by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
I know, as a mom, there are plenty of days when my kids get restless and yearn to do something special. Here are some kid-friendly activities to keep the little crumb-crunchers happy doing something away from home.
Home improvement warehouses Lowe’s and Home Depot offer children opportunities to work with their hands. On the first Saturday of each month kids ages 5 to 12 can head to Home Depot and build a project from pre-fabricated kits with an accompanying adult. The “How-To Clinic” runs from 9:00 am to noon. On the second Saturday of each month, Lowe’s offers their clinic to kids in grades 2 through 5. Guests get to do a special project and receive a free apron and patch on their first visit. A new patch for your apron is given on every visit thereafter. Both of these clinics are offered free of charge. Call your local Lowe’s or Home Depot store for more information on either of these programs.
Craft stores like Michael’s Arts & Crafts and Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts also offer activities for kids. Every Saturday from 10:00 am to noon, kids ages 5-12 are invited to their local Michael’s store to enjoy 30-minute crafting sessions for just $2.00. Each activity is usually in celebration of that particular month. Jo-Ann Fabrics stores offer a variety of kid’s classes in knitting, crocheting, sewing and quilting and are beginning to start their holiday crafting workshops. Classes range in price from free up to $42.00 depending upon the activity. These are great opportunities for kids to make handmade gifts for people on their Christmas lists. For more information, contact your local Michael’s or Jo-Ann Fabrics.
On nearly every day of the week the Jacksonville Public Library has some sort of arts and crafts activity going on for kids and their families. On Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 11:45 am, the Main Library downtown hosts Family Art Time, an opportunity for parents and their children to make a piece of art together. Toddler Art, where children from 18 to 36 months can experiment with paint and other mediums, is held on Thursdays at 11:30 am and Saturdays at 10:30 am. For the older kids, Art-Rageous is held on Saturdays at 4:00. Here, kids ages 6 to 12 are invited to make a masterpiece. Each of these activities are free but space is limited. For more information or to sign up, contact the library at (904) 630-2665. You may also find that your local branch also has some fun crafting activities for kids. Check out Jacksonville Public Library’s web site at www.jpl.coj.net for more information.
Finally, if you just need a break the Orange Park Mall has an excellent program for you. Each and every Wednesday from 10:30 to 12:30 parents can drop their 2-4 year olds off at Playtime Kids Fun & Fitness Center (located between Books-A-Million and Belk). Kids will make a fun craft while parents can enjoy two glorious hours for peace, quiet and shopping. At only $9.00 per child, this opportunity is a steal.
What better place to have storytime than the nearest bookstore. All of the major chains have some sort of storytime for kids free of charge. The Barnes & Noble at the St. Johns Town Center holds their storytime every Friday at 10:30 am. Children ages 3 to 6 get to hear fun stories and participate in themed activities. The weekly event also includes coloring and sing-alongs. Books-A-Million in Mandarin hosts a fun filled storytime for preschoolers on Tuesdays at 10:30 am. Not to be left out, the Southside Blvd. Borders also has storytime every Tuesday at 10:30 am. In addition, they also have a special book club for kids fond of the American Girl book series. On the first Monday of each month, fans are invited to hear stories and do a craft that corresponds with the tale. Meetings are held at 7:00 pm.
One bookstore you may not know about is Treehouse Books and More, located at 5393 Roosevelt Blvd. This full service children’s bookstore features thousands of age-appropriate books for children and teens and even has a large treehouse where kids can play and read. The store also has weekly story times for children on Saturdays. At 11:00 am, kids ages 2 to 6 can enjoy a fun story, often accompanied by a puppet show. Older children ages 7 to 10 can come in at 2:00 and enjoy a chapter from a story book complete with sound effects and a special treat. For directions call (904) 381-9656.
Of course, the Jacksonville Public Library also has plenty of fun, free storytime opportunities for kids. Storytimes in other languages are available at the main library in addition to standard preschool story times and book clubs. Each branch also has weekly storytimes for kids. For more info visit www.jpl.coj.net.
Planet Pottery, located on 3rd Street in Jax Beach offers kids and their parents a fun way to unwind. Each day families are invited to paint their own pottery, which they will then be able to take home once it’s glazed and fired (about a week later). Pieces range in cost from $2.00 to $40.00 and the cost to paint is $6.00 per hour ($4.00 an hour on Fridays). Sundays are Family Paint Day, where adults paint free for the first hour with each painting child.
Doing Dishes on San Jose Blvd. is another terrific pottery painting studio. It’s the exact same premise as other pottery studios except the cost is $6.00 per day for adults, $4.00 per day for children under 12 plus the cost of the pieces. You can paint up to 10 pieces for as long as you like!
Finally, Pottery Works on Southside Blvd. offers pottery painting for $6.00 an hour for adults and $5.00 an hour for children. Any paint time after 2 hours, however, is free. The pottery is priced from $2.50 and up. In addition, there are cool deals throughout the week. On Fridays couples get half off both studio fees from 6-10 pm and every other Sunday is Kids’ Day, where kids paint for half price with a painting adult. Tuesdays are “Two for One” day, where you buy the first hour and get the second free.
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