Cultivate a sense of ease, strength and grace with which to meet the challenges of pregnancy, labor, and new motherhood. Appropriate for all stages of pregnancy; postpartum mothers and pre-crawling babies also welcome.

Have you ever wished for more peace, more ease, more connection, and more joy in your life and relationships? Especially within your family? Do you want to be able to understand what's important to you, to express yourself clearly and honestly, to listen and understand others, and to feel more connection? To have stronger relationships? With your partner, your children, your parents or your friends? When you learn Nonviolent Communication – also known as Compassionate Communication – you will connect more deeply and more easily with others. In this eight-session course, you’ll gain the skill, experience, and encouragement you need to strengthen your relationships - whether it's your relationship with your children, your partner, your friend, your colleague, or your boss. Facilitator Marcia Christen is a Certified Trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication with over 20 years experience. She is passionate about helping people awaken their naturally compassionate selves! And for helping others communicate in ways that work in the "real world". As a parent educator and the mother of three children, all now teenagers, she brings a depth of understanding to help families learn ways to maintain trust, honesty and love within their relationships.

While no one can tell you what your birth experience will be like, this class can help you feel prepared, confident and ready for the birth of your baby. This 6-week, 15-hour class is the most in-depth of our childbirth preparation classes. It covers the labor process, labor coping skills, pain medication, interventions of pregnancy and labor, cesarean birth, postpartum adjustment and more. This class also includes a Newborn Care class and a Breastfeeding class. A New Baby Reunion will be organized by your instructor at the end of the class. Plan to finish this class about 4-6 weeks prior to your due date. Taking our Coping With Confidence class after this class ends and before your due date will give you additional practice and review time with labor coping skills. The cost of this class covers two people taking the class together. Pre-registration is required.

Parents: What are your kids going to do all summer long? Help them say “goodbye” to the summertime doldrums and send them to the R.E.A.L. Summer Adventure Program at Northshore Christian Academy. Where kids find Relational, Exciting, and Active Learning all summer long. Open to all; no prior affiliation with NCA necessary. Options include 3, 4 or 5 days/week attendance.

Since 1995, our summer day camps have offered creative play, exploration and adventure, as children work together in small groups gaining nature awareness and experiential knowledge of plants, mammals, tracking, birds and survival skills. Our highly trained instructors guide students into experiences that nurture their connection to the earth and allow them to feel at home in nature. Fun and adventure are only part of the story. Our 1:8 staff-student ratio allows our instructors at our summer day camps to facilitate the development of tangible and intangible skills like teamwork and communication; thankfulness; awareness; patience; common sense; self confidence; problem-solving; and respect for self, each other and nature. These skills are woven invisibly into each of our summer day camps through storytelling, active questioning and engaging nature activities. For example, campers might learn patience through the need to get close to wildlife, or teamwork and communication through the need to quickly build a group shelter. Our focus is on helping children to build skills that will serve them for a lifetime.  Camps take place in Bellevue, Kirkland, Seattle and Carnation. See website for camp schedule.

What does the inside of an ant hill look like? How do termites make towers? Design different types of nests for birds or mythical creatures. While exploring ideas related to materials and construction; weaving, building with papier- mache and more.

Puppet Palooza is a week of hands on exploration of a variety of puppet styles (sock, rod, hand/rod and shadow). Students will learn movement, focus, breath, personality and more. Recycled materials and found objects will become Junk Puppet characters. Students will create stories, rehearse, and perform. (Campers younger than age 7 may attend with an adult.)

The Spectacular Blue Angels: Everyone’s favorite flight demonstration team is back for another year of high flying excitement! Be here to experience the thrills of take-offs and landings firsthand.

It’s time to get ready for another season of b-ball. Take your game to the next level by exploring the fundamentals of basketball with Donald Watts and his staff. Shirt included in camp fee. Search SPARC for course # 99368.

Explore life on land and in water during this exciting camp, exploring all the ways people live in, on, and near the water! Each day we'll focus on a different theme such as transportation, recreation, and stewardship of our precious rivers, lakes, and seas. Camp will take place at the beautiful new MOHAI in Lake Union Park, as well as out on Lake Union in boats with CWB. Don't miss the fun!

This prenatal yoga class is designed to serve all mothers through every stage of pregnancy. We shall work tired muscles, release tension and finish with a well-deserved rest. Participants will also receive simple stretches to do at home once baby is here. The purpose of this class is to also create community and connection with others who are going through the same stage in their lives. Please come dressed in exercise apparel. Bring a friend who has not been before and you and your friend shall receive $2.00 in Purna Bucks to use as you wish at Alive and Shine Center. Zofia has been teaching since 1998 and is a 2000 hour graduate of the College of Purna Yoga. Purna Yoga is alignment based yoga with an integration of meditation, nutrition, philosophy and lifestyle. We strive to serve the whole being. Her students enjoy the camaraderie and friendships they build as well as their workout.

Please join Beverly Norfleet, Psy.D. for an 8-week class based on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s internationally famous and highly effective stress-reduction program, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). This class provides an introduction to key concepts in mindfulness – non-judgment, beginner’s mind, patience, non-striving and letting go. Each week a formal and informal mindfulness practice is presented through in-class exercises. Class materials are provided, including audio CDs and workbook. Attend a free orientation and meet the instructor. This class is a great introduction to mindfulness and mindful parenting.