Neighborhood BabyToddler Sign Language Classes
Hi all,

My son and I took a semester of baby sign language (through music) classes last fall, which were great fun. Signing greatly improved my son's early (and ongoing) comprehension and communication skills -along with reducing much frustration and facilitating sweet moments of connection and bonding. Many other neighborhood moms and babies joined in some baby sign language workshops that we held up here last winter. Most of these babies, who are now around 18 months, still use many signs to communicate - along with many words.

Currently, there is a woman from the sign language school (Baby Fingers) who lives nearby and is interested in putting together an ongoing class up here if there is interest.

So do check out their website if this interests you. www.mybabyfingers.com . If you have questions or would like to participate you can contact Lora at lora@mybabyfingers.com. She is the director of the school.


Jillian
(Sundar's mom)

Free Capoeira Classes
ABADA-Capoeira New York City offers free instruction in the Afro-Brazilian dance/martial art form called capoeira for children 6-12 every Monday and Wednesday night from 6-7pm at Highbridge Recreation Center on Amsterdam Ave at W. 173rd St.
Email info@abadacapoeira.org for more information.

Register for next round of Food Safety Courses
The 16hr ServSafe Food Safety course, taught in English and Spanish, can help restaurants minimize the chances of Health Department violations. The course cost includes all materials and the exam. Graduates get a special certificate that is valid in the city and nationwide. Call Harcourt Fuller at 212-544-2400 for reservations and information.

volunteers needed
The Volunteer Services Department at New York-Presbyterian Hospital is actively looking for people interested in the Adult or Pediatric Emergency Departments. For further information on this program please contact Josie Dominguez, coordinator of the Volunteer Emergency Departemnt program at 212-305-9345 or via email at JOD9034@nyp.org

for other volunteer opportunities contact the main Volunteer Service at 212-305-2542

Tours of Inwood Hill Park
Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. Tours leave from the Indian Hill Playground on Wed, Thurs and Fri, and from the Inwood Nature Center on Sat and Sun.

For more information, call 212-304-2365.

Senior ESL classes-preregistration required
The Senior Center at the YM & YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood has started ESL classes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:30-11:15am. A citizenship preparation class immediately follows from 11:15am-noon. Students must be over 60 years of age. No Fee. Call Pat at 212-569-5271 x208 for more info or to register.

Used Book Drive
Venture Crew Troop 729 is seeking donations of books as part of its fundraising effort for this summer's trek to the Catalina High Adventure Base in California. You will receive a tax deduction for your donations. Troop will pick up your donations.
Books must have an ISBN or UPC on cover.
212-569-5271

Ranger Tours at Inwood Hill Park
Urban Park Ranger Tours are being offered at Inwood Hill Park every Wed,
Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. Tours leave from the Indian
Hill Playground on Wed, Thurs and Fri, and from the Inwood Nature Center on
Sat and Sun.

I attended a tour this morning with my 5-year-old and my 16-month-old, along
two 6-year-olds and a couple of 4-year-olds, and we all had a great time. We
were accompanied by a year-round Urban Park Ranger and 3 very enthusiastic
Summer Rangers (college students who delight in sharing their knowledge of
the park). We examined the park's plant and animal life, learned a bit of
Native American history, and explored the Lenape Indian shelters. We also
visited the Nature Center, where we viewed the park's baby eagles on the
eaglet-cam and watched Spike, the resident box turtle, eat his lunch.

If your child is interested in nature, I'd encourage you to take advantage
of this opportunity. Inwood Hill Park is incredibly beautiful and easily
accessible by subway.


For more information about these events, call 212-304-2365. You can also
visit the NYC Dept of Parks and Recreation Website at www.nycgovparks.org/.

Free Summer Reading Program every Thursday
Children are invited to read in Inwood Hill Park every Thursday from 4-6pm.
Meet at 218th St. and Indian Rd. Sponsored by Inwood Community Literacy Network.

646-262-6904

8/11/05, 9/8/05


After a closure of two years, the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum grounds will be re-opening to the community for Sneak Peak Sundays in July. Visitors will be able to enjoy the roughly ? acre park, view some of the exterior restoration work still in progress and see the recently restored Hessian Hut.




SAVE THE DATE!
Additional hours for the grounds will be added in August and the popular Back Porch Concert Series will also return along with other programming. Stay tuned for the announcement of the grand re-opening event and news on when the farmhouse itself will re-open.

Thursday, August 11th, 6:30pm – The Brazilian Jazz of Karl Spicer
Thursday, September 8th, 6:30 pm – The Honky Tonk with Attitude of local favorite Orville Davis

Our summer re-opening is made possible with support from the Medical Center Neighborhood Fund.

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The Dyckman Farmhouse
The Dyckman Farmhouse Museum is a visual treat for everyone who looks up and sees it perched above Broadway at 204th Street. The Dutch colonial style farmhouse was built by William Dyckman c. 1784, immediately following the Revolutionary War. The farmhouse remained in the Dyckman family until the mid 19th century. In 1915, two Dyckman descendents purchased the house, restored and re-furnished the rooms, and gave it to the City of New York as a museum.
Today, nestled in a small park, the farmhouse is an extraordinary reminder of early Manhattan and an important part of its diverse Inwood neighborhood. The Dyckman Farmhouse Museum is a property of the City of New York/Parks & Recreation, a member of the Historic House Trust of New York City and is operated with the cooperation of the two organizations. The Dyckman Farmhouse Museum is a New York City Landmark, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.

Dyckman Farmhouse Museum 4881 Broadway at 204th Street 212.304.9422 www.dyckmanfarmhouse.org