Cape Cod Kidz

Here’s hoping everyone is having a great week as the weekend approaches! The new year has been feeling like a whirlwind of activity for my family and me and it’s felt like there’s been no opportunity to just sit back and take it all in…there’s been little opportunity for fun and goal setting and all those new years’ planning we manage to do to start it off right...

So, I am pushing back to my Asian roots and have decided that this year, I am going to celebrate the lunar new year and start my new year off on Monday January 23, 2012. I am going to indulge in a little treat on Sunday night (think: take-out Chinese) and understand that things will reset for me on Monday. I plan to get the new started on the right foot. If any of you are feeling kind of the way I feel about the start to the new year, I’ll make you all honorary Asians, too! We can start fresh together!

The Cape Cod Kidz What to do on the Weekend Guide by Christine Chapman

The forecast is calling for some snow but I think it will be minimal. I’m kind of hoping for a whopping storm so that the kids can have a bit of a snowday experience and so I can get out with the kids in our snow shoes—even if it’s just in our back yard.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Enjoy it! There’s much to be grateful for! And Happy Lunar New Year!

For Friday January 20, 2012:

• HYCC Stroller Skating is on again from 9:30AM - 10:30AM at the Hyannis Youth & Community Center in Hyannis. It's a big hit with families in rinks around the country and HYCC is bringing it here to Cape Cod! All levels of skating ability are welcome! Kid-Friendly Music will be lowered to a volume level that is acceptable for babies' ears! This is a great way for new moms and caregivers to get a workout that offers aerobic strength training and fun interaction with their babies, older children and other moms!!

• If you have a toddler and you’re anywhere near Wellfleet, Toddler Town is a treat for the little ones from 10:30AM - 1:00PM at Wellfleet Public Library. The indoor gym opens up at 11am so the kids can run off that extra energy!

• Yogakids with Miss Cynthia 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM This is a drop-in program and there is no extra charge to enjoy The Cape Cod Children's Museum and get some much needed exercise while there!

On Saturday January 21, 2012:

• A Book Walk will be held from 9:30AM - 11:00AM at the Jonathan Bourne Public Library in Bourne. Sponsored by the Bourne PTA, it's the perfect way to combine physical activity with literacy. Begin in the children’s room and walk through the library to enjoy the special path of pages of a children’s book. After reading, end the indoor Book Walk with a project to treat our winter bird friends.  For children preschool to grade 2. This program is funded by the Bourne Early Childhood Council through a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education.

• Live Animal Story Time is from 10:30AM - 11:00AM at Green Briar Nature Center in East Sandwich! Drop by and join a naturalist for a lively story of "Peter Rabbit" and friends and a visit with one of the animals featured in the day's story. Suitable for families with children ages 3 and up.

• Nature Tales 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in South Welfleet. I always get really excited when I see that there’s programming from Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. The description reads: "Cozy up in our nature center for a special story and then color a picture to take home. We'll learn about the wildlife that thrives here on Cape Cod and throughout the world. Best for families with children ages 8 and younger." Maybe this weekend, I'll finally venture out with my little ones to enjoy this activity.

• For all you ice-skaters out there! Hyannis Youth and Community Center has Public Skate again from 7:00PM to 9:00PM.

• Celebrate Chinese New Year from 1:00pm-3:00pm at The Cape Cod Children’s Museum! Gung hay fat choy! Good fortune and happiness! Let's celebrate the year of the Black Water Dragon! 1:00pm-3:00pm: Join us at the Museum in the celebration of the
  year of the dragon. Listen to a Chinese folktale and create a lucky red envelope or beautiful paper lantern. 1:00pm-3:00pm: Recycled Snowflake Workshop. Make a sparkly
  snowflake from recycled materials, with Miss Lori L.

• Paws on Ice sounds like great fun from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM at The Charles Moore Arena in Orleans. Lace up your skates for a great cause! The Animal Rescue League's annual public skating event is a favorite among kids and adults on the Lower Cape. Enjoy an evening of skating with special guests Sylvester and Big Red, raffle prizes, and more. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for children under 12, and includes skate rentals. Children under 5 are free. All proceeds benefit the Animal Rescue League of Boston's Cape Cod shelter in Brewster.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Christine Chapman is the mother of two children: Celia is 5-years-old and Henry is one. She is a type 2 diabetic determined to become a healthy role model to her children. Christine was born and raised in Montreal, and has resided in Seoul, South Korea, Vancouver, Canada and in Boston, MA. She is an alumna of the Sacred Heart School of Montreal, Skidmore College and is in pursuit of her master's degree at Harvard University.   She enjoys reading, writing, walking, regular gym visits, pilates, and is grateful for the opportunity to work out of her home--she runs her own business, Chapman Educational Services, from her South Plymouth home--so that she can be active in the lives of her young children while pursuing a career positively impacting schools, students and families for which she feels great passion and gratitude.