Page 56 - Sonoma County Gazette - June 2018

Playtime Revisited!
By Date
Jun 1 & 8 ~ A Matter of Balance - Learn the importance of exercise in preventing falls and promoting strength, flexibility and balance. 707-565-5936, sonomacounty. ca.gov/Human-Services/Adult-and- Aging/A-Matter-of-Balance-Managing- Concerns-About-Falls/, mob@schsd.org
Jun 5 ~ Senior Saunters - Stroll along accessible paved trails, & explore seasonal signs of wildlife. Laguna de Santa Rosa Trail - 6303 Hwy. 12, Santa Rosa, FREE, $7 Parking, 10-11:30a, parks. sonomacounty.ca.gov/Play/Calendar/
Jun 7 ~ Singles Seniors Social - Make new friends. FREE 5-6:30p, Aqus Cafe Foundry Wharf, 189 H Street, Petaluma, 707-778-6060, info@aquscafe.com
Jun 11 ~ AARP Tax-Aide Tax Clinic - Help for seniors and others who have other tax-related questions. Appointment only. FREE, 9:45a, 11a & 12:15a, Franklin Park Clubhouse, 2095 Franklin Ave, Santa Rosa, 707-327-2401
Jun 15 ~ Senior Driving - Keys to Driving Safer and Driving Longer - Volunteers of the CHP- Rohnert Park Senior Center, 6800 Hunter Dr., Rohnert Park, 707-585- 6784, FREE, Petaluma Senior Center, 211 Novak Dr., Petaluma
Jun 21 ~ Blood Pressure and Glucose Testing - $3, 3-4p, Sebastopol Area Senior Center, 167 N. High St, Sebastopol, 707-829-2440, Dean Brittingham, sebastopolseniorcenter.org/
Transportation
Rides To Appointments - Volunteer Driver Transportation. Call in advance. 707-829-2440, emaildean@ sebastopolseniorcenter.org. Sebastopol Area Senior Center, 167 N. High St, Sebastopol, 707-829-2440, sebastopolseniorcenter.org/, dean@ sebastopolseniorcenter.org
Rides to Medical and Social Services Appointments, Free for members, Cloverdale Senior Community Center, 311 North Main Street, Cloverdale, 707-894-4826, cloverdaleseniorcenter. com/, Elizabeth elizabeth@ cloverdaleseniorcenter.com
Senior Social Clubs
Contact Laurel Anderson at 707-525-0143 ext. 103, email: atlanderson@councilonaging.com.
Healdsburg Senior Social Club at St. Paul’s Church, 209 Matheson St., Healdsburg Mon., Tues., Wed. 9:30-2. Contact Roxanne Lemereis 707-433-6161.
Santa Rosa Senior Social Club at First United Methodist Church, 2150 Giffen, Santa Rosa Mon., Wed., Fri. , 9:30-2p.
Sebastopol Senior Social Club at Senior Center, 167 No. High St, Sebastopol, Mon., Wed. and Fri. from 9:30-2p.
Mon., Wed. and Fri. from 9:30-2p. Sonoma Senior Social Club at Vintage House, 264 First St. E., Sonoma – Tues. and Thur. from 9:30-2p.
Ever wonder whatever happened to Hop Scotch, Olly-Olly-In-Free, sandlot neighborhood ball games or just plain old Tag? Every once in a while if I am passing through a young family neighborhood I do see youngsters outside “playing,” but it sure looks different these days! They often are staring at some electronic gadget. I can’t recall the last time I passed through a neighborhood and saw chalk drawings on the sidewalks or the Hop Scotch diagram. Of course, kids’ outdoors play today looks radically different from when I was under twelve! But it also seems very different from when my own children were very young.
When I think about “play” and young children, I find myself looking at some regrettable shifts as well as some amazing positive changes. There is so much to consider. There are many young parents (I am told) who adamantly cling to what they call “the old ways,” as well as others who are so far out and away from something as silly-fun as Hide-and-Seek that they look at you, roll their eyes and ask: “are you kidding?”
Do you remember when Mom bundled you up in Winter when it had snowed, gently pushed you out the door and just said it was time to go out and play? Then the door closed! No complex equipment, no map, no electron- ics – just go play! We had dozens of things to do that we, with siblings, cousins and friends, just made up! It was called using initiative and creativity! Running around, exploring, building forts and hideouts, digging snow tunnels—doing “stuff!” In Summer there was always the hose and mud, and making a slide by wetting down the lawn, water fights and on and on...
Have we made our young children too dependent upon us to figure out their play, answer their every perceived need and pre-empt their own imaginations by furnishing them with pat programs (electronic and otherwise) so they have way too few challenges?
In a way it’s a developmental dilemma! Furnishing young children with too many “playtime” answers isn’t always a good thing (in my opinion) because too many opportunities are thwarted, too much creative initiative un-explored. And how about that other important growth thing -- beginning to learn about independence, and making mistakes? There really is a huge difference between choosing up sides for a spontaneous neighborhood game of baseball or basket- ball or being in an organized “league” when you’re still in single digits, with all the pressure that goes with its competitive dynamic! Ever watch the secondary competition among the parents? Scary... (Sandlot is just for FUN!)
Senior Ballroom Dancing
Finley Community Center, 2060 West College Ave. Santa Rosa, $8
Jun 1 ~ Carl Green
Jun 8 ~ Tom Shader Trio Jun 15 ~ Manny Gutierrez Jun 22 ~ Carlton Trio
A young child curiously finding the way oneself, in so many ways, positively pre-empts always being programmed. I really think somewhere between those two approaches lies the balance point – that place where self-determination sets in, ideas begin to move in and temper simple reaction to parental provision- ing. It would be difficult to find a youngster (again, twelve and under) who wouldn’t jump at the chance for video games or smart-phone time over that simplistic and plain old non-specific: “time to go out and play!” approach. Period!
Sebastopol Area Senior Center
167 N. High St.Sebastopol, 707-829-2440, sebastopolseniorcenter.org
Jun 5 & 12 ~ Art History Lecture: Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera 1p
Jun 7 ~ 2pm TED Talks: big ideas and lively discussions
Jun 8 ~ Clearing Clutter Support Group 10:45
Jun 16 ~ Aged to Perfection Dinner & Auction, 5p
Jun 21 ~ AARP Driver Safety Full Course (Part 2) 1p
Jun 23 ~ LGBTQI Dance: Rainbow Dance Party! 6:30p
Jun 26 ~ LGBTQI Seniors at Glaser Center, 547 Mendocino Ave, Santa
Jun 27 ~ Mormon Tabernacle Choir, call for details
Jun 27 ~ Frauds, Scams, and of Abuse, 3p
Jun 9 ~ Russian River Sisters Bingo 6p Jun 13 ~ 10am Introduction to Traditional
Rosa,
Chinese Medicine,10p
Jun 14 ~ AARP Driver Safety Full Course (Part 1) 1pm
Jun 15 ~ Speaking of Death, 3:30p
(Just to be clear, I love my iPhone and all it can do: Solitaire, games, Jigsaw puzzles –as well as all the serious business and personal uses! I know and under- stand the pull and the quasi-addiction! But my formative years are way (way!) behind me.)
I hope that as the wonderful Summer season arrives and we all think of time for play (on all levels, for all ages) that young parents, especially, will consider the wonderful creative play potential behind the unstructured, un-programmed approach of: “Okay! Out you go! Time to go out and play!”
Zoë Tummillo is a Business & Marketing Consultant, Trainer and Commercial Writer, dba COMMUNICATION CONCEPTS and Writing Service, in private practice. SENIOR MOMENTUM: A Series of Situations!© Zoë Tummillo To contact her: email: writingservice@earthlink.net.
Zoë Tummillo has been writing about senior wisdom for the Gazette for many years. If you want to read more of her insights, visit SonomaCountyGazette.com for all her archived articles.
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