Many people enjoy the spirit of the holiday season but are wary of the consumerism that often accompanies this time of year. This can be especially challenging for parents who want to teach their children that, in civil society, one should not step over a dying man on the floor at Target, or pepper spray fellow their shoppers at Walmart.
In Jersey City, parents can find a holiday that focuses affordable handicrafts and less on shiny electronics.
On Friday, Dec. 9 from 5 to 8:30 p.m., Garden Preschool Cooperative will host its second annual Winter Festival at Grace Church Van Vorst Episcopal Church. The festival is open to the public and there is no admission fee.
There will be a free “Preschool of Rock” concert.
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Kids can make their own original holiday ornaments with Three Little Birds, or sit for story time with award-winning children’s writer Helen Lester, who will read to children’s tales.
“The main attraction for kids will be to decorate their own gingerbread houses. The houses are adorable and were really popular last year,” said Cara Birnbaum, co-president for Garden Preschool Cooperative.
The 4-inch houses are freshly baked, she added, and will already be assembled before the decorating begins.
There will be a free “Preschool of Rock” concert and a crafts fair featuring lots of vendors with handmade toys and other items for children.
Naturally, the Winter Festival will include food – baked goods, veggies, and pizza – and drinks.
“Yes, the festival is a fundraiser for our school, and the proceeds go to the school,” said Birnbaum. “But it’s also a way for us to get out in the larger community and for the school community to meet our neighbors in Jersey City who maybe we don’t see on a daily basis.”
Proceeds from Winter Festival will help the school offset the costs of educational field trips, the school’s music program, and the cooperative’s scholarship program.
Located at 1 McWilliams Place at Hamilton Park in downtown Jersey City, Garden Preschool Cooperative is a parent-run nonprofit that opened in 1995.
“The school has always had a play-based curriculum. That means leaning through teacher-facilitated play, said Birnbaum. “The classroom has always been filled with lots of toys, lots of activity cents, lots of room for kids to let their imagination run wild. There’s lots of opportunity for pretend play. And that’s what drew me to the school, the play-based curriculum. Through playing the children learn not only the basics of academic areas, like counting, verbal skills, etc., but they also learn how to engage socially with one another.”
The school currently charges a tuition of $8,800 and asked that parents donate a day of their time once every 18 school days.
Grace Church Van Vorst, where the Winter Festival will be held, is at 39 Erie St.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.