Parents can nurture their babies while caring for themselves with a yoga bonding class at Blooma that lets baby in on the yoga action through loving touch, sight, and sound. Parents build trust and security - and learn ways to help babies eat and sleep better.

The classes also offer a way for new moms to connect, and are in addition to Blooma's offerings for parents-to-be, parents with crawlers, toddlers and preschoolers, children up to age eight, and families.

A free Friday drop-in playgroup for parents and kids up to age five offers an additional way to relax and connect, and occasional workshops explore issues facing parents and parents-to-be.

The Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center hosts family-friendly events throughout the year, and offers hockey and skating in a two-rink ice arena that seats 1,200. The center also boasts an exercise room and running track, concession stands, and fitness classes. A public skate park on the grounds is open daily from 8am to sunset from spring until it snows. Meeting rooms can be rented for party use.

Parties: Birthdays can be celebrated in the gym or at the ice rink. Packages include a host and time in a private party area. Cakes must be commercially prepared and no tableware is provided. Cost: $80 for up to 12 guests; $4 each additional guest.

Kids can drop in to sample a session of the center's Mindfulness for Kids and Youth class at no charge. The class meets every other Sunday, 9am to 10:30am. A free meditation period and talk for parents is offered concurrently.

Indiga Arts offers classes for children in yoga, and French language and art, as well as parent-child yoga sessions. Some offerings include hiking and other outdoor activities.

Hiyala Indiga offers the lessons at the Body Prayers Yoga Studio in Circle Pines or at Coon Lake Beach Club House in Ham Lake.

inner strength studio offers yoga and spinning classes (for adults), and weekly Mommy & Me "outdoor bootcamp" sessions for all levels in Minnehaha Park. Participants should bring a jogging stroller and yoga mat; the first class is free.

Joy Within, a movement and story arts studio, offers classes (often on a drop-in basis) in family yoga, creative movement for boys, dance for parents and preschoolers, and creative writing for young people. Classes take place primarily in Northeast Minneapolis, but check the website for locations on current offerings.

In addition to adult classes, motivational speakers, and adaptive programs for people with disabilities, this non-profit organization offers yoga classes for kids ages six to 12 which combine movement, breathing, and stretching exercises with stories and games, and classes for teens which follow more traditional yoga practice, with poses to build flexibility, strength, and endurance.

Check the website for schedules, current family classes, and information on summer programs.

The Movement Arts Center offers karate instruction for kids and adults, with weekly family classes. The center's new facility features sprung wood floors, locker rooms with showers, and free parking. Family rates are offered and no long-term contracts are required.

Summer Camps: Weeklong programs for kids ages six to 12 ($225/full-day; $130/half-day) incorporate karate, theater, yoga, art, and/or chess. Structured classes provide social time along with opportunities to build discipline and self-esteem...and an illustrated album of summer memories! Campers must bring their own lunches and snacks. Some financial aid is available.

The Saint Paul Yoga Center, with three studios, offers affordable classes for families, children, and pregnant women. Participants must bring their own mats.

The Therapy Place is an outpatient clinic that provides occupational, speech, and physical therapy for children with special needs. Along with individual therapy, The Therapy Place provides social groups, a feeding clinic, handwriting groups, music therapy, and yoga classes. Yoga classes are open to children of all abilities.

Yinghua Academy, a public charter school, offers full immersion programming in Mandarin Chinese to kindergarteners, first, and second graders. Third and fourth grade classes are taught in English, with daily Chinese language arts classes.

Before and after school care is available for a fee, and afterschool programming includes yoga/tai chi, Chinese dance, and traditional Chinese music.

The Midway YMCA offers all the great stuff families would expect, including programming for kids and teens, youth sport leagues, swimming lessons, childcare and extended day care for kids ages 16 months and up, parent-child yoga classes, and much more.

Summer camps: On-site summer care is offered with a different theme and field trip each week. For a more traditional summer camp experience the Midway YMCA feeds Camp St. Croix, a wooded site with a lake located 30 miles east of the Twin Cities. Day camp activities include archery, canoeing, cookouts, horseback riding, crafts, and teen adventures. The camp also offers two special experiences: Pioneer Village, featuring games and activities from the past; and the pirate-themed Oasis Waterplay Area. Teen Quest camps aim to impart life skills alongside traditional camp activities, and feature one camping overnight. Extended care, bag lunches, and bus transportion are available for an additional fee. Check the website for details on current offerings.

The Southdale YMCA offers free on-site childcare (for kids from six weeks to 10 years old) while parents work out, with both indoor and outdoor play areas. And like most Ys, it also provides a wide variety of programming for kids and teens, including lots of youth sports leagues and enrichment classes, before and after school care, and teen councils and leadership clubs. Enrollment is open to all for most programs, though fees will be higher for non-members.

Group and private swim lessons are offered in the six-lane Olympic-size pool, with a smaller - and quieter - warming pool available for parents to use with babies and toddlers. Men's and women's family locker rooms provide a spacious place to change and shower. Kids can also get a workout on large muscle equipment in a Kids Gym and give the facility's climbing wall a shot.

The Tri-City SkatePark behind the building is open each afternoon from mid-April throught August, weather-permitting. The innovative in-ground concrete bowl provides a safe environment for skateboarders, inline skaters, and freestyle bikers to tool around, with depths ranging from four to 12 feet, street course elements, and challenges for a variety of skill levels. Waivers and safey gear are required for all users. Call 952.897.5462 for information on lessons. Daily use rates: Members $5; Non-members $9. Punch cards and season passes are also available.

Summer camp: Full-day programming is offered on-site all summer for school age kids, but for a real day camp experience the Southdale YMCA uses Kici Yapi, a fairly primitive 80-acre wooded site with a lake located near Prior Lake. Weeklong programs for ages four to 13 include traditional lanyard-and-archery-type camps, as well as specialized offerings for horseback riding, climbing, camping, and crafts. Seventh and eighth graders can take a leaders-in-training camp and assist counselors with younger kids. Bus transportation for campers is provided to/from sites in Minneapolis and several southern suburbs; kids enrolled in extended care in addition to camp get dropped off and/or picked up at the Southdale Y.

The Yoga Center offers classes and summer camps for kids, and pre- and post-natal yoga for parents (with or without babies present).

Its schedule is also jam-packed with other offerings for adults and would-be instructors. Children's classes usually meet at the St. Louis Park studio, and teach kids relaxation, poses, and breathing exercises in a playful way. Ages 11 and up are welcome in any beginner's class, at either location. Classes cost about $15 per hour.

Parties: Kids ages three and up can select from themes such as Circus Yoga, Fairy Yoga, Spa Yoga, Outer Space Yoga, and more, for a two-hour party featuring 90-minutes of yoga activities, dance, and song, followed by 30 minutes for gifts and communing. Organic snacks and cake, yoga mats, and activity supplies are provided; henna tattoos, face painting, yoga journals, and decorations are available for an additional fee. Parties can be scheduled Friday evenings, Saturday late afternoons and evenings, and Sunday afternoons; call 612.436.4700 to book.

The Yoga Center offers classes and summer camps for kids, and pre- and post-natal yoga for parents (with or without babies present).

Its schedule is also jam-packed with other offerings for adults and would-be instructors. Children's classes usually meet at the St. Louis Park studio, and teach kids relaxation, poses, and breathing exercises in a playful way. Ages 11 and up are welcome in any beginner's class, at either location. Classes cost about $15 per hour.

Parties: Kids ages three and up can select from themes such as Circus Yoga, Fairy Yoga, Spa Yoga, Outer Space Yoga, and more, for a two-hour party featuring 90-minutes of yoga activities, dance, and song, followed by 30 minutes for gifts and communing. Organic snacks and cake, yoga mats, and activity supplies are provided; henna tattoos, face painting, yoga journals, and decorations are available for an additional fee. Parties can be scheduled Friday evenings, Saturday late afternoons and evenings, and Sunday afternoons; call 612.436.4700 to book.

In addition to presenting innovative, eclectic, creative, and energizing jazz and modern dance works to Twin Cities (and international) audiences, Zenon offers ballet, creative movement, hip hop, breakdancing, jazz, and modern dance classes for kids ages three and up.

Summer camps are offered in all styles of dance for beginnners through experienced dancers.

Students ages 15 and older can audition for Zenon's Scholarship Program, which offers unlimited classes, and the opportunity to work with local choreographers and perform. All students in the program receive subsidized tuition.