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Boston Sports Institute, Wellesley

Wellesley summer camp listings 2021 — find the experience of a lifetime

January 19, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

LINX, WellesleyThe Swellesley Report’s Summer Camps page is now updated with over 75 camps in Wellesley and beyond. It’s time to sign your child up for the summer camp experience of a lifetime. Whether they’re into coding, arts and crafts, sports, drama, or nature, the perfect camp is out there for them.

Swellesley’s camps page is sponsored by LINX Camps. Over 40 Premier Camps. Perfect for your family.

Contact Deborah for more info on inclusion of your camp located in Wellesley or elsewhere, or for advertising on Swellesley. Camp parents and guardians: Please let camps know that you found them here, if you did…thanks.

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Filed Under: Camp, Education, Kids

Linden Square, Wellesley
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Pinnacle Residential Properties: the concept of home & roots

January 19, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

SPONSORED POST: Lindsey Fay is a real estate agent at Pinnacle Residential Properties. She writes about Wellesley as the home her family loves.

I think about the concept of home a lot. Especially over this past year, when home has come to mean more to us than we ever realized before. It has provided us with sanctuary, a bubble of safety and normalcy, and very necessary constancy during uncertain times.

Pinnacle, Lindsey Fay
Lindsey, her husband Doug, their three children (Jack, 10; Olivia, 9; Teddy, 6), and Memphis

Recently my husband and I were having a conversation about home and roots. We were discussing how we respond when people ask, “Where are you from?” Seems like a simple enough question and my response comes easily. “I’m from Wellesley.” Other than for brief periods, I have spent most of my life here and this is where my family is from. I am a third generation Wellesley resident.

My parents live around the corner in Cliff Estates and my grandmother still lives in the Westgate Porter colonial where she and my grandfather raised their seven children. We have a legacy of wonderful memories, and we’ve derived much enjoyment from some of the simple opportunities living in this town has presented.

My dad’s family was always involved with Wellesley sports (especially basketball), and my grandfather loved to coach the kids. After he retired from a sales career in the late 80s, he took a position as coach of the Wellesley High Girl’s Varsity Basketball team. He was very proud of his team and was able to help them qualify for playoffs in 1990.

Pinnacle, Lindsey Fay
Don Fay, at a Wellesley High Women’s varsity playoff game at Boston Garden c.1990

While my roots run deep here, for the past ten years my husband has established his own. He is originally from outside of Chicago, but he has been away from the midwest longer than he lived there.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Houses, Kids, Neighbors, Real estate

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley

Wellesley teens make Warren Park playground sensory friendly

January 6, 2021 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

It wasn’t long ago when playgrounds across Wellesley were off limits, surrounded by orange plastic fencing or other materials aimed at preventing kids from spreading COVID-19 on swings, slides, and in sandboxes. Now with concerns lessened about the disease being transmitted via surfaces, playgrounds are back in action, and not only that, Wellesley has new equipment at Warren Park that is all about being touched and encouraging sensory play.

“It seemed like it belonged there the whole time,” Natural Resources Commission (NRC) Director Brandon Schmitt told the Wellesley Community Preservation Committee (CPC) during a meeting in December, shortly after the equipment at the 90 Washington St., playground outside the Recreation Center was installed.

music store equipment at warren park
Photo courtesy of Sam Beuker

 

The colorful new Cozy Cocoon and Music Store equipment are the result of efforts by  Jake Merritt, a Wellesley High School senior,, and Alex Battle Abdelal, a senior at Noble and Greenough School.

The friends came to be interested in making a Wellesley playground sensory-friendly through different paths.

Merritt had begun volunteering with a program in Boston called Teens Engaged as Mentors that provides social outings and leadership opportunities for kids. “Seeing the positive effects of that program and the community that was built around it inspired me to begin looking at how I could help kids with autism within my own community,” he says.

Abdelal traces his interest in the subject a few years back when he was performing in the play “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” in which the lead character is boy on the autism spectrum.

“Because of this, I had been immersed in research related to autism studies for months,” he says. “The play—and researching for my performance in it—showed me the need for inclusive spaces that honor neurodiversity.

“[Jake and I] found ourselves talking about the subject and learning about it together, and we came across this rather new invention of ‘sensory-friendly parks,'” Abdelal says.

Their research found that the nearest sensory-friendly playground to Wellesley was more than an hour away.

“Alex and I saw an opportunity to provide a more inclusive experience to not just people in Wellesley, but hopefully for people in surrounding towns hoping to find more inclusive playgrounds,” Merritt says.

The young men initially planned to raise $10K and add the playground equipment as a gift to the town. During the planning process to raise funds, they came in contact with the NRC’s Schmitt, who they say took a great interest in the project and helped them learn about ways to get town funding.

The process took about a year, between finding a company to make and install the equipment, and presenting before numerous town boards and committees, including the NRC, Design Review Board and CPC.

The proposal was refined as a result of the CPC meeting.  “Some of the parts were taken away, some were added, and the budget was adjusted to $12,000,” Merritt says.

Cozy Cocoon and Music Store

Taking a closer look at the new equipment, the Cozy Cocoon serves a couple of functions, according to Merritt.

cozy cocoon playground equipment
Photo courtesy of Sam Beuker

 

“First of all, it is a place a child might go if over-stimulated. Sometimes it helps to escape the hustle and bustle of the playground, and the Cozy Cocoon helps with that,” he says. “Second, the Cocoon is lined with a number of different textures. This offers an opportunity for tactical exploration, which is good for all kids, not just those on the Autism Spectrum.”

The Cozy Cocoon complements the other new equipment, dubbed the Music Store, which adds a splash of color to the otherwise subdued tones of the Warren Park playground. It encourages tactile exploration, with a variety of instruments, including drums and bells. “The Music Store incorporates another sense, our sense of hearing, into the playground experience through the various instruments.,” Merritt says.

music store equipment at warren park playground
Photo courtesy of Sam Beuker

 

Merritt and Abdelal have talked about expanding the project to other Wellesley playgrounds, including at elementary schools, but there are no formal plans. For now though, Wellesley is fortunate to have some of the only outdoor equipment of its kind in the area.


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Filed Under: Health, Kids

Stretch Lab, Wellesley

Charity roundup: Wellesley Fire delivers big for Thanksgiving; Kids Backing Kids holiday gift drive powering ahead; Salon collecting food pantry donations

November 24, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Our roundup of the latest Wellesley charitable efforts:

Wellesley Fire Department delivers big with Thanksgiving Dinner for seniors

The Wellesley Fire Department and friends, and they have lots of them (Select Board, Council on Aging, regular volunteers, family members, among them) delivered 180 complete Thanksgiving dinners over the weekend to residents over the age of 60.

In addition to delivering meals, the crew also supplied residents with KN95 masks, and WFD rubber jar openers and reusable bags. Wellesley Media broadcast a prerecorded Thanksgiving program featuring firefighters and other special guests.

“An extremely efficient, organized event. Everyone enjoyed the annual dinner,” reported Chief Rick DeLorie about the 54th rendition of the WFD Thanksgiving Dinner.

Photos shared by WFD. We’ll let you play the guessing game of who is behind all those masks…

WFD thanksgiving dinner for seniorsthanksgiving dinner deliveriesthanksgiving dinner deliveriesthanksgiving dinner deliveriesthanksgiving dinner deliveries

Kids Backing Kids holiday gift drive powering ahead

kids backing kids logoThe Kids Backing Kids Holiday Gift Drive is underway and they have 70-plus sponsors supporting more than 150 children for the holidays. This represents a community commitment to buy nearly $20,000 in gifts for children in vulnerable low-income families.

Kids Backing Kids is working with social workers from Wellesley Public Schools, the Health Department, and the Housing Authority.

Volunteers have signed up for gift-wrapping shifts on Saturday, Dec. 5 to package up more than 500 gifts at 330 Washington St. (former Rockland Trust bank site). Haynes Management is donating the space.

The message from Kids Backing Kids: “As kids, we know the excitement of receiving and opening gifts during the holidays. We also know the joy of giving gifts to others—it feels good to make others happy.”

More: Wellesley family launches Kids Backing Kids to aid children in need, engage those who can help

Town toy drive extended

The Wellesley Recreation Department and Youth Commission will collect new, unwrapped toys for the holiday throughDecember 5. Drop off toys at the collection bin in the Tailby commuter rail lot.

Haircuts, Ltd. collecting donations for Wellesley Food Pantry

HairCuts, Ltd. in Wellesley Square is collecting donations for the Wellesley Food Pantry throughout the holiday season (until Dec. 20). The salon is accepting donations from the pantry’s current wish list to bring each Monday during their donation hours.

Food Pantry, UU Wellesley
Food Pantry, UU Wellesley. Photo credit, Peter Lull

 


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Filed Under: Fire, Food, Fundraising, Kids

“Frozen” to warm up the weekend for outdoor movie-goers in Wellesley

November 12, 2020 by admin 1 Comment

Wellesley families can enjoy one final outdoor movie as the Town kicks off the holiday season with a showing of the Disney blockbuster movie Frozen on Saturday, Nov. 14. The mobile movie starts at approximately 5:30pm in the Tailby commuter rail lot in Wellesley Square. Movie-goers are asked to bring new, unwrapped toys for Wellesley’s holiday toy drive.

Don’t Be Left in the Cold!

Registration for “Frozen” begins on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. Space is limited; reserve a spot for your car using the Wellesley Recreation Department online portal or call the Recreation office at 781-235-2370.

wellesley tailby lot
The  Tailby lot in Wellesley Square, by day. By night on Nov. 14, the commuter parking area will serve as an outdoor movie theater.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Entertainment, Kids

Halloween-time cuteness overload in Wellesley

October 19, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The Linden Square Courtyard was the site of a socially distanced autumn event as members of the Wellesley Mothers Forum brought their kids to the shopping area to decorate pumpkins and pose for selfies in the seasonal pumpkin patch. Here are a few pics:

Linden Square, Wellesley
Roche Bros. donated the pumpkins to the effort. After kids finished decorating their own pumpkins, many helped out by decorating any extras to be put on display in front of Roche Bros.
Linden Square, Wellesley
Spiderman dropped by to pose in one of the two pumpkin patches in the Courtyard. Linden Square is seeking all costumed kids to snap and share their pumpkin patch photos on Insta with the hashtag #LindenSquareWellesley or #CodeNinjasSpooky for the chance to win great prizes. Contestants must be 13 and under to enter. Submit your photos by Oct. 31st. Winners will be announced Nov. 2nd.

Linden Square, Wellesley

Linden Square, Wellesley

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Filed Under: Business, Kids, Shopping

Dedham Country Day—educating children Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 8

October 15, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

SPONSORED POST: Dedham Country Day believes that balance matters—in learning and life. They combine academic challenge with support and pedagogical tradition with innovation. Strong scholastics together with outstanding arts, athletics and service learning creates a program that is balanced and whole. At DCD, a premium is placed on both academic and emotional intelligence.

Dedham Country Day School
DCD is made up of a vibrant and diverse community from 32 different towns.

Children learn who they are as diverse individuals and how to be part of something bigger. Acceptance is a given, and children find encouragement in every connection they make. It’s a community that nurtures, nudges, and gives. That’s how DCD grows “whole” children—and, ultimately, adults who will thrive with the intellectual and emotional capacity to contribute to their world and enjoy meaningful lives.

While DCD’s campus and classrooms may look a bit different this year, reconfigured to maintain the health and safety of its community, DCD’s ability to deliver an education that is challenging, inclusive, and engaging, reflective of its mission, remains unchanged. From Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 8, DCD students tackle hands-on projects, collaborate, take risks, solve problems and, most of all, engage deeply in their experience.

Dedham Country Day
With 160,594 sq.ft. of indoor space and 17 acres of outdoor space for creating, making & playing, there’s room to grow at DCD.

Explore DCD through a series of virtual admissions events and personal connections with the school’s admissions staff this fall. The first Learning Spotlight for Pre-K and Kindergarten is on October 20. Visit www.dedhamcountryday.org for details and
registration.

Dedham Country Day School

www.DedhamCountryDay.org
781-329-0850

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Filed Under: Beyond Wellesley, Education, Kids

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Rum tasting and history talk

January 26 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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Online history lecture: Petticoat Whalers

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