The Parents and Tots drop in program for little people, 2-5 years old, will continue over the summer. We meet from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm on Wednesday mornings at the Manson’s Hall to play and network. There is a $1.00 drop in fee. Although the bulk of children range in age from 2-4 years old, we welcome younger and older children. This action-packed two-hour block of time is beloved by both children and caregivers.

The morning begins with free play. The children love to climb, swing, and slide on the jungle gym equipment. The large foam blocks are transformed into homes, ferryboats, cars, or whatever else the children can create. Dressing up opens up whole new avenues into the imaginative play world. This is a time to meet friends and practice developing social skills like sharing toys and working together.

At the same time, there are art activities going on that the children come and go from. The children love to experiment with mixing paint to see what colors they can produce and cutting and gluing activities is always a fun challenge. Play dough is the all time favorite activity for children and caregivers.

At 11:30, we very often sit together and enjoy story time. During the last 15 minutes of the morning, the children help put things away and we bring out the balls. It is a wonderful time to practice throwing, catching, and bouncing skills.

As you can imagine, the Parents and Tots program is a rich environment where caregivers have opportunities to network and socialize and where children explore social relationships and refine gross and fine motor skills. The materials encourage imaginative play and it is delightful to watch the children work cooperatively on play projects. Caregivers enjoy chatting together over coffee and yummy cinnamon buns from the café while they interact with the children.

Caregivers and tots are welcome to drop in and stay for as long as they like. Please call Cesca Zamboni at 935-8575 for further information.