The Parenting Biz: Area Businesses And Towns Offer Online Activities To Turn Your Home Into A Fun House

THE PARENTING BIZ Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

Virtual Activities For Kids (and Former Kids) This Winter

FEATURE STORY By Matthew St. Amand

As if January was not enough to deal with on its own. Christmas has come and gone, we’re already breaking our New Year’s resolutions, and 2021 has brought with it the unwanted guest from 2020 — the COVID-19 pandemic.

Entering the new year under the “Grey Lockdown” level, the unwanted Zen lessons appear to be “patience” and “forbearance”.

The coronavirus has brought a collision between science, nature and “I want to speak to the manager” culture. We don’t control COVID-19. We only control ourselves.

That means a lot of indoor time, getting to know (again) our families and the exact square footage of our homes, as well as the limitations of interactive technology that has been touted for decades as some kind of saviour.

I can still remember seeing a “Teledon” computer for the first time at grade school in 1980. It was connected to the “Network”.

“Imagine doing all your shopping from home!” the resource teacher enthused. “You’d never have to leave the house!”

Yeah, imagine.

In order to help readers get through the “Panuary” lockdown, (however long) Biz X reached out to various local businesses doing their part to banish the doldrums, with virtual activities available online to help keep kids (and adults) active, engaged, and entertained.

Cathy’s Dance Studio Inc.

If there were ever a time people needed to dance, it is now. Cathy Lassaline, Studio Owner and Director of Cathy’s Dance Studio, offers virtual classes over Zoom.

“We’re all feeling very cooped up,” Lassaline expresses. “It is hard going out for that evening walk when it’s so cold outside. Committing to a class can be very motivating for people to get some much-needed exercise.”

Although “virtual” classes will never replace in-person dance instruction, she notes that during this second lockdown, people are more open to Zoom classes than they were back in the spring of last year.

“That was back when the weather was getting better,” she recalls. “People were opening the pool and it was nice being outside, again.”

People of all skill levels and experience are welcome to register for dance lessons.

“We’re a recreational, as well as competitive dance studio,” Lassaline states. “We have our long-time students, but we’re always ready to welcome new students.”

Cathy’s Dance Studio is certainly prepared for these uncertain times. On the home page of their website: CathysDanceStudio.net, there is a “COVID-19” tab. Click that and there is a link to dance class schedules during the Grey level. There is also a “Click here for crash course on Zoom” link on the page, where the seasoned Zoom users take you through the set-up steps.

“Right now, we’re keeping the class sizes to nine pupils per class,” Lassaline explains. “This is so we’re ready for the Red Control level.”

The benefits children derive from dancing are well documented: it provides exercise and develops agility; psycho–motor development, improving coordination, balance, and sense of rhythm; it’s fun; it fosters creativity and improves self-esteem.

It’s worth noting that tuition at Cathy’s Dance Studio has not been raised in the past year, and all fees are “per family”.

So, for families with more than one child, or if parents want to join in, the fee structure is straightforward and minimizes wallet cramp.

“We’ve have adult hip-hop and jazz dance,” Lassaline says. “It’s a great way to get moving, get some exercise. We all say we’re going to take that walk after dinner, but having a dance class on the calendar can be more motivating.”

Even though we’re all running into the limitations of our technology, there is a certain level of socializing that occurs during the classes. Not much, but every little bit helps.

Lassaline has been teaching dance for the past 35 years and her studio has been open for 15 years. It’s located in the plaza on the corner of Walker Road and Foster Avenue, at 2220B Foster Avenue.

Cathy Lassaline, Studio Owner and Director of Cathy’s Dance Studio, offers virtual classes over Zoom. Photo courtesy of Cathy’s Dance Studio. Student Brianna Lopez participates in a pointe group class with instructor Sandra Siddall (on computer screen) of Cathy’s Dance Studio. Photo courtesy of Anne Marie Lopez.

Tecumseh Music Centre

If “Music has charms to sooth a savage breast”, according to an old poem, (William Congreve, in “The Mourning Bride”, 1697) then surely it can take the edge off the savage boredom of Lockdown 2021?

“We offer virtual lessons on a variety of

instruments,” says Joel Mayville, Owner and Operator of Tecumseh Music Centre. “Our instructors provide instruction on guitar, piano, vocal, drums, bass guitar, and ukulele . . . to advanced musicians and beginners, alike.”

Lessons occur Monday through Saturday for $88 per month, billed monthly. A family rate of $83 per month is available for two or more members of the same immediate family to sign up. The only pieces of equipment required are musical instruments and a computer capable of running Skype or Facetime.

“We got our method down during the first lockdown,” Mayville explains. “It took about a week to get things working online. Once we know the student’s platform — Windows or Apple — that is forwarded to the teacher who connects with the student.”

Learning a musical instrument fosters commitment and demonstrates to kids the rewards of sticking to a project — playing that first song. Even for adults, playing music is beneficial for the brain and well known for stress relief. (Except for guitar students learning bar chords — sorry, they’re a killer for everybody!).

“We also have curbside pickup for everything we sell,” Mayville continues. “So, if a family is just getting started with music lessons, we can make sure they get the instruments they need.”

Even pianos — though, they are on back order. Pianos have been a popular pandemic item.

Tecumseh Music has been cultivating students’ love of music since 2005.

“I cannot believe it’s been 16 years,” Mayville remarks. “The time has flown by.”

The Tecumseh Music Centre is located at 13126 Tecumseh Road East. For more information about lessons or purchasing an instrument, visit: TecumsehMusic.com.

Aspiring to become a great guitarist like Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, nine year old Dylan Jones receives a private online lesson from Mark Trimble of Tecumseh Music Centre. Trimble is also an excellent guitar player who has over a decade of teaching experience. Photo by Della Jones-Goulet.

Film Camp For Kids & Youth

If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it’s how much we rely on our artists to get us through the day. Particularly, those artists in film and television. A new crop of filmmakers and show runners are being trained in Windsor each year.

It’s happening at Film Camp for Kids & Youth, which was started in 2013 by Amanda Gellman, President and CEO of MANAN Strategy Consultants.

There's never been a better time to sign up.

“We received a grant from the Canadian Red Cross to offer free online programming for children, teens and seniors,” Gellman mentions. “Classes cover various aspects of filmmaking — such as sound, make-up, lighting, editing — as well as art and photography. Our instructors can offer individual or group instruction in painting, drawing, arts/crafts, and understanding social media. We are also working with a few nonprofits to offer online art to youth with special needs.”

When the summer film camp for kids went online, Gellman and the instructors had mixed feelings about how successful virtual filmmaking instruction would be.

“We were surprised how well the summer camps went,” she says. “The films all came out great. The students were ecstatic to see them.”

The Film Camp for Kids & Youth classes are all interactive, live, and small-group.

“We only allow four to six youth per class,” Gellman continues, “though we do have a few classes with 10 students.”

Classes occur online after school and on weekends. The website has numerous free “on demand” instructional videos at no charge, where students choose topics and learn on

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their own. The videos were created in-house by Film Camp instructors, so the content is safe for young viewers.

Equipment required for the classes is minimal. All that's required is a computer capable of running conferencing software, such as Zoom — Film Camp for Kids & Youth owns the Zoom licences — and something to shoot a video with. Most kids use a cell phone or tablet.

“For the craft classes, we provide the supplies,” Gellman notes.

Jay Newman, an Art Instructor and Filmmaking Assistant Instructor for the Film Camp for Kids & Youth, holds up coloured craft paper as he explains to the students, watching online, the contents of the kits that they each receive. It is interesting to note that Newman is also a former camp participant! Photo courtesy of Film Camp for Kids.

There are plans for a week-long film camp during March Break, four hours per day, for a small fee. It will be entirely online, this year.

“Each student takes a piece of the script and films that,” she explains. “Then, they submit their work online and the students go over it with camp instructors.”

For parents interested in signing their kids up, go to: FilmCampForKids.com.

There are numerous student films on the website, and videos explaining the various programs offered.

Code Ninjas

One way adults have made it through the pandemic is by taking on “pandemic projects” — reading that 1,000 page novel that has mocked us from the bookshelf, or learning macramé, a new language, or bluegrass fiddling.

Dawn Daignault, Code Ninja’s Centre Director in Windsor, explains to Biz X how coding could be the perfect pandemic project for kids.

“Coding is the literacy of the future,” Daignault states. “It’s everywhere around us. It’s what turns the street lights on at night, what makes online shopping possible and makes our Smartphones work. Almost every part of our daily lives is touched by it.”

For the lockdown, Code Ninjas came up with many virtual ways to engage homebound children in a fun and productive manner through programs such as At-Home Coding.

Here’s how their process works. Students progress through the Code Ninjas program much the same way as students in traditional karate classes do: through a series of coloured belts.

White belt is where it all begins.

“In white belt, students start with JavaScript,” Daignault explains. “In our Remote Create Program, students learn the coding languages by using them to build games. With JavaScript, they’re building Pong or Hide-and-Seek. At the same time, students are learning about code logic, mapping, loops, basic typing practices.”

Building games is the perfect springboard because the kids see when their code is working and learn how to fix it when it’s not.

“On average, students progress from white to yellow belt in about two months,” Daignault continues. “There is no pressure to do so, however. Everyone learns at their own pace.”

The maximum class size online is four students to one instructor, though in many cases, students receive one-on-one instruction.

The highest belt achieved so far at the Windsor location (which opened in 2019) is blue belt.

“Blue belt is where students learn Lua,” Daignault says, “which is the coding language used in the game Roblox.”

When students achieve their black belt, their project is to create an app for Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

Code Ninjas was started in Texas in 2017. Two years later, the first location in Canada was opened — in Windsor, Ontario.

There are many benefits of learning coding for children: it may future-proof career prospects; promote logical thinking; help creativity and help develop persistence and resilience; improve communication skills; help with problem-solving and improve math skills.

Code Ninjas is located at 1950 Lauzon Road Unit #130 in Windsor. Parents interested in learning more can check out: CodeNinjas.com/Windsor-On-Ca.

Nine year old Alyvvea Beemer is mastering Code Ninjas’ Path of Enlightenment, from the comfort of her own home. With synchronous guidance from her wise Senseis, Ninja Aly is led virtually to her yellow belt through the Remote Create Program. Photo courtesy of Alana Rourke-Beemer.

The most interesting stories to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic are those about people turning the vast disruption of our lives into “negatunities” — finding the “good” within the “bad’.

One such organization doing this is the Ska:na Family Learning Centre (SFLC). Strange as it might sound, Faith Hale, Executive Director of SFLC, believes, in some ways, COVID is a gift.

“It has shown us where we had gaps in our services, and we’re now working to fill those,” she points out.

When the first lockdown occurred in March 2020, some staff at SFLC were reluctant about going virtual.

“We just kept moving forward,” Hale says. “We continued our programming around language, teaching cultural competency, the lands we exist in, the Four Directions — mental, physical, emotional and spiritual — and striving for a holistic understanding of our world.”

Through their Facebook page, families from around the United States and different parts of Canada have accessed SFLC programming.

“The popularity caused us to rethink the issue of screen-time and brain development,” Hale explains. “The children aren’t sitting idly in front of the screen. We are acting as facilitators and the children’s caregivers have become the teachers. The screen was just the medium. It connects us.”

SFLC’s online programming — such as teaching First Nations and Metis culture and language, the Seven Grandfather Teachings, as well as lessons in kindness and respect — is accessed via the Zoom video conferencing platform, and is something they will continue to offer after the pandemic is over.

In addition, since crafts are always a favourite among the little ones, Ska:na continues to employ this educational method online.

“If we teach around the drum and shakers,” Hale says, “we have parents and their children build them with whatever they find in the home. Shakers are like a baby rattle. Traditional materials are hide and corn. We believe it’s the sound of Creation.”

SFLC lives up to its name as a “Family” Learning Centre, not only teaching children, but offering support to adult caregivers.

“For caregivers, we have Parent Talk,” Hale continues. “This brings people together to have discussions about their well-being. It’s based on our indigenous, holistic approach. We encourage families to have moon ceremonies in their backyards, to have a Family Sharing Circle. There is peacefulness in this — something we need in these stressful times. This has always been our way.”

Indeed, the word “Ska:na” means “Peace” in the Oneida language.

Faith Hale, Executive Director of Ska:na Family Learning Centre, takes notes while attending an online Zoom meeting at home, due to Covid-19 restrictions. The ED promotes and leads by example to “Stay Home, Stay Safe and Be Well”. Hale and the centre’s Admin. management team all facilitate, host and attend virtual meetings with the many partners they have in Windsor Essex, Chatham Kent and Sarnia-Lambton counties, where their child care centres and EarlyON programs are located. Photo courtesy of Ska:na.

SFLC also offers indigenous led workshops for Early Childhood Educators.

“Anyone can access our materials,” Hale indicates, “and learn about our ways of being and knowing. We try to cover every aspect of early learning and care, so educators can keep up their development, and have this in their portfolio.”

Ska:na FLC Windsor is located at 1684 Ellrose Avenue; the Northway Child

Care Centre at 1699 Northway Avenue: and 1648 Francois Street for the David Maxwell Public School site. Their virtual programming is a service provided through the Indigenous EarlyON program. To learn more about all the great working being done at SFLC, log on to: SkanaFLC.com.

Evoli Movement Virtual Yoga Studio

If the COVID-19 pandemic has forced upon us the Zen lessons of “patience” and “forbearance”, then maybe it’s best to fight fire with fire — with yoga.

“I offer private yoga courses for individuals and groups,” says Jayne Cichon, Owner and Operator of evoli Movement virtual yoga studio. “This would include kids, families, businesses and more . . . I offer movement classes, yoga, meditation and breathing courses.”

The benefits of yoga have been known for 5,000 years. That’s an impressive track record!

According to WebMD: “Yoga does more than burn calories and tone muscles. It’s a total mind-body workout that combines strengthening and stretching poses with deep breathing and meditation or relaxation. There are more than 100 different forms of yoga. Some are fast-paced and intense. Others are gentle and relaxing . . .”

Cichon has been teaching yoga for nine years and currently conducts classes via Zoom.

Her website, EvoliMovement.com, is being redesigned and will soon have a video library and introduction to yoga courses.

“My focus right now is stress, trauma, emotional and mental issues,” Cichon notes, “but, I also have basic classes that will satisfy the general public.”

She works according to clients’ schedules and no special equipment is needed beyond a yoga mat. Fees are hourly and depend on the size of group or class requested.

Jayne Cichon of evoli Movement gears her Yoga classes for adults and kids who are experiencing stress and or trauma symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and PTSD. She is available for private and group classes for both children and adults with a trauma sensitive lens that will help teach the participants grounding, centring and selfregulation resources. The courses include movement (yoga), breathing and mediation. Photo courtesy of LeeAnn Buschman Photography.

Virtual Field Trips, Birthday Parties, Programs, And Recreational Activities

The Town of LaSalle has the community covered with a plethora of virtual activities on its website: LaSalle.ca (see “Things To Do”, “Vollmer Complex” and then “Virtual Recreation Complex”).

There is something for everyone — a litany of links to workout videos, including “Home Run Baseball Workout”, “Slam Dunk Basketball Workout”, “Football Hustle Workout” and “Yoga Bingo”. There is also a link to the “Homer Watson House & Gallery” that offers an extensive gallery of printable colouring pages.

“We developed this site back in the early stages of the pandemic as a way to offer people the opportunity to continue to participate in and benefit from recreation and leisure activities,” says Patti Funaro, Director of Culture and Recreation, Town of LaSalle. “The activities were chosen by our programming staff based on the interests of the community in our regular in person programming. We continue to add links on a regular basis.”

There is a link to “Young People’s Theatre”, a number of virtual field trips, which include a visit the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, exploring the Canadian Arctic, a farm tour, viewing online exhibitions at the Canadian Museum of History and dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

Last, but not least, there is a link to Nomster Chef and its library of recipes, which offers an interesting and nutritious way for parents and kids to spend time together.

Moving now to the county, the Town of Essex has set up a page on its website, Essex.ca

under the “Play at Home” box where you can learn about their online activities. Here, visitors can keep fit by exercising along with a video titled “Dryland 5 minute Fitness”.

There is also a host of activities for kids and adults listed in the “Join Us — Virtual Programs” section.

Registration fees vary depending on the activity. These include: Youth Paint Night; You Can Sew It; Little Scientists; Pokémon Draft; Magic the Gathering Draft; Private Piano or Guitar Lessons; Adult Sip & Paint.

There is even an extensive archive of videos that range from exercise and virtual piano lessons to playing the ukulele and learning about First Aid.

As well, the Town of Essex recently launched a new line-up of virtual birthday party packages to help local families celebrate these special events from the safety of their own homes.

The 90 minute parties are hosted via Zoom. Each party package includes: hands-on activities with materials for all participants, a cookie decorating kit, as well as a special surprise for the birthday child. Town of Essex staff will host the party and provide directions to participants.

Kids can take their pick of activities, with six themes to choose from: gaming, spa day, scientists, creative canvases, escape room, and princesses.

The virtual party packages cost $125 for up to eight participants. Additional party kits can also be purchased for $10 each, up to a maximum of 15 participants. Curbside pickup of party materials is required.

For a full list of virtual birthday party options, visit: Essex.ca/en/play/birthdayparties.aspx.

The Town of Amherstburg has made: Amherstburg.ca, the website to log onto this pandemic winter. Its “Amherstburg Virtual Recreation (AVR)” page (under the “Live and Play” section) has everything a person would need to answer the question: “What will I do today?”

The areas of interest are divided into various categories: Activities; Art & Music; Fitness; Sports; Articles & Additional Resources; Exploring & Virtual Tours and Webinars.

The virtual tours are especially interesting.

Budding artists can draw inspiration from the virtual tour of the Detroit Institute of Art. And for any hardcore person who makes it through all those links, there is an archive filled with even more links to interesting ports of call around the Internet. Examples include: a video where artist Julia Conlon gives a 19 minute tutorial on portraits; how to build LEGO balloon cars and a 1:42 video showing how to maximize your high intensity interval training.

Wrapping up this section on local websites, the City of Windsor offers “Virtual EarlyON” via: CityWindsor.ca. Registration is free and there are things to do for every age group.

Conducted over the Zoom video conferencing tool, each day of the week, there are activities for babies, toddlers, and kids up to the age of six. Bilingual videos are also offered.

For people looking to get active, there's a large archive of yoga and other videos as well. A few examples include: an Ojibway Walk; Fall Yoga for Kids; Picnic Yoga; Outdoor Yoga for Kids and an EarlyON Outdoor Obstacle Course.

One Big Happy, Stay At Home Family

The message is clear: we are all in this together. We are going through this COVID-19 pandemic collectively, but experiencing it individually.

The online programming available is vast and varied, created by gifted, communityspirited people. It is also a constant reminder that there is no substitute for in-person, face-toface interaction with other human beings.

Until the time when it is safe to see others, everyone must continue to do their part in preventing the spread of the coronavirus by staying at home as much as possible.

Though February 15 marks “Family Day,” this past year it seems for many that each day is a family day. . . so be sure to treasure these special moments before life gets hectic again.