Couponing In Athens

Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

If you are looking for something to do with or without the kids, Chick-fil-A is now offering Backstage Tours at the Atlanta Hwy location.  Reserve your spot today and receive full details about your free Tour Experience by emailing chickfila3637@gmail.com.  I just reserved a spot for me and my friend (and our combined 8 kids!) for next week.

Registration going on now!  Register for Start Smart Golf, Start Smart Developmental Program, Summer Day Camp  & Teen Extreme – The R.E.C. Passport to Fun*, Summer Sports Camps including: All Sports Camps, Baseball Camps, Basketball Camps, Cheerleading Camp, Football Camp, Golf Camp, Mountain Bike Camp, Soccer Camps, Softball Camp, Strength, Speed and Agility Camp, and Volleyball Camp. NEW! Select Football League, NEW! Oconee Soccer Alliance and Tennis.

 *Register for Summer Day Camp must be done in person at Herman C. Michael Park.

 Register online at www.ocprd.com or visit Oconee Veterans Park.   For more information visit the website or call 706-769-3965.

 Spring Special Events:

May Day Madness Disc Golf Tournament V – May 5

Movie in the Park – May 12

Oconee July 4^th Spectacular – July 4^th

The Athens Area Humane Society is proud to present its first
multi-shelter pet adoption event: A Royal Pet-fair on Sunday, April 1,
2012 from 11:00am to 4:00pm at Jittery Joe’s on Atlanta Highway
(2950 Atlanta Hwy., Athens, GA 30606) sponsored by Pet Supplies Plus.
There will be both dogs and cats available for adoption, and there
will also be The Jester’s Court fun activity area with games and
sponsored booths to help AAHS celebrate its 23rd Anniversary of
Incorporation.

The goal for A Royal Pet-fair is to gain exposure for the adoptable
animals in our area and adopt at least 35 pets to new homes. The
Athens Area Humane Society invited several local animal welfare
organizations to participate in the event—Athens-Clarke County
Animal Control, Circle of Friends, Oconee County Animal Control, and
Oconee Regional Humane Society will be in attendance with adoptable
pets in addition to the Athens Area Humane Society. As local animal
welfare organizations, our mission to lower euthanasia rates and to
adopt homeless animals to new, loving homes has brought us together
for a common cause as partners for this event.

In addition to the main goal of adopting as many dogs and cats as we
can during the event, A Royal Pet-fair will be a time for AAHS to
celebrate its 23rd Anniversary of Incorporation, so we will have an
area called The Jester’s Court with food and refreshments sponsored
by Your Pie, yogurt sponsored by Menchie’s, face-painting and
airbrush tattoos sponsored by Next Level Airbrush, a cat and dog
painting station sponsored by ARTini’s Lounge, a cake walk sponsored
by UGA student group PAWS, hula hooping sponsored by UGA student group
World Hoop Day, a mask-making station, carnival-style games, and more
where kids (and adults) can have some fun and help AAHS celebrate! A
portion of the proceeds from these sponsored activities will benefit
AAHS.

For more information about the A Royal Pet-fair pet adoption event and
celebration, please visit www.AthensHumaneSociety.org or call
1-888-348-4448.

Below is an article written by reader Kaitlin Bevis.  She writes for the Toddler Town Column in the Athens Parent magazine.  

As a childcare provider specializing in infant care, I frequently interview new parents. At some point in the interview, they confide they don’t know anyone else with kids and have no idea how to keep their child busy. I remember that feeling. In Atlanta I knew other moms, and every infant friendly activity, but then I moved to Athens. I was lost until I discovered the Athens Mommies Group. Now I’m their infant organizer.

So what is there to do in Athens for infants and toddlers?

Story Time: Infant story time is offered at most Athens Library branches. My daughter has been attending since she was three months old and loves catching the bubbles, singing songs, and playing with toys. They also offer toddler story time, puppet shows, baby music time, and

The Learning Express and Barns and Noble offer a story time every Monday and Wednesday respectively. Learning Express is an incredible store, but it gets crowded and is difficult to navigate in a stroller. The merchandise is also tantalizingly close to little hands.

Barns and Noble has a big children’s section, with a train set, toys, and board books to keep those little hands busy. They also offer a Saturday storytime.The children listen to three stories, color, and eat a snack. The six month old I watch loves listening to the story and tearing up paper at coloring time. My daughter loves running around on the stage after story time and pictures. This one’s a win for everyone.

Go to the park: Our favorite is Memorial Park. We picnic by the lake and feed the ducks, play on the playground, and explore Bear Hollow. I plan my visits close to nap time, so when the kids get tuckered out I can put them in the stroller and walk around the lake. We go to the World Of Wonder playground because they have a playground for toddlers. Barrett Shoals Park is fun for any water-loving toddler, though their playground makes me nervous for any but the steadiest walkers. Sandy Creek Park offers a beach but charges admission. Bishop Park has a variety of toddler sized equipment intermixed with their regular equipment and is the best place for a picnic. At Memorial Park my daughter wanders off chasing puppies, but at Bishop Park I can close the gate to one of the sports fields, bring a ball or a kite, and let the kids run wild. The parks also offer events for children of all ages. Outdoor parties, babies and beasties story time, tours of the zoo, and much more are available.

Take a class: St. Mary’s Hospital offers a Bundles of Joy class, which supports breast-feeding mothers, and a Toddle Time class. Both Athens Regional Mind and Body Clinic and Full Bloom offer mommy-baby yoga. Athens Regional only offers classes until your child can crawl, but Full Bloom takes them all the way up and out of toddlerhood. Full Bloom also offers pregnancy classes, a new mothers class, baby wearing, and cloth diapering classes. The Natural Baby offers cloth diapering classes and a baby sign class.

The YMCA offers toddler swimming lessons, and Kindermusik classes. Dancefx studio offers a mommy and me ballet class for children 18 months old and up.

The Georgia Elite Gymnastics Center accepts children from eighteen months to three years. I was nervous about such a large age gap, but the class was structured in such a way it wasn’t a problem. The gym is crowded on Saturdays, so I recommend their weekday classes.

The Oconee Gymnastics Center accepts infants who can crawl and up. The class is much smaller than Georgia Elites, but the registration fee made it a bit pricier. Athens Clarke County Gymnastics class offers separate classes for infants less than eighteen months old called diaper gym, a class for older toddlers, and another class for threes and up. They offer the lowest price, but if you don’t want to commit to a full season, check out their fantastic Friday events for ages ten months and up. The kids are led through a fun obstacle course in the Bishop Park Gym.

Canopy Studio’s offers a parent child trapeze workshop every Sunday morning for children a year and up. My daughter loves pushing the swings around and running on their padded mats, and the two year old I watch has a great time swinging.

Have Some Fun: If you’re not looking for a structured class, 1-2-3 Jump, and Pump it Up, has toddler friendly spaces, if you can get there when they aren’t crowded. Good Dirt has a family day so you can all play in the mud. My daughter had a blast picking berries and pumpkins at Washington Farms. If you’re willing to travel, Babyland General Hospital offers free admission to see where the cabbage patch babies are “born.”

Join a mom’s group: The Athens Mothers Center meets once a week; the Athens Mommies Group has play dates, meet ups, moms’ night out, and more. There’s even a moms group for Jackson County and Barrow County. Not only will you find lots of child friendly events, but you’ll also meet more moms. Not only do I keep my eighteen month old busy seven days a week, but most of the activities are appropriate for the infant and the two year old I babysit. There is a hidden wealth of infant and toddler activities in Athens, Georgia.

Where can I find the dates and times of these events?

Athens Clarke County Gymnastics: http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/index.aspx?NID=596

Athens Leisure Services: http://ga-athensclarkecounty.civicplus.com/index.aspx?NID=535

Athens Libraries: http://www.clarke.public.lib.ga.us/, select events and classes, and select your library.

Or stop by your library and look at your Childrens brochure.

Athen’s Mommies Group: http://www.meetup.com/Athens-Mommies/

Athens Mother’s Center: http://athensga.motherscenter.org

Athens Regional Medical Center: https://web1.armc.org/body.cfm?id=221

Full Bloom: http://fullbloomparent.com/resources.php

Jackson County Mom’s: http://www.meetup.com/jackson-county-moms/

Kindermusik: http://www.athensymca.org/special-programs

Natural Baby: http://www.thenaturalbaby.com Select view events

Mom’s In Barrow County, Ga: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=116398065063726

St. Mary’s Hospital: http://www.stmarysathens.com/programs/ Search support groups for the bundles of joy and toddle time programs.

YMCA Swimming Lessons: http://www.athensymca.org/youth-aquatics

For all other businesses I recommend calling because they’re online calendar often include classes that have been cancelled due to lack of interest.

Canopy Studios:
160 Tracy Street
(706) 549-8501

Dance FX:
1260 South Milledge Avenue
706-355-3078

Georgia Elite Gymnastics Center:
Georgia Elite Gymnastics - Place page
1235 Cedar Shoals Drive
(706) 549-0160

Oconee Gymnastics Center:
1071 Jamestown Blvd. Suite E1, Watkinsville
(706) 769-1239

Are you a local business that offers infant and toddler friendly activities to Athens Locals? Contact us and tell us all about it!

Adults who grew up camping remember the fun of making s’mores by the campfire and sleeping under the stars. But for those who have never camped before, spending the night outdoors can be an unfamiliar adventure. Georgia’s State Parks have a new program where first-time campers can try out borrowed gear and enjoy a helping hand.

“We realized that some people like the idea of camping, but they’re a little intimidated and don’t know if they can do it,” said the program’s coordinator, CindyReittinger. “When they discover that it’s easier than they think to pitch a tent, or when they experience the thrill of hearing their first owl, they’ll realize how much fun camping can be.”

The First-Time Camper Program is a bargain weekend getaway. For just $45, park guests spend two nights in a modern campground, trying out gear from REI — including a six-mantent, sleeping pads, chairs, camp stove and more. Park staff will greet campers upon arrival, help them set up their tent and make a campfire, and even give a Camping 101 lesson. At the end of their two nights away fromhome, campers return the gear to the park office, but they go home with coupons for their next adventure and memories to last forever.

Author Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods shined a light on America’s growing disconnect with nature – coining it “Nature Deficit Disorder.” Park officials hope that projects such as First-Time Camper will give families an incentive to explore and appreciate the natural world around them.

“Part of the fun of sleeping in a tent is guessing about the noises you hear at night,” said Reittinger. “What might sound scary at first could be an armadillo scurrying through leaves or a raccoon climbing a tree. People often get a big laugh when they peek outside and see what it is, and kids love the excitement.”

Six of Georgia’s State Parks offer the pilot program: A.H. Stephens State Park in Crawfordville, Fort Yargo State Park in Winder, James H. Floyd State Park near Rome, Reed Bingham State Park in Adel, Skidaway Island State Park in Savannah and Victoria Bryant State Park near Lavonia. Parks were chosen for their variety of outdoor recreation, proximity to larger cities and camp-loving staff.

Groups of up to 20 people can also try the First-Time Camper program at two northern Georgia state parks, Fort Mountain and Victoria Bryant. Multiple families or groups of friends can camp for one night, with all the benefits of the regular program, plus even more help from park rangers. Rates vary by the size of the group. Dates for the group campouts are April 21 and August 18 at Fort Mountain State Park, and June 9 at Victoria Bryant State Park.

Anyone who has never camped in a Georgia State Park may participate. While dogs are normally welcome in campgrounds, they are not allowed in the program since camping gear is shared among participants. Once settled in, park guests can enjoy hiking, biking, fishing, boating, geocaching, mini-golf, animal programs and many other activities. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the individual parks or the program coordinator, Cindy Reittinger, at 404-657-0029. Park telephone numbers are posted on www.GeorgiaStateParks.org/FirstTimeCamper.

If you’re looking for something to do this Sunday, Zoo Atlanta is having their Sunday Funday sponsored by Walmart.  Admission is only $5 a person!  Click here for more details and to purchase tickets in advance.

The Chickfila on Atlanta Highway is having a Biggest Loser Contest!  There are a lot of benefits, prizes, and incentives to take part in this contest, including a FREE 60 day gym membership!  Head on over this weekend and signup!  Here’s the rundown:

•60 Day Contest
•Free Registration & Participation
•Winner is based on “largest percentage” of weight loss at end of 8 weeks
•Weigh In’s at Chickfila Atlanta Hwy Location Every Monday from 6-8pm
•Participants have “Free Access” to Bodyplex & OmniClub during the 60 day contest period
•Participants have “Free Access” to Clubs Boot Camps during the 60 day contest period
•Participants must check in twice per week at gym of choice to record a workout (we want to ensure healthy weight loss)
•We recommend participants consult with their physician prior to joining the weight loss challenge
•Grand Registration is February 6th (Monday) from noon til 6pm here at Chickfila Atlanta Hwy
•Contest dates February 6th– April 3rd, 2012
•Winner Announced Saturday April 9th at 6:30 pm Chickfila Atlanta Hwy
•Grand Prizes will include: 1 year Membership to Bodyplex, $200 gift pack from Chickfila & More!
•Taking the first “100” participant registrants

So what are you waiting for?  Head on over to Chickfila Atlanta Hwy and sign up today!