New Places, New Programs for Kids in Queens – April 2010

Check out some new additions to Queens that cater to children and families.

 

 

Power Brain Training CenterBoot Up Your Brain

   Bayside’s Power Brain Training Center (PBTC), a Brain Education training center, now offers birthday parties. Parties can be held at the center or at your own location, says Alina Pikula, center manager, and feature Brain Education activities, which involve problem solving and teamwork. “The activities teach that competition is only with yourself,” Pikula says. “The one who has fun is the winner.”

   The center also recently began offering free, monthly Power Brain Family Classes in which parents and children work together as a team to come up with a “family declaration,” Pikula says. The declaration highlights what is important to their family and might include statements like “We are going to respect each other.” The goal of the class is for families to spend quality time together and for parents and kids to interact and communicate. Future classes are scheduled for April 11, May 2, and June 6. There is no charge, but space is limited, so call to reserve your spot.

   PBTC’s regular Brain Education classes for adults and children teach confidence and focus through mental and physical exercises. New students can attend a free trial class; call to set up an appointment.

   Located at 43-01 Bell Boulevard, 2nd Floor, Bayside. 718-224-1500. www.powerbraintraining.com.

 

 

Bay Terrace Country Club; outdoor pool; inground poolIn With the New

   Bay Terrace Country Club (BTCC), a private swim club in northeast Queens, underwent a full renovation last year. Though the club originally opened in 1961, the recent upgrades have made it the “newest pool club in Queens,” says Lauren Lent, vice president on the club’s board of governors.

   Open to members from Memorial Day through Labor Day, BTCC now has a renovated Olympic sized pool, interactive kiddie pool, a new deck, locker room, showers, and children’s playground, and a gated façade surrounding the area. Though the renovations were mostly done last year, the club is adding a few finishing touches for the reopening this Memorial Day, Lent says.

   BTCC offers activities for members of all ages, such as water aerobics for adults, and swim lessons, water games, and arts and crafts for children. It also boasts a full-service café, as well as paddleball, paddle tennis, and basketball courts. The club is available to members for birthday parties during the summer.

   On weekends during the summer, BTCC hosts evening entertainment for families, such as live DJs, family barbecues, and children’s carnivals.

 Located at 217-14 24th Avenue in Bayside, overlooking the Bayside Marina. 718-428-0100. www.bayterracecountryclub.com.

 

 

Mommy, Music & MeMake More Music

   Mommy, Music, and Me, Inc. is again offering Music Together® classes at its original location in Bayside, 208-56 Cross Island Parkway, in the shopping center. Classes are also offered at six other locations throughout Queens, in Astoria, Forest Hills, Howard Beach, and most recently in Whitestone, at 150-50 14th Road, the All in 1 SPOT with TheraTalk.

   Music Together® is a premier, research based early childhood music and movement program for babies and toddlers, ages birth through 5, and their caregivers. “It’s a multi-generational family program,” says Wendy DeAngelis, center director. “It’s all about bonding between parent and child.”

   Mommy, Music, and Me plans to expand its program at the new Whitestone location as well as at its Astoria location (Leaps and Bounds, 21-14 Newton Avenue) to include special needs classes, says DeAngelis.

   Plans are also in the works to bring the Music Together Preschool® program to several preschools in the county.

   Mommy, Music, and Me offers free concerts during the summer in conjunction with the NYC Parks Department. New this year will be a concert in Alley Pond Park scheduled for July 27, which will include a community sing-a-long, arts and crafts, and an instrument “petting zoo.”

   718-229-0033. www.mommymusicandme.com.