Schedule time to sing and move together with your child by enrolling in one of these “Mommy and Me” (and Daddy and me) classes. Several companies offer evening and weekend classes, as well as free demos. Often, families continue the fun outside of class by forming their own playgroups.

Capital City Music Together
PO Box 6083
Folsom, CA 95763
(916) 990-3222
Hours: Weekday mornings in Sacramento, Rocklin, Roseville and Folsom. Saturday morning classes are offered only in Roseville. Check the website for times.
Price: First child – $155; second child – $95; third child – $70.

http://www.capitalcitymusictogether.com/
This “mommy and me” class is designed to appeal to both adults and children, from newborns through
5-year-olds. According to Music Together, music exposure during early childhood is crucial for future musicians. Sessions span 10 weeks. Tuition includes a songbook (with music score and lyrics) and two CDs, one for home and one for the car. Classes feature traditional and ethnic tunes as well as children’s
songs and hand-plays. Children use instruments and other props, such as scarves.

CBS Sacramento Insider Tip: Infants eight months old and younger are free with a paying sibling.

The Little Gym of Placer County
6015 Fairway Drive
Rocklin, CA 95677
(916) 625-0185
Hours: Weekday and weekend mornings. Some classes weekday evenings.
Price: Annual membership fee – $40; call for class prices

http://www.thelittlegym.com/PlacerCountyCA/
The Little Gym boasts 300 locations across the nation and has been in operation for 35 years. The gym offers parent/child classes for ages 4 months to 3 years, as well as gymnastics for children ages 3 to 12, dance classes, and karate classes. “Sports skills development” exposes the 3 and older set to the basics of a variety of team sports. The annual membership fee is mandatory with class registration and allows discounts on camps and parents’ night outs. Members receive points for referrals that they may redeem for activities such as parents’ night outs.

Kindermusik
Music and My Child
1007 22nd Street
Sacramento, CA 95816
(916) 554-7658
Hours: Mornings, Mon through Sat. Some evening classes.
Price: $150 – 8-week session; $300 – 16-week session; seasonal classes – $15 per class for first child, $12 for second child

http://musicandmychild.com
Kindermusik has offered music classes to children worldwide for more than 30 years. Music and My Child of Sacramento offers Kindermusik classes for newborns through children age 7. Eight-week and sixteen-week sessions are available. Classes sometimes are offered on a pay-per-class basis. Check the website for availability.

Gymboree Play and Music
6150 BirdCage Centre Lane, Suite 170
Citrus Heights, CA 95610
(916) 723-2067
Hours: Weekdays and weekends; mornings and afternoons
Price: $65 per month per child, for most classes

http://www.gymboreeclasses.com/calendar.do?fCode=385&sCode=932&mode=calendar
Gymboree began offering play and music classes for children through age 5 more than 30 years ago. There are also academic, art, and sports classes for kids ages 3 and up. Open gym time is available to registered students.

Stroller Strides-Sacramento
(916) 224-4963
Hours: Land Park – Mon/Wed/Fri, 9 a.m.; McKinley Park – Tues/Thurs, 9 a.m.
Price: $55 per month (unlimited classes) or $30 per month (one class per week); $40 one-time
registration fee

http://classes.strollerstrides.net/sacramento/
At Stroller Strides, moms can connect their kiddos with other families and check off their workouts at the same time. A Rocklin franchise meets weekday mornings at 9 a.m. at Whitney Ranch Park.

Got Your Goat Yarn Studio
2030 Douglas Blvd., Suite 36
Roseville, CA 95661
(916) 899-5416
Hours: Everyday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

http://www.gotyourgoatyarn.com/

Want to learn a skill that will benefit the entire family? Why not join in the handcrafting Renaissance and create your own fashion this winter? Why not try your hand at knitting? It’s a craft you can get your kids – older children – of course involved in and the whole family benefits. Take a class or get ideas for your works in progress from other knitters at a yarn shop like Got Your Goat Yarn Studio in Roseville.. The shop opened in last Labor Day and in less than six months it already has a loyal following.

Kim Ledford-Hauser had been looking for a “knitting home” for a long time. When Got Your Goat opened she asked members of her knitting group to meet at the shop instead of her home. That way group members could connect with the larger knitting community.

“I’ve wanted a local yarn shop – in knitting language we call it an LYS – for so long,” Hauser said. “It’s really, really imporant for knitters to have a community.”

Got Your Goat Owner Cindy Vatalaro invites knitting groups to work at the shop on a first-come basis. She stressed the importance of the social aspect of knitting.

“It’s very therapeutic for a lot of people in a lot of different ways,” she said.

Want to get started? Unlike sewing, which requires a machine and a large space, knitting supplies can be easily stashed in a shoulder bag, Ledford-Hauser said. Got Your Goat boasts a full line-up of classes, including beginning crochet and knitting classes. The beginning knitting class costs $60 and spans four weeks. Students enrolled in a class receive a discount on supplies at the shop.

“There’s endless things to learn,” Ledford-Hauser said. “When you’ve learned the basic stiches, you’ve just scratched the surface.”

Got Your Goat also features free knit-a-longs on Thursday evenings. Knitters work on a project selected
by a store employee for four weeks. The more experienced needleworkers aid the less experienced ones.

Fingerless gloves were a recent knit-a-long topic. This design, with matching hat, was created by local knitwear designer Lorna Miser. She appreciated the easy-going and creative atmosphere at Got Your Goat so much that she provided the shop with instructions for the glove and hat combination seen here as a bonus gift for patrons of the store.

Fashion displays at Got Your Goat featured these children’s clothing items. Vatalaro said current patterns include vampire-inspired designs, skulls and crossbones, and chunky knits.

Casual browsers at Got Your Goat receive ready help from Vatalaro with their project-related questions. One woman who visited the store asked for assistance with an idea for a scarf. The shop rolls balls of yarn for free.

“It’s much larger than going and picking up a ball of Red Heart yarn,” Vatalaro said. “There are so many
beautiful choices.”

Check out the classes at these other favorite needlework and yarn shops.

The Tin Thimble
The Packing Shed at High Hand Nursery
3750 Taylor Road
Loomis, CA 95650
(916) 652-2134
Hours: Tues through Sun – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

http://www.thetinthimble.com/

The Tin Thimble has been family owned and operated since 2007. Classes include getting to know your sewing machine and introductory knitting, crocheting and sewing classes. The shop also sells heirloom fabric, vintage patterns and handmade gifts. Check out Felt Fest next month.

Rumpelstiltskin
1021 R St.
Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 442-9225
Hours: Mon. through Sat. – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sun. – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

http://www.rumpelstiltskinyarns.com/

Do you know the fairytale behind the title of this sewing arts store? It involves spinning, a craft you can learn at Rumpelstiltskin. The shop, a fixture in Sacramento for more than 30 years, also offers knitting, weaving, felting, and crocheting classes.

Filati Fine Yarns
4810 Granite Dr., Suite A10
Rocklin, CA 95677
(916) 415-9430
Hours: Tues through Fri – 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sat – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Sun and Mon

http://www.filatiyarn.com/

Knitting and crochet classes are $15 per hour. The shop is well known its wide variety of fibers and offers finishing and blocking as well as repairs.

Want to get even more creative? Check out the Top Spots to learn a lost skill in Sacramento.

Laura O’Brien is a Roseville-based freelance writer and mother of three young children.

Sacramento boasts a wide range of activities for children and adults in honor of Black History Month in February. Try some sweet potato pie, experience the thrill of a drum performance, or even make your own jewelry.

Fenix Drum and Dance
Deane Dance Center
3385 Lanatt Street
Sacramento, CA 95819
(916) 205-3970

http://www.fenixdrumanddance.com

Fenix Drum and Dance offers lessons and performs year round. Enjoy the artistry of this talented group at one of several performances at Sacramento Library branches in February. Below is a partial listing. Check the Sacramento Library’s website for more Fenix performance dates as well as additional Black History Month activities: www.saclib.org.

“Drum Call to Freedom”
Feb. 5, 4 p.m. – Central Library
Feb. 9, 4 p.m. – North Highlands-Antelope Library
Feb. 11, 2 p.m. – Sylvan Oaks Library
Feb. 23, 3:30 p.m. – Del Paso Heights Library
Feb. 25, 1 p.m. – McKinley Library

“Black Scrap Music”
Feb. 7, 4 p.m. – Fair Oaks Library

“Africa to the Americas”
Feb. 16, 4 p.m. – Franklin Library

Sweet Potato Festival
Samuel Pannell Meadowview Community Center
2450 Meadowview Road
Sacramento, CA 95832
(916) 491-6850
Hours: Sat, Feb. 11 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/parksandrecreation/recreation/c_meadowview.htm

Buy fresh sweet potato pies at the 23rd annual Sweet Potato Festival, the primary fundraising event for the National Council of Negro Women Sacramento Valley Section. Or, enter your own pie in the festival’s sweet potato pie contest for an entry fee of $5. Festivities include entertainment by local youth. The event is rain or shine.

Sacramento Poetry Center
1719 25th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 979-9706

http://www.sacramentopoetrycenter.com/

Check out the poetry readings at Sacramento Poetry Center on Feb. 13 in honor of Black History Month. Past poets have included NSAA, Terry Moore, Terry O’Neal, VS Chochezi and Indigo Moor. Emmanuel Sigauke, English professor at Cosumnes River College and Sacramento Poetry Center board member, hosts the event.

Crocker Art Museum
216 O Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 808-7000

http://www.crockerartmuseum.org/

On Feb. 9, Art Mix, a Thursdays ‘Til 9 program, will include celebrations of Black History Month as well as Valentine’s Day. Performances include Tina B. and the Sacramento Soul Line Dancers and spoken-word artists in the “Jazz N’ Love Lounge,” presented by Sol Collective. Make African-art-inspired accessories with Betty Davis and enjoy art talks by African American artists in the galleries. On Feb. 12, soprano Marlynn Smith performs African-American spirituals at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $6 for museum members, $8 for students and $12 for non-members.

Sojourner Truth Multicultural Art Museum
2251 Florin Road, Suite 126
Sacramento, CA 95822
(916) 320-9573
Hours: Feb. 4 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

http://sojoarts.net

In honor of Black History Month, Sacramento African-American Art Collective will host its “First Saturdays” art tour at Sojourner Truth Multicultural Art Museum. The first Saturday in February also is Sacramento Museum Day, so admission to the Multicultural Art Museum is free.

Laura O’Brien is a Roseville-based freelance writer and mother of three young children.

It’s time for a weekend road trip that the whole family will enjoy! Pack your bags for an easy three-hour drive to Monterey where you and the kids can play together on the beautiful shores of Monterey Bay. Go traditional with a walk and seashell hunt on the powder sugar soft Carmel Beach, visit the internationally acclaimed Monterey Bay Aquarium or try something new by checking out huge masses of monarch butterflies. Then set the kids free at Dennis the Menace Playground where they can climb a full size locomotive. Check out other great attractions below!

Monarch Grove Butterfly Sanctuary
165 Forest Ave
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
(831) 648-5716
Season: Oct. – Feb.
Hours: Sunrise to Sundown every day; Docents available 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Cost: Free

http://www.pgmuseum.org

I’ll always remember my Kindergarten field trip to Pacific Grove’s George Washington Park and the Monarch Grove Sanctuary. Eucalyptus and pine trees were blanketed in Monarchs. This sight is amazing to behold and if you go when a docent is present, it’s also highly educational.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium
886 Cannery Row
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 648-4888
Hours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., every day
Cost: child admission (3-12) $19.95, students (13-17 or in college) $27.95, adults (18-65) $29.95, children under 3 free

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org

This world-renowned exhibit of marine life and their habits wasn’t built until I had moved from Monterey, but it has been worth going back to year after year. Currently there’s a new Great White Shark exhibit and the Open Sea exhibit is now open after renovations. Highlighting Monterey Bay’s status as a marine sanctuary, you will get an interactive and breathtaking peek at all aspects of marine life including the kelp forests, tidal pool with simulated crashing wave, and stingrays.

Cannery Row
Bay Bikes-Wheel Fun Rentals
585 Cannery Row
Monterey, CA 93949
(831) 646-9090

http://www.baybikes.com/

Cannery Row was my playground growing up with its tide pools under the piers and tucked away beaches offering sea glass. Revitalized with shops and restaurants, including the fun Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., it is home to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and a great starting point for renting bikes to cruise the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail. (My favorite is the four-wheel surrey.) Lover’s Point in Pacific Grove and Fisherman’s Wharf are steps away. Kids will enjoy spotting sea lions, seals and sea otters. You’re sure to find the sea lions noisily camped out on the Coast Guard pier.

Fisherman’s Wharf
#1 Old Fisherman’s Wharf
Monterey, CA 93940
(530) 304-0163
Hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Cost: Parking rates

http://www.montereywharf.com

A Monterey trip without visiting Old Fisherman’s Wharf would be like a chocolate chip cookie without chocolate chips. Some things delightfully never change like the classic candy treats and taffy machine pulling salt-water taffy at Carousel Candies, store front delicious fresh seafood offerings from restaurants owned for generations, and the dancing monkey who will tip his hat for a quarter (although it used to be a penny). You can also venture off into the Monterey Bay from here on whale watching trips, a glass bottom boat ride, or a bay cruise.

Dennis the Menace Playground and Lake El Estero
777 Pearl St.
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 646-3873

http://www.monterey.org/en-us/departments/recreationcommunityservices/parksandbeaches/elesteroparkcomplex.aspx

Hours: 10 a.m. – dusk, closed Tuesdays
Cost: free

As a kid, Dennis the Menace Playground was where it was at. Modernized for safety but still a fun, unique, whimsical playground, it’s part of the 45-acre El Estero Park Complex in the center of Monterey. Rent paddleboats, enjoy a snack bar or visit a skate park. Designed in 1965 by Hank Ketchum, creator of the Dennis the Menace comic strip, it features an authentic steam engine for climbing on, suspension bridge, tunnels and mazes. There are also giant slides, a lion head water fountain and plenty of sand for kids to kick their shoes off and sink their toes into.

Gianni’s Pizza
725 Lighthouse Ave.
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 649-1500
Hours: Mon – Thurs 3:30 p.m. – 10 p.m., Fri & Sat 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Sun 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

http://giannismonterey.net/

Thirty years ago, I was squeezing through fence boards from my grandma’s house to pick up a prized pizza from Gianni’s. A few blocks up from Cannery row, this pizzeria is still the best in town now with an expanded menu, plenty of seating and full bar. It’s within walking distance of the Monterey Bay Aquarium so when it’s time to eat this is the place to go.

Carmel Beach
Ocean Ave and Scenic Rd
Monterey, CA 93921

http://www.seemonterey.com/carmel-by-the-sea-california/carmel-beaches

There are lots of great beaches in Monterey (Lover’s Point and Monterey State Beach, to name a couple), but my personal favorite is the powder sugar soft sand and iconic vista of Carmel Beach. Park in downtown Carmel, grab coffee and stroll down the quaint streets to the Cypress-lined shores of the Beach. The kids will love digging in the sand and jumping the waves, strolling its mile long shore and watching the dogs frolic in the surf.

Kelli Wheeler is the author of MOMSERVATIONS® The Fine Print of Parenting, a family columnist and mother of two living in Sacramento. You can read her humorous Momservations blog at www.momservations.com and follow her on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Momservations .