O
h, Spring. I’m always SO ready for Spring. Mostly because I envision beautiful, sunny, windless, rainless weather with tulips and daffodils. Then I’m promptly reminded that I live in Idaho where the chances of a blizzard in March and April (and May... and June) are just as high as the chances of sun. The guarantee of a Spring Break, however, usually brightens my spirits a little. And while some of us flee to warmer and sunnier climates for Spring Break, some of us don’t have the luxury. But rather than spend our “break” dreaming of beachier places, we can plan some fun activities and outings with the kiddos to ensure a sane and productive Spring Break. Here are some ideas I’ve come up with to do in our wonderful community.
Meridian Public Library District
In terms of fun activities to do with kids of all ages, the Library is a hidden gem! Starting with our littlest little ones, 0-18 months, the “Baby Bugs” class is sure to be an enjoyable and engaging environment to foster an early love of literacy and reading. It’s also a great opportunity to introduce your little one to new places and people, and is also a great place to meet other parents with young kids. This class is held on Mondays at the Cherry Lane location from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. For our busy and energetic toddlers, the Library offers an 18 month- 3 year old class called “Tot Time.” Think singing, dancing, and great stories. Great for a toddler’s developing social and communica-
tion skills, and burn some of that extra energy. You can attend this drop-in class on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. at the Cherry Lane location. There is a similar class for toddler and preschool age kids at the Silverstone Branch that focuses more on dancing, movement, stretching, rhythm, coordination and self-regulation. Appropriately named, “Silly Song & Dance with Miss Nicole” is sure to be an exciting time for your child. Got a Lego loving child in your family? There’s a class for them! Come to “Lego Club with Damaris”, for free play from 4:30-5:30 at the Silverstone Branch. Kids of all ages are welcome to attend (children under 5 need to be accompanied by an adult). A great way to encourage your little future architects! Want to give your kids a chance to serve others and help out in their community? Come to the library on Wednesday March 23 between 1-4 p.m. to help the “Kiwanis Komfort Kits for Kids!” Your kids can help stuff backpacks with comfort supplies for kids who have been removed from their homes and relocated. Self-sacrifice and awareness of others who are less fortunate than ourselves are two important and wonderful values to instill in our kids at a young age. Not only will it teach them to appreciate what they have, but it will also show them that they can make a difference in their community. What great lessons to teach the future leaders and contributors of our community and our world! Along with all of these classes are classes for just about anyoneall-ages art classes, teen craft class-
es, book clubs, gaming, and even a family pajama story time night!
Discovery Center of Idaho
The Discovery Center of Idaho has some great Spring Break events coming up, including daily events and camps. They’re offering 2 awesome science camps- both camps run from Monday March 21- Friday March 25 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The first camp, entitled “Science Myths BUSTED” is for young science-lovers ages 1st – 3rd grade, and will focus on using the scientific method to make hypotheses about popular science myths- and then seeing if those myths are BUSTED! The second camp, “Hacking Electrical Engineering” will give young scientists the opportunity to hack, tinker and take apart household objects and rebuild them in a different way. This camp is for 6th
Venture Meridian Magazine March 2016
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