Healthy Living Market and Cafe has some really great programs coming up for kids and toddlers in February in their Learning Center. These programs are great for teaching kids about healthy eating and also giving them a little nudge to try something new. You know how it’s impossible to get your picky eater to try a new food, but if someone else asks them they’ll take a bite?! That’s exactly how it works in the fun and welcoming environment the Learning Center at Healthy Living Market and Cafe has for kids and toddlers. Learning Center Instructor Shannon (a mom herself) is a pro at getting kids to expand their palates and at showing kids how to make food fun. Plus, I LOVE how they offer two sessions for some of the preschoolers class so you can work around your own child’s naptime! Brilliant!
To get more information or to register for any of these classes online click here for their complete schedule, including some really great classes for adults (and couples)!
Preschool Chefs: Homemade Pop-Tarts: Thursday, February 5th 10–11am.
In this class, they’ll be making their own tastier, healthier version of the famous breakfast treat, pop-tarts! They’ll begin by making some delicious pastry dough, rolling it out, and cutting it into shapes (who said pop-tarts need to be a rectangle?!) and then they’ll sandwich a dollop of jam, peanut butter, or even yummy Nutella in the middle of their fresh dough and then bake to perfection! Scrumptious, fun, and oodles better for you! This class is great for kids ages 3-5; all kids must be accompanied by an adult (adult admission free). $20/ child.
Creative Kidz Café: Music and Motion: Saturday, February 7th 11am–12pm.
This is the first of many Creative Kidz Café sessions this month, which offer unique classes for very special kids. Music Therapist Erin Lanscraft will be joining Creative Kidz Café this time for a class full of music and painting. In this class, Erin will be engaging kids with ASD using songs, instruments, and food-based paints. Each child will get to create their own colorful painting while experiencing instrumental music and they’ll be encouraged to paint whatever the music brings to them! This will be a time for your child to express who he or she truly is creatively in a safe and supportive environment. This class is great for kids of all ages on the autism spectrum; all kids must be accompanied by an adult (adult admission free). $15/child.
AM Preschool Chefs: Eat, Cook, Learn! Wednesday, February 11th 10–11am and 1-2pm.
This super sweet class was inspired by the popular book The Duckling Gets a Cookie by Mo Willems, author of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus. They’ll read this hilarious book and then measure, whisk, and stir their way through two delicious cookie recipes. They’ll make both a classic chewy chocolate chip cookie and a soft and sweet oatmeal raisin cookie. There will be plenty of cookies to eat AND take home to share! This class is great for kids ages 3-5; all kids must be accompanied by an adult (adult admission free). $20/ child.
Kids in the Kitchen: Winter Break Special: Tuesday, February 17th · 12–2pm.
For this year’s Winter Break, stop the words “I’m bored” in their tracks by bringing your young chefs to this Mardi Gras-inspired class! They’ll be making a classic Jambalaya with tons of rice, tomatoes, and sausage- covering basic knife skills and cooking techniques along the way- and it wouldn’t be a Mardis Gras celebration without sinfully-delicious beignets, those sweet New Orleans-style deep fried treats! This class is great for kids aged 6-12; all kids must be accompanied by an adult (adult admission free). $30/child.
Creative Kidz Café- Yoga and Sensory Play Wednesday, February 18th: 11am–12pm.
Creative Kidz Café is back and ready to play! This class begins with a half hour of yoga instructed by Certified Yoga for the Special Child Practitioner, January Slater. Yoga is particularly helpful for children with ASD as it assists in feeling and coordinating with their bodies. With a carefully choreographed sequence of gentle yoga poses, vocal vibration and meditation, yoga brings a holistic approach to health and healing, giving each child a sense of calm, balance, strength and clarity! After yoga, there will be a fun sensory integrative activity. Occupational Therapist, Jessi Agnew, will bring her expertise, playfulness, and creative ideas to engage with children through fun sensory crafts and/or interactive games. Jessi focuses on integrating the sensory play with relationship-building amongst this small group of kids for an incomparable experience. This class is great for kids of all ages on the autism spectrum; all kids must be accompanied by an adult (adult admission free). $15/child.
Preschool Chefs: Chinese New Year: Thursday, February 19th 10–11am.
They’ll celebrate Chinese New Year in this exceptionally tasty class! They’ll practice their hand-eye coordination and kitchen safety while practicing proper knife skills (using a plastic knife, of course!) on tons of delicious fresh veggies. Then they’ll take those nicely chopped veggies and make two dishes: a wonderful vegetable fried rice and veggie dumplings! What a scrumptious way to begin the (Chinese) New Year! This class is great for kids aged 3-5; all kids must be accompanied by an adult (adult admission free). $20/child.
Creative Kidz Café- Yoga and Sensory Play: Friday, February 20th 11am–12pm.
Creative Kidz Café is back and ready to play in this second installment of the yoga & sensory play class! It will begin with a half hour of yoga instructed by Certified Yoga for the Special Child Practitioner, January Slater. Yoga is particularly helpful for children with ASD as it assists in feeling and coordinating with their bodies. With a carefully choreographed sequence of gentle yoga poses, vocal vibration and meditation, yoga brings a holistic approach to health and healing, giving each child a sense of calm, balance, strength and clarity! After yoga, there will be a fun sensory integrative activity. Occupational Therapist, Jessi Agnew, will bring her expertise, playfulness, and creative ideas to engage with children through fun sensory crafts and/or interactive games. Jessi focuses on integrating the sensory play with relationship-building amongst this small group of kids for an incomparable experience. This class is great for kids of all ages on the autism spectrum; all kids must be accompanied by an adult (adult admission free). $15/child.
Preschool Chefs: Eat, Cook, Learn and Go Kids!: Wednesday, February 25th 10:00–11:30am.
Monkey bread is a deliciously cinnamon-y treat made with the simplest ingredients and we think it’s a great way to introduce young bakers to the kitchen! In this installment of their popular “Eat, Cook, Learn” series for preschoolers, they’ll start by making a batch of biscuit dough for the base of the bread. They’ll then cut the dough into tiny pieces, roll the nuggets in a tasty cinnamon-sugar blend, and bake until they’re ooey-gooey masses of sweet perfection. While the monkey bread’s in the oven, they’ll read a story about every kid’s favorite monkey: Curious George! They’ll also monkey around with Go Kids! in the atrium and unleash some energy before heading back in to devour their creation. This class is great for kids aged 3-5; all kids must be accompanied by an adult (adult admission free). $30/child.
And a heads up on a great adult event, the From Scratch Club (FSC) Food Swap on Saturday, February 21st 3–5pm.
This food swap group, FSC Swappers, is a place where home cooks, gardeners, foragers, food preservationists, DIY enthusiasts and bakers come to swap their homemade food & drink products and garden bounty. Participants come from all over the Capital Region, Hudson Valley and North County to sample items, get inspired, make new friends and of course, swap loot!
Your phenomenal food products (and food products only- money’s not allowed!) are swapped with others’ on a 1-for-1 basis and you can bring as many or as few items as you’d like to trade, from 1 to infinity! You can bring anything from just 1 great loaf of bread to 20 completely different items (a jar of blueberry jam, two loaves of bread, a jar of vanilla extract, a couple tomato transplant, 10 jars of granola, and a few pints of pickled beets, etc.). Just remember that items are swapped 1-for-1 (THIS MEANS NO BARTERING). Each Swapper sets what “one item” is: 1 pint, 1/2 pint, 1 bag, 1 quart container, 1 cake, 4 muffins, 6 cupcakes or cookies, etc. This makes the swap VERY Friendly & FAIR).
How it Works: Swappers have the first 40 minutes to arrive and place their items (and maybe a sample for tasting!) on one of the swap tables, grouped by same-item with a ‘swap card’ so that guests will view the goodies and write their names down if they’re interested in trading with you. Then the last 30-45 minutes of the event will be the “live action swap” where you will look on your sheet(s) to see who wants to swap with you! This Food Swap is FREE; pre-registration is required.
To get more information or to register for any of these classes online click here for their complete schedule.
This will only be happening this Sunday so mark your calendars and don’t miss it! For more info click 
Saratoga Springs Edition 