Happy New Year! The next session of Firefly Friends is about to begin! “Share and Care” will meet on Wednesdays, 1.4, 1.11, 1.18, and 1.25 from 10-10:40am at the Mendon Public Library. Join me by the fireplace as we visit with Juniper the firefly puppet, hear new stories, make new theme crafts, and help light up the green firefly jars, of course! This is a 4-week session, and on 1.25, the Firefly Friends will earn their green firefly patch this time! Registration is required. Please register online via the following link: https://calendar.libraryweb.org/event/9870390

It’s official! A new year of Firefly Friends with Miss Jennifer is about to begin!  Firefly Friends is a program of nature-based stories, songs, and take-home crafts to help children ages 2-5 shine bright lights in the world.  Come meet Juniper the firefly puppet and help Miss Jennifer wake up the sleeping fireflies!

Registration is open for “Your Light is Bright,” the first “wing” of Firefly Friends, which will meet indoors at the Mendon Public Library) from 10:00-10:35am on the following Wednesdays: 9.21, 9.28, 10.5 and 10.12.  A parent or caregiver must be present.  Each week we visit with our feelings and focus on a different theme. At the end of each 4-week “wing,” children earn a firefly patch of a different color. 

Please note that class size is limited to 10 children and registration is required. You can register your child online here or by stopping by the Mendon Public Library at 22 North Main St., Honeoye Falls, NY 14472 or by calling them at 585.624.6067. 

I’m thrilled that we will resume our weekly meetings on Wednesday, March 9th, 2022! It has been a long winter and I know everyone is eager to get back to regular gatherings! At this time, I am planning to offer “Share and Care” INDOORS at the Mendon Public Library. Mask are now OPTIONAL. For the social-emotional aspect of learning, I believe strongly that children benefit most by seeing my face, so I will NOT be wearing a mask. 

Registration is now open for “Share and Care,” the third wing of classes in the Firefly Friends℠ core curriculum. The weekly themes for “Share and Care” are: Sharing, Thanking, Helping, Caring. Participants will get to visit with Juniper the firefly puppet each week, of course! They will also hear new stories, make new theme crafts, help light up the green firefly jar, and earn their green firefly patch this time!

Class size is limited to 12 children between the ages of 2 and 5. Their caregivers must also be present. We will meet on the following Wednesdays from 10:00-10:35am: 3.9, 3.16, 3.23, and 3.30. Please register through the library’s online system HERE

You can also call the Mendon Public Library at 585.624.6067 or stop by to register. I am so grateful that the craft costs for this four-week program are being covered by the Friends of the Mendon Public Library! Thank you, Friends! If you are able, please consider donating to the Friends of the Mendon Public Library to help them continue to support programs like this!

(After “Share and Care” concludes, I will offer the “Start With Your Heart” four-week session beginning on April 6th, during which the children will earn their blue firefly patch).

FOR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE COMMUNITY, THIS GATHERING HAS BEEN POSTPONED BY THE LIBRARY TO WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH, 2022 AT 10:00AM! PLEASE REGISTER HERE!

It’s cold and wintry outside so we aren’t regularly meeting outdoors for now, but I miss my Firefly Friends! It was so wonderful to see some of you at our December mini meet-up! Please join me for a one-time January meet-up at the Mendon Public Library! We’ll sing, wake up the sleeping fireflies, visit with our feelings, and enjoy a story together by the fireplace! I’ll also send a special craft kit with you that you can do at home!

Please join me indoors at the Mendon Public Library on Wednesday, January 12th from 10:00-10:30am. Children ages 2-5 are invited, along with their parent or caregiver. Masks are required by the library for all children over the age of two.

Please note that class size is limited to and registration is required. You can register your child by registering online on libcal or by stopping by the Mendon Public Library at 22 North Main St., Honeoye Falls, NY 14472 or by calling them at 585.624.6067. This class is being offered for free as a gift from the Friends of MPL!

It’s getting cold and wintry outside so we aren’t regularly meeting outdoors for now, but I miss my Firefly Friends! Please join me for a one-time December meet-up at the Mendon Public Library! We’ll sing, wake up the sleeping fireflies, visit with our feelings, and enjoy a story together by the fireplace! I’ll also send a special holiday keepsake craft kit with you that you can do at home!

Please join me indoors at the Mendon Public Library on Wednesday, December 15th from 10:00-10:30am. Children ages 2-5 are invited, along with their parent or caregiver. Masks are required by the library for all children over the age of two.

Please note that class size is limited to and registration is required.  Please register online through the Mendon Library system here.

This class is being offered for free as a gift from the MPL!

Firefly Friends is a program of nature-based stories, songs, and take-home crafts to help children ages 2-5 shine bright lights in the world.  For more information about the program, class structure, as well as the schedule for the rest of the academic year, please click on the menu tabs above.

The weather has been cooperating and we’re continuing to shine! “Grow and Glow,” the second “wing” of Firefly Friends will meet outdoors under the gazebo at Harry Allen Park (across the street from the Mendon Public Library) from 10:00-10:30am on the following Wednesdays: 10.20, 10.27, 11.3 and 11.10.  

Registration is currently full from the previous session, but you can call the Mendon Public Library at 585.624.6067 to be added to the list since a space or two may open up! Classes are offered as a free community service, but a $10 donation per child is greatly appreciated to help cover the cost of the month’s craft supplies.

For more information about the program, class structure, as well as the schedule for the rest of the academic year, please click on the menu tabs above.

It’s official! A new year of Firefly Friends with Miss Jennifer is about to begin!  Firefly Friends is a program of nature-based stories, songs, and take-home crafts to help children ages 2-5 shine bright lights in the world.  Come meet Juniper the firefly puppet and help Miss Jennifer wake up the sleeping fireflies!

Registration is open for “Your Light is Bright,” the first “wing” of Firefly Friends, which will meet outdoors under the gazebo at Harry Allen Park (across the street from the Mendon Public Library) from 10:00-10:30am on the following Wednesdays: 9.22, 9.29, 10.6 and 10.13.  A parent or caregiver must be present.  Each week we visit with our feelings and focus on a different theme. At the end of each 4-week “wing,” children earn a firefly patch of a different color.  The weekly themes for “Your Light is Bright” are: Happiness, Brightness, Uniqueness, and Kindness.

Please note that class size is limited to 10 children and registration is required. You can register your child by stopping by the Mendon Public Library at 22 North Main St., Honeoye Falls, NY 14472 or by calling them at 585.624.6067. Classes are offered as a free community service, but a $10 donation per child is greatly appreciated to help cover the cost of the month’s craft supplies.

For more information about the program, class structure, as well as the schedule for the rest of the academic year, please click on the menu tabs above.

Dearest Firefly Friends and Families,

Hello from me to you on this eve of the first day of school! My son is about to start second grade and my daughter is going into fifth. Life has been very different since the pandemic began and I know it still doesn’t seem normal yet, but we’ll get there and we’ll do it together. Each time I go to town or stop in one of the local schools, it feels like I see a former Firefly Friend, which always warms my heart.

Due to the ever-changing health guidelines for young children’s indoor programs, I’m sorry that I won’t be able to teach Firefly Yoga at Yoga Love of Honeoye Falls this semester. However, I am planning to offer an outdoor version of my Firefly Friends story, song, and [take-home] craft program through the Mendon Public Library again this fall. Please keep an eye on this space! We have a start date of Wednesday, September 22, 2021 from 10-10:30am. I look forward to seeing your smiling faces in the fresh air soon!

Please visit or call MPL to register!

Details for the first four-week session of Firefly Friends, “Your Light is Bright” are posted on their website here:

Firefly Friends Registration Now Open!

It’s almost summertime and the fireflies are already lighting up in my yard! We are ready to return to in-person classes at Yoga Love of Honeoye Falls! This year I will be offering a combined Firefly Yoga and Musical Magic class with snack time in between! Please see the information below for all details! If you would like to register your child for one or more classes, please email fireflyfriendsorgATgmailDOTcom to receive a registration form. There are three sessions of three weeks each. {Each three-week session of Yoga/Snack/Music=$66}. (Please bring a nut-free snack and water bottle).

Thursdays: June 24, July 1, & July 8 ($66)

10-10:45am Firefly Yoga

10:45-11am Snack

11-11:30am Musical Magic

***

Thursdays: July 15, July 22, & July 29 ($66)

10-10:45am Firefly Yoga 

10:45-11am Snack

11-11:30am Musical Magic

***

Thursdays: August 5, 12, 19 ($66)

10-10:45am Firefly Yoga 

10:45-11am Snack

11-11:30am Musical Magic

***

Additional Information for Children’s Summer Classes

All children’s classes will be taught by Jennifer DeVille Catalano, Ph.D. Jennifer is a Certified YogaKids Teacher who is also registered with Yoga Alliance (RYT-200). Ms. Jenny is known for her Firefly Friends programs at local libraries, where she helps little ones shine bright lights through stories, songs, and crafts. Firefly Yoga is her personal blend of breathing techniques, warm-ups, sun salutations, animal poses, chants, stories, and relaxation combined with music and song.

Ms. Jenny is also certified in the Sacred Science of Sound^tm and will be offering special children’s music classes in combination with Firefly Yoga. She created Musical Magic to help children discover the joy of sound. An ocean wave drum, shell rattles, crystal singing bowls and more will be used during Musical Magic. Children will not be sharing instruments. They will have their “own” to borrow each week and will have access to crystal singing bowls in different notes each week.

Yoga mats will be available for use, or children can bring their own.

Please bring a nut-free snack and a water bottle to enjoy during the break between classes.

Firefly Yoga and Musical Magic are open to children ages 4-7. This is a drop-off program that lasts 90 minutes per class.

A minimum of 3 students is required for a session to occur. A maximum of 7 students will be allowed per session. If you will be on vacation for one week of a session, you may make it up in another session if arranged during registration.

Each three-week session is $66. Classes are combined Yoga/Snack/Music from 10-11:30 on Thursdays. Payment can be made in cash or via Venmo to @jdcatalano.

Ms. Jenny is fully vaccinated but will wear a mask for all children’s classes. Children will be required to wear a mask, with the exception of snack time, when they will maintain social distance.

Because schools and yoga studios are currently closed due to social distancing restrictions, I have not been able to offer my free monthly classes at Creekside or my weekly Firefly Yoga℠ classes at Yoga Love of Honeoye Falls. Now more than ever, children need comfort and routine. Yoga is a wonderful way for them to stay physically and emotionally fit, so I am now offering a chance for your little ones to do yoga with me from the comfort of home!

Once a week for the next six weeks, I will be uploading a password-protected showcase of on-demand yoga video snippets I have made that are ideal for children ages 3-5. These showcases include songs, breathing exercises, warm-ups, yoga poses (including sun salutations), different stories, and more, all in my signature Firefly Yoga℠ style. This week I even included a craft video! All videos in each showcase are organized in the order they would occur during an in-person class. You will be able to view them as often as you want until 6.14.20!

I am accepting donations of $6 for the lot of six video showcases, all proceeds of which will be given to Yoga Love of Honeoye Falls. I want children’s yoga to be financially accessible while still being able to support the new yoga studio in town. Please send your donation to me via Venmo (I’m @jdcatalano) or PayPal. Here is my direct PayPal link: http://paypal.me/jdcatalano

If your child is currently enrolled at Creekside, you have already filled out a waiver and I do not need any paperwork from you. I will email you the password information upon receipt of your donation. If your child is not currently enrolled at Creekside, I will send you a waiver to complete before you access the videos. Each new showcase will be uploaded to Vimeo once a week for six weeks (4.16, 4.23, 4.30, 5.7, 5.14 and 5.21). Your access to all six showcases will expire on 6.14.20.

Feel free to email me here: fireflyfriendsorg{at}gmail{dot}com with any questions! Namaste.