KultureCity, one of USA Today’s 2016 Top Nonprofits in the U.S., is a Birmingham based, impact driven nonprofit focused on helping autistic individuals realize their potential by providing tangible help and equipping businesses and the community to relate to children with autism and their families. “The KultureCity Sensory Friendly Initiative was born out of the desire to help businesses and community organizations better understand the needs of individuals with autism and other sensory needs. The goal is to allow these individuals the ability to see and experience all the things a community has to offer, without being overwhelmed by everything going on around them.” – kulturecity.org

KultureCity has provided The Gardens with an evidence-based sensory training program to help increase the knowledge base of staff and volunteers. The training included an initial assessment of staff knowledge relating to autistic individuals, in-person training for staff by a licensed occupational therapist, access to training videos to be used with new or seasonal staff and volunteers and modification recommendations. KultureCity will also provide yearly follow up for training purposes.

Following the staff training, KultureCity performed a site assessment for The Gardens. Their assessment included a facilities walk-through, programs evaluation, intake form assessment and further modification recommendations related to these topics. The site assessment included recommendations for placements of co-branded signage which will convey our partnership to visitors to The Gardens upon their arrival at main entrances and designate “Quiet Space” and “Headphone Zone” areas throughout.

On Saturday, April 22, as part of our annual Earth Day at The Gardens celebration, The Gardens will host a Sensory Friendly Family Event to officially introduce its’ partnership with KultureCity. Families will be provided with updated maps of The Gardens grounds indicating the locations of our designated “Quiet Spaces” and “Headphone Zones” to better plan a walk through our collections. Additionally and as requested KultureCity will provide grab-and-go sensory bags for families to borrow during their visit to The Gardens. These sensory bags will contain items like a fidget toy, a non-verbal communication card and noise-cancelling headphones. Come join us to learn how The Gardens and KultureCity are working together to allow individuals with autism and other sensory needs, as well as their families, the ability to see and experience all that The Gardens has to offer.

For information about KultureCity, visit their website.

The Gardens will join the Birmingham Zoo who was designated a “Sensory Friendly Facility” in 2015

All aboard! Thomas the Tank Engine invites little engineers to join him for a day of friendship and family fun at Day Out with Thomas: The Friendship Tour 2017. Children everywhere can spend a day with their friend Thomas when the #1 Engine pulls into Calera, Alabama on May 12-14 & 20-21, 2017. Day Out with Thomas: The Friendship Tour 2017 is presented by Mattel.

Day Out with Thomas is a fun-filled event that provides children of all ages the opportunity to climb aboard and take a ride with Thomas as well as participate in Thomas & Friends™ themed activities.  The tour, now in its 22nd year, will make 42 stops across the U.S. and Canada, and is expected to welcome nearly one million passengers in 2017.  For two back-to-back weekends, little engineers and their families are invited to take a 25-minute ride on their favorite engine, meet Sir Topham Hatt, Controller of the Railway and enjoy a day of Thomas & Friends fun.

In celebration of this year’s theme, Day Out With Thomas: The Friendship Tour 2017 will feature an array of friendship-inspired activities. Attendees will be able to participate in events that encourage and celebrate friendship including photo opportunities and a fun activity that invites kids to collect passport stamps throughout the day to receive a trio of Day Out With Thomas friendship bracelets. The 2017 tour theme is in line with this year’s Thomas & Friends global brand campaign, ‘Set Friendship in Motion’ – a campaign that ties together content, social integrations, and event activations across the entire Thomas & Friends franchise to highlight the importance of first friendships and the development of key friendship skills in toddlers.

Thomas the Tank Engine rides depart every 45 minutes, rain or shine. Departure times begin at 9:45 AM through 3:45 PM on Friday and Sundays, and at 9:00 AM through 4:30 PM on Saturdays.  Tickets for Day Out with Thomas are $22, including tax, (plus processing fee when applicable) for ages two and up.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.ticketweb.com/dowt or by calling toll-free 866.468.7630.  For more information and directions, contact The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum at 205-668-3435 or visit http://www.hodrrm.org/.

To Enter:

Leave a comment here on this post.

(Bonus! For an extra entry, head over to our Facebook page and share that announcement with your friends and family)

Winner will be drawn at random from entries received on all social media outlets and comments left on this post, Thursday, April 20th at noon

Winners tickets will be for (Friday, May 12th at 3:00pm) and picked up by will call.  Ticket date/times are firm and cannot be exchanged. Please do not enter if you are unable to make that specific ride.

The Dance Foundation has a lot of fun to offer this summer for Children ages 4 and up! Take a look at this line up, something fun for your kiddos.

Once Upon a Fairytale
Daily adventures from classic fairytales are unveiled through a trunk filled with costumes and creative artifacts.  Each day, campers dance, create art, and explore the day’s fairytale.  Camps are directed by Carolyn Rabbani.

entering 4K  | Tu-Th 9am-1pm  |  Cinderella, The Girl Who Wore Too Much, The Snow Queen  |  June 6-8 • June 20-22  |  $135/session

entering 5K  |  M-F 9am-1pm  |  Sleeping Beauty, Living Quan-Yin, Robin Hood, Twelve Dancing Princesses, Peter and the Wolf  |  June 12-16  • June 26-30 | $180/session

Imagination Lab
Campers work together to create their own unique story inspired by the week’s theme, and perform it at the end of the week.  Imaginative adaptations of the theme are discovered through exploration of art, costume and set design, dance, music and acting!  Camps are directed by Sara Wallace.

entering 1st – 3rd graders, half-day  |  “Land of Oz”  |  M-F 9am-1pm  |  June 12-16  |  $180

entering 1st – 3rd graders, full-day  |  “Fairies”  |  M-F 9am-4pm  |  June 19-23  |  $245

Shadow Play
Campers will use shadow play to invent new worlds, design props and learn to tell stories through movement.  Daily classes include creative movement, prop exploration, acting, writing and rehearsal leads to a performance on the last day.  Camp is directed by Rachael Inman.

entering 3rd-6th graders  |  M-F 9am-4pm  | June 5-9  |  $245

Dance Explorations
Explore the art of dance through technique in a variety of styles as well as lessons in dance history, sewing, music, and hair and makeup for the stage.  Daily classes include Ballet, Modern Dance, and Choreography.  The week ends with an informal performance for family and friends.  Camp is directed by Sara Wallace.

entering 3rd-6th graders  |  M-F 9am-4pm   |  June 26-30  |  $245

Theatre Explorations
Explore the art of live acting through classes in voice, movement, improvisation, and scene work.  The week ends with an informal performance for family and friends.  Hands-on sessions also include set design, stage make-up, costuming and stage combat.  Camp is directed by Jennifer Salvant.

entering 3rd-6th graders  |  M-F 9am-4pm  |  June 26-30  |  $245

Workshop for Dancers
Each day’s workshop begins with a Pilates warm-up and Ballet class, followed by a technique class in another style such as Modern Dance, Musical Theatre or Hip Hop.  Surprise guest artists from our local, professional dance scene will be speaking with students about dance as a profession and important topics in the field. Students must have recently completed at least three consecutive years of a dance technique.

entering 7th-12th graders  |  Tu-Th 4pm-7:45pm |  June 27-29  |  $135

If you have children younger than 4, The Dance Foundation offers summer classes for ages 1 and up. To see that schedule, visit their website.

Don’t forget to check our full list of Summer Camps!

After several close call incidents like the one in Huntsville’s Blossomwood Neighborhood and reports of an attempted child abduction in Hazel Green- as a parent you may be wondering what you can do to teach your children to stay safe without scaring them.

It is important for you (the parent) to note that stranger abductions are rare. Most cases involve a family member, or someone your child knows well. A study published by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2002, during a one-year period studied:

– 797,500 children under age 18 were reported missing

– 203,900 of those were the victims of family abductions

– 58,200 of those were the victims of nonfamily abductions

– 115 children were the victims of “stereotypical kidnapping,” where the child was abducted by someone the child did not know who held the child overnight, transported the child 50 miles or more, killed the child, demanded ransom or intended to keep the child permanently.

Deborah Callins, prevention director at the National Children’s Advocacy Center in Huntsville said “Parents do need to be vigilant in knowing where their children are at all times, but the number of strangers who abduct children is very low.”

You may be questioning if your child is old enough to talk to them about strangers. The NCAC has said that if you child is old enough to play in the front yard alone, then they are old enough to hear about stranger danger. Even if it is just at a basic level.

Callins two recommendations for educating your kids are:

1. Role Playing– when you role play certain scenarios, you can correct your child if they should or shouldn’t do something they mentioned. You don’t have mentally scar your child with outlandish scenarios. Make sure they know the methods strangers use. Don’t ever go with someone who offers you something in return. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, these are the five most used tricks by individuals attempting to abduct children:

– Teach them to listen to that inside voice, that ‘uh-oh feeling’ in their stomach.

– Offering the child a ride

– Offering the child candy or sweets

– Asking the child questions

– Offering the child money

– Using an animal

Those would likely be the most useful role-playing scenarios.

2. Use the Buddy System– In the summer months or after school when kids don’t have an adult looming over them constantly, it’s crucial that they use the buddy system. Don’t let your child walk to the pool, ride their bike, or explore the neighborhood alone. Make sure they are with a large group of kids or watch them get to wherever they are going.

More safety tips for parents can be found on the National Children’s Advocacy Center’s website here.