Kids Culture 06.26.14
Kids at the Mill
On Mondays and Thursdays through Aug. 7, the Water Mill Museum will give children 5 and up a glimpse of the colonial era as they help with a task that was important to daily life then — milling corn into grits, flour, and more. The hands-on milling sessions will be a lesson in engineering and water power, according to the museum. They are free, but advance registration is required by calling 726-4625. Donations will be accepted for the historic mill, which is at 41 Old Mill Road.
Canio’s for Kids Storytime
Sigrid Meinel, a retired elementary school teacher, will read “Chrysanthemum” by Kevin Henkes during a story time at Canio’s Books in Sag Harbor on Saturday at 11 a.m. This will be the first of a series of monthly story times for children 4 and older, accompanied by an adult.
Beach Study for Teens
Teenagers will survey Indian Wells Beach in Amagansett on Saturday to collect scientific data on sand, water quality, salinity, and elevation and learn how each of these contribute to the creatures living there. With the South Fork Natural History Museum’s Crystal Possehl leading them, they will use soil test kits, refractometers, pH test kids, microscopes, and magnifiers to conduct their study, then record their findings in a journal. The program begins at 10 a.m.; reservations are required. Younger kids can do some science experiments of their own on Sunday at 10 a.m. when Melanie Meade leads an environmental science lab for 6 to 10-year-olds. Participants will design, build, and test a water filter at the natural history museum in Bridgehampton. Advance registration is required.
Fizz Boom Read!
With school out for summer, local libraries are kicking their summer reading programs into high gear this week. Fizz Boom Read is the theme at all Suffolk libraries, and, in keeping with this, the Montauk Library will present Mad Science’s “Fire and Ice” show on Saturday from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
At the Amagansett Library on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., kids will listen to a story about imagination and illusions and then make a twirling animation toy called a thaumatrope. Also this week in Amagansett, there is a book cover design session for fourth through sixth graders on Sunday at 2 p.m. The sessions will continue on Sundays at 2:30 and Mondays at 3:30 p.m. throughout the summer. On Tuesdays, kids can practice their reading by reading to a licensed therapy dog. Parents should call the library to reserve a 15-minute time slot. The library offers events and crafts for families on Wednesdays at 3:30 in the summer. This week’s project: tiny robots. Films for families will be shown every Tuesday this summer at 3:30 p.m. Teen film nights will be Wednesdays at 6. Reservations have been requested for all.
Make Like Pollock
At the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in Springs, two artists and educators will lead family drip-painting workshops. Joyce Raimondo’s Saturday workshops from 10 to 11:30 a.m. start this week and run through Sept. 13. They include a tour. Reservations are required at imaginearted.com. Karyn Mannix’s Friday workshops, offered at the same times, will start July 12. Reservations are at [email protected]. The cost for Friday or Saturday workshops is $35 per person.
Free Tennis Lessons
For kids 3 to 12, the Amagansett Village Improvement Society is offering free tennis lessons. Yes, free. Those interested can show up, racket in hand, on Tuesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. at the John Day Jackson courts at Atlantic Avenue and Montauk Highway, beginning this week.