Petal parents, get ready: the Coleman Center for Families & Children has a full slate of activities planned to keep children and adults busy for the summer months.
“We started last year really trying to offer more things for school-age children for the summer,” center director Dede Smith said. “Of course, pre-schoolers and their families are still encouraged to continue coming, but we wanted to make sure that we offered some stuff for our school-age kids since they’re off for the summer.”
Kicking off the events will be Story Time with Mrs. Judi, which will be held at 10 a.m. June 1, 8, 15 and 22 at the center, 201 West Central Ave. in Petal. Books include “Mouse Paint” on June 1, “Pete the Cat & the Missing Cupcakes” on June 8, “The Dot” on June 15 and “Jamberry” on June 22.
Lego tournaments, which are designed for children ages 5 through 12, will be held at 10 a.m. June 4 and July 9 at a cost of $1. Parents are asked to not bring Legos from home.
Explorations, which is aimed at children in first through fourth grades, will be held from 8:30-11 a.m. every Wednesday in June. This year’s theme for Explorations is “Celebrations Around the World.” Space is limited to 30 children per week, so parents are asked to register on a weekly basis on the center’s Facebook page or by calling (601) 584-4704.
“So each week, we’ll focus on a different continent or country, and talk about their main celebrations, and they’ll have a number of activities that they will do,” Smith said. “Of course, they’ll be learning at the same time.”
At 10 a.m. June 11, the Coleman Center for Families & Children will join the FestivalSouth rotation for the first time with a community event called Strike Up the Band.
“We’ll have a harpist, and a whole lot of different things related to music and interacting with musical instruments,” Smith said. “So we’re excited about that.”
Movie Monday will be held at 1 p.m. June 11 with “Moana” and 1 p.m. July 16 with “Inside Out.” Popcorn is provided for the free event, and all ages are welcome and encouraged to bring a pillow or blanket.
Puppet Factory, which is open to all ages, will be held from 1-3 p.m. June 18 and July 30 at the center. Jen Sheridan, the center’s family engagement specialist, will help the children with creating movable paper puppets for a puppet show.
The center’s Backyard Bus, which provides activities inside and outside the bus for children ages 2-8, also will be in rotation during the summer. The bus will be available at the following times and locations:
• June 5 and 19: 10 a.m. at Boulder Drive; 11 a.m. Emma Hill Park
• June 7, 14, 21 and 28: 9 a.m. at Hinton Park; 11 a.m. Emma Hill Park
• July 3 and 17: 10 a.m. at Boulder Drive; 11 a.m. Emma Hill Park
• July 5, 12, 19 and 26: 9 a.m. at Hinton Park; 11 a.m. Ruger Road
• July 10 and 24: 10 a.m. at Pe-can Lakes; 11 a.m. Emma Hill Park
Children will be offered a free book and a popsicle at the early-morning stops, along with a bagged lunch at the 11 a.m. stops. Lunches are provided by the Petal School District’s Summer Food Service Program.
The center also will hold three Lunch & Learn sessions for adults only, from 12-1 p.m. July 17, 24 and 31. Guest speakers will discuss topics important to parents and other members of the community.
In addition, the Petal Health Fair is scheduled for noon- 6 p.m. Aug. 3 at First Baptist Church of Petal, 992 Mississippi 42. The event, which is free to all Petal families, will provide services and resources for Petal students before the new school year begins. No pre-registration is required.
Matt Dillon, superintendent of the Petal School District, said the Coleman Center for Families and Children’s summer events are vital to the school district and the community.
“It’s very important for us that students and families continue to have opportunities for structured play dates, and for parents to be able to check out resources for our youngest students,” he said.
