize with other moms. Cost: $10 for members per session/$12 for non-members per session; $210/$252 for entire series (two free classes with series).

Special Needs Art Class. 3:45-5:15 p.m. Mondays, Sept. 19, Oct. 17, Nov. 14 & Dec. 12. Cost: $20 per session for members, $25 per session for non-members; $60/$75 for series (one free session with series).
Homeschool Art Class. 12:30-2 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept, 28-Nov. 16, and Nov. 30-Dec. 14. From elementary to high school courses. Art history and art creation. Cost: $20 per session for members, $25 per session for non-members; $200/$250 for entire series (2 free sessions for series).

• Hands on Art, 5603 Summitview, Yakima; 509-966-4248. Call for classes and schedules. hands-on-art.com

• Red Art Studio & Sunflower Studio, 2522 W. Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima; 509-469-2766. Classes start Oct. 3.

Teen Art Studio. 3:30-5:30 p.m. For ages 10 and up. 4 weekly classes.

Kids’ Clay Studio. 3:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For ages 6 and up. 4 weekly classes.

Itty Bitty Art. 1:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays. For ages 0-5; drop-in classes.

Kids’ Open Art Studio. 4-5:30 p.m. Wednesdays. All ages drop-in classes.

Also…

Laurie Kanyer to teach parenting classes at First Pres
A series of parenting classes will be offered to the community this fall at First Presbyterian Church.

Laurie Kanyer, who has authored several parenting books and has years of experience teaching classes on parenting, will lead “Parenting with Love and Limits” at 11 a.m. each Sunday from Sept. 25 to Nov. 20, with a break on Oct. 16. (See our daily calendar for weekly topics.)

The goal is to teach parents how to develop skills that encourage positive behavior, help them gain insight and improve family organization, which can reduce family stress and give parents a greater understanding of childhood development.

Childcare is provided for each class, and kids are permitted to gather in the gym.

For more information, visit First Presbyterian Church, located at 9 S. Eighth Ave. in Yakima, or call the church at 509-248-7940.

And…Summer’s over…time for Fall Sports!

SOCCER

Itty Bitty Soccer. 6-6:45 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 27-Oct. 17. For boys and girls ages 3-4. Learn the fundamentals of soccer. Cost: $48 non-resident, $40 resident. T-shirt and ball included. Located at Gateway Sports Complex at Kiwanis Park. Yakima Parks and Rec: 509-575-6020.

PeeWee Soccer. 6-7:15 Thursdays, Sept. 29-Oct. 20. For boys and girls ages 5-6. Fundamentals of soccer taught, and kids can improve on basics. Located at Gateway Sports Complex at Kiwanis Park. Cost: $48 non-resident, $40 resident. Yakima Parks and Rec: 509-575-6020.

BASKETBALL

Little Dribblers. 6-6:45 p.m. Mondays, Nov. 7-Dec. 12. For boys and girls ages 4-6. Learn the basics of basketball with group exercises and games. Registration: Oct. 3-Nov. 2. Cost: $32/$42/$52, depending on residency. Sunset Gym, Selah; register with Selah Parks and Recreation, 216 S. First St., Selah; 509-698-7300.

Parents, are you concerned about your child being disorganized? Or is this a concern you have for your kids as they get older? Then there’s a workshop for you.

A parents-only presentation of “Organizing the Disorganized Child” will be held from 7-8 p.m. on Monday, April 4 at the Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital Auditorium.

Marcella Moran, MA, and licensed mental health counselor, is the featured lecturer. Moran is also an educational consultant and the co-author of the book Organizing the Disorganized Child, and specializes in ADHD.

The event is sponsored by Yakima Valley Hearing & Speech Center and Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. The event is free for parents, but seating is limited. Contact Lisa at 509-453-8248 or lisaw@hearingandspeechcenter.com to reserve your seat.

Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital is located at 2811 Tieton Drive in Yakima.

January 25: “Let’s Explore the World of Texture.” 4-6 p.m. For teens with special needs, ages 13-19. $25 nonmember, $20 member.

January 26: “Let’s Explore the World of Texture.” 4-6 p.m. For kids with special needs, ages 5-12. $25 nonmember, $20 member.

February 8: “Fun with Pointalism.” 4-6 p.m. For teens with special needs, ages 13-19. $25 nonmember, $20 member.

Feburary 9: “Fun with Pointalism.” 4-6 p.m. For kids with special needs, ages 5-12. $25 nonmember, $20 member.

Allied Arts of Yakima is located at 5000 W. Lincoln Ave. For more information, call 966-0930 or visit Allied Arts’ website at alliedartsyakima.org.

Isn’t it funny that we spend weeks in Driver’s Education classes, and yet sometimes forget that we should also learn how to be better parents? If you’d like to learn some parenting skills for young infants, Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital’s new schedule of newborn education classes is for you.

In addition, Memorial will continue to offer its popular Mom and Baby program from 10 a.m. to noon every Monday. This group is for moms and their babies up to 12 months of age. No registration is needed, and the group is free to join. This group allows other moms to meet and receive helpful suggestions when it comes to raising a baby. The group now meets at Memorial’s Education Center in Nob Hill Plaza, 2506 W. Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima. 509-248-7322.

Another option is eLearning, which offers childbirth education via your computer. Preregistration is still required, which you can do by calling 509-248-7322 or visiting yakimamemorial.org/mybaby. While you’re at that site, you can also get an idea what the birthplace setting looks like by taking a free virtual tour of the Family Birthplace.

Registration is $75 for the childbirth class and two content-specific classes, which are described below. All classes are held at Memorial’s Education Center, and are for the first part of 2011. Here’s the lineup:

Successful Breastfeeding. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Classes offered Feb. 8, March 16 and April 13. Before you give birth, you can take this class if you’re planning on breast-feeding, or even considering it. Receive breast-feeding techniques and solutions for common problems and concerns. Breast pumps will also be discussed. Dads/support person are asked to attend. $20 or free with a childbirth class.

Baby Basics: Novices with Newborns. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Classes offered Feb. 16, March 24 and April 21. Get tips on diapering, bathing and feeding. Learn to pick up on your baby’s “cues” and other basics. $20 or free with a childbirth class.

Boot Camp For New Dads. 9-11 a.m. Saturdays, Feb. 5 and April 9. Veterans and rookies unite. No, this isn’t military training or sports camp. Instead, veteran dads bring their babies and prepare fathers-to-be for the realities of fatherhood. Topics include caring for new moms, importance of teamwork, dad’s role, baby care, crying babies, postpartum adjustment and safety. $20 or free with a childbirth class.

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). 7-8 p.m. Classes offered Feb. 7 and April 28. Information seminar for women who have had a previous cesarean birth, are currently pregnant or planning to get pregnant, and are interested in learning about vaginal birth after cesarean. Topics include who is a suitable candidate for a trial of labor after having had a cesarean birth, the benefits and risks of vaginal birth after cesarean, precautions taken during subsequent deliveries of women who are attempting a vaginal birth and personal testimonies regarding the experience of VBAC. Presented by Roger Rowles, M.D. Free, but registration required.

Classes in Spanish:

Clases Para Dar Pecho Exitosamente (Successful Breast Feeding). 6-8:30 p.m. Classes offered March 14 and April 13. 509-225-3178. $20 or free with a childbirth class.

El Cuidado Basico Del Bebe (Baby Basics: Novices with Newborns). 6-8:30 p.m. Classes offered March 7 and April 6. 509-225-3178. $20 or free with a childbirth class.

By Heather Caro

Lookitme, mom!

My 4-year-old son scrambled around on the couch for a moment before finally deciding on an impressive feat: He then reclined and easily extended both legs behind his head. I watched him, genuinely impressed – not only with his ability to place his own toes in his mouth while giggling hysterically, but his skill in (literally) bouncing back from such a position.

I shuddered to think of what would happen should I attempt to follow suit. Needless to say it would probably result in a “sick day.”

Cocking my head to the side in order to properly observe his acrobatics, I watched as he stood on his head and flipped into a cringe-worthy back bend off the couch – narrowly missing the cat. Giving him a fist-bump for his efforts, I quickly made a mental note to help him fine-tune his elastic aptitude – before investing in another vet bill.

Want to get your kids into yoga? You don’t have to go far:

Yakima Yoga

Slip into some sweats, grab a mat and your kids and downward dog-it to a Kid’s Yoga session at Yakima Yoga. This popular class teaches yoga basics and relaxation to kids ages 4-8. Parents are encouraged to participate in this drop-in class. Cost is $13 per family or a 6-class punch card is available for $65. Allow 10 minutes before first session.

Yakima Yoga

25 N. Front St., Suite #4, Yakima

509-255-0650

yakimayoga.com

Here are the dates:

• Tuesday, Sept. 28
• Tuesday, October 26
• Tuesday, November 23
• Tuesday, Dec 14 (Christmas Party at Meadowbrook Fun Center)
• Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011
• Tuesday, Feb. 22
• Tuesday, Mar. 22
• Tuesday, Apr. 26
• Tuesday, May 24 (Pizza Party at Abbey’s Pizza)

For questions and more information, contact John Mahaney at 248-0843 or Michael Swindell at 697-3892.

The “Strong Families” discussion topics include Parenting & Recovery, Anger Management, Problem Solving & Positive Parenting, Consequences and Household Rules, and Parent/Child Communication Tools. Parents receive a free parent manual.

Classes are held each Monday and Wednesday from 6-9 p.m., through Nov. 22. at Children’s Village, located at 3801 Kern Road in Yakima. Free child care is also available.

Contact Maria Vijarro at 576-4319 to register or receive more information.

Want to find a way to spice up your time in the kitchen and give your kids a craving to cook? A few offerings in Yakima are designed to put some extra flavor in your family food prep.

One offering can be found at La Maison de Falaise, dubbed the Cliffhouse and located in Naches Heights. Although the business started in March and offers many adult cooking courses, La Maison de Falaise also hosts kids’ classes.

Kathy Sali, the founder and one of the group’s featured chefs, said the first children’s class – with a Hawaiian theme – was offered in June. Each class will offer a different theme, and Sali hopes to feature fall-favorite dishes such as ratatouille this upcoming season.

A parent or other adult is required to sign up with a child, and Sali said one of the goals is to encourage teamwork between the two. Often, she said, parents are busy and pick up fast food or throw something together quickly for dinner, and the time learning about food and bonding together in the kitchen is lost.

These classes are aimed at bringing back that kind of relationship that revolves around food. To model this relationship, Sali’s daughter and granddaughter, Eschelle and Blaire Nunley, teach each class to show this teamwork in action.

Eschelle said that in her family, she has always emphasized the importance of eating meals around the dinner table together – with the TV off. She said making recipes fun and different appeals to children.

“Anything off-the-wall and away from the norm gets kids to try different things,” Eschelle said, “so it’s not just a carrot stick in front of them.”

Blaire, Eschelle’s 6-year-old daughter, has become very involved in the kitchen with meal preparation in the past few years. She loves making anything with chicken, and the first meal she ever made was chicken shish kabobs.

Blaire has also developed a sensitive palette, once detecting basil in that evening’s spaghetti sauce all on her own.

Sali said the focus of each class is on the preparation of the food and learning about each ingredient and the cooking process. “It’s also about getting new ideas. Sometimes we run out of our repertoire,” she said.

La Maison de Falaise features a garden for students to venture into and pick out ingredients for salads and other dishes. Kids are encouraged to touch, smell and taste herbs and other ingredients. Sali said they might be asked how various herbs smell, and which foods they think they might have tasted these ingredients in before.

“It makes you a little more appreciative (of the food),” said Sali.

Blaire is one example of a child who appreciates gathering ingredients and preparing meals more than making a quick fast food run.

“We don’t eat at McDonald’s,” Blaire said.

Lessons on cleanliness and sanitation are also included in each class, so kids can understand why it’s important to prepare chicken carefully and keep hands clean when moving onto another food item. Table manners are also discussed in the class. Students receive gifts, such as aprons, too.

Sali’s goal is to offer kids’ courses once a month, which cost $35 per seat. The Sept. 26 class will feature a menu of mini pizzas, breadsticks and marinara, salad and dessert. Plans are still being worked out for future dates and themes. For more information, contact Sali at 509-961-9899, or visit the website at maisonfalaise.com.

Fresh Taste Meals also began offering cooking courses for kids this past summer.

“The classes are filling up like mad,” said Trish Koethke, who handles the administrative work for the company, located at 2204 Nob Hill Blvd.

Because of the popularity of these kids’ cooking classes, Fresh Taste Meals will continue offering them on a monthly basis.

During each one-hour class, students are exposed to the food pyramid and take a field trip to a grocery store, so they can identify fresh herbs and various ingredients to use for meal preparation. Other topics include sanitation and measuring.

“We also talk about different flavors from different regions,” said Koethke. “For instance, Italian foods have different spices.”

All classes are taught by Julie Boorman, the mother of Koethke and her sister Debbie Boorman, who oversees food and menu prep for the company. Each class is $25 per person, which includes the meal he or she gets to take home.

The Nov. 13 class will have a Thanksgiving theme, and students will learn how to get ready for a big dinner party with plenty of side dishes.

Future classes will have specific themes as well. A previous course focused on barista basics, with kids learning how to make various coffee drinks, and another upcoming class will be centered on cake decorating. Koethke said they do not require parents to stay for each class, but each child must be at least 9 years old.

For more information, contact Trish Koethke at 509-457-7798, or visit the company’s website at freshtastemeals.com.

Kids’ Cupcake Classes

Don’t forget about making dessert! Why not check out the Cake Decorator Shoppe, located at 5609 Summitview Ave., at the Chalet Place. While the business focuses on adult cake-decorating classes, it also holds kids’ cupcake classes. 

There is a five-person minimum for each class, so this might be a great option for birthday parties or other celebrations. A parent or adult is required to attend each class. Students will end up taking home six cupcakes or cookies by the end of the class, which costs $15 per student.

To reserve a spot or get more information, call 509-494-0975 or visit the website at cakedecoratorshoppe.com.

YV Tech Culinary Arts Program

While kids can get started in the kitchen early on, high school juniors and seniors have a golden opportunity to receive culinary training right here in town, thanks to the Yakima Valley Technical Skills Center. The culinary arts program services nearly every school district in the upper and lower valleys, and younger kids also have a chance to get a flavor of the program.

Ned Walsh, the program’s coordinator, said many middle school classes have taken field trips to the facility to learn about the training. He added it would be fun to offer more kids’ programs in the future, especially for younger grades.

Several high schools in Yakima offer food classes in school, said Walsh, but the YV Tech program is more commercially centered. He noted that the facility’s kitchen is one of the best in Central Washington.

To find out more about YV Tech, call 509-573-5500.

Other Food Connections

There are a variety of ways to get your family involved in the kitchen and around the dining table. In addition to various classes offered around town, some moms host Pampered Chef parties, and often these events can create bonds between parents and their children.

Aubrey Does, a local stay-at-home mom, has been a Pampered Chef consultant since March 2008, months after her first child was born. She said she has been able to continue staying at home with her son because of this position.

She also noted it’s a good way to meet with other mothers and have their children focused on a single activity. Does hosted one mother-daughter show in the past, and the girls got involved in making calzones while the moms browsed the catalogs.

“Parents definitely connect with the parties, and a lot of stay-at-home moms sell it to bring in some extra income,” Does said, but she added there are many other companies or avenues that offer similar benefits to mothers.