Kids Culture 09.13.18

Big Truck Day

Big rigs of all varieties, from ambulances and fire trucks to tractors and semis, will be on hand at the Children’s Museum of the East End’s Big Truck Day on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon in Bridgehampton.

The focus will be on the machines that “keep the East End moving,” according to the museum, but for those driving something smaller — say a dad in a minivan or a mom in an S.U.V. — a police officer at an inspection station will make sure car seats are installed correctly. Admission is $15, but members of the museum get in free. Space is limited, however, so advance registration has been suggested. 

Holidays New and Old

You may not know it, but Saturday is International Dot Day. To celebrate, the Montauk Library will teach kids 7 and older about Georges Seurat, an artist who painted with “dots,” and lead them as they paint their own autumn pointillist scenes. 

Next Thursday, the children’s department will celebrate a holiday many people probably do know about — Mexican Independence Day. From 4 to 5 p.m., there will be games, dancing, Mexican folk tales, and a sweet treat. Advance registration is required for both programs.

Dance Classes Begin

Registration is underway for classes at both the Hampton Ballet Theatre School in Bridgehampton and Dancehampton in East Hampton. Classes at each began this week.

The Hampton Ballet Theatre School offers for children 41/2 and older instruction in classical ballet as well as contemporary classes with a focus on hip-hop, jazz, tap, and dance at studios on Butter Lane and at the Bridgehampton Community House. The school produces “The Nutcracker” in December at Guild Hall and a spring production as well. Children must be enrolled in the school’s fall and winter semesters to be eligible for “The Nutcracker” workshop. Rehearsals start on Friday, Sept. 21, and Sept. 22. For individual class details and registration, the school can be reached at 631-237-4810 or [email protected].

Dancehampton classes for children in preschool through high school include hip-hop, jazz and musical theater, Irish step, ballet, and lyrical. They are offered Monday through Saturday. The studio puts on a spring show and also has a dance company that travels for competitions. Registration is online at dancehampton.com.

“13 the Musical” at Pierson

Pierson High School’s theater department and International Baccalaureate program will present “13 the Musical” tomorrow and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the school auditorium.

Admission is free, but seats can be reserved in advance by searching “13 the Musical Pierson High School” at eventbrite.com. Donations from the audience will help cover the expenses associated with the production; any additional proceeds will be donated to Bay Street’s Literature Live! program.

This will mark the second production of “13 the Musical” for some students, who were in sixth and seventh grade five years ago, when the middle school theater department first staged it under the direction of Paula Brannon. They fell in love with it, according to a release, and convinced Ms. Brannon to fly in from California to help them recreate it as part of the I.B. program’s creativity, action, and service requirement for graduation. 

Students have taken on directing, acting, producing, fund-raising, and marketing roles for this weekend’s production. Participants include Anna Schiavoni, Reilly Rose Schombs, Yanni Bitis, Graham DiLorenzo, Thomas Lawton, Eva Doyle, and Ella Knibb.

Fun With Tie-Dye 

Families will use leaves, flowers, and other things collected on a walk at the South Fork Natural Museum in Bridgehampton on Saturday to make unusual tie-dye pieces during a workshop on Saturday at 10 a.m. Attendees have been asked to take a T-shirt or other piece of fabric to dye. Shirts will also be available for purchase for $10. Registration ahead of time is required. 

Hands On

At the East Hampton Library this week, kids have several opportunities to set aside advanced technology and work with their hands. On Wednesday at 3 p.m., kids 7 to 10 will use dried beans and legumes to make mosaic prints. Then at 4 p.m., things could get wonderfully messy during an art workshop for ages 3 to 5 inspired by Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” Participants have been advised to wear a smock or large T-shirt if they can.

Three Snap Circuits electronics workshops will be given this week for kids 7 and older: tomorrow and Friday, Sept. 21, at 3:30 p.m., and Monday at 4 p.m.