{"id":88215,"date":"2020-01-31T14:42:18","date_gmt":"2020-01-31T19:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/syracuse\/?p=88215"},"modified":"2025-09-19T09:25:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T13:25:26","slug":"february-program-buzz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/syracuse\/programs\/february-program-buzz","title":{"rendered":"February Program Buzz"},"content":{"rendered":"

Programs at GiGi\u2019s Playhouse offer foundational learning opportunities for individuals with Down syndrome, their families and the\u00a0community.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Destination Discovery (all ages)<\/strong><\/h1>\n

February 1 @ 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm<\/h2>\n

Destination Discovery is an interactive and engaging program for participants of all ages and their families. We support the development of motor skills, social skills, and language through purposeful play and peer to peer interaction in a casual and fun setting. This program also brings families together to share experiences and build relationships.<\/p>\n

Destination Discovery is for all ages!! Invite your friends & please RSVP so we can be prepared for all our friends!<\/p>\n

Visit us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0to learn this month\u2019s theme and purposeful activities.<\/p>\n

Karate Kickers (8+ years)<\/strong><\/h1>\n

February 7, 14, 21 and 28 @ 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm<\/h2>\n

The benefits of karate for people with Down syndrome are endless. Karate focuses on development of balance, coordination, discipline, focus, attention, physical fitness and confidence. There will be no physical contact between peers. Recommended for youths with Down syndrome ages 8 and up.<\/p>\n

Goals:
\n\u00b7 Increase self-esteem
\n\u00b7 Develop cognitive processing skills
\n\u00b7 Learn to follow basic visual and verbal instructions
\n\u00b7 Improve gross motor skills, coordination and balance<\/p>\n

** This is by pre-registration only. For information on the next session, please email\u00a0hrodriguez@gigisplayhouse.org<\/a>. **<\/p>\n

LMNOP (0-3 years)<\/strong><\/h1>\n

February 8 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am<\/h2>\n

Language, Music N\u2019 Our Peeps guides parents and infants\/toddlers through learning basic sign language and through incorporating music and dance therapy into daily activities, to stimulate the child. Recommended for children 6-36 months old.<\/p>\n

Friends of all abilities are welcome! #inclusion<\/p>\n

Please RSVP so we can be properly prepared!<\/p>\n

Volunteer Orientation<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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February 12 @ 6:00 pm<\/span>\u00a0–\u00a07:00 pm<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Are you interested in learning more about volunteering at GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Syracuse? Please join us for an hour of information. You will learn a bit about Down syndrome, the way GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Syracuse is supporting individuals with Down syndrome and how you can use your talents to help the mission of GiGi\u2019s Playhouse!<\/p>\n

Volunteer Needs include \u2013 Program Leaders, Program helpers, Administrative, Cleaners, Event & Group Volunteering Opportunities!<\/p>\n

Please let us know you are coming by signing up\u00a0HERE!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Open Play (all ages)<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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February 15 @ 1:30 pm<\/span> – 3:30 pm\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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This program invites families and their friends to the Playhouse for playtime! Open Play helps promote positive beginnings for new families with a child with Down syndrome, creates awareness opportunities for peers and friends, as well as support and networking for current families. Come ready for fun and a crazy good time!<\/p>\n

Please RSVP so we know you are joining us!<\/p>\n

Adult participants, this is a great opportunity to volunteer and be mentors to our younger friends!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Art Explosion<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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February 17 @ 6:00 pm<\/span>\u00a0–\u00a07:00 pm<\/span><\/h2>\n
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This program provides hands on experience with multiple art media and provides an outlet for individuals with Down syndrome to express themselves, build confidence and socialize with peers.<\/p>\n

This program for ages 8 and up will be creating art pieces to auction at our Gala in April. We will meet every other Monday through March.<\/p>\n

Please RSVP so we have enough supplies for everyone!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Gratitude Committee (20+ years)<\/strong><\/h1>\n

February 18 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm<\/h2>\n

Join this core group of adult volunteers (ages 20+) to hand-craft thank you cards for our amazing donors, as well as assist the office with other playhouse projects. We provide the supplies, you provide the gratitude!<\/p>\n

Please RSVP here!<\/p>\n

Fantastic Friends (17+ years)<\/strong><\/h1>\n

February 20 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm<\/h2>\n

Join us each month as we do something new and fun! We want to hear what you would like to do! So bring your ideas and we will help you host a Fantastic Friends night.<\/p>\n

During this program, we aim to promote positive peer relationships, encourage relationships in the community, and develop our social skills!! Invite your friends, everyone is welcome and inclusion is celebrated!<\/p>\n

Please RSVP so we know who will be joining us!<\/p>\n

For the most up to\u00a0date on our monthly activities please follow us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Family Fun Day: Pet Partners<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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February 22 @ 1:00 pm<\/span>\u00a0–\u00a03:00 pm<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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We are so excited to welcome our friends from Pet Partners to the playhouse for a Family Fun Day on Saturday, February 22!<\/p>\n

Therapy dog Mason will be bringing his human friend Tom to teach us about dog safety and pet therapy. We will also have some fun dog themed activities to help get us through the \u201cdog days\u201d of Winter.<\/p>\n

Please RSVP so we have a \u201cruff\u201d idea of how many are coming and we can plan our activities accordingly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Music In Motion<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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February 24 @ 6:00 pm<\/span>\u00a0–\u00a07:00 pm<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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This program is designed to build self confidence, strengthen social skills, communication and motor skills through the therapeutic use of music and dance.<\/p>\n

In this session, ages 8 and up will be learning a song and practicing different handheld instruments in preparation to sing at our Gala in April. We will meet every other Monday through March as well as April 13 and 20.<\/p>\n

Please let us know you will be joining in the fun by RSVPing!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Friends, Fun & Fitness (12+ years)<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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February 25 @ 5:00 pm<\/span>\u00a0–\u00a06:00 pm<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Join us for a fun & exciting time! This one-hour workout session focuses on building muscle tone and endurance, and is open to individuals with Down syndrome & their friends of all abilities (12 & up)! \u00a0Each week we will encourage each other to give our #bestofall.<\/p>\n

Goals:<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Increase knowledge and understanding of the importance of physical activity for teens\/ young adults with DS<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Increase physical activity levels through various types of exercise<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Motivate participants to independently practice various physical activities at home\/ in the community.<\/p>\n

Please RSVP so we know you are joining us!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Gluten Free Cooking (12+ years)<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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February 25 @ 6:00 pm<\/span>\u00a0–\u00a07:00 pm<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Get cooking with your friends at GiGi\u2019s! This program is geared toward building safety awareness in the kitchen and preparing healthy, gluten-free recipes that taste great. During each program, we will make and eat a gluten-free entree and dessert to enjoy!<\/p>\n

Recommended for youth, teens and adults (12 & up).<\/p>\n

Please RSVP so we have enough food for everyone!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

GiGi\u2019s Day at Speach Family Candy Shoppe<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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February 29 @ 11:00 am<\/span>\u00a0–\u00a02:00 pm<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Since we are all about celebrating our \u201cextra\u201d here at GiGi\u2019s Playhouse, we will be spending the extra day in February taking over the\u00a0Speach Family Candy Shoppe<\/a>\u00a0and closing out our month in their \u201c10 Decades of Giving\u201d event!<\/p>\n

Please stop into the Shoppe from 11am-2pm to pick up some goodies and say hello to some of your favorite friends. We will be there spreading all the goodness GiGi\u2019s has to offer!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As we at GiGi\u2019s Playhouse Syracuse look to add more and more FREE\u00a0purposeful programming we need you! Family input, volunteer hosts, family hosts, etc. \u00a0Always feel free to contact us with questions or suggestions on how we can make your GiGi\u2019s experience the very best! <\/strong>syracuse@gigisplayhouse.org<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Programs at GiGi\u2019s Playhouse offer foundational learning opportunities for individuals with Down syndrome, their families and the\u00a0community. Destination Discovery (all ages) February 1 @ 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Destination Discovery is an interactive and engaging program for participants of all ages and their families. We support the development of motor skills, social skills, and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":167,"featured_media":73833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-programs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/syracuse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/syracuse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/syracuse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/syracuse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/167"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/syracuse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/syracuse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/syracuse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/syracuse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/syracuse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/syracuse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}