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Four weeks left of summer.
In earlier columns I've mentioned free outings such as shady playgrounds, fire station tours and nature parks. Public libraries have reading and craft times; some have bedtime stories in evening hours. Here are a few more ideas to hang on your refrigerator. Most of them are free.
- Largo 8 movie theater shows G- and PG-rated movies Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Coming shows are: Rugrats (the original movie) and The Master of Disguise, this week; Air Bud and The Wild Thornberrys Movie, July 21-22; and Quest for Camelot and Big Fat Liar, July 29-30. The theater is in Largo Mall, a strip center with a Target at the corner of Ulmerton Road and Seminole Boulevard. Sometimes the theater is full and people are turned away, but if you get there by 9:45 a.m. you should get a seat. Call 581-7389 for more information.
- Blockbuster Video: Okay, this one will cost you $2 to buy a Kids' Club card, but then you can get a free kids' movie every day until Sept. 1. There are some fine-print conditions: no new releases, DVDs or games. But the VHS movies in the kids' aisles are up for grabs. We've had fun picking big summer hits from my youth: Escape to Witch Mountain, Herbie the Love Bug and E.T. You're welcome to pay more than $2 for the card; Blockbuster donates the proceeds to children's charities such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
- Thrill Hill. The fast-rising roadway that crosses over Salt Creek on Third Street near 18th Avenue S can fill your child's stomach with butterflies and your car with screams. Going the speed limit is enough to produce the roller-coaster rush. Circle the block and do it several times in a row.
- Toys R Us has activities and usually a small toy to take home 2-4 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through July 24. This Monday, children can build something with Kid K'nex. On Tuesday, they can take home their creation with magnets. On Thursday, they can make their own Little Golden Book and receive a Young Author Certificate of Accomplishment.
On July 22, there will be coloring and games based on the Cabbage Patch Kids and Strawberry Shortcake. The freebies include a coloring book and Cabbage Patch video. The next day kids can color a Swan Lake or Hot Wheels wall poster. And finally, on July 24, Piglet's Big Movie is playing.
- Junior League Care Fair: There will be free backpacks, back-to-school physicals, and information on free and low-cost programs for children. The fair is 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at John Hopkins Middle School, 701 16th St. S. The first 2,500 children with a parent will get a free backpack with school supplies. When the backpacks run out, you get a voucher to get one later. Doctors will be on hand to give physicals, which are usually required for children changing schools and those playing any sport. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and bring an immunization record for physicals.
The fast-rising roadway that crosses over Salt Creek on Third Street near 18th Avenue S can fill your child's stomach with butterflies and your car with screams. Going the speed limit is enough to produce the roller-coaster rush. Circle the block and do it several times in a row.
The Children's Home Society's Family Visitation House will be there to talk up several programs. The house itself is available to families with children who don't live with one or both parents. The kids can visit with their parents on neutral ground that is filled with books, toys, movies and computer games. The families cook together, whether it's a meal or slice-and-bake cookies. They watch a movie or romp on the playground in the fenced-in back yard.
Kirsten Maynard, who works at the Visitation House, will be at the Care Fair recruiting families to sign up for a new parenting program that will meet once a week for 24 weeks. The program is for kids as well. So when parents learn new discipline strategies or bonding activities, the kids also learn what role they play.
Families will be charged for the classes based on income and could pay as little as $1.
Maynard also will be inviting Care Fair attendees to sign up for an infant and children massage class that will be taught at the Family Visitation House for children up to 3 years old.
Representatives from the James Sanderlin Family Center also will be on hand talking about its services and looking for volunteers. "We do everything from sewing to tutoring. A grandparents support group meets here. We have diabetes classes, computer classes," said Lounell Britt, who works at the center at 2335 22nd Ave. S. "There's no charge," she added. "All you have to do is want to be here and share your talent."
There also will be someone at the Care Fair talking about those yellow signs in the windows of fire stations, Blockbuster Video, Home Depot and about 150 other places in Pinellas County. The signs picturing an icon of a child indicate a designated "safe place." Kids who run away can go there for help. So can kids who need to talk to someone about such problems as substance abuse or quarreling parents.
Pat Walsh will be at the Care Fair on the lookout for grandparents and kids who want a grandparent. She's a case worker for Gulf Coast Community Care, which has matched about 150 adults with children who benefit from spending a couple of hours a week with a loving mentor.
For more information on the Care Fair, call the Junior League at 895-5018.
- K. Kringle's Christmas and Holiday Shop. Pitch this one to your kids as Christmas in July. When it's 96 degrees outside, the winter wonderland inside this 5,000-square-foot holiday store in St. Pete Beach is even more enchanting. There are 15 fully decorated Christmas trees, nativity scenes, music boxes and hundreds of amusing ornaments.
More than 100 ceramic figures that make up a Christmas village are on display, many of them with moving parts. The looking is free, of course, but you can buy your child a personalized ornament for as little as $1. The store is at 400 75th Ave. (the corner of 75th Avenue and Blind Pass Road). Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 367-1388 for information.
- You can reach Katherine Snow Smith by e-mail at snowsmith@verizon.net or write Rookie Mom, St. Petersburg Times, PO Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.