Friday, May 25

Star Gazing

Blue Wahoos Game

Saturday, May 26

Lowes Build and Grow

Barnes and Noble Story Time

Palafox Market

Star Gazing

Blue Wahoos Game

Sunday, May 27

Blue Wahoos Game

Gulf Islands National Seashore offers a number of activities and programs during the summer. I was so disappointed that we didn’t have time to check out the activities last summer and they are definitely on my list for this summer. Snorkeling and learning about sea life are just a few of the activities that I hope to attend with my kids.

Follow the links for contact information, additional activities, to confirm events, and more. As always, we recommend that you call and confirm events.

Children’s Discovery

• Dates: Every Tuesday from June 12 to July 31 (June 12, June 19, June 26, July 3, July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31) at 10am. Activity lasts one hour.
• Where: Meet at Langdon Beach Area.
• Activity: Learn about a different seashore habitat through hands-on avticities.
• Ages: Ages 5-11
• Fee: Entrance Fee

Seeing Sealife

• Dates: Thursdays from June 7 to August 9 at 2pm. Activity last 1 hour.
• Where: Johnson Beach, Perdido Key Area
• Activity: Pull a seine net and discover creatures that live in Big Lagoon
• Ages: No ages listed
• Fee: Entrance fee

Snorkeling at Naval Live Oaks

• Dates: Fridays (June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6, July 20, July 27, August 3, August 10) at 3pm. 2 hour activity.
• Where: Naval Live Oaks
• Activity: Discover the plants and animals that live underwater. Masks and snorkels provided or bring your own.
• Ages: No ages available
• Fee: None

Snorkeling at Battery Worth Picnic Area

• Dates: Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays (June 13, 15, 16, 20, 23, 27, 29, 30, July 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, 18, 21, 25, 27, 28, August 1, 3, 4, from June 13 to August 1, 8, 10, 11) at 10am. Activity lasts 2 hours.
• Where: Battery Worth Picnic Area
• Activity: Discover the plants and animals that live underwater. Masks and snorkels provided or bring your own.
• Ages: No ages available
• Fee: Entrance Fee

Cara the Sea Turtle

• Dates: Sundays June 17, 24, July 1, 8, 22, 29 at 3:30pm. 30 minutes
• Where: Fort Pickens Auditorium
• Activity: Watch Cara the Sea Turtle, a movie that follows a young sea turtle from hatchling to adult.
• Ages: All ages
• Fee: Entrance Fee

Junior Ranger Programs (Information posted is from 2011. As soon as the 2012 information is updated, I will update here!)

• Dates:
• Where:
• Activity:
• Ages:
• Fee:

For more activities and events, visit Gulf Islands National Seashore.

The splash pad is open from April to October. It is open on Monday through Wednesday from 12pm to 5pm and Thursday through Sunday from 11am to 8pm. According to Parks and Recreation, an automated system monitors water quality and may shut down the fountain for short periods of time until treatment can return the water quality to safe levels for public health and safety.

Visiting the splash pad is free. While there, you can grab a treat or a bite to eat at deLuna’s Grill. The grill is open from 10am to 5pm.

When I was at the library a few weeks ago, I saw a little slip of paper on the desk advertising Touch Tone Tales so we decided to check it out when we got home. Touch Tone Tales is a phone number that you can dial to hear a story. We heard the story of the Klutzy Duckling complete with sound effects last week. There is a new story each week.

The first time I called, we got through on the first try. This was about seven in the evening. I tried to call a few days later and it was busy for about ten minutes. When I tried to call this morning, it took about three minutes to get through. Right now, they are running a story about the Gingerbread Man.

Touch Tone Tales are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and it is a free service of West Florida Public Library.

Just call 850.595.1219.

Keep your kids reading during the summertime with these local and national summer reading programs.

Kid’s Summer Reading Club at West Florida Public Libraries – Dream Big Read! – From June 4th to July 14th, register at any West Florida Library to participate in free games, programs and prizes. There are story times, special programs, and more.

Kid’s Summer Reading Club at Santa Rosa County Library - Dream Big Read! – Register online beginning June 1. See a video about the program. There are story times, special programs, and more.

Barnes and Noble Summer Reading – I haven’t been able to find the updated 2012 information online. I will try to stop by this week to pick up all the details. See last year’s summer reading information.

Chuck E Cheese Reading Rewards Calendar - Read every day for two weeks and get 10 free tokens. Food purchase required. This is a national program. Call our local program to check for participation.

iVillage PBS Kids Summer Reading Community Challenge - Sign up to receive daily emails beginning June 18th with literacy building tips and activities from experts at PBS Kids and Scholastic. You can also get book suggestions, discounts, free downloads of PBS shows, and a daily chance to win prizes.

Carmike Cinemas will begin its 2012 Summer Kid Series on June 7, 2012.

Movies will be shown every Thursday at 10am. The cost is $2 and that includes a drink, popcorn, and admission.

Mark your calendars!

June 7 – Puss in Boots

June 14 – Chicken Run

June 21 – Over the Hedge

June 28 – Kung Fu Panda

July 5 – Shark Tale

July 12 – How To Train Your Dragon

July 19 – Madagascar 2

July 26 – Bee Movie

August 2 – Monsters vs. Aliens

August 9 – Megamind

I am excited to introduce my pal Jay to you. Jay is a middle school teacher and is owner and operator of Life of the Party Mobile DJ Services. You might recognize his name because he has written some guest posts for us in the past. He shared his experience on the Olin Marler, a dolphin cruise, and also shared his favorite place to watch the Blue Angel beach air show.

Favorite playground or park? Mine or the kids??? I grew up over on Homewood Road, across the street from Scenic Heights Elementary, so I have always had a soft spot for Hitzman Optimist park (although they desperately need better restrooms). Now they have put in a disc golf course too, and I am looking forward to taking the kids over there to play!

The kids absolutely LOVE Perdido Kids Park (Jill calls it Princess Park because to her it looks like a castle) and Benny Russell Park over in Pace. They both have awesome play structures, but Benny Russell has more shaded areas.

Favorite place for a night out? A night out? What’s that? No…really. With my wife, Amber, working weekday evenings teaching, and me DJing weekends, we don’t get many nights out. We do like taking the kids to the movies or just out for pizza.

When it rains, what do you like to do with your family? We love to play board games! Some favorites are Sorry, Candyland, and Trouble, but any game that Jill (age 4) can play too is fine with us! We also like piling into our king size bed and watching a movie all cuddled up.

What local favorite do you want every new parent to know about? New parents as in with babies, or new parents as in new to the area? I don’t know from baby stuff, but for the folks with kids the ages of mine or older, I’d say 32 Degrees frozen yogurt by Cordova Mall. I know it’s a chain, and the kids love getting to make their own and add their favorite toppings! I would also say the parks I mentioned before, especially the disc golf at Hitzman.

What is your favorite Pensacola treat? I love the burgers at McGuire’s, the seafood nachos at Flounders, and dipped soft serve cones at the DQ on Scenic Highway!

When you want to escape Pensacola, where do you go for a daytrip or an overnighter? We don’t get away often, but we did love going to New Orleans! I love the history of the city and the kids love beignets and the French Market. The aquarium is great to get out of the heat, and riding the trolley was a big thrill for JT. Years ago when I was in the USAF and stationed in Panama City, I used to love to go to Seaside. That’s one place I am hoping to take the kids this summer.

What do you think Pensacola’s best kept secret is? I don’t think it even remotely counts as a secret, but a true local treasure is Pensacola NAS. I know lots of folks go to the museum, but when we go, we like to hit Fort Barrancas. Maybe the secret part is that they do really cool night time tours; hosted by guys in full Civil War dress who share the unique history of the fort. Being there at night with nothing but candles to light the corridors is fun with just a touch of spooky thrown in.

You are a DJ and a musician. What do you and your kids listen to in the car together? Well, in Amber’s car the kids love to listen to Kids Place Live on Sirius satellite. In my car, we usually listen to WABD (now that WABB is gone). JT loves Taio Cruz and Jillian is a big fan of Adele (“I set fire…to da wain!!!”). I like to stay as current as possible in music so I always know what the hottest new songs are to use when I’m working, and both our kids love to dance, so pop music rules in my car.

What is your favorite book to read with or to your middle school students and why? Well, since I teach reading to kids who are at a low reading level, sadly, we rarely get to actually read full length novels (no, I’m not kidding…most of the time is spent on short passages and teaching decoding and comprehension skills. Language Arts gets to read novels but Reading doesn’t…I’m teaching the definition of irony this week ;^). I loved reading The Outsiders with my high school kids when I was teaching 9th grade a couple years ago. This year I have been working on my first novel, a middle school age book, and reading the first few chapters of that to my 6th graders and seeing/hearing their reactions was pretty great too!

I love that you started a Poetry Open Mic Night at your school. What is the one poem that you hope your children know by heart when they are older? Great question! I would have to say, “If” by Rudyard Kipling. It’s not easy to find that much wisdom in one place. In that piece, Kipling gives life lessons that are easier to read than to live, and nothing but good could come from remembering them.

How can parents support good homework habits for their children? Do you have any tips we can implement at home? Oh boy…you done went and did it now! Never ask a teacher for advice on homework…because we’ll give it.

The first and foremost rule is that homework starts before anything else (games, snack, etc.) and is not finished until it has been checked. My wife does JT’s homework with him when they get home and checks it, and I when i get home from work, I check it over again. If what comes out is sloppy or poorly done, hold your ground and make them do it again! They will learn to take their time and do it right the first time! JT struggled with writing neatly, but he has improved greatly in the last couple months. His writing content has been great all along, but it was difficult to read. Now he takes his time writing and takes pride in writing neatly so it can be read. Also, don’t let homework time happen alone; sit with your kids while they do it. Show them that you think it is important and worth spending the time on. I have spent a lot of hours at the dinner table with JT this year working on 1st grade writing assignments (he has to do a paragraph every week), and my next tip is: Teach your child to pre-write! Before JT is even allowed to touch the paper that gets turned in, he has to have all his thoughts written out on a scratch page; not really a rough draft… more like outlining his thoughts. This makes him have to think through what he is going to write, rather than just grabbing the pencil and going at it. It also gives me a chance to help correct spelling.

Are you a Pensacola Person to Know or do you want to nominate someone? Let us know!

Here is the weekend roundup! It seems like a quiet weekend while everyone gears up for summer but there is still plenty to do. If we missed an activity that should be on the list, leave us a comment or send me an email at jennifer at pensacolawithkids dot com. Have a great weekend!

Friday, May 18

Bands on the Bayou

Stargazing at Ft. Pickens

Gallery Night

Saturday, May 19

Barnes and Noble Story Time

Palafox Market

Fiesta Days Treasure Hunt

Sunday, May 20

Fiesta Sand Sculpture Contest

It is time for the Fiesta Days Celebration and there are two great activities for family fun!

Saturday, May 19 – Fiesta Children’s Treasure Hunt

The Fiesta Children’s Treasure Hunt is open to children ages 10 and under. Children will search for hidden treasure while learning some of Pensacola’s history.

There will be games, face painting and other activities.

Registration begins at 1pm and the hunt will start at 2pm. I have not been to the Fiesta Children’s Treasure Hunt and but I have heard that it moves quickly like the Easter Egg Hunts do.

Sand Sculpture from contest held in Navarre last year.

Sunday, May 20 – Fiesta Sand Sculpture 

We had the opportunity to see a sand sculpture festival in Navarre last year and it was absolutely amazing. I couldn’t believe how someone can take a pile of our powdery Gulf Coast sand and turn it into a beautiful work of art. The contest is open to professional and amateur sculptors of all ages. Registration begins at 8am behind the Pensacola Beach Gulfside Pavilion. Judging begins at 2pm and awards will be given at 3pm.

The event is free and open to public. Even if you aren’t participating, it would be so much fun to take the family out for a day at the beach. Spend some time wandering around and checking out the different sculptures.

Thanks to a heads up from a reader, we found the Breeze Cinema 8 Free Summer Movie schedule.

Movies are shown every Tuesday and Thursday at 10am. Doors open at 9:30am and the movie begins at 10am. Don’t be late because doors typically close when the theater is full.

I am adding other free movie theater schedules as we receive them.

Mark your calendars!

6/12 and 6/14 Kung Fu Panda 2 and Spy Kids 4

6?19 and 6/21 Hop and Zookeeper

6/26 and 6/28 Rango and Dolphin Tale

7/3 and 7/5 Cars 2 and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

7/10 and 7/12 Rio and Journey 2

7/17 and 7/19 Puss n Boots and Big Miracle

7/24 and 7/26 Adventures of TinTin and Smurfs

7/31 and 8/2 Happy Feet Two and Yogi Bear

8/7 and 8/9 Secret World of Arietty and The Muppets

8/14 and 8/16 Ice Age 3 and Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Things to Know Before You Go:

• Head to the free summer movies with patience. These movies fill up quickly with day care field trips and families with kids. This is not a date night movie and there will be constant noise during the movie. It does quiet down to a reasonable level but remember that the movie is free and full of kids!
• Doors open at 9:30 but a line begins closer to 9am.
• Concessions will be open and often there is a deal on the Kid’s Pack.
• You may want to go with a friend who can watch your seat if you have to get up for whatever reason.

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