Author: Aaron Gifford

A growing number of Central New York kids are turning to a new kind of training: ninja gymnastics. Nine locations in the Syracuse area offer some sort of ninja training program or competition. Most of these programs are fairly new and were inspired by the popular NBC show American Ninja Warrior and its 2018 spinoff, American Ninja Warrior Junior, for competitors under age 14. “He just needed a sport where he can climb and do flips, and he loves the challenge of overcoming obstacles,” says Leslie Michel, of Marcellus, of her son, Jack, age 10. Jack is in Ninja Gymnastics…

Getting a full night’s sleep with a newborn baby in the house may seem like a faraway dream, but experts suggest ways to help your baby nod off.

Hear the word “camp,” and you might think of kids roasting marshmallows over a campfire or spending a week practicing goal kicks at a local college. But beyond the familiar programs, Central New York boasts a variety of unusual camps. The focus of such day camps ranges from performing in a rock band, to learning how to cope with the loss of a loved one, to spending time with animals at a zoo, to putting on a circus production. Rock Musicians The Redhouse Arts Center in Syracuse offers Rock Camp for kids from ages 12 to 18 during the February…

So much has changed since Karen Dorazio’s daughter, Mary, was diagnosed with celiac disease 17 years ago. While grocers, restaurant workers and the general public appear to be aware of the increasing demand for gluten-free foods, there is still so much more they need to learn. “Put it this way,” Dorazio says. “We don’t need to bring the main entrée with us anymore, but we still need to keep a side dish handy.” At the age of 13 months, Mary experienced severe bouts of sickness. This continued for two months despite a continued diet of bland foods like crackers and…

Cameron Gale learned how to ski in Switzerland, raced competitively at a New England prep school and at one point was internationally ranked. He also spent 10 years in Colorado. And yet Gale believes that Central New York’s own Toggenburg Mountain Winter Sports Center “hits all the right notes.” “If you have not skied many other places, you might not fully appreciate it,” said Gale, a Cazenovia father of two. His 15-year-old daughter, Annie, also skies at Togg regularly, and his 10-year-old son, Connor, is learning to ski there this winter. “You can get up and down so fast, so…

The first thing parents should understand when searching for infant child care is the limited number of providers in Central New York compared to the huge demand. Parents are advised to get on a waiting list even before the baby is born. But regardless of the apparent shortage of infant care, every option should be weighed carefully, local experts say. “Cost, convenience and quality,” says Clare White, executive director of the SUNY Upstate Child Care Center in Syracuse, which is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and is an employer-sponsored child care center. “Those…

Grandparents today are coaching, teaching, helping with homework, providing daily child care, or even becoming the primary caregiver while continuing to work full time.  And they are also increasing in number. Family Times interviewed four local grandparents from different walks of life to illustrate various aspects of grandparenthood. David and Linda Rezak, of Syracuse, spend plenty of time with grandchildren Jaylen, 12, Jeffrey, 7, and Mia Rose, 6 months, who live less than a mile away. Their parents, Nikki and Jeff Petties, work in the city school district and have to start before 8 a.m. Jeffrey joins his grandparents for…

There’s so much more to gardening than seeds, soil and water, and for children, the rewards go beyond flowers, fruits and vegetables. Horticulture encompasses the sciences, social studies, math and so many other subjects as it inspires youngsters to learn about teamwork and bond with a community, including their own families. Researchers have even found that gardening releases a chemical in the brain that makes you happier and smarter. “It also improves their attention span and focus,” says Andrea Buckvold, an arts teacher and Syracuse resident who gardens with her two children, 11-year-old Sadie, and 8-year-old Harry. “It’s a good…

Wendy McCue jokingly calls mealtime “chicken nuggets and fries hell.” For the time being, those are the only things her autistic but high-functioning 6-year-old son, Aidan, wants for supper. The first-grader in the West Genesee district is doing well in school, loves to read and is making slow strides in his social development, but the dinner table can be a hostile place for him. Aidan began showing symptoms of autism at 18 months and was officially diagnosed before age 3. As an infant and toddler, he enjoyed a much broader range of foods, including pasta and vegetables. These days, he…

Even though the students who run WBXL-FM 90.5 at Charles W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville snicker when they see the hairstyles, clothing and record albums of their predecessors, they still hold those teenagers from the eight-track era of radio in the highest regard. WTKW-FM 99.1 (TK99)’s Rick Deyulio, a man hailed as a walking encyclopedia of classic rock music, got his start at WBXL, as did Dave Fink, a business owner in Baldwinsville. And the student who started it all in 1974 by installing the first antenna, Mark Humphrey, pursued a career in radio engineering and still builds stations…