1. Friday night skate at Elzie Odom. From the Website: 7-10 PM Friday Night Skate, ages 13 and under. There will be exciting skating games, prizes and fun music to skate and boogie along with. Parents can sign their child in and drop them off or stay and skate free. 
2. All Night Skate at the Skatium for Back to School. Games, prizes, giveaways. $10 til midnight, $20 til 6a. For the older kiddos :)
3. Soccer Shots Back to School Bash. 5p. Don Meisenheimer Park. Bounce houses, demos, face painting, Kona Ice. Fun way to spend a Friday night!

**Ongoing Friday Events**

1. Head over to Studio Movie Grill for $1 movies. 11a. This week's feature is Megamind.

2. Open Gym at Texas Tumble Tots! 12:30p-1:30p. $2 per kid.

3. Let the kiddos bounce out their crazies at Pump It Up. Bounce times for Friday are 10:00-11:30 a.m., 12:30-2:00 p.m. and 2:30-4:00 p.m. $8/kid. Don't forget their socks!

4. Register at Kidsbowlfree.com and stop on over at Alley Cats in Arlington. Bumpers optional :)

5. Toddler Jump at Flight Deck Arlington. 10a-12p. $8 per kid per hour. 

Thursday,Thursday. Events for 8/18

1. Touch a Truck at Chick Fil A on Little Rd. 5:30-8:30p. Come check out vehicles that keep our community safe!

2. Third Thursdays Mansfield! Come shop, dine and play! Free kids activities- paint a rock for the Mansfield Rocks page! Also- at 5:30 a sprinkler gauntlet at The Lot for the kiddos and at 6:30 free yoga!

3. For the mamas- Customer Appreciation party at Gracie Lane! 6-8p. Boutique wines, giveaways and swag bags to the first 50 people!

Ongoing Thursday events

1. 11 am movies at Studio Movie Grill for $1. This week's feature is Megamind.

2. Head over to Pump It Up on Eden Rd. to let the kiddos bounce out some energy! We went Wednesday and it was fairly empty! It's $8 per kid for 1.5 hours of bouncing. 12:30-2 and 2:30-4.

3. Preschool and Kinder Ready. 1p. Betty Warmack branch of the GPPL. Stories and songs for 3-6.

4. Toddler Time at the Betty Warmack branch of the GPPL. 10:30a. Stories and songs.

5. Preschool and Kinder Ready. 6:30p. Main Branch of the GPPL. Stories and songs for 3-6.

6. Check out Urban Air in Mansfield. At last check, they were doing a special- $12.99 per child to jump from 10a-1p! That's a great deal :) Also- it's family night!!! After 5p- it's $35 for 5 jump passes, pizza and drinks. Awesome!

7. Register with Kidsbowlfree.com and spend some time indoors perfecting your game! Bumpers not required... ;)

8. Book Babes. This one is for infants-18 months! 12p at the Shotwell Branch of the Grand Prairie Public Library. Sing and play with babes!

Dive into Swim Lessons!

Little one ready to dive into swimming after watching Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps dominate the pool in Rio? Mine too! Swimming is one of those important life skills that needs teaching. Luckily, the Arlington area has loads of great programs to get your kids familiar with and comfortable in the water. Read of for a few of the great options for swim!

1.       Aqua-Tots Swim School (1551 Highway 287 N., Ste. 111 Mansfield, TX 76063, www.aqua-tots.com)

o    Kiddos can start here at 4 months with parent and tot classes to get used to being in water. At age 2.5, they can begin solo classes and progress as their comfort in water allows.

2.       Arlington YMCA (several locations; www.ymca-arlington.org)

o    The Y offers swim classes year-round to members and non-members alike. Kids start at 6 months in parent/tot classes here and then in solo classes beginning at age 3. Classes are offered through adulthood.

3.       City of Arlington, fall/winter lessons offered at Hugh Smith Indoor Pool ( 1815 New York Ave, Arlington, TX 76010; www.naturallyfun.org/swim-lessons)

o    Swimmers ages 3 and up can find a class appropriate to their abilities in the pool. The City even offers classes with adult swimmers looking to get more comfortable in the water or improve their stroke!

4.       City of Mansfield, classes offered at the MISD Natatorium- 3700 E. Broad St.; mansfieldisd.org/aquatics)

o    The City of Mansfield offers classes for kids 4-14 at the MISD Natatorium. Classes are offered on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Kiddos advance automatically as their skills in the water improve.

5.       Mid-cities Arlington Swim (MARSwim) (multiple locations; www.teamunify.com)

o    MARS offers competitive-level swimming for all ages. Swim lessons start at age 4 and are offered both in the evening and on Saturday morning. Swimmers can advance to competition level as their skills progress. Classes are offered at UTA, TCC and Hugh Smith.

6.       City of Grand Prairie (Kirby Creek Natatorium) (3201 Corn Valley Road, Grand Prairie; http://www.grandfungp.com/aquatics)

o    A variety of classes and class levels are offered by the City of Grand Prairie at their heated indoor facility. Kids from 6 months to 12 years can find a class to get comfortable in the water!

We've Made It To Wednesday...

1. Tiny Tot Storytime with Mrs. Peggy at the Chick Fil A at Camp Wisdom and 360. Enjoy a snack, a story and a sing-a-long. 10a. Free.

**Ongoing Wednesday Events**

1. Half price games at Dave & Buster's. Make your money go further by letting the kiddos play twice as long :)

2. Little Listeners Storytime at the Kennedale Library. Stories, crafts and games. 10:30a. Free.

3. $1 movies at Studio Movie Grill. 11a. This week's feature is Megamind.

4. Read, Play, Learn at the Betty Warmack branch of the Grand Prairie Library. 10:15a. Stories and rhymes for the little ones.

5. Open Jump at Pump It Up. $8/kid. Wednesday times are 10-11:30, 12:30-2, 2:30-4. Don't forget socks!

6. Play and Learn at the Grand Prairie YMCA. Free. Drop by with your littles (best for the under 5 set) and play with play doh, make crafts, engage with new toys. Enjoy the indoors!

Tuesday Happenings

1. Kids Kamp at Parks Mall. The last Kids Kamp of the Summer! Come see a great magic show- free!- at 11a outside Macy's. Plus, the first 200 kids get a goodie bag filled with freebies! Last month at Kids Kamp, my girls got free lemonade from Chick Fil A and a cookie (they got to decorate!) from Great American Cookie. Totally fun!

2. Read & Sign Storytime, Babies R Us (across from Target on Arbrook and Cooper), 6p. Come learn about how Signing Times can benefit you and your child under 5.

**Ongoing Tuesday Events**

1. $1 movies at Studio Movie Grill. 11 am. This week's feature is Megamind.

2. Half price games at Chuck E. Cheese! That's right! You can enjoy air-conditioned fun on Tuesdays at Chuck E. Cheese and only pay half the normal price for all the games!

3. Storytime at the Barnes and Noble at Parks Mall, 11 am. Stay for crafts and activities afterward!

4. Open Jump at Pump It Up. $8 per child. Times are 12:30-2, 2:30-4. Don't forget your socks!

5. Craft Tuesdays at Peter Piper Pizza! Head over to Peter Piper for a craft and games! Buffet lunch for kids is only $4.73 per kid and includes a drink. Add 20 tokens for $5 more! Kids can color and do various themed crafts each week! This week's theme is End of Summer Party!

6. Toddler Tumble at Flight Deck Arlington, 10a-12p (this goes on daily). $8 for one hour of jumping. This is for kids 6 and under.

7. Open jump starts at 10a at Urban Air Mansfield. Check the website for current specials (urbanairtrampolinepark.com)

8. Free bowling at Alley Cats! Sign up your kiddos here: kidsbowlfree.com. Then go enjoy some air-conditioned fun! (this is an every day event!)

9. Open play at the Church on Rush Creek. Drop by the air-conditioned play room at Rush Creek and let the kiddos run around! Best for the 5 and under set. Open play is from 10-12 and 1-2p.

Beat Those Monday Blues...

1. Baby Sign Times Class at Lakeside Church in Mansfield. 10a. From the event page: Our Read & Sign Story Time is offered to parents and children 5-years-old and younger. This FREE 30 minute session will introduce families to Baby Signing Time through literature, songs, and activities. This is a great opportunity to see what Baby Signing Time is all about in a low key, family friendly atmosphere.

*Ongoing Monday Events*

1. Book Babies. 11a. Story time for little ones at the main branch of the Grand Prairie Library.

2. Read Play Learn. 12p. Shotwell Branch of the GPPL. Family Storytime.

3. $1 movies at Studio Movie Grill. This week's feature is Megamind. 11a.

4. Toddler Jump at Flight Deck Arlington. Ages 6 and under. 10a-12p. $8 per hour per kid. 

5. Open Jump at Pump It Up. $8/child. Monday's times are 12:30p- 2p and 2:30p- 4p. Don't forget your socks!

6. Have you checked out area splash pads?! They ROCK for the younger kids! Brantley Hinshaw, California Lane and Don Misenheimer are great options in Arlington; Sonora Park in fabulous in Kennedale; Splash Factory is awesome in Grand Prairie (this one does cost $2/person).

7. Jump from 10a-1p at Urban Air in Mansfield for just $12/person!

8. Open Play at JET Athletics (formerly Cheer Texas). $5/child. 10-11:30a.

Homeschool Resources

Deciding to homeschool? You are awesome! While we’ve decided that isn’t the right choice for our family, I do know many families for whom it’s a fantastic fit. Arlington (and, okay, fine, the whole Metroplex) has a lot of amazing resources for homeschooling families. If this is your family, start here…

1.    The Travis Academy of Fine Arts (TAFA) (800 W. Berry St., Fort Worth) offers classes Monday through Friday in subjects such as Spanish, drama and ballet. Some classes are already full, but there are still openings for children for Fall. For more info: tafa.org

2.    Rhythms of Grace is another great co op in the area (based in Arlington- yay!) that offers classes and meetups of all sorts. They have a private Facebook group you can join to get to know other members as well as a Website with loads of great info. For more info: roghomeschool.com

3.    In the Mansfield area, there is M.A.T.C.H. (Mansfield Area Texas Chritian Homeschoolers) who do lots of meetups and playgroups for homeschoolers. You must create an account on Big Tent before you can request membership to their FB page. For more info: www.bigtent.com

4.    The SciTech Co Op is based in Midlothian area and currently meets in DeSoto. This co op meets every Friday and offers lots of academic support. For more info: https://sites.google.com/site/scitechcoop/about-us

5.    The Arlington Public Libraries offer many free classes throughout the school year for homeschool kids. For more info: morelibrary.org (select homeschool from the drop down menu)

Looking for other organizations that support homeschooling?

1.    The Dallas Zoo does a homeschool day in the Spring. The 2017 date has not been released. However, group tours can be arranged whenever!

2.    The Fort Worth Zoo Homeschool Day is October 6, 2016. Tickets can be purchased on the zoo’s Website. This zoo also offers classes for homeschool students two Tuesdays per month. Topic varies by age. Lastly, homeschoolers 12-17 are able to volunteer to assist with zoo preschool. For more info: fortworthzoo.org/homeschool

3.     In the past, both Urban Air Mansfield and Flight Deck Arlington offered special homeschool jump time, but that info is not yet available for the current school year on their Websites.

4.     ASI Gymnastics does a weekly homeschool class at each of their locations. Students ages 5 and up can attend a class and learn about physical activity and gymnastics. For more info: www.asigymnastics.com/classes/homeschool-5

5.    Six Flags Over Texas offers a homeschool day in the Spring. The 2017 day has not yet been released. For more info: https://www.sixflags.com/overtexas/special-events/home-school-day

6.    The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History has year-round offerings for homeschool groups. For more info: http://www.fwmuseum.org/homeschool

7.    Legoland and Sea Life Aquarium at Grapevine Mills Mall also both offer homeschool days/weeks. The info for the upcoming school year has not yet been released, but watch their Websites for more information!

8.    The Perot Museum in Dallas offers homeschool classes on Mondays in October and November. For more info: http://www.perotmuseum.org/events-and-programs/school-programs/homeschool/index.html

9.  River Legacy Living Science Center offers science classes for homeschool students the second Wednesday of the month. Classes are broken down by age. For more info: http://www.riverlegacy.org/component/content/article.html?id=163

Get your child involved in community-wide reading initiatives!

1.    Pizza Hut still does the Book It! Program where students can record their reading and redeem for prizes. They offer the program to homeschoolers, as well. For more info: http://www.bookitprogram.com/homeschool/default.asp

2.    Braum’s offers the Book Buddy program. This isn’t just limited to homeschool students, but any student in grades 1-6. Students can earn free ice cream for meeting their reading goals! For more info: http://www.braums.com/book-buddy/

3.    Six Flags also offers the Read to Succeed program, where students can earn a free park ticket for completing required reading hours. For more info: www.sixflags.com

The 2017 Texas Homeschool Convention will be February 25-27, 2017, in Fort Worth. Attendees can listen to speakers of their choosing and gather loads of information on a variety of homeschool topics. Convention will be held at the Fort Worth Convention Center. For more info: https://www.greathomeschoolconventions.com/locations/fort-worth-tx/

Looking for discounts on supplies you may need to teach your children? Books, crafts supplies, the like? Did you know that stores such as JoAnn Fabrics, Half Price Books and Barnes and Noble will grant you the educator’s discount they offer to teachers? See their Websites for more information!