Oatland Island Wildlife Center will have free admission this Sat. May 18 for “Coastal Wetlands Day”.

This day will offer visitors fun and educational opportunities to learn about Georgia’s coastal resources with a special emphasis on coastal wetlands. The “Coastal Ark” from Georgia’s Coastal Resources Division of the Department of Natural Resources will be on hand and open for exploration.

Oatland’s Marine Monitoring Lab and Ledbetter Pond Learning Station will have activities that teach about fresh and salt water wetlands and their inhabitants.

Visitors can get free installation of turtle excluder devices on their crab traps so that they can help protect the Diamondback Terrapin-our only native brackish water turtle, while fishing for blue crabs this season. There will also be lessons on throwing a cast net and fishing for blue crab among other activities.

More info at www.oatlandisland.org

We here at SouthernMamas always enjoy Savannah Magazine. Especially the May/June 2013 issue that features the article “How to Raise a Savannahian”

We particularly appreciate one break-out feature in the article (which unfortunately is not available online) entitled “How to Raise a Safe Savannahian”. It’s an interview with Savannah-Chatham Metro Police Department’s Crime Prevention Office Cpl. John Simmons. Cpl. Simmons gives advice on a variety of parenting topics including:

1. Talk Tough About Guns: excerpt “…all parents need to sit down with their children and talk to them about gun safety. Explain what a weapon is and that it is not for show and tell – and it’s not to be touched without your supervision…”

2. Fight Crime with Caution: excerpt “The child should be conditioned to know that if the stranger keeps getting closer, he or she needs to turn and run away, find a safe place and call 911.”

3. Keep an eye on the Internet: excerpt “the Web is the number one threat to our children’s safety.”

4. Guard the cell phone: excerpt “Cool phone. May I see it?” That’s a question predators often ask potential victims, so the answer should always be no.”

Take your yard back!

With one simple phone call you can reclaim your yard from dangerous mosquitoes and pesky sand gnats. The Mosquito Authority in Coastal Georgia uses a proven, safe and effective method to eliminate your mosquito problems.

Send the kids out to play, hang out in the hammock or plant a garden. You and your family and pets will be able to enjoy the yard without concern of welts or worse, West Nile Virus.

Call today to schedule your treatment and a Summer of outdoor fun!!

New Customers who are readers of SouthernMamas.com can use code MAMA when they call to get 1/2 off their first barrier treatment service. Thats only $31.00!!! Must call 912-414-2681 and request code MAMA. First Treatment must be scheduled before 6/1/13. New Customers Only. Offer not available for special event services.

The Mosquito Authority, 2311 East Victory Drive, PO Box 2153, Savannah, GA 31402 tel: 912-996-8570, email coastal@themosquitoauthority.com, www.bugsbite.com/coastal

Did the pre-K lottery not go as you’d hoped?

Is your precious toddler ready to expand his/her world and begin developing preschool social skills?

Check out the new JEA Preschool Savannah . It’s a program focused on providing a strong preschool experience in a nurturing environment with low teacher to student ratio. The preschool is now accepting applications. Meet & Greet on May 29th at 5:30pm at the JEA. Free babysitting available; reservations required. For more information go to www.savannahjea.org  or call 912-355-8111.

About JEA Preschool Savannah JEA Preschool Savannah, located in the Jewish Educational Alliance community center at 5111 Abercorn Street, will open its doors in August 2013. The school, which will serve the needs of children ages 16 months through 4 years, focuses on the social, emotional and cognitive growth of young children in a Judaic setting. The core curriculum, led by qualified and experienced teachers, is available Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Extended hours are available daily from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. For more information on JEA Preschool Savannah, please call 912-355-8111 (ext. 228), email preschool@savj.org  or visit www.savannahjea.org .

JEA Preschool Savannah, 5111 Abercorn St., Savannah, www.savannahjea.org, 912-355-8111 (ext. 228), email preschool@savj.org  JEA Preschool is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Have a blast this summer with great pottery classes both on and off the wheel @ Savannah’s Clay Spot. Child/Parent classes available and there are still openings available in Kid’s Pottery Summer Camps. Check out the website by clicking here for class schedules.

Check out www.savannahsclayspot.com

For more info, contact Lisa Alvarez Bradley, email lisa@savannahsclayspot.com or call 912-509-4647

Savannah’s Clay Spot, www.savannahsclayspot.com , 1305 Barnard St. Savannah,  31401, tel 912-509-4647 Savannah’s Clay Spot is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser

Saturday, May 18,  1-4 pm,   @ Telfair’s Jepson Center, 207 W.York St., Savannah, 31401

Come to the Jepson Center in Savannah on May 18 to celebrate Art Museum Day, a global celebration of the essential role that art museums play in local communities. Enjoy $5 single-site admission to the Jepson Center from 1-4 pm and exciting hands-on art activities in the Jepson’s What Can We Make? program, plus exclusive discounts @ the Museum store. Spend $50 in the Jepson Center Store and get 5% off your total purchase; spend $100 and receive 10% off (excludes consignment items).

Telfair Museums encourages svisitors of all ages to share your experiences of Art Museum Day through social media with the hashtag #artmuseumday. Make sure to tag @MyTelfair in your tweets and Instagram photos.

Telfair’s Jepson Center for the Arts, 207 W York Street, Savannah,  31401, www.telfair.org Telfair Museums is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Bring your little cyclists to Tour de Kids, hosted by Amerigroup and Interfaith Hospitality Network on 11 AM-1 PM Sat. May 18 @ Lake Mayer. 1st 50 kids will receive a FREE helmet. There will be safety info, games, snacks, music, prizes & more.

Amerigroup will pay the registration fee for any girl k-5th grades who is interested in joining Girl Scouts at this event.

Check out the upcoming Family Yoga classes at Ganesha’s Place, Savannah’s new therapeutic yoga studio.

To register or more information, (912)665-4199 or www.ganeshasplace.com

Ganesha’s Place offers a variety of therapeutic classes including yoga for special needs kids, children with autism & restorative yoga for caretakers.

What we love about Ganesha’s Place is that it’s a spot to explore, heal and have fun. Ganesha’s can be a place for the whole family: you’re not required to be athletic or wear special outfits. Yoga therapy at Ganesha’s regulates and improves the balance between health and wellness without the intimidating images of body contortions and “pretzels”.

Keep up with Ganesha’s Place on Facebook here.

Ganesha’s Place, at the corner of Barnard & 40th St. @ 2323 Barnard St., 912-665-4199, http://ganeshasplace.com/ Ganesha’s Place is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser

Children’s book author/illustrator Michelle Nelson-Schmidt will present enthusiastic, energetic talks filled with childhood stories, vibrant stories and readings of her books in Savannah including at:

6 PM Monday May 13 @ Villa Maria Center

5:30 PM Tuesday May 14 @ the Salvation Army Community Center.

Books sales and donations will be matched by Usborne Books & More 50% to provide Jonathan James & The What if Monster and Monster plush sets for The Salvation Army-Savannah’s shelter.

Michelle Nelson-Schmidt will be also visiting 5 area schools:

Worried about your child’s education?

You’re invited to come to talk on education “Keys to Bringing Out Creativity & Intelligence in Yourself & Your Offspring” given by Author/Educator Bernie Schein at the JEA in Savannah at 10 AM Sun. May 19

KEYS TO BRINGING OUT CREATIVITY & INTELLIGENCE IN YOURSELF AND YOUR OFFSPRING
Featuring Bernie Schein
May 19th 10 am
@ Jewish Educational Alliance, 5111 Abercorn St. Savannah,  31405
Free to JEA Members, $8 for community guests
Price Includes breakfast

American education has it backwards. Emotion, not reason – true emotion, no more easily arrived at than the solution to a complex math problem – is the engine that drives the machinery of great works and great lives. Thought – great thought – is the PRODUCT, not the driver of that engine.

Bernie Schein, educator, will share his views and lead a discussion on everything from the shortcomings of the SAT and No Child Left Behind to the need for students to be emotionally open and aware before true learning can take place.

Bernie Schein, a native of Beaufort, S.C., received his Master’s in Education and educational psychology from Harvard. He has been a principal, director of teacher training, and teacher of creative writing and literature at the middle and high school levels. He is author of “If Holden Caulfield Were in My Classroom” (with foreword by Pat Conroy).

JEA Preschool Savannah, 5111 Abercorn St., Savannah, www.savannahjea.org, 912-355-8111 (ext. 228), email preschool@savj.org  JEA Preschool is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Is there a public safety issue in Savannah that you’re really worried about?

Maybe you believe police chases shouldn’t happen near schools or densely populated residential areas like the one through East Savannah & Ardsley Park at school dismissal time on Wed. May 1? Or maybe you’re worried about our city’s home burglary problem? Or maybe you want the mayor & city council to do more to curb gun violence in Savannah & to work to extend background checks to online and private gun purchases as well as gun show sales?

Here’s your chance to make your case.

This week the City of Savannah is reaching out its citizens for their thoughts and ideas on public safety.

Residents can share their input in a special online form available at www.savannahga.gov/publicsafetycomment through noon on Friday, May 17th.

The comments will be compiled and presented to a special Public Safety Roundtable that will meet Monday, May 20, at 2 p.m. in the Savannah Civic Center. The Roundtable will be comprised of the top elected and appointed officials representing the major entities that touch public safety, including law enforcement, the courts, probation and parole, education, city and county governments, and various nonprofits and the faith-based community.

The goal of the Roundtable will be to identify key issues impacting public safety in our community, and begin a process that will create an action plan to make our community safer. The Roundtable wants to hear from the public on this matter, and has set up the online form to solicit input.

Proud of your little artist?

Scribble Art Studio in Savannah & Pooler is now taking orders for “Artist” T-shirts. Order yours today & let the world know your child is an artist.

To place your order, call 912.713.7376 or email info@thescribbleartstudio.com

To learn more about Scribble’s art classes & summer camps for kids in Pooler & Savannah, click here or call 912-323-0123 or email info@thescribbleartstudio.com  .

Scribble Art Studio in Savannah & Pooler also offers private & group art classes, summer art camps, adult art parties. For gifts, Scribble as art kits & gift certificates . For more information, contact artist Carrie Christian at 912-323-0123 or email ScribbleArtStudio@hotmail.com . Click here for more info. Scribble Art Studio is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Savannah’s Women In Business Expo will give away complimentary tickets to expo event for women groups, mother groups and non profit organizations.

Please email, Contact name, group name, and address to womeninbusinessexpo@yahoo.com  for your free tickets. Show starts at 12 noon to 4pm June 1 2013 at The Hyatt Regency Ballroom, 2. West Bay, Savannah Ga!

Check out the website at www.SavWomenInBusinessExpo.com for more great details about how you can participate.

Savannah’s Women In Business Expo Event, 1-877-WIB-EXPO or email womeninbusinessexpo@yahoo.com, www.savwomeninbusinessexpo.com

Savannah Children’s Museum’s 1st Birthday Fundraiser Celebration is June 7, 2013!

An after-hours, adult-only birthday celebration! Tickets are $35 per person. Your ticket includes two complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres. A cash bar will be available. Raffles will be held in support of Savannah Children’s Museum.

Friday, June 7, 2013
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $35 per person

If you would like to attend, please contact Samantha Pogorelsky at 912-651-6840 x 2.

Savannah Children’s Museum, 655 Louisville Road, Savannah, GA 31401

You’re invited: 32nd Annual Old Fort Jackson Auction, 6-9 PM Sat. Aug. 24, 2013

Old Fort Jackson’s Annual Auction & Low Country Boil is a Savannah family tradition! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to tour Georgia’s oldest brick fort at sunset, with live music, great food and cannon firings. All proceeds go directly toward the preservation and operation of Georgia’s oldest standing brick fortification.
This is Old Fort Jackson’s only annual public fundraiser. Support your fort!

Old Fort Jackson: 1 Fort Jackson Rd Savannah, Georgia 31404

(912) 232-3945 www.chsgeorgia.org

If Arabic is a heritage language for you, if you want to learn, or are married to someone who speaks Arabic, or even if you just want to meet new moms who care about languages and multiculturalism, please join Lingüa in Richmond Hill for a relaxing time of good food and fellowship.

Wednesday June 12, 10 AM, Marhaba brunch & Arabic mommies playgroup

More info here .

Like Lingüa on Facebook by clicking here.
Lingüa is also on Twitter @  twitter.com/linguaU &  Pinterest @ pinterest.com/linguaU
Lingüa, www.bilingualfamilia.com, email bilingualfamilia@gmail.com, Lingüa is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser

Stand Up Paddleboarding Fest (SUPfest)
11 am-2 p.m. Sat. May 18 2013.
This fun-oriented event will be held at Wilson Landing in Palmetto Bluff on the May River. The festival will include free introductory clinics and instruction, along with equipment trials and demonstrations. Clinics will be offered. Certified guides from Outside Hilton Head/Palmetto Bluff and several national paddlesport professionals will conduct the programs.

Free & open to the public.

For more information call (843)686-6996 or visit www.outsidehiltonhead.com .

Palmetto Bluff, 19 Village Park Square, Bluffton, SC 29910

Urgent Care 24/7 is here for you & your family, offering complete medical care when you need it, where you need it.

Life is 24/7 and so is Urgent Care 24/7.

Urgent Care 24/7 FOUR locations in the Savannah area are full-service urgent care centers providing adult and pediatric medical care 24 hours a day 7 days a week. When you or a loved one need prompt medical attention, Urgent Care 24/7 are available with a compassionate and well-trained staff.

Extremely reasonable rates.

No insurance of any kind accepted. However, Urgent Care 24/7 provides you with all the information you need to file your claim with your insurance company.

Urgent Care has FOUR locations in the Savannah area:
* Historic Savannah, 144 Lincoln St., Savannah, 31401
* Tybee Island, 602 1st St., Suite A, Tybee Is. 31328
* Sandfly, 7400 Skidaway Road, Suite B, Savannah, 31406
* Pooler, 9 Mill Creek Circle, Suite A-1, Pooler, 31322

Urgent Care 24/7 Savannah, (912) 234-CARE (2273) email info@urgentcare247.com , www.urgentcare247.com On Facebook here. Urgent Care 24/7 is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Roller Derby: The Savannah Derby Devils women’s roller derby team will return to the Savannah Civic Center arena May 18 with exciting, family-friendly fun. Bouts start at 5 & 7 PM. Tickets: $2-$16. Bouts include half-time kids’ events. Details here.

Georgia Tech-Savannah has created a unique, hands-on summer camp experience that will increase your child’s curiosity about the world and how it works.

Campers will learn science at high levels through a variety of challenging, problem solving activities, including art, songs, games and projects.

Each week has unique fun learning for your child, plus robotics and computers are part of all camps and curriculum.

Come experience what it means to go Full STEAM ahead!

More info here.

Disney’s most popular promotion, FREE DINING, is back for Fall 2013!

Currently, this promotion is open to Chase Disney Visa Cardholders, but is expected to open to the general public on Thursday, May 9^th. The FREE DINING PLAN is available to guest arriving most nights September 2-25, 2013 that purchase a non-discounted Magic Your Way Package (which includes resort room and theme park tickets). This is an incredible value.

FREE Dining Plans are available at select Walt Disney World Resorts and require a minimum 3-night stay with 2-day base tickets. Guests staying in a Value Resort will receive the Quick-Service Dining Plan and guests in Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villa Resorts receive the Disney Dining Plan. You can even upgrade your dining plan by paying the cost difference between your complimentary plan and the plan you want. This is a very popular time for my clients to try out the Deluxe Dining Plan.

Availability is extremely limited, and dining reservations are already open so let’s get your FREE DINING vacation package secured now! Contact Tara McCoy at Enchanted Travel for your no-obligation vacation quote or details. And remember, Tara McCoy’s travel planning services are 100% FREE!!

Tara McCoy, Vacation Specialist at Enchanted Travel
843.284.3241
Become a Facebook fan at facebook.com/enchantedtravel

Tara McCoy, Vacation Specialist at Enchanted Travel, 843.284.3241 Become a Facebook fan at facebook.com/enchantedtravel Tara McCoy is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.

Free Family Days, Saturdays (once a month), 1-4 pm @ Telfair’s Jepson Center, 207 W.York St., Savannah, 31401.

Family Days are fun, educational and FREE! Enjoy hands on art projects, gallery exploration activities, story time and much more designed specifically for the entire family! Create DIY masterpieces, play art detective, or explore the ArtZeum, an interactive arts space. With gallery activities on our mobile Art Cart, everyone can get in on the art and the action. Each month will feature a different theme based on the museum’s changing exhibitions. Come for a little while or stay for the entire afternoon-it’s all FREE. Come see what the fun is all about. More info here.

Funded by Georgia Power
*Major funding by the City of Savannah Department of Cultural Affairs.

May 11 | 1-4pm | Inside a Portrait

Explore the people and stories told in portrait photographs. Walk inside our room sized camera and build your own pinhole camera.

June 15 | 1-4 pm | Juneteenth Celebration*

Performances and storytelling celebrating freedom.

July 13 | 1-4pm | Making Connections

Discover the Museums’ connections to New York and learn how to use elements of your life to make connections to the world around you.

August 17 | 1-4 pm | Near East Family Day*

Middle Eastern music concert and workshop

Give your ho-hum life the heave-ho.

Find your way back to a stress-free existence and turn your struggles into triumphs with tips and guidance from Peace By Piece Life Strategies Coaching in Savannah.

Mother’s Day May Discount
Give yourself the gifts of purpose and passion! Peace By Piece Life Strategies Coaching in Savannah offers transformational coaching. Mention you read about Peace by Piece Life Strategies Coaching on SouthernMamas.com to receive a 40% discount during the entire month of May.

You can meet certified Life Strategies Coach Shelly Harlander in her Savannah office in the Zeno Moore Building at 409 E. Montgomery Crossroads or schedule a phone session. Call 912-341-3684.

Life Strategies Coaching is for healthy individuals who wish to increase balance, efficiency, productivity and satisfation in targeted areas of their life, as well as achieve higher levels of self-realization and personal well-being.

Peace by Piece Life Strategies Coaching, tel: 912-341-3684, www.peacebypiecenow.com/ Peace by Piece Life Strategies Coaching is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser.