Kids Culture 02.13.14
Vacation Camp
School is out next week, but kids who aren’t headed to warmer places or ski holidays don’t have to stay home. The Y.M.C.A. East Hampton RECenter still has space available in its February vacation camp for kids 5 to 12. Kids will spend their days swimming, doing arts and crafts, working on team-building exercises, and more, with a possible field trip thrown in, too.
And get this, working parents: The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, Feb. 21. Campers can sign up for some of the days or all five. The cost is $65 for a day, with a discount for additional days. Those who sign up for the full week will pay $275. Advance registration at the Y is a must, as the camp will run only if enough campers enroll.
For Break Week
The East Hampton Town Recreation Department is offering another vacation-week option for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade who are town residents, and it’s free. A morning recreation program that will include games, sports, and arts and crafts will be held Tuesday through Friday, Feb. 21, from 9 a.m. to noon at either the John M. Marshall Elementary School in East Hampton or the Montauk School.
Parents can register their children at either school on the first day of the program. Children should be sent with a light snack and must be picked up promptly at noon, a program flier says.
On Peaceful Planet
A Peaceful Planet yoga camp for 5 to 11-year-olds might keep kids of a certain temperament blissfully occupied for three mornings next week. Young yogis will gather at the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Feb. 21, from 9 a.m. to noon, for yoga games and challenges, story time, and crafts that will help teach them “simple meditations, breath work, and self-calming techniques.” Participants should take their own mats or can purchase them from Peaceful Planet at $20 each. The cost per day is $50. Space is limited, and advance registration, at peacefulplanetyoga.com, is a must.
Looking ahead a few weeks, Peaceful Planet will lead a glow-in-the-dark yoga session on March 1 from 6 to 8:15 p.m., giving parents of kids 3 to 10 a little peace of their own in the evening. The cost is $25 per child, $15 for an additional sibling, and $10 for a second sibling.
Drum Circle
So tired of winter you could scream? Why not beat a drum instead? The Amagansett Library will host a drum circle for adults and kids 9 and older on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Attendees can learn some basics of the African djembe with Jerome Liggon, a drummer, or just enjoy the rhythms.
Then on Sunday, for something a little more subdued, adults and kids in first grade and above can stop by at 1:30 p.m. to do some origami. Reservations have been requested for the drum circle, but not the origami session.
Ye Olde New England
Brad Shur and Chris Monti will share stories and songs from old New England in a program for all ages at the Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Their show will introduce kids to “a giant sailor, a fashionable bear, and the world’s largest wheel of cheese,” the theater promises. Tickets cost $12, $10 for grandparents and theater members, and $8 for additional children or those under 3.
Lessons in Pet Care
Children begging for a dog or cat can learn what it means to take care of a pet during a pet care seminar on Saturday at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton. Maria Mora of the Southampton Animal Shelter will bring a dog with her for this free 10 a.m. workshop for kids 4 and older.
At 10:30 that morning, children 3 to 6 can make Chinese dumplings with their parents. The cost is $22, or $10 for members of the museum.
A weaving workshop on Monday from 10 a.m. to noon will have kids weaving with hand-dyed fabrics and recycled T-shirts — using hula hoops as their looms! Parents can stay to take part but are not required to do so.
The same goes for a plaster casting and sculpture class led by Roisin Bateman on Friday, Feb. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon. The two drop-off workshops are for 7 to 10-year-olds and cost $20 per session, or $10 for members.
African Art Adventure
Joyce Raimondo will have kids 4 and older painting like Picasso on Tuesday and heading out on an African art “adventure” on Friday, Feb. 21, at the East Hampton Library. On Tuesday, young artists will look at some of the many faces Picasso painted, and then use oil pastels and paint to make one of their own. On Friday, Feb. 21, they will use African animal masks as inspiration for their own masks made of paper, beads, and feathers.
Cupcakes will be on the menu at the library on Wednesday, when children 4 and older will have a chance to decorate “Despicable Me” minion cupcakes to take home. All three of the above programs run from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Next Thursday from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m., children 5 and older can listen to stories as they learn some yoga moves and poses from Susan Verde, a kids yoga instructor and author. This is a kids-only program, so adults will have to busy themselves elsewhere.
Critters in Winter
How do animals take care of themselves in the winter? Crystal Possehl will help 3 to 5-year-olds answer that question on Saturday at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton as they listen to a story and then head outside to look for signs of animals that are active even in these coldest months of the year. The program starts at 10 a.m. Advance sign-up is required.
Puppets by Katie
Also on Saturday, Katie’s Puppets will pay a visit to the Montauk Library from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., and after the show, kids can make their own puppets. Older children who need community service credits can earn them by helping younger ones with the craft. Arrangements should be made in advance at the library. The show is free.