family focus »

Nature’s
Playhouse

Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Contributing Writer

S

ometimes Layla Hill, 6, goes to
work with her mom — for a
reason almost no other kid can

Juliana Schewe

boast.
Her mom, Mikki Hill, is an owner of
Nature’s Playhouse, a play and wellness
center in Ferndale where moms-to-be
take unique classes and workshops like
hypno-birthing, parents study infant
massage and baby sign language, kids
play and participate in creative pro-
gramming, and free support groups are
offered in areas from breastfeeding to
LGBT parenting.
For Layla, who attends Sunday school
at Aish HaTorah in Oak Park with her
older sister, being at work with mom
often means it’s time for a belly dancing
class.
Mikki Hill and her partners — Sarah
Doyle and Juliana Schewe — purchased
Nature’s Playhouse last November.
Even before the business went on the
market, Doyle, a licensed master’s level
social worker (MSW), had planned to
contact the previous owners.
“Right before she was going to reach
out to them, she saw that Nature’s
Playhouse was for sale,” Hill said. “That
took Sarah in a new direction — to buy
the business.”

Nati Tolwin, 2½, of Huntington Woods,
Nachi Milworm, 2, and Moshe Milworm,
5, of Southfield, arrange furniture in a
wooden house.

24 January 21 • 2016

Marci Bean of Marci Bean Photography

Unique programs set
in an all-natural,
yesteryear play
environment.

Juliana Schewe, Mikki Hill and Sarah Doyle in the Nature’s Playhouse space

Doyle contacted the infant mental
health program at Wayne State University
in Detroit seeking someone with a strong
clinical background in the field. She was
referred to Hill. Through other contacts,
the two were introduced to Schewe, a
trained Anusara-inspired yoga instructor,
who had come to Nature’s Playhouse the
two previous summers with her now-3-
year-old son, Luca Jackson.
“As a teacher during the school year,
the only times I could partake in activi-
ties were during the summer months,”
Schewe said. “The classes I attended
with my son were a lot of fun for both
of us. He likes to interact with other
kids and share activities with me. I was
elated to be able to be a part of such a
great space [as an owner] and continue
a great resource for the community.”

FAMILY AND FRIENDS
In addition to Nature’s Playhouse own-
ership, all three women teach there and
bring their own children to programs.
Doyle leads and also attends drop-in
play classes with her 16-month-old son,
Christopher.
“We both benefit from the time there
in that we get to be together and cre-
ate friendships with others,” she said.
“Nature’s Playhouse creates such a
unique play space, and it is truly heart-
warming watching the bonds form
between the mothers and families.”
Schewe, a visual artist with master’s
degrees in fine arts and art education,
teaches prenatal yoga and belly dancing.
She belly danced during her entire first
pregnancy and labor and, at Nature’s
Playhouse, teaches both an adult belly
dance fitness class and a kids’ belly
dance workshop.
An infant mental health therapist and
a licensed MSW, Mikki Hill leads the
infant massage course as well as work-
shops in areas including home child-
proofing, potty training and helping
children adjust to a new baby. She also
provides individual social work therapy
in infant mental health with a focus on

pregnancy and post-partum difficulties.
Although Hill’s daughter Sianna, 9, is
too old for the programs, “she finds it
so calming that she asks me to take her
there to do homework,” said Hill, who
adds that the mission of the center is to
“return to the play experiences of earlier
generations as an alternative to noise-
filled, over-stimulating play.
“Nature’s Playhouse is a space for fam-
ilies to disconnect from distractions and
connect with their children,” Hill said.
“Our overall goal is to support families
in ways that will strengthen their ties to
one another.”
Carly Dibble, who brings Luca, 2, to
drop-in play classes has discovered just
that.
“My daughter always has a wonderful
time at Nature’s Playhouse,” said Dibble
of Huntington Woods. “It provides an
environment that allows her to expand
her creativity, while socializing in a
relaxed environment.”
Nature’s Playhouse is working hard to
make sure dads are included, too.
Aside from assorted session, “dads
also can experience quite an adjustment
to parenthood so they may also benefit
from individual therapy, and we are
working on a support group for dads,”
Hill said.
For Adam Levey, visiting the center is
all about being with 4-year-old, Eve.
“My daughter’s favorite spot in
Nature’s Playhouse is the treehouse,” he
said “She could climb around and play
for hours while I just sit and relax. The
place is sunny, the toys are all made of
natural products and she has a lot of
fun. Nature’s Playhouse is a great spot
for some daddy-daughter time. We just
drop in and play!”

*

Nature’s Playhouse is located 318 W. Nine Mile
Road, Ferndale. For details about classes and sup-
port groups, go to naturesplayhouse.com, call (248)
955-3219 or email info@naturesplayhouse.com.
The space is also available for rental for birthday
parties.

National
Mentoring
Month

When Barry met Jules.

S

eventeen-year-old Jules Erb has
shot up from 4 feet to 6-foot-
2 over the past six years. But
when it comes to this young man’s
growth, his height is the least of it.
A participant in Jewish Family
Service’s Mentor Connection, Jules has
benefitted from his relationship with
mentor Barry Kelman in far more ways
than his mother, Robyn, ever could
have hoped.
“Jules has totally
matured,” she says.
“He’s grown into a
wonderful young
man, and I believe
that Barry has had
a massive influence
over that.”
January is National
Debbie Feit
Mentoring Month and
research has found
that students with mentors have better
school attendance and are 55 percent
more likely to be enrolled in college.
According to www.
nationalmentoringmonth.org, “By shar-
ing their own life experiences, mentors
provide students with a clear vision of
what their future could look like. The
impact is that, statistically, students
with mentors are more likely to con-
tinue school through higher education.”
Robyn reached out to Jewish Family
Service back in 2009 in search of
positive role models for Jules and his
younger brother, Aidan, after their
father abandoned the family.
“I wanted my sons to see that there
are men out there who don’t do that,”
she explains. “I needed someone who
could teach my boys to be men. That’s
something I can’t do.”
But it was something Barry could
do. And when he heard that JFS was
looking for mentors, the newly retired
attorney decided to learn more about
Mentor Connection.
“Mentor Connection is a non-sectar-
ian program serving Oakland County,”
says Natalie Kahn, MSW, and Mentor
Connection program coordinator. “We
match youth with volunteer mentors
who make a one-year commitment to
meet with their mentee twice a month
for activities they both enjoy.”
Additionally, the program hosts