Mind Over Matter
Veteran elementary school teacher Eliko Ozeki began incorporating mindfulness tools into her classroom about a decade ago. She observed that expectations for children were rising, and that the world around them was moving faster than ever. Ozeki wanted to implement activities that would allow students opportunities to slow down and get in touch with their […]
12 L.A. Enrichment Programs for Kids
However your children began school this year, you’ve been doing all you can to help them participate and stay engaged with their learning. These times aren’t easy for anyone, and children have been impacted by the separation from their teachers and friends, their only window to the classroom a screen. Fortunately, L.A. is filled with […]
Getting ‘Centered’ at L.A.’s Nature Centers
It has been one of those weeks of endless traffic, of arguing over screen time, of too much social media and disheartening news reports. So, on a crisp, clear Sunday, I head to Eaton Canyon Nature Center in Pasadena. It is a rare morning when I am alone, so I decide to scope out this […]
Family Fitness: Making the First Move
Phil and Michelle Dozois of South Pasadena have been in the fitness game for decades. Michelle got hooked with her first gymnastics and dance classes at age 5, and went on to win gold medals in the National and World Aerobic Championships and create top-selling fitness DVDs. Her husband, Phil, has been a personal trainer for 25 years, and together he and […]
New L.A. Moms Share Their Joys and Challenges
Around 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 20, Sara Hulan-Crestani was in bed and about to fall asleep, having just come in from an evening visiting friends. Her husband, John Crestani, had also gotten home not long before. Sara was pregnant and due in two weeks, so she and John were enjoying their last days before the […]
Party Time Together: Tips for Planning a Joint Birthday Party
The joys of summer are here. More sun, more free time and – for reasons all too familiar – more birthday parties. More and more, parents are sharing the load of party planning and saving some days of partygoing by arranging joint birthday parties. The practice is familiar to those of us with twins, but […]
Nontraditional Sports That Think Outside the Ball
Jennifer Jones first introduced her daughters to parkour on the streets of New York. “We traveled to New York in 2014, when my daughters were 7 and 8 and my stepdaughter was 15. I was concerned about the younger ones wanting to be carried as we walked 20 blocks at a time,” says Jones, owner […]