Mobile Bay Parents April 2020 by KeepSharing

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3/19/20

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Stay Connected, Engaged and Spiritually Fit

All of us have had our lives disrupted one way or another and everyone is trying to find ways to adjust. Christ United Methodist Church is also adjusting and finding new and exciting ways to keep us all connected and spiritually fit!

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CU Online Sunday Worship

Enjoy one of our five live services each Sunday. Traditional: 8:00 a.m. | 9:15 a.m. | 10:40 a.m. Modern: 9:15 a.m. | 10:40 a.m. Watch Live: christunited.com/live or on Roku/Apple TV using the â&#x20AC;&#x153;BoxCast APPâ&#x20AC;? or on Christ United Facebook Live

CU Online During the Week

Each day, we will post or go live with Bible studies, or fun video activities for kids, students and adults.

We will emerge from this crisis together, stronger than ever as we love God, love people, and change the world. For a full list of online opportunities, visit

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April2020 34

Volume 10 Number 1

Columns

2 Publisher’s Note 4 Therapeutic Parenting Sonia Martin, LICSW, PIP

10 Ways to Keep Your Kids Occupied

Activities for your family during COVID-19.

Online & Virtual Fun

10 Kids Health Watch

Our listing of resources for your childrens’ home learning and entertainment.

Sponsored by Children’s Medical Group

What is Ringworm? There are many types of rashes humans can pick up, and this is especially true of children. Some rashes last a matter of hours and then disappear, whereas others can come and go for a lifetime. Some rashes are itchy or painful, whereas others aren’t bothersome at all. This month we’ll discuss one of the most common types of rashes, ringworm, what to expect if your child has it, and how to get rid of it. In medical terminology, ringworm is called “tinea” and no, it’s not an actual worm on your body, thank goodness! Ringworm is actually a type of fungus, and gets its common name because of how it looks: a round, raised, red circle with a slightly red or skin-colored center. This gives the appearance of a worm forming a ring. Ringworm can appear anywhere on your skin, and the specific medical term may vary based on its location. For example, ringworm on the scalp is “tinea captitis.” On the body, it’s known as “tinea corporis.” Ringworm of the face is “tinea faciei,” and so on. Regardless of location, the fungus is highly contagious and

can spread easily from person to person– or even from animal to human. Ringworm thrives in moist areas like locker rooms and tanning beds. It’s so common and contagious, in fact, that at any point in time about 20% of the population has ringworm. How does one determine if a rash is ringworm– or something else? Eczema, Lyme disease, and types of alopecia (hair loss) can cause rashes that look similar, but a number of things make ringworm different: 1. Ringworm is usually itchy, although this isn’t always the case. 2. Ringworm is present for a long time. If left untreated, it can last for several months. 3. Ringworm is red and scaly– and as it gets bigger, the outer edges may look wavy. 4. If ringworm occurs on an area of your body that has hair– like the scalp– patches of hair loss may occur. 5. Ringworm usually doesn’t cause other systemic problems like fever, headaches, or

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stomach pains. Over the counter or prescription topical antifungals will treat ringworm, but it can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks of use to eliminate the fungus. Depending on the severity and location of the ringworm, a stronger, oral medication may be necessary. If you’re questioning whether a rash is ringworm, make an appointment with your doctor to be sure. Ringworm is a very common nuisance, and it’s important that parents know they haven’t done something wrong if their child contracts the fungus. Ringworm is not a reflection of poor hygiene; it’s just that common. Jennifer Adair, M.D., was born and raised in Mobile. She joined Children’s Medical Group in July 2013 and currently practices at their Airport office. Jennifer and her husband, Cory, reside in Mobile with their son, Finn, and their three dogs, Barkley, Fitz, and Roo.

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Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

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Autauga UMS-Wright Co-Hosts Robotics FairCounty Schools

On Saturday, February 8th UMS-Wright co-hosted a robotics remotely operated vehicle (ROV) competition with DISL Discovery Hall Program at the Lubel Pool and three UMS-Wright teams competed! In this competition, students drove (flew) an ROV based on the SeaPerch design that they built to complete pool-based courses. This single-day competition was open to middle and high school teams in the PVC class and included the two pool courses (obstacle and mission) and a technical design report, which was due in advance. One of our teams ("Hamburger Helpers") won 1st place for best "technical design report" and the other team ("S.S. Duckies") won 2nd place for total points in the pool courses! WAY TO GO!

Luke the Robot Joins St. Luke’s School

St. Luke's Biomed III students started assembly with a presentation for the student body with our new addition, Luke the robot. The students are excited to begin using "Luke" for many different purposes. One of the great benefits of having Luke is that this technology will allow outside guests to join the classroom in real time and participate in face to face group discussions.

Please email School News and Photos to Lynn@mobilebayparents.com.

The Letter D at Little Flower Catholic

Celebrating Seuss’ Birthday at Faith Academy

To celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday, Faith Academy first graders did book reports on their favorite Dr. Seuss book and dressed as a character from their book. We love reading and Dr. Seuss makes it fun!

The kindergarten class at Little Flower Catholic School had a special visitor to help with the letter D. Miss Lilly is their teacher and her Pops came to the class and taught about being a doctor. Wearing masks and gloves and seeing how a stethoscope works made for a memorable lesson.

Davidson Warriors Place in USA Engineering Competition

Our students from the Engineering 101 class competed in the second annual Engineering Competition hosted by The University of South Alabama & the students in ASCE. The team competed well together and won first place in Water Filtration Division. 11

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Autauga County Schools

Studying the American Revolution at Old Shell Road Magnet School

Burns Middle School Dancers Perform in Black History Program

We are so proud of the Burns Praise Dancers who performed in the school’s black history program last month. Congratulations Alasia Keyser, Titania Cox, Leany De-Salasmjia, Dakaira Caulton, Aleeyha Cochran, Jadaria Lang-Nicholson!

Fifth-grade students at Old Shell Road Magnet School researched, wrote a monologue, created a poster, and dressed in costume to depict a person from the time of the American Revolution. The students presented their work for the whole school and visitors on March 4, 2020.

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New NJHS Inductees at Burns

Congratulations to the new inductees to the National Junior Honor Society. The following students were inducted to the Burns NJHS: Aya Aljawareen, Alexander Posado, Jacob Thomason-Laws, Jamie Phillips, Brooke Bolar, Valeria Portillo, Katherine Nguyon, Sopha Pownall, Montra Patel, Addison Vickers and Adyn Weathery.

Hollinger’s Island Wax Museum

Students from Hollinger’s Island Elementary and several other Mobile County Public Schools took part in “wax museum” presentations for Black History Month in February. The students researched famous African Americans in government, literature, science, the arts, sports and other areas and shared what they learned while dressed as that person.

Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

Murphy HS Physics Students Win Concrete Canoe Competition

A team of physics students from Murphy High School placed first in the concrete canoe category at the Civil Engineering competition at USA in February. The canoe they built is made entirely of concrete and was able to remain afloat holding 17 pounds. The students worked on this boat for over three months to find the correct ratio of materials. Team members, joined here by a South Alabama engineering student, are (from left): Shubha Singh, Malcolm Rogers, Cat Elortegui, Journie Crenshaw and DaKaylah Jones.

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Clark-Shaw Science Bowl Team Places 2nd at Regional Tournament

Congratulations to the Clark-Shaw Science Bowl teams who competed in the Alabama Regional Science Bowl Tournament. Team 2 played well and gained lots of experience. This was their first competition. Team members are Kailyn Thomas, Laura Kate Wiley, Dillon McCants, Devon Booth, and Will Avery. Team 1 came in SECOND Place! They lost to the Alabama School of Fine Arts and Math & Science in the Final Round. Team members are Quinn Huddleston, Amelia Velaski, Jayden Cooper, Lucas Taylor, and Logan Bishop. All our students represented Clark-Shaw well, both academically and behaviorally. We are very proud of them.

Collier Students Pledge to Show Kindness

Collier Elementary recently took the Great Kindness Challenge! Students there donated items for care packages to be sent to military servicemen and women overseas, and signed the "Be Kind Wall," pledging to show kindness toward each other. "I think it really just brings an awareness to them that there are other ways to be kind than just what you say -- it's how you act," Collier Principal DeAnna Stevens said. "In signing that wall, they're saying: I'm going to think about how I act, I'm going to think about what I say."

Read Across America at Allentown

Mrs. Connick’s class at Allentown celebrated the day by reading “The Cat in the Hat” by Dr. Seuss and then made yummy treats for a snack.

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North Mobile Christian Students Make Valentine Cards for Patients

Autauga County Schools

The students at North Mobile Christian School made Valentine's Day cards for the patients at the Women's Resource Center with Bible verses in them to show love and encouragement. This is a picture of the 4th and 5th grade students praying over the cards before they were sent out.

Please email School News to Lynn@ mobilebayparents.com.

Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

Spring Hill Students Aid Little Flower Catholic School

Four Spring Hill College students visit Little Flower Catholic School every Friday to provide art and music lessons to the lower school students. In addition to art and music, the Little Flower students were thrilled to attend a free book fair that the Badger Ladies held. Browsing a selection of age appropriate books and choosing just the right one was fun, but knowing that you could choose the one you liked for free, courtesy of your new friends from Spring Hill College was the highlight of the event. It was hard to tell which group had the most fun, the college ladies or the grade school students.

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St. Luke's Hosts Annual Grandparent's Day

St. Dominic Students Attend Jewish Film Festival

Grandparents came to St. Luke's lower campus for a singing performance and Mardi Gras Parade. The middle school students invited their grandparents for lunch on the upper campus. It was a beautiful day with beautiful memories!

St. Dominic Catholic School middle school students participated in a field trip, attending the Jewish Film Festival. They watched a film and, among many other things, were able to see a piece of art that was created in collaboration between a Jewish and Christian artist in memory of the Holocaust.

Faith Students Deliver Cookies to Police Department

Faith Academy National Honor Society (NHS) delivered cookies to the Mobile police department precincts after Mardi Gras ended to thank them for all their hard work throughout the carnival season. We appreciate our law enforcement officers! #backtheblue

At Coastal Allergy and Asthma our mission is to improve the lives of people with immunology conditions. Each of our board-certified physicians is committed to finding the cause of your problem so you can get relief today. Our group treats everything from drug allergies, food allergies, respiratory allergies, skin allergies, and asthma.

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Autauga County SchoolsSt. Luke's Students

Living Word Students Visit Equal Justice Initiative Offices

Train for Chess Team

The LWCC Kingdom Academy students were given an opportunity to visit the offices of Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery after being greatly impacted by their class reading assignment on the book “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson. Through excellent academic instruction, their passion has been fueled to make a difference in the earth, being led by the moral compass that points to Christ.

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Three years ago a few middle schoolers started meeting at lunch time to play informal, friendly games of chess. This group grew and grew and decided it was time to step up their game and form a chess team. With the funding from a generous patron, they were able to purchase some new equipment to use in preparation to compete with other schools. They are now training to record their games and use the clocks, two necessary skills for competition. The goal is to compete in the Fall.

Living Word Students Serve as Pages in Montgomery

St. Mary Media Munch!

St. Mary Parish held the 24th annual Media Munch where 7th grade ambassadors from St. Mary Catholic School delivered St. Valentine's Day treats to members of our local media in appreciation for all they do for St. Mary and for Mobile! Pictured are St. Mary Ambassadors with news anchor Devon Walsh of WKRG TV 5.

The LWCC Kingdom Academy eighth graders served as Pages at the Alabama State House in Montgomery. Together with Senator Vivian Figures, they were sitting in on committee meetings where initiatives were created before being presented for a bill.

St. Dominic Math Team Places 3rd at Math Competition

Congratulations to Saint Dominic Catholic School Magnus Math Team who came in 3rd place overall as a team at the Math Counts Competition. Russell Ginn earned 3rd place individually and also won the countdown round with a $50 prize. Megan Trinh came in 2nd in the countdown round. Anthony Hantouche was top 4 and Christopher Hunt was in the top 10 in the countdown round. We are very proud of our Eagles! Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

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Eichold Mertz Mardi Gras 2020 King and Queen

During the Mardi Gras Break, Eichold Mertz Magnet School held a Stride Academy Mardi Gras Contest. During the week, students were to log into Stride Academy and answer questions to earn skill badges. At the end of the week, scores were calculated, and winners were announced. The top girl and top boy in the school were crowned Queen and King of Stride Academy. The Queen was Marlee S. and the King was Aiden B. They each received 1000 coins to use in their Stride account, a special crown, Mardi Gras Beads, Moon Pies and a funny pencil. The top two students in each class were crowned Queen and King of their class. They were, Kindergarten: Knowles – Saanvi and Nishanth; Penton – Klaira and Christyan; K. Sims – Paisley and Brody; M. Sims – Milani and Landon. 1st Grade: Petry – Natalia and Kalem; Ramos – Demi and Tre; Thompson – Marie and Cameron; Weekley – Dyllan. 2nd Grade: Anusiewicz – Airiana and Denish; Long – TaMira and Martina; Muse – Melina and David; Towner – Lauren. 3rd Grade: Mabien S. – Beverly and JaShun; Martin – Makiyah and Roberto; Maye – Allison and Brayden; Miles – Jikeria and Shawn. 4th Grade: Arrington – Caleigh and Jeremy; Mabien N. – Aubrey and Kristopher; Moss – Taylor and Cain; Richardson – Ellianna and Daniel. 5th Grade: Crosby – Dyamond and Michael; Howard – NeVaeh and Alex S.; Patrick – Alyssa and Alex C.; Waters – Madisyn. They received 500 coins each to use in their Stride account, a crown, Mardi Gras beads, Moon Pies and a pencil.

Special Visitor Reads to St. Dominic 5th Graders

Mrs. Spafford, St. Dominic Catholic School Fifth Grade teacher, has a collection of books she has written about her children. Students love to hear them! There is one book she always saves for Ash Wednesday. It’s a story about her son Robert and herself as they journeyed through Lent together giving up chocolate. On Ash Wednesday, Robert made a surprise appearance and read the story to the Fifth grade classes. The book was written way back when Robert was in 4th grade. It was a wonderful surprise for the students! Thank you, Robert for coming and sharing of your time.

Cottage Hill Christian Academy’s March Star Student

Kate Morris is a very caring individual. She always tries to think of others’ feelings, and she will help them in any way she can. Working diligently in her academics, Kate is consistently striving to do her best. She does not give up, but instead fights through every trial to achieve success. It's a joy to watch her play and interact with other students. Kate always has a smile on her face, and she does her best to ensure that other students do as well. Cottage Hill Christian Academy is honored to have Kate Morris as this month’s Star Student.

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faith • family • future

The choice for a Christ-centered, academically challenging education.

The class of 2019 received acceptances from 203 colleges and was awarded $5.9 million in scholarships from colleges across the nation.

Grades K5 - 8 use new technology including a Virtual Reality (VR) lab which enables hands-on learning to bring lessons to life!

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For more information about CHCA, please visit our website at www.chcacademy.com Church Campus • Grades K2 - 8 | 4255 Cottage Hill Road Mobile, AL | 251•660•2427 West Campus • Grades 9 - 12 | 7355 Creekwood Drive Mobile, AL | 251•634•2513

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Autauga County Schools

Covenant Christian School Scholar’s Bowl Champs

St. Vincent de Paul STAR Student of the Month

Covenant Christian School’s A-team finished the season undefeated with their final regular competition win over Alba with a score of 280-85! B-team also had a big win against Alba with a score of 260-35, finishing the season with 4 wins and 1 loss by only 5 points. Congratulations!

St. Vincent de Paul is proud to announce our STAR Student for the month: Tucker Desselle. Tucker is a student who applies himself each and every single day. Tucker always gives 100 percent in and out of the classroom. He is a good leader in the classroom and is always willing to help out his teacher and friends. Tucker always treats his teacher and friends with respect, and he is always encouraging those around him. SVS is proud of you!

UMS-Wright Students Named National Merit Finalists

Two UMS-Wright students have been named as National Merit Finalists! Olivia Swann and Jackie StewartKuhn were chosen out of approximately 1.6 million seniors in the United States for this honor. These two were identified as semifinalists in September and were both named as Finalists this month. Congratulations on a job well done!

Archbishop Visits St. Ignatius Students on Ash Wednesday

St. Ignatius was honored to have Archbishop Rodi at Ash Wednesday Mass. He spent the day visiting classrooms and talking with the students. Pictured with Archbishop Rodi is Fr. Bry Shields, Ella Porter, John Paul McDonald, Christopher Immel, James Mayhall and Emma Smalling.

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Prichard Preparatory School Celebrates Read Across America Week

Prichard Prep participated in Read Across America Week by celebrating the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Each day focused on highlighting one of his books. The books were “Sleep Book,” “The Cat in the Hat,” “Wacky Wednesday,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” and “Oh, The Places You’ll Go.” The students loved the week because they wore pajamas, their favorite hats, silly socks, ate green eggs and ham, and wore their favorite college jersey! Ultimately, they learned the importance of reading and had fun doing it! Pictured is Mrs. Crabtree’s Kindergarten Class. Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

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Autauga County Schools

Science at Mary B. Austin Elementary

Things are heating up in Ms. Pope's 4th grade class at Mary B. Austin! Students experienced the transfer of heat from their bodies to the hand boilers. Within seconds they could see the liquid inside these objects rise to the top and "boil." What a fun way to learn about conduction! Pictured are: Sabryia Boddie, Kenley Clayton, Hayden Coleman, Katherine Ritchie, and Khloe Roberts.

Burns Middle School Students’ Art on Display at Superintendent Show in Montgomery

Three Burns Middle School students’ artwork went to the state superintendent show in Montgomery. Congratulations to Princess Sangual, Liayla Hamilton and Annabelle Wimpee. Also, congratulations to Tyler Divine, who received a Blue Ribbon at the Visual Arts Achievement competition for his print making piece. His piece will go to Montgomery to be shown for the month of April at the RSA Tower.

Allentown Science Fun

What a fun day the fifth grade students at Allentown had exploring physical and chemical changes. Teachers set up several science experiment stations and the students rotated around each learning about the different changes that occur when mixing items together.

Celebrating Black History Month at Little Flower Catholic School

UMS-Wright Hosts GrandPals Day

Little Flower Catholic School students worked with their teacher, Miss Hutson, to create a banner to help celebrate Black History Month. The banner consisted of 36 separate panels, and each panel was colored by a different student. Individually, each panel told only a small bit of the story. But working as a team, students and teacher brought about a remarkable banner honoring important people who made a difference in our world.

We love any reason to host GrandPals on campus. The Friday before Mardi Gras break, our 5th graders invited their GrandPals for a day of interactive play that included games, art, logic and a fun photo booth! The 5th graders showed their GrandPals how much they loved learning!

Please email School News and Photos to Lynn@mobilebayparents.com.

Covenant Students Visit Orphanage in Mexico

Several of Covenant Christian School’s 8th grade students went to Reynosa, Mexico to Big Heart Orphanage for their mission trip. They were able to participate in helping with projects that needed to be done and spending time with the children. 19

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Autauga County Schools

Famous American Day at Corpus Christi

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The 3rd-graders at Corpus Christi Catholic School had their annual "Famous American Day" in February. The students came to school dressed in character. In addition, each student memorized a brief presentation about the famous American they chose to study. The speech included the history of the famous American and an interesting fact.

St. Mary Catholic School Welcomes Archbishop Rodi!

St. Mary Catholic School welcomed Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi, and Ms. Gwen Byrd, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, for their annual visit on Tuesday, February 11. The day began with a beautiful student Mass celebrated by Archbishop Rodi followed by classroom visits and blessings!

Please email School News and Photos to Lynn@mobilebayparents.com.

Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

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St. Pius Teacher Elected to Board of Directors at Science Center Saint Pius X Catholic School Art Teacher, Mrs. Katie Mattingly, was recently elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Infinity Science Center in Pearlington, Mississippi. The Infinity Center is a non-profit science museum focusing on engineering and technology while blending space and Earth science. Mrs. Mattingly was proud to have SPX students participate in the 2020 Infinity Gala Centerpiece Contest. Pictured is Mrs. McLean’s 3rd grade class with their project. One first place winner will be chosen in each grade group, and each winning entry will receive a personalized signed photo from Apollo 13 astronaut, Fred Haise.

Raising Leaders at Living Word

The Living Word Christian Center Kingdom Academy’s vision is “Training Tomorrow’s Leaders to be Disciples of Christ,” raising leaders to be an influence in the earth for the Kingdom of God. The LWCC Kingdom Academy eighth grade students served as Pages on our Alabama State House Senate Chamber floor in Montgomery. Our Kingdom Ambassadors served proudly for three days, working closely with the Lieutenant Governor and State Senators as bills were being presented and adopted. The LWCCKA students became part of history as history was being made in our state!

Jackson Elvis Represents Cottage Hill at State Geography Bee Cottage Hill Christian Academy congratulates Jackson Elvis for being selected by the National Geographic Society to represent CHCA in the 2020 Alabama Geography Bee. Jackson won first place in the school competition and was one of the top 100 ranked students in Alabama on the qualifying test. CHCA is proud of Jackson’s hard work and is excited to see him progress through this competition.

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JoJo Hip Hop Camp Ages 6 and up

Days: Tuesday & Thursday Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.

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Autauga County Schools

Allentown Elementary School February GATOR Kids

Pre K – 2nd Grade Front Row: Lizzie Collins, Isaiah Jackson, Jaxon Gray, Jordan Kirksey, Page Brainerd, Kyson Battles, Aubree Lanthier. Middle Row: Yesica Vargas-Andres, Naomi Ramos, Aiden Way, Katelyn Vermillion, Sophia Weaver. Back Row: Ezallah Ali, Jonathan Vargas- Andres, Shaylee Patterson, Brady Moore, Reese Watson, Addison Turner 3rd -5th Grade Front Row: Destiny Epperson, Mar’kell Inge, Tandice Kittrell, Colton Cates, Lillie Ann Fisher, Brianna Patterson. Middle Row: Alaina Bush, Aniyah Pritchett, Angelina Andres Diego, Harmoni Jones, Shelbey Jolley, Amelia Moore. Back Row: Bryce Cunningham, Tyler Ann Collard, Julian Stephens, Deon Newell, Kayla White, Kimii White.

Black History Month at Prichard Prep Our school was full of incredible leaders, from the past and present, as students portrayed famous African-Americans for our Living Museum. There was Kobe Bryant, former President Barack Obama, Harriet Tubman, Wilma Rudolph and many, many more. Students did a monologue and created a poster to share about the famous AfricanAmerican they chose to portray or dressed as the person. Another way Black History Month was celebrated was by the 5th grade class making a “quilt” of pictures. Pictured is 1st Grade student, Kinsley Bradley.

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Black History Month at Old Shell Road

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On February 21, the Old Shell Road choir, dance company, and drama club presented a black history program, "Feel the Rhythm of AfricanAmerican Music." Each grade level presented a different music genre, the choir sang a variety of musical selections, and the dance company presented a tap dance and an inspirational dance.

Please email School News and Photos to Lynn@mobilebayparents.com.

St. Mary Catholic Floral Parade Crew!

St. Mary Catholic middle school students participated in the 2020 Mobile Carnival Association Parade with this year's theme, "Sunday Color" and a float theme, of "Bloom County". St. Mary Catholic School is proud to represent Catholic Education in this annual Mobile Mardi Gras tradition. Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

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Track Athletes Bring Home State Medals for Cottage Hill Christian

Two athletes from Cottage Hill Christian Academy won the 1-3A Boys AHSAA State Championship in their individual events at the State Championship Indoor Track and Field Meet in Birmingham. Ji Anderson won the state title in the long jump, and Arrick Gibbs won the state title in the 60 m. Since this win, Anderson has received an offer to run at Alcorn State University.

Our Sailing Hearts Beat for Kids

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The Fairhope Yacht Club and Children’s of Alabama present

The Children’s Cup Regatta Saturday, May 9, 2020 Rain or Shine Fairhope Yacht Club

101 Volanta Avenue | Fairhope, AL 36532

“Contraction Surgery” at Corpus Christi

Recently the 1st-graders at Corpus Christi Catholic School performed contraction surgery! Dressed for the procedure, the students cut words apart, took out letters, put the words back together with a Band-Aid, and glued them into their surgery books. At the end of the day, the surgery was a success!

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Autauga County Schools

E.R. Dickson Elementary 2nd Semester Safety Patrol

Congratulations to the following students for being selected as the 2nd Semester Safety Patrol. Front Row: Mathew Jackson, Kennedy Washam, David Cunningham, Jael Lewis, Ashlynn Brown, Kendie Kidd, Bella McCorvey, Za’Miya Finley, and Loren Johnson. Middle Row: Mylandrea Dickinson, Francine Pasion, Kierston Campbell, Jayden Juarez, Leila Long, Raniya Baker, Bri Asia Sowells, Carlee Sewell, Raylee Edwards, Keli’ani Nixon, Aslyssia Cochran, and Tiang Mdluli. Back Row: Ms. Summer Davis (Sponsor), Helen Ramos, Bryce Drakeford Robinson, Madison Langley, Kennedy Dailey, Haley Langley, Kylee Odom, Naeemah Riley, Jasmine Gross, and Ms. Kristy Elderkin (Sponsor). Not Pictured: Jaleah Coleman and Jermarion McNish.

St. Luke’s Students Learn about Respiratory Therapy

St. Luke's Biomed I students had a guest visitor, April Sexton (Pediatric Respiratory Therapist), who talked to them about careers in respiratory therapy. Mrs. Sexton also taught the students how to intubate babies! What a great experience!

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Local Students Join Austal USA’s Youth Apprenticeship Program

Twenty-five Mobile County Public Schools seniors began their journey toward a potentially rewarding career in February, as they signed on to Austal USA’s Youth Apprenticeship Program. In the 12-week program, which began Feb. 17, students are earning $8 an hour while being trained in the crafts of aluminum ship construction and welding. The program is designed to develop the seniors for introduction this summer into Austal USA’s four-year apprenticeship program, the next step toward a full-time career at Austal, which builds ships for the U.S. Navy. Accepted into the program were: Jayson Booze, Tre’mon Tompkins and Gunner Veillon of Baker; Octavious Hubbard of Blount; Justin Gambrell, John Patrick and Michael Wyatt of Alma Bryant; Charles Caver, Matthew Gafford, Farhan Mansur and Christina Sashington of Davidson; Steven Binkley, Jeremy Doherty, Ryan Hightower, Logan Matthews and Logan Weaver of Mary G. Montgomery; Tyler Mitchell of Murphy; Matthew Barnes, Gavin Carter, William Flannagan and Wanya Gray of Theodore; Dontravious Holley and Niya Walters of Vigor; and Shemar Smith and Felix White of Williamson. “This opportunity signifies that you are hard-working and dedicated," MCPSS Superintendent Chresal Threadgill told the students at a signing ceremony at Austal last month. "It also signifies that you have a bright future ahead of you.”

Please email School News and Photos to Lynn@ mobilebayparents.com.

Coast Guard Visits Covenant Christian School!

Covenant Christian had a special visit from the Coast Guard. It was a special treat for the whole school. Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

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Denton Magnet School of Technology Wins Basketball Championship

Denton Magnet School’s 2019-2020 basketball teams were outstanding this year. The girls were 17-0 as MCPSS Middle School Girls’ County Champions, while the boys were 14-2 as MCPSS Division 1A Boys’ Middle School Champions. Coach Madison Fowler’s leadership has built the girls’ team into a championship-winning program in just two years. Over the past four years, the boys’ team has advanced to the playoffs each year with the help of Coach Margo Reed. Congratulations to these athletes and their coaches.

Mobile County Science Fair Winners

Murphy High School’s Shubha Singh (pictured) won top overall honors at the Mobile County Science Fair last month with her project, which examined how nicotine affects cancer cells. Dakota Perry of Dunbar School of Creative and Performing Arts had the top middle school project and also won the Suzanne F. Pierce Patriot Award for Middle School Excellence in Scientific Investigation. Callie Thompson of Davidson won the high school category, and Davidson's Samantha Oyler won the Dr. Louis Buckalew Award for Excellence in Behavioral Science. Phillip's Preparatory's Elizabeth Chester won the Bramuchi Fay Horizon Award for the Most Promising Sixth Grade Project.

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Autauga County Schools

St. Dominic Students Visit School for Deaf and Blind

Faith Academy Donates Food Items to Local Organization

Faith Academy partnered with a local non-profit organization, A Servant's Love (ASL), to collect non-perishable food items. ASL provides food for 250 income-challenged seniors in the Mobile area. This is Faith's second year partnering with A Servant's Love. Each grade level was assigned certain items to bring and were challenged to fill their grade level containers. The students truly accepted the challenge and filled all of the containers and then some. It is a blessing to give back to the community.

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Saint Dominic Catholic School fifth grade students, along with teachers and parents visited the Callahan School for the Deaf and Blind recently. Students brought throws and dressed in Mardi Gras accessories to parade through the Regional School. Fifth grade band members played their instruments for the parade. It was a great time!

Special Olympics Basketball Tournament

The executive director of Special Services Ms. Magee along with Paula Petersen, Jessica Allred, Cheryl Johnston and Dana Evans helped Burns Middle School host the 2020 Special Olympics Basketball Tournament on February 18, 2020. The event was a great success with 16 Mobile County schools participating.

Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

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Clark Shaw Magnet Dominates Awards at Regional Science Fair

Clark Shaw Magnet had over 200 student entries for the Junior Division at Regional Science Fair held at the University of South Alabama recently. 60% of the First, Second, Third place and BEST in Show awards went to Clark Shaw students. Many of the Senior Division winners were previous Clark-Students who had tremendous projects. Botany/Zoology Group 1: 1st Place: Jonathan Russel, “Birds and Aerodynamics” • 2nd Place: Destiny Bjorensen, “The Little Creatures of Pond Water” • 3rd Place: Corbin May, “Rusty Plants”. Botany/Zoology Group 2: 1st Place: Shelby Davis, “Shoo Fly” • 2nd Place: Potter Boutwell, “Sweet, Semi Sweet, or Bitter Nectar” • 3rd Place: Lila Solano, “The Companion Planting Game”. Chemistry Group 1: 1st Place: Cooper Cox, “Sarcophagus Science” • 2nd Place: Abigale Van den Bosch, “Building a Gel Electrophoresis Chamber” • 3rd Place: Jackson Reiney, “Fizzy Pop”. Chemistry Group 2: 2nd Place: Oscar Jones, “Will it Mummy?” • 3rd Place: Lilly Bolton, “Egg-Cellent Muffins”. Engineering Group 1: 1st Place: Caydn Eades, “Attack of the Monarch” • 2nd Place: Elise Henderson, “Battle of the Glues”. Environmental Science 1: 2nd Place: Carley Eaton, “Dangerous Dirt”. Environmental Science 2: 2nd Place: Josiah Cazalas, “Crystal Clear?”. Math & Computers: 1st Place: Merrick Anderson, “Why don't I have a wifi signal” • 2nd Place: Ryan Morvany, “Analyzing the Temp...Versus Inland Locations”. Medicine & Health: 2nd Place: Nathan Martin, “Glucose and Invertase” • 3rd Place: Ginny Waites, “Do You Want Fries With That?”. Physical Science Group 2: 2nd Place: Kaleigh Freeman, “Jumping Gymnast”. Physical Science Group 3: 1st Place: Madeline Borchert, “Resisting the Rust” • 2nd Place: Robert Cowell, “Far Flying Paper Airplanes” • 3rd Place: Quinn Huddleston, “Totally Tubular”. The Moore Family Statistical Excellence Award: 2nd Place: Aris Richter, “Does Minimizing/ Maximizing...Affect Accuracy?” • 3rd Place: Madeline Borchert, “Resisting the Rust”. 26

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Optimist Club Recognizes MGM’s Best

Recently, The Mobile Optimist Club honored Mary G. Montgomery senior Tucker Musgrove as Pitcher of the Week and MGM senior Timothy Williams as 7A Basketball Player of the Year. Additionally, Coach Rovertus Kimble was recognized as the 7A Basketball Coach of the Year as the MGM boys’ basketball team finished its season as Southwest Regional Runner-Up. Congratulations to Tucker, Timothy, and Coach Kimble! Pictured (top) Tucker Musgrove with MGM Baseball Coach Barry Hightower; (bottom) Timothy Williams with MGM Basketball Coach Rovertus Kimble.

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Davidson National Merit Finalist

Maria Moxey was recently named a National Merit Finalist. Maria is currently a senior at Davidson High School in the International Baccalaureate program. She is also a member of the Kinetics Dance Company and Mobile County’s Distinguished Young Woman. Approximately 16,000 semifinalists are chosen from over 1.5 million seniors who took the Pre-SAT last year. Winners will be announced later in the spring.

North Mobile Christian All-Star Basketball Player North Mobile Christian School's All-Star girls basketball player is Molly Chancey! Congratulations Molly!

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Autauga County Schools

Old Shell Road Choir Performs at State Capitol

On February 20, twenty-six students from Old Shell Road Magnet School Choir traveled to Montgomery to sing at the State Capitol as well as in the rotunda of the Gordon Persons Building as part of the Capitol Tunes series. The choir gave outstanding performances for this series which was sponsored by Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts along with Alabama State Department of Education.

Prichard Preparatory School Board of Directors Selects New Principal

The Board of Directors for Prichard Preparatory School is pleased to announce the selection of Portia Green as the new Principal beginning June 1, 2020. A native of McIntosh, Alabama, Mrs. Green has been a part of the Prichard Prep family since 2011. During her 9 years, she has been a parent of two students and has served as the Intervention Teacher, PreK-4 Teacher, and Executive Director. Mrs. Green has a passion for inspiring, exhorting, and helping people, especially children. She truly believes that education is the ticket to success for all children. She received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Mobile and was awarded her MBA from Columbia Southern University.

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Please email School News to Lynn@mobilebayparents.com by the 10th of the month.

Mary G. Montgomery Explores Local Government On February 13, nominated seniors attended the American Legion-sponsored city/county government field trip. Students met with Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich and observed bond hearings in Judge George Zoghby’s courtroom. Additionally, students met with County Commissioner Connie Hudson and Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson. This firsthand look at how their local government operates concluded with lunch at Mobile’s renowned Spot of Tea. Pictured, Austin Johnston, Jaelin Whittaker, Jase Wilson, Daelyn Overstreet, Payton Stoneburner, Colby McMillian, Breighanna Vigor, James Shanahan, Michael Keene, Langley Davis, Bea Lindquist.

Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

Mary B. Austin Teacher Receives Golden Apple Award

Mrs. Brooke Young was surprised to receive a golden apple teacher award at Mary B. Austin Elementary school recently. She is pictured here holding her award beside the school's principal, Ms. Melissa Whigham. Mrs. Young is an exemplary 1st grade teacher. She continually looks for ways to add to her classroom, seeking out professional development opportunities, writing for grants which add to the technology tools available to her students, working collaboratively with her peer teachers, building in center time and small group pulls while students work independently at their desks, and more. She holds high expectations for her students, and her patience and love help all of her students to achieve great gains socially and academically. This is a well-deserved honor. Way to go, Mrs. Young! Keep up the excellent work shaping the minds and futures of our students!

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Beef, Pork and Peanuts Cook-off Winners

Cameron Gildersleeve of Blount High School (top photo), Christopher Mosley of Davidson High School (middle photo) and Marhyia Averhart of Davidson (bottom photo) were the first-place winners in the Beef, Pork and Peanuts Cook-off held in February at Bishop State Community College. The competition was co-sponsored by Mobile County Public Schools Career and Technical Education and the Alabama Farmers Federation. Gildersleeve won the beef category for his spinach and mushroom stuffed beef tenderloin, Mosley won the pork category with his pork ramen, and Averhart won the peanuts category for her West African peanut stew. "I was pushed real hard in this competition," said Gildersleeve, who has been cooking about seven years and will move on to state competition in April. "It was very, very stressful. We only had 10 minutes to have our dishes on the table and for me to win first place, I'm just overwhelmed with joy." Placing second and third in the beef category were Kelicia McCorvev of Baker and Jonathan Brooks of Alma Bryant. Second and third in the pork category were Sandria Murphy of Baker and Kourtney Christie of Alma Bryant. Second and third in peanuts were Leland Overstreet of Alma Bryant and Shunzell Mackie. 29

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CHCA Lady Warriors Win Southern Shootout

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Congratulations to the Cottage Hill Christian Academyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Varsity Lady Warrior Soccer team on winning the Southern Shootout Gold Championship with wins over Madison County, Gulf Shores, and Elberta. The Lady Warriors brought home the championship in the Gold Division of the 2020 Southern Shootout with a 2-1 win over Elberta in PKs. Taylor Davidson scored in regulation. Kayla Swindle recorded two saves in regulation and three huge saves in the shootout to earn the win in goal. Taylor Davidson, Becca Steedley, and Sophie Lynch scored for the Warriors in the shootout with Lynch netting the game winner.

St. Ignatius Mission Provides Weekend Food for Students

Part of the St. Ignatius Mission is to provide weekend food for the students of ER Dickson school who are in need. It's called Backpack Ministry and is a service project for our entire school and parish. Each quarter the students collect food and yearly collect more than 8,421 items for the backpacks. Each week 40-45 backpacks are packed and taken to ER Dickson for weekend distribution. It's an amazing project that requires lots of volunteers to complete. Pictured here with backpacks that are being loaded for Friday delivery are 8th graders Kelsey Fogarty, Emmey Stewart, Claire Elebash, Anna Witt Cooke and Meme Blankenship.

Honor Society Inductees at Corpus Christi

Congratulations to the students at Corpus Christi Catholic school who were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. They were selected because of their academic, service, and leadership accomplishments. The new inductees are Haley Cummings, Jack Dismukes, Parker Fields, Natalie Fisher, Aiden Flemming, Bridget Foster, Emily Gillis, Reese Gonzales, Jay Gonzales, Annabel Holbrook, Ben Johnson, Kellyn Hyke, Juli Mosteller, Abby Moulder, Cade Nelson, Ella Nelson, Chloe Nguyen, Parker Overstreet, Leon Pham, Jake Quina, Ethan Stokes, Kathlene Walker, Claire Watson, Jackson West, Josef Wittendorfer, Zoey Vialpando, and Declan Youkey.

Clark-Shaw Math Team Rocks the Competition

Clark-Shaw math team competed on 2/15 and out of 7 schools

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(around 60-70 kids) we had 5 out of 8 students go into the top 12 and Clark-Shaw came in 2nd place for the team round! 5 in top 12: Anniyah Grant, Logan Bishop, Ryan Mattern, Katelyn Foster, Oscar Jones. 2nd place team: Ryan Mattern, Anniyah Grant, Katelyn Foster, Logan Bishop. Whole team (pictured): Ryan Mattern, Anniyah Grant, Katelyn Foster, Logan Bishop, Abigail Lovitte, Amelia Velaski, Griffin Overton, Oscar Jones. Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

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Davidson Choir Students Earn Honors

Seven Davidson Choir students recently received recognition for their performances in the District Solo & Ensemble Festival in Foley. Five scored Superior (I) ratings and two scored Excellent (II). Congratulations to Aalayah Kizer (I), A'lisa Demings (I), Hania Ghaful (II), Jalicia Scott (I), Blondina Moore (I), Demarcus James (II), and Cameron Beard (I).

Denton Magnet Students Launch Business

Two students from Denton Magnet School of Technology have started their own business! Ava Quinones and Elizabeth Fischer launched their business, Bubbles N' Bliss Bath, during Denton's annual Tech Expo in February. Denton's Tech Expo highlights student work done throughout the year. The girls created their website, www.BubblesNBlissBath. com, as a technology project to compete at the Alabama Consortium for Technology in Education. Ava said that she learned how to create and manage a website while working on the marketing team of Denton Magnet's Robotics team. Elizabeth works on the creative videos and graphics she creates for their social media network in part due to her participation in Denton's video production class. Both girls are members of Denton's ACES Team. ACES, Advancing Computer Engineering and Science, is Denton Magnet's Competition Team. These students compete in different Tech competitions throughout the year. Denton has plans to integrate more entrepreneurship skills within their other elective classes in the upcoming school year. The students at Denton Magnet are putting the skills they learn in the classroom to use in the real world!

artBLAST SUMMERCAMP ART CAMP ART J U N E 8 — J U LY 2 4

Art Blast, the Museum’s summer art camp, runs from June 8 - July 24, 2020 (skipping the week of June 29). With classes for ages 4-7, 8-11, and 12 and up, there is truly something for everyone in the wide variety of art offered throughout the summer. Ceramics, painting and drawing in all styles inspire students to energize their creativity, while learning about elements of art and art history. We also offer half day and full day options to best fit your child’s busy summer schedule.

COST FOR ONE WEEK

MMofA MEMBERS: FULL DAY = $200. HALF DAY = $150. NON-MEMBERS: FULL DAY = $275. HALF DAY = $180.

FOR MORE INFO & TO REGISTER: Visit us online at www.MobileMuseumofArt.com/learn

MMofA’s classes and programs are made possible by support from MOBILE MUSEUM OF ART 4850 Museum Drive Mobile, AL 36608 251.208.5200 www.MobileMuseumofArt.com

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4 Skills -- from Empathy to Manners-That Tech Might Be Eroding

on your phone. Explain that it can be very difficult to put down your phone when you’re in the middle of a game or chat, but you believe it’s important to pay special respect to people like grandparents and elders. And of course, respect breeds respect, so put your phone down when your kid talks to you (unless it’s about how much redstone they need to build a castle in Minecraft, in which case it’s totally OK to ignore them!).

(and What to Do About It) You started with the best intentions. Your kid needed a laptop for homework. Your tween needed a phone to text you after school. You wanted a Fitbit to lose a few extra pounds. But now, you look around and devices are plugged into every nook and cranny in your home. Everyone’s staring, tapping, tracking. While you’re grateful for things like Google Maps and Netflix that make your life easier and more fun, something feels off. It’s the basics that are missing: courtesy, conversation, being bored, and appreciating simple pleasures. But all hope is not lost. Here are four ways tech has nibbled away at valuable life skills and experiences, and what you can do about it.

Internet vs. Value of Boredom

When a phone full of cute cat videos and funny memes is only a swipe away, it’s easy to forget what it was like to be truly bored. But science tells us that boredom is actually useful -- for kids and adults. Not only can boredom lead to deep thinking, it can help kids practice perseverance, or pushing through uncomfortable moments without stimulation or distraction. And without boredom, kids might not take the time to explore their surroundings -- dig in the dirt, wonder how a house is built, bake cookies without a recipe -- and they might not stumble on something they really love to do. What to do: Create opportunities for boredom by setting up times and places where devices are off-limits. And make sure kids have unstructured time -- even a little bit -- where they can roam the house or the neighborhood without a schedule. Keep a list of activities that kids say they like to do -- from drawing to hammering to bouncing a ball -- and point them toward it when they complain.

Home Assistants vs. Manners

If you are one of the millions of households in the United States with Alexa or Google Home, you may have noticed an unfortunate side effect of using the device: a lack of enforced courtesy. Kids (and adults) shout commands at the device: “Play Beyoncé!” or “What’s the weather?!” The devices do not require a “please” or “thank you,” and the more lifelike these devices become, the weirder it is to hear your child rudely demanding something from a humanlike voice. What to do: Model the behavior you want to see. It might feel strange to say “please” to a machine, but if that’s what you expect from your kid, you should do it too. It might help explain to kids that even though you know Alexa doesn’t have feelings, using polite voices and words makes it nicer for the real people in the house who do have feelings. You can talk about how it can feel bad to be around someone who’s yelling or angry, even if they’re not yelling at you.

Devices vs. Empathy

The mere presence of a phone on the table between two people having a discussion has been shown to decrease feelings of empathy. Whether this is because the phone owner is distracted by the possibility of an incoming message or the promise of something more interesting on the device is unclear. But it makes sense that if someone isn’t giving you their full attention, they’re less likely to understand or empathize with you, and ultimately that can affect the quality of the relationship. What to do: Prioritize face-to-face conversation over devices by putting phones and tablets out of site during meals. Recognize your thought pattern during conversations, and if you find yourself wondering about a missed call or guessing how many people liked your most recent Instagram post, refocus your concentration on your friend, spouse, or kid. And acknowledge how difficult digital distraction can be to manage yourself so that your kids understand that you think it’s an important challenge to wrestle with.

Phones vs. Respect for Elders

How many of us have witnessed a teacher, coach, or grandparent try to make conversation with kids who can’t unglue their eyes from a screen? Of course it’s only polite to put down your phone when anyone is talking to you, but it can be especially embarrassing for parents who were raised to defer to the older generation. What to do: Make your expectations very clear. Talk to your kids about how important it is to use good manners when you’re Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

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Mortgage Protection Insurance?

Q. My husband and I had our first child in December. We bought a house not long before the baby was born, and since then we’ve been getting mail and phone calls about buying mortgage protection insurance. We’re both 27, we have good jobs, and our mortgage is $105,000. Would it be a good idea to get this insurance?

A. Mortgage insurance is really nothing more than a life insurance policy with the word “mortgage” stuck on the front. They make it sound like a specialized product, and they jack the price up. The truth is it’s just a big rip-off in most cases. If you two are healthy, you both could easily get $250,000 on 20-year level term life insurance policies, for around $12 a month. Then, if something happened to one of you,

the other could pay off the house with the insurance money and still have a nice chunk left over. However, I recommend going a little further. My advice is for each of you to get good, level term life insurance—not just to cover your mortgage—but for 10 to 12 times your annual incomes. Both of you should have sensible plans in place to take care of your family now, and in the future, should something unfortunate happen.

Protecting Your Assets

Q. My wife is a teacher, and I’m a nurse. We make around $180,000 a year combined, and we’re set to pay off our home next month. We also have two teenagers who are both driving, so we were wondering about the best way to protect everything if one of them has an accident

and we get sued, or something else tragic happens.

A. With your income, and the stage you’re in when it comes to wealth building, I think it’s time to add an umbrella policy. This is a liability policy, and you could probably buy an extra million in liability coverage for around $250 a year. It attaches to the liability policy that’s already part of your homeowners and car insurance. With a couple of teenage drivers in the house it might run a little more than $250, but I wouldn’t think it would be much more, if any. It would just add an extra million to the mix, just in case someone decided they were going to come after you because of a bad situation. As you continue building wealth later, like if you get into real estate and start buying rental properties, make sure you put those in a limited liability company (LLC). You’re not there quite yet, but it’s always a good idea to plan ahead and do whatever you can to keep the size of the target on your back relatively small.

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The growing number of COVID-19 cases has triggered a wave of alarm and preemptive action across the globe and, closer to home, schools, libraries, and even churches have closed their doors. While social distancing is a necessaryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;albeit overwhelmingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;way to stem the coronavirus outbreak, many parents have been left floundering for ways to keep their kids occupied at home as they count the minutes for their day-to-day routine to go back to normal.

Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

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Although some schools are providing their students with online classes, this may not be a viable option for your household and, even if it is, you still have to fill up the rest of the day as you hunker down at home with the kids. For many parents, letting their children play video games or watch TV for a reasonable amount of time gives you a much-needed opportunity to get things done. However, you may want to explore other solutions to help keep your kids and yourself from going stir-crazy. Moreover, if your child is experiencing depression and/or anxiety because of the coronavirus pandemic, engaging in activities that promote family bonding can help reduce the incidence of depression and anxiety in children. Here are 10 fun (and cheap!) activities you can do at home with kids of all ages.

1. Set up an indoor campground. Bring the sleeping bags and tents down from the attic and turn your family room or backyard into a campground. No sleeping bags or tents? No problem. Create a campground by arranging chairs in rows of two in the family room, draping a bedsheet over the chairs to create the tent, and piling pillows and blankets underneath to create a sleeping area. You can make your campground as elaborate as you’d like with items you already have in your home. String Christmas

lights across the top of the tent to create a starry night scene. Enjoy the glow of a campground “fire” made with paper towel tubes, tissue paper, and LED candles. Set up lawn chairs outside the tent and serve hot dogs, chips, and trail mix, play cards and board games, or do an easy “camping” craft like making beaded necklaces or braided bracelets. Add to the camping aura by having the kids help you make s’mores in the microwave or oven.

2. Host Olympic games. If you look in your kids’ toy boxes and closets, you’ll probably find that you have enough games and activities at home to arrange back-to-back and create a challenging obstacle course for your kids to compete in, tantamount to a kiddie indoor Olympic course! You can kick off the “Olympic games” with an opening ceremony where each child gets to parade onto the course to a theme song of his or her choosing. Depending on your child’s age, your child may want to grab a favorite teddy bear to serve as his or her Olympic mascot. At the close of the opening ceremonies, get your stopwatch and scorecard ready and time your little Olympians as they compete in consecutive games of skill and physical fitness such as:

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• a ring or beanbag toss, a mini golf course competition (a broom, a ping pong ball, and a plastic cup can be used in place of a golf club, golf ball, and golf hole), or a ball throwing competition into boxes of decreasing sizes, with a point given per successful shot for each of these activities; • a sack race or a boiled egg and spoon race with a marked-off finish line and points given to the first person over the finish line; • a hula hoop competition with a point given for each second the competitors can hold up their hula hoop; • a pyramid cup-stacking race with points given to the first person to successfully stack his or her cups into a stable pyramid; • a physical endurance competition where points are given for the number of jumping jacks, push-ups, and sit-ups the child can do in three 30-second intervals; and • a mad dash crabwalk to the final finish line to close out the indoor Olympic games. At the end of the games, be sure to hand out prizes to each child, whether the prizes be stickers, dollar bills, or, if planned ahead, inexpensive pre-ordered gold medals.

3. Send the kids on an indoor scavenger hunt. Staying indoors can be a blast when the

• Riding - English, Western, and Jumping • Swimming • Heated Pool • Ropes Course • Climbing Tower • Outdoor Nature Skills • Sports • Soccer • Basketball

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• Beach Volleyball • Tennis • Canoeing • Golf • Archery • Gymnastics • Cheerleading • Dance • Chorus • Drama • Arts & Crafts • CIT Program • Campfires every night • Optional trips & more!

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kids are set off on a scavenger hunt to seek and collect common household items. The scavenger hunt can be subject to a time-limit where each child competes alone or as part of a team to see which team collects the most items first. Go online for free, printable indoor scavenger hunt checklists listing everyday household items for seekers to find.

out watercolors and brushes, crayons, markers, or colored pencils on a table along with poster board or construction paper. Provide glue sticks and safety scissors to allow for added artistic touches. Once your little artists have created their masterpieces, hang up the artwork and host an art show complete with apple juice “champagne” and hor d’oeuvres.

easy science experiments that you can do in your own home and with products you likely already have. Click on the “Experiments” section of sciencebob.com to learn how to do such simple scientific experiments as: make ice cream in a plastic bag, build a soap-powered model boat, and make a static-powered dancing ghost.

4. Throw a costume party.

7. Make Play-Doh come to life.

Let your kids raid your closet for hats, scarves, and costume jewelry to throw a costume party. Add snacks and a tea set to make it a tea party-themed ball! Clear a space for a catwalk and let your little models parade their fashion choices for you.

Kids will enjoy following any of the numerous YouTube tutorials showing them how to make Play-Doh animal creations such as turtles, crocodiles, and unicorns, and a PlayDoh park scene featuring trees, flowers, and a duck pond.

10. Relax with low-key, familybonding activities.

5. Put on an airshow with popsicle stick airplanes.

8. Bring out your child’s inner chef.

All you’ll need for this creative craft is popsicle sticks, a cutting tool, craft glue or a hot glue gun, and paint if you’re not already using colored popsicle sticks. Find age-appropriate tutorials online to guide your child as she cuts and glues popsicle sticks to create toy airplanes. You can add a propeller to the airplane by twisting pipe cleaner around the nose of the aircraft.

6. Hold an art show. Grab smocks for your kids and spread

Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

Give your child an apron and set up a toppings bar to make homemade pizza or your own ice cream sundaes. Other kidfriendly foods you can easily find recipes for online to make together or let your older child make alone are Emoji-inspired rice cakes, berry parfaits with yogurt and granola, and no bake cookies.

9. Expand your child’s knowledge with easy science experiments. Amaze your children while having them brush up on their science skills with these

If your days at home are better-suited for more low-key family activities, consider starting a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle that you and your child can work on and frame once completed. Older children may be interested in starting a scrapbook or smash book with you. Other ideas for low-key fun for children of all ages are playing Mad Libs as a family, building a Lego village together, or playing tried-and-true family-friendly board games such as Clue, Monopoly, Scrabble, Chutes and Ladders, or Candyland. During this time of uncertainty when anxieties are running high, make the best of a bad situation with these fun and familyfriendly activities that will help keep your child busy and help keep you a little calmer. MBP Dolores Smyth is a parenting writer and mother of three kids ranging in age from preschool to junior high. You can follow more of her work on Twitter @LolaWordSmyth.

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The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is a joint research project between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Alabama Department of Public Health. Its purpose is to determine why some babies are born healthy and others are not in order to aid in the development and assessment of programs designed to identify high-risk pregnancies and reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes. New mothers are randomly chosen from the state birth registry to participate in PRAMS. Surveys may be returned by mail or completed over the phone. Let your voice be heard!

“Happy to be part of this survey.”

“Thank you for checking on us!”

Actual comments from survey responses.

Moms who complete the PRAMS survey receive their choice of a cooler bag, diapers, or manicure set! Responses are kept confidential to the extent of the law. For more information, please call us at 334-206-2923 or go to alabamapublichealth.gov/PRAMS ADPH does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender, age, religion, disability, genetic information, and other federal, state, or agency regulations and policies. Inquiries regarding 37 Street, Suite 1010, Montgomery, www.facebook.com/mobilebayparentsmagazine nondiscrimination policies may be directed to Civil Rights Coordinator: ADPH CRC, RSA Tower, 201 Monroe AL 36104, Tel. 334-206-5226, or email crcomplaints@adph.state.al.us.

Online & Virtual Resources

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Aquarium

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Google’s 8K Virtual Tour of the Space Shuttle

Explore the Georgia Aqaurium and watch live web cams. www.georgiaaquarium.org/webcam/ocean-voyager

Monterey Bay Aquarium

With ten live cams to choose from, you can experience the wonder of the ocean no matter where you are.

www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams

National Aquarium

National Aquarium Virtual Tour

Polar Bears and the Tundra

Learn about the Royal Family and tour the Palace!

@ Washington, D.C. Go inside the Space Shuttle Discover with a special immersive film, 15 digital exhibits, virtual tours and over 200 online artifacts.

Scholastic

https://www.cnet.com/news/step-aboard-the-spaceshuttle-discovery-with-googles-8k-virtual-tour/

http://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/ learnathome.html

International Space Station

Royal UK

https://www.royal.uk

“Learn From Home” website with four categories: PreK and Kindergarten, and Grades 1-6+.

Titanic Sinks

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/ suni_iss_tour.html

Mars

http://www.historyview.org/library/titanic

http://accessmars.withgoogle.com

Jerry’s Artarama for Kids

Exercise

Moon

https://www.jerrysartarama.com/free-art-instructionvideos/skill-level/kids

Go Noodle

Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems

https://www.gonoodle.com

Art Online free video art lessons for kids.

Join Mo Willems everyday at noon to learn how to draw, doodle and explore new ways of writing. https://www.kennedy-center.org

Make

Free Art Lesson offered while schools are out. https://www.facebook.com/makepaducah/

Educational Girls Get STEM

Tune in to transport students to the STEM Center of Excellence where STEM will come to life in new and unexpected ways.

Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover.

http://moon.nasa.gov/resources/168/tour-of-themoon-4k/

Free Guide and video that teaches kids about the election process. http://freekidsguide.com/01fb20x01z03?fbcl id=IwAR3KoUx0QaUKRZ-5yKK8Psbetb3m1vEqOXWdhcfI4kS9EwNXwPHNyrEfBlc

Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

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Virtual Story Time

Free Virtual Experience Gymnastics. Live 1 p.m. Central time.

https://www.instagram.com/gothamgymnastics/

Museums

Josh Gad (Olaf) Story time

Actor Josh Gad, who played Olaf in Disney’s Frozen movies, is reading to kids every evening off of his Twitter page.

http://accessmars.withgoogle.comtwitter.com/joshgad

The Ark Encounter & Creation Museum

View free livestreams of science labs, behind-thescenes tours, live animal encounters, lectures, etc. http://www.creationmuseum.org http://www.arkencounter.com

Storyline Online

Streamed videos of actors reading children’s books with creatively produced illustrations. http://www.storylineonline.net

Farm Tour

Learn Our History

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Online Gymnastics Camp, Virtual

https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/l

https://www.khanacademy.org

Google Arts & Culture

Free education with video tutorials, schedule ideas and much more for kids from ages 2-7.

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http://amazingsciencefacts.com/virtual-tour-to-the-sun/

Virtual Tours

Khan Academy Online Learning

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British Museum

https://artsandculture.google.com/category/place

Movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts.

http://girlsleadstem.com/virtual-field-trip/

Choose a country and view tons of history, photos and historical places.

A two hour and 40 minute real-time virtual video of the sinking of Titanic.

samuraivirtualtours.com/example/nadc/index.html

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@ London

3 Virtual Tours of Farms based on ages groups.

Musee d’Orsay @ Paris

https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/ musee-dorsay-paris?hl=en

The J. Paul Getty Museum @ Los Angeles

https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-j-paulgetty-museum?hl=en

Van Gogh Museum

@ Amsterdam

https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/vangogh-museum?hl=en

www.origin.americandairy.com under the News and Events tab.

Liberty Bell

@ Pennsylvania A 3-D virtual tour of the Liberty Bell with historical information. https://historyview.org/library/liberty-bell

Boston Children’s Museum

Walk through the Boston Children’s Museum thanks to Google Maps! www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/ museum-virtual-tour

www.mobilebayparents.com

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Buckingham Palace

www.royal.uk/virtual-tours-buckingham-palace

Great Wall of China

This Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China is beautiful and makes history come to life.

www.thechinaguide.com/destination/great-wall-of-china

History View Virtual Tours

Choose a place on the map and see options for virtual tours and information. https://historyview.org

Johnson Space Center

Join Boeing and Discovery Education on a mission to inspire the world through aerospace innovation with an exclusive virtual field trip to historic Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. https://www.boeingfutureu.com

Manufacturing Hub

Take a virtual tour of Arconic’s Advanced Manufacturing hub in Alcoe, Tennessee and learn about the exciting ways robotics and digital technology impact the skills needed to succeed in Advanced Manufacturing. www.manufactureyourfuture.com/VirtualFieldTrip/US

Mount Rushmore

@ South Dakota Tour the memorial, navigate 3D “point cloud” models, laser scanners and a large collection of videos and photographs. https://www.nps.gov/moru/learn/photosmultimedia/ virtual-tour.htm

National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. @ Washington, D.C.

https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/nationalgallery-of-art-washington-dc?hl=en

Taj Mahal Virtual Tour

http://www.taj-mahal.net/newtaj/

The Louvre

The Louvre-Travel to Paris, France to see amazing works of art at The Louvre with this virtual trip.

www.manufactureyourfuture.com/VirtualFieldTrip/US

The White House

Live Webcams Around the World

@ Washington, D.C. The White House - Get even more up close to this magnificent building than in-person tourists with a virtual tour of the White House.

Eagles nests, animal sanctuaries, bird feeders, manatees underwater, Fox dens, honey bee hive and more! View in reat time. https://explore.org/livecams

www.youvisit.com/tour/aid.depoy

Yosemite National Park @ California

U.S. Space and Rocket Museum

www.virtualyosemite.org

@ Alabama U.S. Space and Rocket Museum in Huntsville, AL-See the Saturn 5 Rocket on YouTube and more on this tour, thanks to a real father-son outing.

Zoos Atlanta Zoo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qe5RqyMNhc

@ Georgia Panda Cam at Atlanta Zoo

Vatican

www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/tour-virtuali-elenco.html

http://zooatlanta.org/panda-cam/

Yellowstone National Park

Facebook livestream offered every weekday at 3 p.m. (eastern time) showcasing an activity in their exhibit with an activity for kids to follow along with at home.

@ Wyoming Yellowstone National Park-Ready to explore Yellowstone? You don’t have to wait for your trip out here. You can start exploring now by virtually touring some of the main attractions around the park. www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm

Cincinnati Zoo

Facebook at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Houston Zoo

@ Texas Tune in to the Houston Zoo Webcams and enjoy a live look at animals! www.houstonzoo.org/explore/webcams/

Webcams

Ouwehand Park Polar Bear

Glacier National Park

@ Montana Webcams are located throughout the park to provide views of the vast diversity of landscapes found in Glacier. https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/photosmultimedia/ webcams.htm

Welcome to the Ouwehand Zoo’s tundra exhibit in Rehen, Netherlands, where two polar bear cubs play under the watchful eye of their mother. www.explore.org/livecams/polar-bears/polar-bearouwehand-twin-cubs-cam-2

Reid Park Zoo

www.reidparkzoo.org/cameras/lion-cam/

Grand Canyon

San Diego Zoo

@ Arizona Grand Canyon National Park’s Webcam (at the Yavapai Museum of Geology on the South Rim) offers a window into the sights, weather, air quality and seasonal changes that the park is experiencing.

@ California The San Diego Zoo has a website just for kids with amazing videos, activities and games. Enjoy the tour! www.kids.sandiegozoo.org

www.nps.gov/grca/learn/photosmultimedia/ webcams.htm

Smithsonian’s National Zoo www.nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams

PIECES AND PATTERNS QUILTS OF WEST ALABAMA On view through May 10, 2020

Come see the varied patterns and themes of traditional quilts in over 20 examples on view from quilters Plummer T. Pettway, Mary Maxtion, Yvonne Wells, Norah Ezell, Mary Lee Bendolph, and more. Preview the exhibition at mmfa.org.

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This exhibition was sponsored by the Alabama State Council on the Arts with additional support from cosponsors Dr. and Mrs. Robert Combs. Organized by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama. Mary Maxtion (American, 1924–2015), Hotel Window, ca. 1996, cotton, cotton/polyester blend, wool, and taffeta, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of Kempf Hogan in honor of Nadine and Walter Ludwig, 2004.20.4

One Museum Drive, Montgomery, AL Open Tuesday–Sunday; Free Admission mmfa.org | @MontgomeryMFA

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Do you remember playing outside as a kid? It was a time to run around and let loose, use your imagination, and explore. As a child growing up in the eighties, I remember walking to school, riding my bike to the swim club or just around the neighborhood to see friends, and making up all kinds of imaginative games in the woods behind my house. Well, that doesn’t happen much anymore. Today, children suffer from nature-deficit disorder. This term was coined by Richard Louv, author of the book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder and co-founder of the Children & Nature Network (C&NN). It refers to children having less experience with and connection to nature over the last couple of decades. Here are some facts: Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

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• Only 6 percent of American children ages 9-13 play outside unsupervised, according to Frances Moore Lappe. • In a 2004 survey of 800 American mothers, 71 percent said they played outdoors every day as children but only 26 percent of them said their kids played outdoors daily. • The Outdoor Foundation surveyed 40,000 people and found an overall decrease in the amount of time children participated in outdoor activities. • A 2005 study indicated that 71 percent of adults reported that they walked or biked to school when they were children but only about 20 percent of children did in 2005. This is very true for my family. We live five minutes from my children’s schools, yet I spend about 2 hours each week in carpool lines.

Why This Is A Problem

Children spending less time outdoors has been linked to decreased appreciation of our environment, health problems including childhood obesity and vitamin D deficiency, diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher

rates of emotional illnesses like anxiety and depression. If children are no longer outside playing and enjoying themselves, then how will they naturally calm down and relax? Well, the statistics are frightening. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), it is estimated that 1 in 8 children suffers from an anxiety disorder. More worrisome, the National Institute of Mental Health reports that 25 percent of teens ages 13-18 will experience some form of anxiety. Additionally, the use of anti-anxiety medications is exploding. It increased by almost 50 percent for children ages 10-19 between 2001-2010, explained Scott Shannon, author of Mental Health for the Whole Child: Moving Young Clients from Disease & Disorder to Balance & Wellness.

How Nature Helps Reduce Stress

A growing number of studies from around the world show the importance of nature in our life such as improving mental health. Examples include recreation activities in the wilderness, community gardens, views of nature and/or gardens at hospitals, and contact with animals. Why is this the case?

• Humans have a nature instinct known as biophilia—an innate bond we share with all creatures and plants in the natural world that we subconsciously seek. • Nature provides a sense of wellbeing. • The natural world offers solace and comfort unlike what we find in any manmade environment. • Spending time in nature reduces the level of human response to stress and allows us to recover from stressful situations more quickly. • Having contact with nature promotes healing. A breakthrough study in 2001 in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that a healing garden at a children’s hospital in California had positive effects on users—about 85 percent reported feeling more relaxed, refreshed, or better able to cope after spending only 5 minutes in the garden.

How Did We Get Here?

Five key changes over the last 30+ years have impacted our relationship with nature: 1. How Society Developed. We are increasingly living in urban areas. According to the United Nations, almost 50 percent of all people in the world now live in urban

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38 minutes to using entertainment media across a typical day (more than 53 hours a week!). Common Sense Media reports a huge increase in the use of mobile media by young children in the past couple of years. Finally, in his book, Richard Louv sadly quotes a fourth grader: “I Like to play indoors better because that’s where all the electric outlets are.” 4. Time pressures. Children are living an overly structured lifestyle involving sports teams, indoor play centers, homework, extracurricular activities, etc., that prevent them from simply enjoying free play outdoors. 5. Education trends. Unfortunately, outdoor education is not a priority, and recess time and physical education classes are being threatened in many schools.

How Can You Help?

We are all struggling to balance a million priorities and to make the best decisions for our family. Now that you know how critical it is to our children’s wellbeing for them to spend time outside in nature, you may want to take some steps: • Spend more time outside as a family. Don’t overthink this. Keep your children’s outdoor time unstructured–go for a walk, visit a local park, garden, bike ride, or have a healthy meal in your backyard. • Plan day trips and vacations based on National Parks or other outdoor experiences.

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• Register your children for outdoor sports and summer camp. • Teach children to “stop and smell the roses”. In other words, be mindful of nature around you.

areas, and this is projected to increase to 65 percent by the year 2030. Also, poorly designed outdoor spaces make it more difficult for children to play outside. 2. Fear. Richard Louv wrote: “Fear is the emotion that separates a developing child from the full, essential benefits of nature.” Since the 1980s, we live in a more fearful society hyped up by 24/7 media reporting, which was intensified after 9/11. Parents worry about many safety concerns that impact the time their children spend outside, such as traffic, crime, strangers, injury, and nature itself (e.g. skin cancer Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

due to sun exposure, bug bites, and harmful animals.) A 1991 study of 3 generations of 9 year olds showed that between 1970-1990, the radius around home where children were allowed to roam on their own shrunk to 1/9 of what it was in 1970. Imagine what that statistic is today! 3. Technology. Children spend more and more time focused on screens instead of nature scenes. According to a 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation study, daily media use among children and teens has risen dramatically. Today, 8- to 18-yearolds devote an average of 7 hours and 42

• Lobby for your school to keep physical education and recess on your child’s schedule. • Start a nature group at your child’s school. • Get involved in a community garden or local environmental group. • Examine ways to minimize technology use in your house. Common Sense Media is a fabulous resource to explore. MBP Sandi Schwartz is a freelance writer/blogger and mother of two. She has written extensively about parenting, wellness, and environmental issues. You can find her at www.happysciencemom.com and www.sandischwartz.com. Get her free course on raising happy, balanced kids at bit.ly/2i53TDV.

www.mobilebayparents.com

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The Benefits of Balance Toys

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Recommending the Best Toys and Products for Kids

Whether it’s the first time an infant steadies their head upright or the breakthrough moment when our toddler stands unassisted, we celebrate balance-driven milestones in our kids. Children learn balance through experimenting with body movements, coordinating their physical behavior with sensory signals to keep things in line. Building this equilibrium helps kids move toward milestones like walking, stacking objects, feeding themselves and more. Good balance not only protects them against falls and injuries, but also allows them to improve their response to changing forces, surfaces and elements. Give your kids a steady boost with the following products and encourage the exploration of balance through play.

by Gerry Paige Smith

Teeter Popper

Y Velo Balance Bike

Simply-designed and easy to use, how children play with the versatile Teeter Popper balance toy is entirely up to them. While kids balance, twist and turn on the Teeter Popper, its suction cups grip and release against hard surfaces, generating a hilarious popping accompaniment to their play. Every play option fosters improved core strength, stability, balance, coordination, and gross motor skills. The sturdy plastic body holds up to 110 pounds and the durable silicone suction cups stand up to hours of play. The handle grips on each end also ensure stability and safe play. Stand, sit, rock, tilt, wobble, wiggle, and spin... kids’ balance benefits from the wild moves that emerge with the Fat Brain Teeter Popper!

Skipping training wheels, balance bikes are perfect preparation for children with their eyes on the prize of pedal bicycling. The Y Velo Balance Bike allows kids to practice with a stable double-width wheel before switching to a single wheel as they build confidence. Larger wheels and higher ground clearance are designed for safer play and easier riding on uneven surfaces. The dual rear wheel (three-wheel design) guarantees more stability for beginners with unrefined balance. Ensuring a best fit for a growing child, the seat height and handlebar height can be adjusted to ‘evolve’ with your rider. Available in vibrant colors of red and blue (and two child sizes), Yvolution’s Y Velo Bike is the best balanced choice for beginning bikers.

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Walkaroo Beginner Stilts

Heavy Duty Swivel Seesaw

Giving little ones a leg up in the balance game is fast and fun with Walkaroo Beginner Stilts. Combining whole body effort with a simple step up, stilt walking is a great physical confidence booster. With footrest and handle positions that can be adjusted for a custom fit, these stilts grow with kids as they get taller. When children gain confidence and improve their skills, the foot rests can be raised from the very lowest level to more challenging heights. Constructed from strong tubular steel, the ergonomic handle design and grippy foot pads offer a quick and safe step up into stilt walking. Ideal for training core and extremity muscles, the Walkaroo Beginner Stilts lift kids’ balance to new heights.

The Heavy Duty Swivel Seesaw adds a twist to the regular up and down with a swivel function that takes riders full circle. The durable double steel frame, soft, easy-grip handles and comfortable molded plastic seats make this rotating seesaw a backyard favorite for kids. This heavy-duty version of Pure Fun’s seesaw features double-steel tubing that can support up to 175 pounds per seat, making it the best choice for kids of all shapes and sizes. A secure stopper with rubber bottom is attached under each seat for added safety. Its durable powder coat finish ensures this seesaw will stand up to the elements to provide years of outdoor fun. In addition to fostering physical development, playing on the Heavy Duty Swivel Seesaw turns a balancing act into pure fun!

(Geospace)

(Pure Fun)

Gerry Paige Smith is a syndicated columnist recommending the best products for kids and their families. Discover more at www.PageBookMedia.com

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Whether you want them to experience day or overnight camp, sports or fine arts, our listing has details on these and many more. It’s time to get your campers ready for summer fun!

2020

Guide

Art Camps Alabama Contemporary Art Center ad on page 27

301 Conti Street, Mobile, AL 36602 Let your child explore the world of contemporary art through Alabama Contemporary Art Center’s Summer Camps! Your child will explore a range of mediums including painting, drawing, papier mâché, photography, and more. 251-208-5671 info@alabamacontemporary.org www.alabamacontemporary.org

Mobile Museum of Art ArtBlast ad on page 31

4850 Museum Drive, Mobile, AL 36608 Weekly art camps from 8am-5pm for ages 4-18 beginning June 8-July 24, 2020 . There is truly something for everyone, with pottery, painting, printmaking, drawing and more. 251-208-5212 kwood@MobileMuseumofArt.com www.mobilemuseumofart.com/learn

AR Workshop

6601B Airport Blvd, Mobile, AL 36608 AR Workshop is crafting up unique projects to keep the kids busy during creative Summer ARt Camps / Sessions! 251-639-7411 mobile@arworkshop.com www.arworkshop.com/mobile/

Coastal Makers, LLC

70 N Joachim Ste F, Mobile, AL 36602 Learn a new skill and experiment with unique tools and art supplies. All ages welcome. Visit our website or Facebook page for camps in Mobile and Spanish Fort. 251-455-2909 coastalmakers@gmail.com www.coastalmakers.com

Mobile Parks & Rec Community

Mobile, AL Camps offering arts, crafts, sewing and much more. www.cityofmobile.org/residents/parks-andrecreation/

Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

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Paint Party Studios

15 Upham Street, Mobile, AL 36607 Pop-up Kids Summer Special Events and Classes in our studio will be posted on our Facebook page for ages 6+. 251-343-2423 info@paintpartystudios.com www.paintpartystudios.com

Round But Square Studios

3304 Old Shell Road Suite C, Mobile, AL 36608 Art Camps Galore! Birthday parties. Art classes, pop-in art events, and more. Visit our website for more information. 251-591-3425 roundbutsquarestudios@gmail.com www.roundbutsquarestudios.com

Dance/Gymnastics/ Cheer Debbie’s School of Dance ad on page 21

6429 Hillcrest Park Court, Mobile, AL 36695 Join us for our spectacular summer camps! We offer fun, creative camps that will keep your child active and entertained like Princess Camp for 2-3 year olds from 5:45-6:30pm, Ballet Adventure Camp for 4 - 5 year olds from 5:45 - 6:45pm, and JoJo Hip Hop Camp for ages 6 and up from 6:30-7:30pm. 251-633-9559 www.debbiesdance.com

Mobile Ballet ad on page 27

4351 Downtowner Loop North, Mobile, AL 36609 Let’s Dance Camp - Ballet, Jazz & introduction to Tap (Ages 6 – 8) June & July TBA, Little Ballerina Camp - Ballet Creative Movement (Ages 3 - 5) June & July TBA, Summer Intensive with WorldRenowned Faculty (Ages 9 & up) Ballet, Pointe, Variations, Jazz, Modern, Partnering & more! June 8 - 26 with 1, 2, 3 week options available.

an opportunity for gymnasts to receive valuable instruction on the fundamentals of gymnastics while addressing new skills. Dates/ rates online.

Broadway South Dance

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334-844-5047 AUgymcamp@auburn.edu www.auburngymnasticscamps.com

7906 Westside Park Drive, Mobile, AL 36695 Broadway South Dance provides quality dance instruction in the West Mobile area for ages 2-adult. Be sure to check us out on the web at www.broadwaysouthdance.com to find out summer dance schedule.

251-639-0660 michelle@broadwaysouthdance.com www.broadwaysouthdance.com

Cheer Force One

8700 Zeigler Boulevard, Mobile, AL 36608 Please visit our website or follow us on Facebook/Instagram (@cheerforceone) for the latest details about summer camps and clinics. 251-634-0203 info@cheerforceone.com www.cheerforceone.com

Cottage Hill Gymnastics Center

1711 Hillcrest Rd, Mobile, AL 36695 Gymnastics, Tumbling and Trampoline 251-367-6182

www.cityofmobile.org/parks

Dance Without Limits

4715 Airport Blvd, Mobile, AL 36608 Summer Classes: June-yoga camp, Augustballet camp (Camps will be held on Tuesdays at 5:30pm-yoga mats provided). Each special needs dancer will have a “buddy” to assist them thru class when needed! 251-610-4969

dancewithoutlimitsfoundation.org

Danze101 Summer Camp

3164 S Midtown Park Drive, Mobile, AL 36606 Studio of Dance Summer Camp-July 8-July 30. 8 weeks of fun-ballet, jazz, hip hop, tap, weekly field trips, art and more.

251-342-2241 info@mobileballet.org www.mobileballet.org

251-643-2357

Auburn Tigers Girls Gymnastics Camp

246-B Jacintoport Blvd, Saraland, AL 36571

703 West Samford Avenue, Auburn, AL 36849 Auburn Gymnastics Camps in Alabama offer

www.danze101studioofdance.com

Empire Gymnastics

251-620-9780 info@empireathleticstraining.com empireathleticstraining.com

www.mobilebayparents.com

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Gale’s Studio of Dance

Piccadilly Square / Same Shopping Center as Buffalo Wild Wings, 6345 Airport Blvd. Suite F, Mobile, AL 36608 Summer camps & classes begin June 9th. Choose: “Tip Toes & Tumbling” for Tots, “Enchanted Princess Camp” (ages 3-5), “Pop Star Camp” & “Summer Intensive” Advanced classes(13 & up) . MANY MORE summer, day, night dance classes available. Summer classes offered: Ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, tumbling, lyrical, hip hop and cheerleading. 251-343-9544 www.galesstudioofdance.com

Ms. Lisa’s Gym and Cheer

144 East I-65 Service Road N, Mobile, AL 36607 Mrs. Lisa’s offers Recreational tumbling classes, Competitive Cheer Teams for ages 3-18 , School Cheer Teams Tumbling, Private Lessons , & Choreography. 251-471-9708 mrslisasalabamajags@comcast.net Find us on Facebook

Ms. Daphne’s Cheernastics

102 Baker Road, Satsuma, AL 36572 For current info, visit our Facebook Page: Ms. Daphne’s CheerNastics; Summer Schedule and camps TBA. 251-599-2205 msdaphnescheernastics@yahoo.com www.msdaphnescheernastics.com

Nasser Gymnastics

3055 Old Shell Road, Mobile, AL 36607 One of the best Camps in town! Boys and Girls, ages 3+. Very flexible schedule: half day, daily, weekly rates, and drop-offs available. Interactive games, energetic sports, learn gymnastics, and meet new friends! 251-479-9311 nassergym@yahoo.com www.nassergym.net

Planet Gymnastics

900 Schillinger Road South, Mobile, AL 36695 Camps throughout the school holidays, No registration fees, Unbelievable rates, 20% sibling discounts, Great hours: 7.30am-5.30pm, Half day, daily, and weekly rates, Walk-ins welcome. Ages 3-14. 251-650-0699 PlanetGymnasticsAL@comcast.net www.planetgymnastics.com

Precision Dance

168 Noel Street, Mobile, AL 36607 Precision Dance Academy will again host an exciting summer filled with camps and intensives for both boys and girls of all ages. Please like us on Facebook for updates and camp information. 251-222-3403

Robinson’s School of Dance

421 Highway 43 North, Saraland, AL 36571 Summer Classes: Classes June 2-July 2, 2020, Offering: Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical, Acrobatics, Baton and Hip Hop! Ages 2 & Up! 251-675-5915 www.Robinsonsschoolofdance.com

Robinson’s School of Dance: Bayou Studio

8665 Four Mile Rd, Irvington, AL 36544 Summer Dance Intensive. Registration is June 1st from 5-7pm. Classes are every Monday and Tuesday in July! 251-455-1866 robinsonsbayoustudio@gmail.com

Sheffield School of Dance

4570 Hermitage Road, Mobile, AL 36619 Please stay tuned to our Facebook & Instagram for our upcoming Sheffield Summer Series! Social: @sheffielddance

251-479-3926; 251-661-4893 info@sheffielddance.net www.sheffielddance.com

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Day Camps Bright Beginnings Learning Center at Providence LLC presents Space Summer Camp ad on page 45

Bright Beginnings Learning Center at Providence LLC, 6803 Airport Blvd, Mobile, AL 36608 We will be traveling into space. Our Space Shuttle will be blasting off on Monday-Friday at 8:00am-6:00pm. All parents of astronauts who are interested are asked to contact the BBLC Space center at 251-776-5540. 251-776-5540 bblcatprovidence@gmail.com bright-beginnings-learning-center-at-providence-llc. business.site/

Camp Chandler Tonsmeire ad on page 41

2701 Shelton Beach Road Ext, Mobile, AL 36618 Camp Chandler Tonsmeire is an outdoor education program focused on character and leadership development and curbing summer learning loss. Offering S.T.E.M. activities in a tradition fun day camp programming. This is the place where kids can be kids and enjoy a day of adventure. Dates-June 1-5, June 8-12, June 1519, June 22-26 June 29-July 2, July 6-10, July 13-17 Ages 6-13. 251-432-1235 ghall@bgcsouthal.org Find us on Facebook!

Beck’s Day Care - Summer Camp

1248 Anchor Dr, Mobile, AL 36693 Summer Camp offered for children K5-12 years old. Children take daily field trips - skating, bowling , movies, library, cottage hill park. Other special activities are also offered each month. 251-661-4254 Find us on Facebook

Boys and Girls Clubs of South Alabama

Locations: Cody Rd. Branch - 35 Cody Road S, 251-343-4320, Kiwanis Branch - 712 Rice St, 251-478-7811, Semmes Branch - 3810 Wulff Road E, 251-645-9027, Sonny Callahan Branch 6585 Carol Plantation Road, 251-653-1188, Optimist Branch - 1517 Plaza Drive, 251-438-5111 Our Summer Enrichment programs are awesome! Kids will enjoy exciting summer activities that include Summer Brain Gain, field trips, sports, swimming, arts and crafts will also learning the importance of a health lifestyle. 251-432-1235 boy.girl@bgcsouthal.org www.bgcsouthal.org

Boy Scouts of America Cub Scout Day / Camp-Down on the Farm

The Grounds, 1035 Cody Rd N, Mobile, AL 36608 The Mobile Area Council, Boy Scouts of America will be holding its annual Cub Scout Summer Day Camp. Please visit our website for summer camp information coming soon. June 8-12th 2020 251-476-4600 fiveriverscubscoutdaycamp@gmail.com www.bsamac.org

Dauphin Island Sea Lab

101 Bienville Blvd, Dauphin Island, AL 36528 Oceans Alive! June 3, June 19, and July 23 (ages 5 - 8); BIO Blitz-June 5, July 31 (ages 8 10); Ocean Bytes-June 12, July 10 (ages 9-11); Survivor: Dauphin Island June 4, July 2, July 17 (ages 10-13). Registration/camp specifics are available online. 251-861-2141 (ext. 7515) DHPsummer@disl.org www.disl.org

Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

Dauphin Way Baptist Summer Camp

3661 Dauphin Street, Mobile, AL 36608 Summer Camp hours-6:30am-6:00pm for children who have completed 5K-5th grade. Camp begins May 26. Weekly activities include swimming, skating, arts and crafts, music and sports, games, numerous other activities & special field trips. $30 per day. 251-344-0909 Facebook -Dauphin Way Baptist Child Development Center

Dayspring Baptist Summer Day Camp

2200 Cody Road South, Mobile, AL 36695 Online Registration for Summer Day Camp 2020 will begin on March 1st. Registration-$50, daily tuition-$25 per day (this includes all off campus activities/field trips except Waterville). Hours: 6:45am-6:00pm, Ages: K5 through 6th Grade. 251-633-0250 www.dayspring.church/summerday-camp

Evangel Christian School Summer Day Camp

1277 Jubilee Drive, Saraland, AL 36571 Summer Day Camp. 6:30am-6:00pm daily M-F. Ages 4-Entering 6th Grade. Weekly and Daily. Many activities available including field trips for students entering 2nd grade-6th grade. Dates: June 1- July 24. 251-675-4619 evangel@folc.tv www.folc.tv

MCA of South Alabama

All-Day Themed Summer Day Camp (Ages 5-14). The Y’s camp is packed with themed activities, crafts and games, water fun, sports of all sorts, field trips, and more! (2, 3 and 5 day options) 251-344-4856

www.ysal.org

North Mobile Christian School Summer Day Camp

1255 Industrial Parkway, Saraland, AL 36571 NMCS Summer Day Camp is for students K2-8th grade. We have exciting age-appropriate activities (both on-campus and off-campus) each week for those who attend day camp. 251-679-3279 kfinch@northmobilechristian.org www.northmobilechristian.org

Play Cafe

Play Cafe Mobile, 4504 Old Shell Rd STE B, Mobile, AL 36608 Summer Camps:Under the Sea-June 1-4, Down on the Farm-June 8-11, Incredible Edible-June 15-18, Princess Party-June 22-25, Disney DaysJuly 6-9, Out of this World-July 13-16, Buggin Out-July 20-23, Trip around the World-July 27-30 (251) 219-0354 playcafemob@gmail.com www.playcafemobile.com

Semmes First Baptist CDC Summer Day Camp

7856 Westside Park Dr Suite F, Mobile, AL 36695 Summer Camps -details coming, please check our Facebook page for more information.

4070 Wulff Road East, Semmes, AL 36575 This year Summer is going to be WILD. Join us for Make and Take Monday’s, Take a trip Tuesday’s, Wet and Wild Wednesdays, Try something new Thursdays and Fun and Games Friday’s.

Government Street Baptist

St. Dominic Catholic School

Gather Kids Place

gatherkidsplace@gmail.com Find us on Facebook

3401 Government Boulevard, Mobile, AL 36693 Coming to Summer Camp 2020 is BibleFlixCome see what God does next-with opening day being May 26. Please see our website for dates and time. Ages completed K4-5th grade.

251-660-7444 deboraheddie@gsbc.onmicrosoft.com www.governmenstreetcdc.org

251-649-2712 www.semmesfirstbaptistcdc.com

4160 Burma Road, Mobile, AL 36693 Camp Little Eagles–PK2-PK4, On-campus camp with water days, theme days, and fun crafts. Camp Eagles-K-8th, Includes field trips, Daily on campus activities, and water days. Dates/Hours– May 28-Aug 7, 2020, 7:00am-5:30pm. 251-661-5226 sbarber@stdominicmobile.org www.stdominicmobile.org

St. Luke’s Episcopal School Camp Wildcat

GulfQuest

155 Water Street, Mobile, AL 36602 Join us for GulfQuest’s Summer Maritime Academies! All rising 1st-6th graders are eligible. There are two week-long Academies to choose from, and each day of the Academy will feature a different maritime theme. 251-436-8901 education@gulfquest.org www.gulfquest.org

Junior Police Academy

1251 Virginia Street, Mobile, AL 36604 Step into the role of a Mobile Police Officer to solve crimes. You’ll explore specialized police units and take adventures into the criminal justice system. July 6-10 for ages 9-12 251-208-1924 gary.owens@cityofmobile.org mobilepd.org/juniorpoliceacademy

Life Church CDC Summer Camp

8701 Zeigler Boulevard , Mobile, AL 36608 S.O.S. Seeking Our Savior. Monday - Friday, 6AM-6PM, K-3 thru completed 6th grade. Field trips, arts and crafts, praise and worship, dress up days, water slides, and more! 251-633-2679 www.lifechurchcdc.com

Lighthouse Baptist Academy Summer Day Camp

6335 Swedetown Rd N, Theodore, AL 36582 Summer Day Camp for K3 – 6th Grade, Before/ After Care Available, Register for individual weeks or the entire summer, Designed to focus on weekly educational themes and Fun weekly field trips. info@lbatheodore.com

3975 Japonica Lane , Mobile, AL 36693 Our award winning camp is open to the public. (Ages rising K3-6th grade, 7:30am-5:30pm). Camp starts May 26. Please visit our website at stlukesmobile.com and facebook ‘St. Luke’s Episcopal School’ for more information. We offer themed weeks, water days, games, creative activities, many enrichment classes, on sight guests, and field trips for our senior campers. Priority registration begins March 1. 251-666-2991 campwildcat@stlukesmobile.com www.stlukesmobile.com

University of South Alabama Summer Recreation Camp

University of South Alabama Student Recreation Center, 51 Stadium Boulevard, Mobile, AL 36688 Camps focus on recreational and physical activities such as swimming, rock wall climbing, ping-pong, outdoor games, sports, and more. Lunch included. Seven one-week sessions beginning June 8. Hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30am5:30pm. Ages: Rising 1st-8th graders. 251-460-7268 srcsummercamps@southalabama. edu www.southalabama.edu/summercamps

The Exceptional Foundation of the Gulf Coast

28788 North Main Street, Daphne, AL 36526 June 1–July 23, Times:7:50am–6:00pm. Ages:10 years and up. EFGC is a non profit 501 (c) (3) program that provides social and recreational opportunities for the special needs communities of Baldwin and Mobile counties. 251-625-8955 www.exceptionalfoundationgc.org

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6157 Airport Blvd Suite 205, Mobile, AL 36608 Get your picky eater cookin’ at Big Chefs Camp! Kids will cook with our feeding therapist and try new foods together! June 22-26 from 10:30am to 12pm. All abilities welcome. Ages 8-12.

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251-287-0378 info@bluebirdtherapy.com www.bluebirdtherapy.com

Chit Chat Speech Camp @ BlueBird Therapy ad on page 29

6157 Airport Blvd, Suite 205, Mobile, AL 36608 Improve your child’s language and communication skills while having fun in this group setting. Wednesdays in June & July from 9-10am. All abilities welcome. Ages 4-6. 251-287-0378 info@bluebirdtherapy.com www.bluebirdtherapy.com

Exploreum Science Center ad on page 3 The Watermelon Patch

Camp Junior-one-week sessions that produce a daily performance. Campers participate in group games, costume craziness, bringing books to life, and stage fun! Grades PK-2.

6417 Hillcrest Park Court, Mobile, AL 36695 We love summer and we do Summer Camp right! Ages -walkers to 6 years old. Hours will be Monday - Friday, 8:30 am to 12:30pm. Extended hours are also offered.

251-510-1808 dramacamp@mindspring.com www.azaleacityarts.com

West Mobile Baptist CDC Summer Camp

The PACT Theatre Company

251-633-3288 www.watermelonpatchkids.com

7501 Airport Boulevard, Mobile, AL 36608 West Mobile Baptist CDC Summer Camp is for children grades 2-6 and is open from 6am – 6pm. 251-639-6868 stephanie@wemochurch.org www.wemochurch.org

YMCA of South Alabama

Hearin-Chandler Family YMCA, North Mobile Family YMCA, Bounds Family YMCA, Snook Family YMCA, AL Join us for our spectacular summer camps! Dates: June 11-27. We offer fun, creative camps that will keep your child active and entertained like Princess Camp for 2-3 year olds from 5:456:30pm, Ballet Adventure Camp for 4 - 5 year olds from 5:45 - 6:45pm, and JoJo Hip Hop Camp for ages 6 and up from 6:30-7:30pm. All-Day Themed Summer Day Camp (Ages 5-14). The Y’s summer day camp is packed with themed activities, crafts and games, water fun, sports of all sorts, field trips, and much more! 251-344-4856

www.ysal.org

ad on page 5

3995 Cottage Hill Road, Mobile, AL 36609 The PACT’s summer program is a high-energy camp that allows campers to experience theatre in exciting and innovative ways. Our performance camps take The PACT Show experience and condense it into two action-packed weeks. While our two innovative workshops & musical theatre summer stock experience allow campers to experiment and build within their craft! There is something for everyone in The PACT’s summer program! 251-307-5056 office@thepactmobile.com www.thepactmobile.com

Playhouse in the Park

4851 Museum Dr, Mobile, AL 36608 Playhouse Summer Theatre Camps will be the weeks of June 1 and 8th, for ages 5-11. We will have 3 teachers and will study acting, dance, musical theater, art, and puppetry.

251-602-0630 playhouseintheparkmobileal@gmail.com www.playhouseinthepark.org

65 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36602 Experience the most amazing, science-based summer camps in Mobile! Summer camps at the Exploreum Science Center are a great way to keep budding young minds engaged all summer long. Our camps are extensive in subject matter and have themes like Airbus Flight Academy, 3D Printing, Junior Med Camp, Space Cadets, Astro Tots, Dinosaur Dig, CSI Mobile and More! 251-208-6818 hfreeman@exploreum.com www.exploreum.com

Handwriting Heroes Camp @ BlueBird Therapy ad on page 29

6157 Airport Blvd, Suite 205, Mobile, AL 36608 Using fun and play, this camp helps develop the skills needed to improve handwriting and social skills! June 8-12 from 10am to 12pm. All abilities welcome. Ages 4 to 8. More at www.bluebirdtherapy.com 251-287-0378 info@bluebirdtherapy.com www.bluebirdtherapy.com

Huntington Learning Center ad on page 29

2370-D Hillcrest Road, Mobile, AL 36695 We provide reading, phonics, writing, and math tutoring for K-12th grades. ACT/SAT Prep. Proven results!

Drama/Theater Camps

Educational and Miscellaneous

Azalea City Center for the Arts - Summer Camps

Articulation Speech Camp @ BlueBird Therapy

Little Chefs Camp @ BlueBird Therapy

6157 Airport Blvd, Suite 205, Mobile, AL 36608 Does your child need a little help pronouncing her/his words? This camp, led by a Speech Language Pathologist, is an excellent way to help your kids work on their word clarity in a group setting. Every Thursday in June & July from 1-2pm. All abilities welcome. Ages 4-8.

6157 Airport Blvd Suite 205, Mobile, AL 36608 Get your picky eater cookin’ at Little Chefs Camp! Kids will cook with our feeding therapist and try new foods together! June 22-26 from 8:30-10am. All abilities welcome. Ages 4 to 7. More at www. bluebirdtherapy.com

ad on page 47

63 Midtown Park East, Mobile, AL 36606 Drama Camp--We will put on a full-length show, play games, go outdoors, and paint sets!(Grades 3 & up). Session 1-June 1-12, Session 2-June 15–26, Session 3-June 29-July 10, Special Musical Theater intensive-July 13-17, Special Rising Stars-(grades 8 & up)-June 8-19. Glee Camp-June 22-July 3-Grades 3 & up, Drama Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

ad on page 29

251-287-0378 info@bluebirdtherapy.com www.bluebirdtherapy.com

251-525-9239 MobileAL@hlcmail.com www.huntingtonhelps.com

ad on page 29

251-287-0378 info@bluebirdtherapy.com www.bluebirdtherapy.com

www.mobilebayparents.com

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Lunch Bunch Social Club @ BlueBird Therapy ad on page 29

6157 Airport Blvd, Suite 205, Mobile, AL 36608 At this camp, kids will get a chance to build social skills, such as turn taking, personal space, sharing, introducing yourself and conflict resolution. Tuesdays in June & July from 1-2pm. All abilities welcome. Ages 7-12. More at www. bluebirdtherapy.com 251-287-0378 info@bluebirdtherapy.com www.bluebirdtherapy.com

USA Literary Center Tutoring and Summer Camp ad on page 45

Mobile, AL 36608 Reading & Writing Tutoring - First grade through high school. Individual and/or small group reading & writing tutoring Monday-Thursday. Summer Literacy/Video Production Camp - June 15-26.

251-380-2891 jmholland@southalabama.edu www.southalabama.edu/colleges/coe/literacy-center/

Alabama School of Math and Science The Adventures in Math and Science Summer Camp

1255 Dauphin Street, Mobile, AL 36604 Dates: June 1 - 5, June 8 - 12 and June 15 - 19, 2020 for rising 6th - 10th graders. Registration Cost: $395 (Overnight) or $295 (Day Camp) and includes lunch. Cost for weekend between is an additional fee of $195 and includes trip to waterpark. Registration Deadline is May 1, 2020. 251-441-2100 AIMS@ASMS.NET www.asms.net

American Autism & Rehabilitation Center

8909 Rand Avenue, Daphne, AL 36526 The American Autism and Rehabilitation Center will offer many different camps this summer. No diagnosis is required. Please visit our website for additional camp information. (251) 210-1632 (Ext. 104) info@americanautismcenter.com www.AmericanAutismCenter.com

Auburn University Youth Camps

Auburn Youth Programs is an extension of University Outreach that sponsors and executes over 100 summer programs designed to educate and inspire youth in a variety of academic, athletic, and extracurricular endeavors. 334-844-4750 auyouth@auburn.edu www.auburn.edu/outreach/opce/auburnyouthprograms/summercamps.htm

Dancing Needle Designs

6103 SouthBend Drive, Mobile, AL 36619 Sewing classes. Visit Facebook for information. 251-454-5263 Find us on Facebook

Dauphin Island Sea Lab

101 Bienville Boulevard, Mobile, AL 36528 See listing under Overnight Camps for details. 251-861-2141 (ext. 7515) www.disl.org

Farm Adventure Summer Day Camp

Linda’s Learning Farm and Play Park, 2380 Havens Road, Semmes, AL 36575 Children will experience what farm life is like. There will be barn activities, garden fun, swimming and daily horse interaction, swimming and playtime. Ages 5-12. June 8th-12th.

251-649-1802 www.learningfarmandplaypark.com

Gulf Coast Young Engineers Robotic Lego Camps

Held at St. Paul’s Episcopal School, Student Commons Bldg., 161 Dogwood Lane, Mobile Our ½ day camps are open to all students grades

2-6th. 9:00- 12 Noon. May 26-29 Transportation Camp, Aug 3-7 Air/Space Camp. 251-213-4061 gulfcoast@e2youngengineers.com

weeks through the Summer. Our camps are perfect for children of all skill levels. 251-654-7646 info@thecookerymobile.com www.thecookerymobile.com

Junior MedCamp

Mobile Medical Museum, 1664 SpringHill Ave, Mobile, AL 36604 Curious about health and medicine? Five full days of games, experiments, and storytelling, exploring topics such as germs and illness, human anatomy, and how common instruments are used. Ages 7-9, July 6-10. 251-415-1109 www.mobilemedicalmuseum.org

The Think Tank Tutoring

Mobile County and Surrounding areas, AL Please call or visit our website for summer programs for individual and group enrichment. 251-414-4494 or 251-300-9697 thinktankminds@ gmail.com www.TheThinkTankTutoring.com

U.S. Space Camp & Aviation Challenge One Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL 35805 More details under Overnight Camps.

Mobile Parks and Recreation Community Activities

Educational Camps and Classes. Tutoring, ACT Classes, Computer Classes and much more.

800-637-7223 www.spacecamp.com

www.cityofmobile.org/residents/parks-andrecreation/

National Flight Academy

Naval Air Station, 1 Fetterman Way, Pensacola, FL 32508 The National Flight Academy is a premier STEM institution that provides students in grades 7th - 12th with a fully immersive, aviation-themed, learning adventure of a lifetime. Six-day overnight Deployment programs run May – August. 850-458-7836 info@nationalflightacademy.com www.nationalflightacademy.com

Revelation Summer Enrichment Program

1711 Taylor Lane, Mobile, AL 36605 Revelation Summer Enrichment Program will focus on the subject areas of Reading and Math in a fun and educational way for grades Kindergarten-5th grade. Dates-June 29-July 10th from 8-12. 251-473-2333 www.rmbcmob.org

Spa Tea Da

3938 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36606 Summer is so much fun at Spa-Tea-Da! Please see all of our events at www.spa-tea-da.com and subscribe to get notifications or find them on our Facebook event page. 251-447-4846 www.spa-tea-da.com

St. Paul’s Episcopal School – Summer Fun and Learning 161 Dogwood Lane, Mobile, AL 36608 We will offer summer school and enrichment classes, several athletic camps, and music camps. More classes and events will be added throughout the spring; please visit our website for updates and registration forms! 251-622-7962

www.stpaulsmobile.net/summersaints

Start Smart! College Bound – Career Ready Start Smart! College Bound–Career Ready, is a college prep program design to help prepare students for college and the workforce.

251-767-5446 startsmartcollegebound@gmail.com www.startsmartcollegebound.weebly.com

Summer Reading Readiness Camp Bright Beginnings Academy

3590 Pleasant Valley Road, Mobile, AL 36609 Is your child struggling in reading? Using explicit and systematic instruction we can help your child in a fun, multisensory class setting. MondayFriday July 13-24, 8:30-11:30. Grades K-2nd. 251-525-9105 info@brightdyslexics.com www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-reading-readinesscamp-tickets-96519009957?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

The Cookery

4456 Old Shell Road, Mobile, AL 36608 The Cookery will offer summer cooking camps Tuesday-Fridays from 9:00am-12:00pm most

Music Camps Full Scale School Of Music ad on page 47

Azalea City Center for the Arts, 63 Midtown Park East, Mobile, AL 36606 Summer music camps for ages 5-18! Come and join us at Full Scale for a great time of music making, theory, rhythm, harmony, and rock and roll! Students are welcome to join us any week this summer for Rock Band, Hands on Instruments, Intro to Orchestra, Frozen Music, Star Wars Music, and Rock Band Jr! 251-454-6591 fullscaleschool@gmail.com www.fullscaleschool.com/summer-camp/

Music & Movement Camp @ BlueBird Therapy ad on page 29

6157 Airport Blvd Suite 205, Mobile, AL 36608 Children in this camp play instruments, sing songs, and play games to target coordination, balance, following directions and socialization skills. June 8-12 from 8-9am. All abilities welcome. Ages 3 to 4. 251-287-0378 info@bluebirdtherapy.com www.bluebirdtherapy.com

Kids Worship Camp

Cottage Hill Baptist Church, 4255 Cottage Hill Road, Mobile, AL 36609 Kids Worship Camp will be from July 6th-10th. Times: 8:45am-12:00pm. Performance at the end of the week at 6:00 p.m. Registration for Kids Worship Camp at CHBC begins on May 1st and is $25.00 per child. 251-660-2422 www.cottagehill.org

Marcus Johnson Summer Jazz Camp

History Museum of Mobile, 111 South Royal Street, Mobile, AL 36602 Learn about jazz music and techniques. Dates-July 20-24, 2020. Registration Deadline: July 10 251-478-4027 www.gcehjazzfest.org/jazz-camp

www.facebook.com/mobilebayparentsmagazine

Mobile School of Piano

Mobile, AL Private summer piano lessons where the student can learn sight reading, ear training, improvising and more! Ages 4 and up. 251-272-9616 www.mobileschoolofpiano.com

Springhill Baptist Church Summer Music Camp

2 South McGregor Avenue, Mobile, AL 36608 Music day camp:July 20-24, for ages completed PreK4-6th grade. Join us for fun-filled days of group singing, performing, instruments and music learning activities. Grade 1-6 performance: Sunday, July 26, 6:00pm. 251-342-5320 drice@shbc.cc www.shbc.cc/smash

St. Paul’s Episcopal School – Summer Fun and Learning

161 Dogwood Lane, Mobile, AL 36608 See listing under Educational Camps for details. 251-622-7962

www.stpaulsmobile.net/summersaints

USA Piano Camp: Music of Beethoven University of South Alabama, 307 University Boulevard North, Mobile, AL 36608

251-460-6237 southalabama.edu/colleges/music/ pianocamp.html

University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 We will offer one week of instruction with programs in Leadership Training (Gradesl 9-12), Marching Percussion (Grades 9-12), Majorette (Grades 9-12), and Concert Band (Grades 6-12). 205-348-6068 jhnails@ua.edu www.bands.ua.edu/programs

Overnight Camps Riverview Camp for Girls ad on page 35

757 County Road 614, Mentone, AL 35984 2020 Camps run from May-August. An all girls overnight camp with one and two-week summer sessions. Ages 6-16 years. Horse riding, swimming, nature trails, arts and crafts, and much more! Also offering weekend retreats for mother-daughter adventures. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 800-882-0722 info@riverviewcamp.com www.riverviewcamp.com

Alabama School of Math and Science The Adventures in Math and Science Summer Camp

1255 Dauphin Street, Mobile, AL 36604 Details under Educational/Miscellaneous Camps. 251-441-2100 AIMS@ASMS.NET www.asms.net

Camp ASCCA Easter Seals

5278 Camp ASCCA Dr, Jacksons Gap, AL 36861 Summer sessions begin June 28, 2020 with a new session beginning each Sunday. Camp Sessions are Sunday - Friday for ages 6 years and up. 256-825-9226 amber@campascca.org www.campascca.org

Camp Beckwith

10400 Beckwith Lane, Fairhope, AL 36532 Join us for the “Best Week Ever!” at Beckwith, packed with sailing, swimming, arts & crafts, ziplining, and so much more! Visit our website for information about dates and rates.

diabetes and their family members. Camps & programs available in several cities across Alabama and Pensacola, FL. 205-402-0415 www.campsealeharris.org

Lookout Mountain Camp for Boys

Camp Skyline

4888 Alabama Hwy 117, Mentone, AL 35984 A residential, summer camp in northern Alabama for girls between the ages of 6 and 16. We offer four 2-week sessions each summer and three 1-week mini-sessions for girls ages 6 – 8. 800-448-9279 info@campskyline.com www.campskyline.com

Camp Smile

3058 Dauphin Sqe Connector, Mobile, AL 36607 A residential camp for individuals with disabilities 5 to 50 years old and their siblings. Session 1: June 23-27-ages 5-10, Session 2:June 20-July 4-ages 22-50, Session 3:July 7-11-ages 11-15, Session 4:July 14-18–ages 16-21. 251-479-4900 campsmile@ucpmobile.org www.campsmilemobile.org

Camp Stanislaus

304 South beach Blvd, Bay St. Louis, MS 39520 Camp Stanislaus - “a lifetime of memories and friendships”. A day and resident camp for boys and girls ages 8-15. Camp runs weekly from June 7-July 4. Father and Son Camp May 29-30. 228-467-9057 camp@ststan.com www.campstanislaus.com

Camp Victory

363 Victory Circle, Samson, AL 36477 Dates: June 1-6 (Grades 2-5), June 8-13 (Grades 3-6), June 15-20 (Grades 2-5), June 22-27 (Grades 8-12), June 29-July 4 (Grades 5-8), July 6-11 (Grades 2-5), July 13-18 (Grades 3-6), July 20-25 (Grades 4-7) 334-898-7948 jmerhige@ymcamidtn.org www.campvictoryal.org

Dauphin Island Sea Lab - Summer Residential Camp

101 Bienville Blvd, Dauphin Island, AL 36528 Barrier Island Explorers: Rising 5th-6th graders June 14-17, July 12-15, July 19-22; Marine DeTECHtives: Rising 7th-8th grade June 29-July 1 ; Gulf Island Journey: Rising 7th-9th grades May 31-June 5, June 21-26, July 12-17, July 19-24; Bay Voyager: Rising 9th-12th grade June 7-12, July 26-31; Coastal Fisheries Camp: Rising 9th12th graders May 31- June 5. Registration/camp specifics are available online. 251-861-2141 (ext. 7515) DHPsummer@disl.org www.disl.org

Dauphin Island Sea Lab Marine Science Course

101 Bienville Blvd, Dauphin Island, AL 36528 Marine Science High School Course: June 14July 10. An intense 4-week academic class which introduces high school students to a better understanding of the various fields in marine science. Registration/camp specifics are available online. 251-861-2141 (ext. 7515) DHPsummer@disl.org www.disl.org

Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama

3483 Springhill Avenue, Mobile, AL 36608 In the summer, during the months of June and July, we offer the opportunity to attend resident or sail away camp for every girl, whether they are a Girl Scout or not.

251-928-7844 addie@beckwithal.com www.beckwithal.com

800-239-6636 customercare@girlscoutssa.org www.girlscoutssa.org

Camp Seale Harris

Lake Forest Ranch

Various locations in Alabama and Pensacola, FL, Camp Seale Harris is for kids & teens with Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

ily Escape Camp is September 4-7, 2020. 662-726-5052 info@lakeforestranch.com www.lakeforestranch.com

277 County Road 632, Mentone, AL 35984 Summer, resident camp for Boys. Oldest continuing camp run by same family since 1928. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 week options available. Please visit our website for additional camp information. 256-634-4758

www.lookoutmountaincamp.com

Space Camp, Aviation Challenge Camp & Space Camp Robotics

One Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL 35805 Camp sessions begin March and run through August 2020 for ages 9 - 18 years. Visit our website for session options, dates and registration. 800-637-7223 www.spacecamp.com/sc

Twin Lakes Camp

155 Milner Road, Florence, MS 39073 Sessions: June 15-20, June 22-27, June 29-July 4, July 6-11, July 13-18, and July 20-25. Twin Lakes is focused on safety and fun, while being intentionally grounded in Biblical teaching. 601-845-6858 info@twinlakescamp.org www.twinlakescamp.org

Wyldlife Camp

18115 SE 95th Street Rd, Ocklawaha, FL 32179 Mobile Trip-May 30-June 3; 6th-8th grade; Come experience a place filled with fun, adventure, and plenty of surprises. A place where you can enjoy relaxing with your friends. 251-473-1703 www.mobile.younglife.org

YMCA Camp Chandler

1240 Jordan Dam Road, Wetumpka, AL 36092 Since 1928 YMCA Camp Chandler has provided youth with the opportunity to build meaningful relationships, develop new skills, and create memories that last a lifetime. Ages:5-15 years old. 334-229-0035 campchandler@ymcamontgomery.org www.campchandler.org

Sports Camps

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5260 Perin Road, Mobile, AL 36693 Oakwood sponsors competition SWIM and DIVE teams. Learn great technique, compete for ribbons and trophies and meet some great friends along the way! Morning and evening practices available for all ages. Season lasts May through July. Group and Private Swim Lessons available for ages 3+! All swim instructors are certified and experienced. All teams and lessons available to Oakwood members and non-members. Oakwood Swim Team and Lessons: We offer a competitive Swim Team and Dive Team to Oakwood Members and Non-members. Oakwood Tennis Camps: Camps are available for Boys and Girls, ages 6 and up. All above teams, lessons and camps are available to Oakwood Members and Non-members.

ad on page 23

251-666-4471 www.oakwoodmobile.com

Azalea City Track & Field Camps

5326 Lake Forest Road, Macon, AL 39341 Camps run from May 23-August 2, 2020. Fam-

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University of South Alabama’s Jaguar Track Facility, 1209 Mitchell Center, Mobile, AL 36608 Azalea City Summer Track & Field Camp –

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Mobile Parks & Rec. Community Activities

Mobile, AL Many sports camps are offered in various locations around Mobile.

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251-208-1631 www.cityofmobile. org/residents/ parks-and-recreation/

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Mobile Tennis Center 851 Gaillard Drive, Mobile, AL 36608 Offering summer clinics. please visit our website for more information. 251-460-7656 pbrueske@southalabama.edu www.jagfieldcamp.com

Graham’s Elite Martial Arts

1121 Dawes Road, Mobile, AL 36695 Summer doesn’t have to be boring. Mobile Summer Camp at Graham’s Elite Martial Arts makes it amazing with Character Development, Fitness and Fun. 251-633-7837 www.grahamselitemartialarts.com/ summer-camp

Heisler Heat Baseball Academy

4623 Springhill Avenue, Mobile, AL 36608 Summer Camps: June 9-11, June 16-18, June 23-25, July 7-9, July 14-16, July 21-23 from 9 am-12pm. Pricing and additional information can be found on our website.

251-581-1556 heislerheat@gmail.com www.heislerheatbaseball.com

High Velocity Sports Performance & Fitness

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2513 Leroy Stevens Road, Mobile, AL 36695 Sports Performance, FitCamps, Gym Memberships, Batting Cages, Baseball/Softball, Indoor Soccer, Character Building, Speed&Agility, Strength

251- 639-2261 www.facebook.com/highvelocity251/

LSU - Athletic Camps

Baton Rouge, LA 70803 Visit our website and choose a sport for information on specific athletic camps. (225) 578-8001 www.lsusports.net/camps

McGill Toolen Summer Sports Camps

1501 Old Shell Road, Mobile, AL 36604 McGill will offer a large variety of summer sports camps including baseball, track & field, football, boys basketball, co-ed soccer, volleyball, girls basketball, boys and girls tennis and cheerleading. Please visit our website for details/registration. 251-445-2900 www.mcgill-toolen.org

Meeks-Rydell Volleyball Camps at the University of South Alabama

University of South Alabama, 171 Jaguar Dr, Mobile, AL 36688 Team Camps, Little Meekseyyy Camp, All Skills Camp 1 & 2. More information on our website. 850-291-7100 pgandolfo@southalabama.edu www.meeksrydellvolleyball.com

Michael Brisbane Golf Instruction 1000 Gaillard Road, Mobile, AL 36608 Golf lessons and clinics.

251-490-3812 michael@michaelbrisbanegolf.com www.michaelbrisbanegolf.com

www.mobiletenniscenter.net

Mobile, AL 36688 Our curriculum is the perfect blend of expert instruction, course play and off-course activities. Dates: 6/21/20-6/25/20. Ages: 10-18. Co-Ed. Overnight and commuter Day Camp option. 800-645-3226 www.ussportscamps.com/golf/nike/ nike-junior-golf-camp-university-south-alabama#

St. Luke’s Episcopal School Summer Sports Camps

3975 Japonica Lane; 1400 University Boulevard South, Mobile, AL 36693; 36609 St. Luke’s also offers sports camps for 3rd-6th grade taught by our varsity coaches (baseball, football, volleyball, basketball, soccer, & tennis.) Space is limited! 251-666-2991 www.stlukesmobile.com

St. Paul’s Episcopal School – Summer Fun and Learning 161 Dogwood Lane, Mobile, AL 36608 See listing under Educational Camps for details.

www.stpaulsmobile.net/summersaints

Spring Hill College Sports Camps

4000 Dauphin Street, Mobile, AL 36608 Springhill College offers numerous summer sports camps. Please check our website for information on soccer, baseball, basketball, softball and volleyball camps. www.shcbadgers.com

UMS-Wright

65 Mobile Street, Mobile, AL 36607 UMS-Wright Summer Programs is thrilled to have the opportunity to invite you to join us, as we offer a one-of-a-kind selection of athletic, academic, day, and specialty camps. Come see our beautiful campus, learn from our expert teachers, coaches, and staff, and dive headfirst into both familiar and new experiences as we aim to provide your child with a clear path for potential. 251-479-6551 sblankenship@ums-wright.org www.ums-wright.org/summer

Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 The University of Alabama is offering several exciting sports camps including Nick Saban Football Camp, Baseball, Cheer/Dance, Mascot, Golf, Tennis, Gymnastics, Volleyball, Soccer, Basketball, Track and Field, Softball and Swimming and Diving. www.rolltide.com

251-442-2396 ramssocceracademy@gmail.com www.ramssoccercamps.com

University of South Alabama Boys Basketball Camps

Jaguar Gym, 171 Jaguar Drive, Mobile, AL 36608 2020 Boys Basketball Camps (Grades 2nd-8th) -Individual Camp 1-June 15-18 Elite Camp-June 7, 14 and August 23 (Grades 9th - 12th), Team Play Date June 1-3. mk1823@jagmail.southalabama.edu www.richierileybasketballcamps.com

Jaguar Gym, 171 Jaguar Drive, Mobile, AL 36608 Camps are designed to teach each individual players how to begin to maximize their potential through a positive attitude, solid fundamentals, and hard work on and off the basketball court. Dates/rates online.

251-208-5181

University of Alabama Sports Camps

5735 College Parkway, Mobile, AL 36613 Rams Soccer Camps offer ¾ day, full day and residential camp options. UM Co-Ed Camp ages 8-16: May 31-June 3, & July 12-15.

University of South Alabama Girls Basketball Camps

Nike Junior Golf Camp - University of South Alabama

251-622-7962

University of Mobile RAMS Soccer Camps

jdbrooks@southalabama.edu www.terryfowlerbasketballcamps.com

University of South Alabama Richard Moodie’s Soccer Academy

5950 Old Shell Road, Mobile, AL 36608 Kids Summer Camps–06/15/20–06/18/20, 06/22/20-06/25/20 (ages 5-12 boys and girls) Collegiate Prospect Camp-3/28/20 (grades 8-12+), Non-residential (7th-12th girls) June 20-21, Residential (7th-12th girls) 6/26/206/28/20 www.rmsacamps.com

University of South Alabama Steve Campbell Football Camps

South Alabama Football Complex, Mobile, AL 36608 Prospect Camp, Youth Football Camp, Lineman Camp, Specialist Camp, Mega Camp of the South - Dates and more information online. www.jaguarfootballcamps.com

Swimming & Water Fun Mobile Bay Sailing School

4295 Marina Drive North, Mobile, AL 36605 Week-long sailing camp summer sessions. Two different sessions: regular class includes daylong sessions (9am-5pm, ages 8-18), second type is a special opti class for beginner/young sailors (ages 8-10). half-days (9am-2pm, or 1pm-5pm). 251-471-3131 www.mobilebaysailingschool.com/

City of Mobile Swim Association

351 North Broad South, Mobile, AL 36603 The City of Mobile Swim Association offers training and practice groups for swimmers of all ages and ability levels. www.swimcmsa.com

Gulf Coast Swimfants

2423 Schillinger Road South, Mobile, AL 36695 Teaching children aged 6 months – 4 years old ISR Self-Rescue techniques designed to help them survive should they reach the water. 407-399-2059 matthew.johnson@infantswim.com www.infantswim.com; www.swimfants.com MBP

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Stargirl

Timmy Failure

MPAA Rating: PG Overall: B+ Violence: A Sexual Content: A Profanity: A Alcohol / Drug Use: AAfter his father’s death, Leo Borlock (Graham Verchere) and his mom (Darby Stanchfield) move to Mica, Arizona for a fresh start. Following a traumatic bullying incident, Leo decides that it is easier to blend in with the crowd and not draw any attention to himself. On his sixteenth birthday he meets Stargirl Caraway (Grace VanderWaal), a quirky girl who is unapologetically herself. As they get to know each other, Leo learns what it means to be yourself and not care what other people think of you. Stargirl is based on a bestselling novel of the same name by Jerry Spinelli published in 2000. Though the movie adaptation does try to modernize in some ways, it still feels its age. I doubt that today’s teens will be able to relate fully to the characters and situations, as high school has changed dramatically in the last two decades. Much of the plot is unrealistic and the teenage characters make choices and interact in ways that don’t feel authentic. It’s worth noting that the film’s overall theme is figuring out who you are and learning to be ok with standing out from the crowd - which is a message we’re all happy to share with young people. Seeing actual teenagers play teens is also refreshing, instead of the 20-somethings who are often cast in these roles. The musical elements are well done, especially Grace VanderWaal’s singing and ukulele playing. Overall, Stargirl is a sweet, family-friendly coming of age story, though it does show its age in the depictions of teenagers and especially in its main female lead.

MPAA Rating: PG Overall: A Violence: B Sexual Content: A Profanity: B Alcohol / Drug Use: A Timmy Failure (Winslow Fegley) is an 11-year-old who runs his own detective agency along with his business partner, an imaginary 1,200-pound polar bear named Total. Together they try to protect Portland from backpack thieves, homework, and Russian operatives. Family comedies have to toe the line between humor for children and humor for adults. Many lean too far one way or the other, but Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made is a perfect balance. I laughed through the entire run time. The jokes are well written, which will appeal to adults, while also adding in some silly moments that children will love. Timmy is perfectly deadpan almost the whole time, making the absurd situations he finds himself in even more comical. His imagination runs away from him a lot, which leads to some entertaining “what if?” scenarios. Along with being hilarious, this film also has a lot of heart. Timmy is struggling with school and relating to his peers. Timmy’s mom, Patty (Ophelia Lovibond), is trying to provide for her son as a single parent, while also endeavoring to figure out his eccentricities. She is not a perfect parent, but she is making an effort, and she is willing to admit when she makes a mistake, which makes her a dynamic and relatable character. I highly recommend this film not just for kids, but for all ages. It’s a funny, earnest story about an eccentric young boy and the people trying to understand him. It has very few content concerns, making it a great option for family viewing.

A Hidden Life

Jumanji: The Next Level

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Overall: A+ Violence: BSexual Content: A Profanity: A Alcohol / Drug Use: AFranz Jägerstätter (August Diehl), has spent his life as a simple peasant farmer in the beautiful Austrian village of St. Radegund. Working the land alongside his wife Franziska (Valerie Pachner), their young children, and his friends and neighbors, he doesn’t expect the larger troubles of the world to come crashing down upon him. But war has broken out, and Franz is conscripted by the Nazis. Unwilling to swear the required oath of allegiance to Hitler, he is imprisoned, threatened, humiliated, and beaten - all in an attempt to force him to join the Wehrmacht (Nazi armed forces). If you’re familiar with any of Terrence Malick’s work, you will be unsurprised that the style of this film has little in common with conventional Hollywood productions. Despite the quirks of Malick’s unique style, this is a beautiful film and well worth the absurdly long three hours it takes to watch. A Hidden Life has a terribly prescient message about standing up to authoritarianism and evil, whatever the cost. Even more impressively, these powerful positive messages come with hardly any objectionable content. There’s no profanity (in English, at any rate; if there are German curses I couldn’t understand them), no sex, little on-screen violence, and no major substance abuse. A Hidden Life earns its “PG-13” rating from its difficult adult themes and allusions to violence. That said, this is not a suitable movie for children or young teens, simply because it’s filled with mature themes and is long and challenging, which tends to make for restless kids.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Overall: B Violence: BSexual Content: B+ Profanity: BAlcohol / Drug Use: A After escaping from Jumanji, a game that comes to terrifying life, Spencer (Alex Wolff), Martha (Morgan Turner), Anthony (Ser’Darius Blain), and Bethany (Madison Iseman) agreed to destroy the game to prevent anyone else from being sucked in. Secretly, Spencer decided to keep the pieces, and reassembled the game for another chance to be the muscular Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson) in a virtual world. When his friends try to rescue him, they accidentally bring along Spencer’s grandfather Eddie (Danny DeVito) and his old friend Milo (Danny Glover). With such an unlikely cast of heroes, what hope do they have of rescuing Spencer? I seem to recall the comedy being a little stronger in the first film, but this doesn’t reach failed-comedy levels of aggravating. About three-quarters of the jokes landed, which is better than most dumb action comedies I’ve seen. The content is cleaner than most as well, with almost no sexual content (barring Ruby Roundhouse’s silly outfit), little profanity more significant than “hell” or “damn”, and violence that is firmly in the “slapstick” category. If you saw the last entry in this franchise, you’ll have a good idea what to expect here. Another case of “second verse, same as the first”, Jumanji: The Next Level still manages to be a reasonably entertaining way to kill two hours. I was actually expecting to be frustrated with this movie, since my sequel fatigue is approaching terminal levels, but the film is sufficiently sincere and well intentioned.

(Streaming on Disney+)

(New on DVD)

Mobile Bay Parents I April 2020

(New on DVD)

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I would rather be able to run the bases after my home run hit than have to stop to catch my breath by 2nd. - Josie, 7th grade

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