Kids

Mcrae Kiser, 8, reacts wahile making slime during ECC STEM camp at Edgecombe Community College in Tarboro.

By Jenny White

There is no shortage of kid-friendly activities and destinations in the Twin Counties.

Whether you’re on the hunt for fun or educational activities — or maybe both — there are plenty of options to keep kids and their parents entertained.

Rocky Mount has an entire museum dedicated to educating kids while keeping it fun. The Rocky Mount Children’s Museum and Science Center is located in the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences in downtown Rocky Mount. Each of the museum’s exhibits and displays offers visitors creative opportunities for learning about the world and challenges kids by encouraging critical thinking in an interactive learning environment. All of the museum’s exhibits are both educational and fun. The educational programs and interactive exhibits are resources that encourage visits from school groups, families, tourists, social groups, and community organizations.

The Children’s Museum features a live animal exhibit, a planetarium and a feature exhibit, which currently is “Dinosouars!”

Participants can undertake three Mesozoic Missions spanning 150 million years and mimic dinosaur behavior; become a junior paleontologist and find evidence of your dinosaurs; learn why dinosaurs are one of the most successful survivors in earth’s history; and unearth a shocking discovery: Dinosaurs may not be extinct.

A really cool maze exhibit provides a physical and mental challenge that entertains and educates. The versatility of the maze as an exhibit medium makes it a unique learning tool for both children and adults.

The Cummins Planetarium usually has shows in the afternoon and admission is free if you’ve purchased a ticket to the Children’s Museum.

The Dinosaur Exhibit will be on display through Aug. 26. Admission to the Children’s Museum is $6 per person and free for everyone on Sundays. For more information, visit https:// imperialcentre.org/science-center/

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Another local spot known for its children’s programming is Braswell Memorial Library.

While its children’s book collection is exemplary, the library also provides a year-round calendar of fun activities and programs for kids. This summer there is a visiting artist almost every week, with performances in the morning and afternoons. Teens can find more than just books as well, with their own ageappropriate events like Lip Sync Battles and robotics programs.

Braswell also offers free Wi-Fi in its facility on Grace Street in downtown Rocky Mount. To see a calendar of events, visit http://braswell-library. libguides.com/home. 4-H camps and programs are another outlet for kids to learn and have fun. Throughout the summer months, the Nash County 4-H program offers a wide variety of learning experiences for kids. Topics of some of the most popular camps include sewing, horseback riding, cooking, craft-making, fishing, babysitting basics, criminal justice and beekeeping. There is a fee to attend these camps.

Registration opens in May and the camps are offered June, July and August. For more information, visit https:// nash.ces.ncsu.edu/2018/04/2018-4-hsummer-camp-2-2/

If you’ve got a child that’s into the arts, there are plenty of outlets to express artistic creativity.

At the Imperial Centre Arts Center, students and families can register for family classes on the weekends and weekly art camps for kids of all ages during the summer months. Upcoming family art classes feature instructions on drawing birds, clay carving, painting portraits and watercolor and oil painting.

Summer camps for children are scheduled through July and August. Kids can practice their painting, sculpting and illustrating skills for a variety of mediums. There are fees for these classes. Check out the schedule at https://imperialcentre.org/arts-center/ programs-events/

Kids with an affinity for drama can take part in a several community theater programs like Activate Drama (https://activatedrama.org/), Nash Arts (http://www.nasharts.org/) and the Community Theatre program at the Imperial Community (https:// imperialcentre.org/theater/getinvolved/). These drama programs produce plays throughout the year with many young people in starring roles and part of the ensemble.

Tar River Children Chorus offers an opportunity for children in grades 3-12 to be a part of a concert choir that performs throughout the year in the community and in state and national competitions. Led by conductor Patsy Gilliland, students audition during the summer to take part in the choir’s upcoming concert year. For more information, check out http://www. tarriverlive.com/tar-river-childrenschorus/.

And of course, free stuff for kids to do is often the best stuff to do. With the Twin Counties plethora of public parks and greenspace areas, there is no shortage of outside areas for kids to play in. Start off playing at Sunset Park in Rocky Mount and walk the Tar River Trail to Battle Park or lay out a blanket in the historic Tarboro Town Common and enjoy a picnic lunch. The Tar River winds its way through the Twin Counties and offer numerous spots perfect for rock skipping or fishing from the banks.

Whether you’re looking for museum fun or outdoor play, there’s something to please all kids in the Twin Counties.

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1) Braxton Tyler, 3, dances after Amy Louttrell reads a story at First United Methodist Church Preschool. 2) Easton Ward, 4, left, and Sawyer Perry, 4, play with Mr. Potato Head at First United Methodist Church Preschool. 3) Red Oak Middle School seventh-graders Corey Cooper, left, 14, and Tristan Siler, 13, right, joust their Lego battle track vehicles as classmate Myra Skinner, 12, watches during the Communities in Schools Seventh Grade STEAM Retreat at the Imperial Centre. 4) Carli Bass, 10, sits in her grandmothers, Emily Brass’s lap as they listen to a story during story time at Braswell Library. 5) Hayden Cahoon, 12, left, and Ethan Harrell, 10, celebrate after their robot finishes the maze during the Lego STEM Robotics Camp at Nash Community College. 2018 | LIVING HERE | 37