Kids Culture 06.23.16

Free Swim Instruction

The first of East Hampton Town’s free summer swimming programs for kids 4 and older will start on Monday at Havens Beach in Sag Harbor. Classes will be held Monday through Friday, July 1, and July 5 through 8. Sign up is at the beach at 10 a.m. Children should wear water shoes and take goggles.

Future swim programs will be offered at Maidstone Park Beach in Springs from July 11 through 22, East Lake Beach in Montauk from July 25 to Aug. 5, and Albert’s Landing in Amagansett from Aug. 8 through 19.

Pickleball sessions for kids in second through sixth grades will be held on Tuesdays starting this week from 9 to 10 a.m. at the tennis courts across from Lions Field in Montauk. The cost is $45 per child payable at the East Hampton Town Parks and Recreation Department behind Town Hall or at the Montauk Playhouse Community Center. Sessions will continue through Aug. 16.

Got Soul?

Workshops and activities for kids 7 and up with Camp SoulGrow in Montauk get into full swing tomorrow, with yoga and vocal expression from 10 to 11:30 a.m., gardening at Third House from 11:30 to 1, and a summer water party from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, there’s an intro to surfing program with Corey’s Wave at Ditch Plain at 3 p.m. Monday brings a visit to the Montauk Salt Cave with sandcastle making at 4 p.m. and the Concert on the Green at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday there’s kickball, Wednesday silk-screening and a pirate lunch, and next Thursday gardening and stained glass making.

Programs are free, but children must be registered first with Camp SoulGrow. A one-time $75 donation will be requested at the time of registration to help cover expenses and support the nonprofit camp. Registration for all programs is online at campsoulgrow.org.

Fireworks and Cupcakes

At the Montauk Library kids can get in the Independence Day spirit on Wednesday during a fireworks painting workshop from 4 to 5 p.m. Participants have been advised to “dress for a mess.”

On Saturday, they’ll be decorating cupcakes with summer themes from 2 to 4 p.m. Advance registration is requested for both programs.

Music Extravaganza

With a lineup that the Children’s Museum of the East End says is so exciting it should be called “Kidchella,” the museum’s annual Music Fair on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon should be a blast. The free, family-friendly festival will feature performances by local musicians, chances to learn about and play musical instruments, and other activities. Space is limited, so signing up in advance is encouraged.

A drop-off program to foster self-confidence and independence in 2-year-olds begins on July 4 at CMEE. Kids will take part in games, songs, arts, and science activities appropriate for their age in a safe, fun, and structured environment from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m., Monday through Friday, with the first session running July 4 through July 29. The second session runs Aug. 1 through Aug. 26. The cost is $550 per week, $500 for members.

Arts, music, movement, cooking and baking, games, outdoor play — children will do a little bit of everything in CMEE’s half-day Kids Club program for ages 3 and 4. It meets weekdays from 9:15 a.m. to noon. Sessions will run July 4 through July 29 and Aug. 1 through Aug. 26 at a cost of $625 a week, $575 for members, or $2,325 and $2,100 per session.

Start Your Engines

A five-hour driver’s education course for teens preparing for their driving tests will be held on Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton. The course is a required prerequisite for the driving test.

Registration for the library’s summer reading club begins on Monday. Tweens can enjoy balloon tennis on Tuesday at 3 p.m. and can make toys for dogs and cats at the Southampton Animal Shelter for community service credits on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Next Thursday, teens are invited to play “jelly bean roulette” at 3:30 p.m. The Jump Bunch will bounce into the library on Friday, July 1, at noon for fitness and movement activities for ages 3 and up.

I Spy, You Spy

At the South Fork Natural History Museum on Saturday, Eleni Nikolopoulos will read the classic toddler book “I Spy Little Bunnies” by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick and lead a bunny-spotting event inside and outside the museum. The fun begins at 10:30 a.m. and advance registration is required.