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Photograph Credit: Microsoft
Select Microsoft retail stores offer classes for kids, ages 8-13. The Microsoft summer camp classes are FREE and vary by location. Space is limited for these free classes which might include:
Some classes began in June with others offered throughout the summer. Check your local Microsoft retail store for details. Happy planning!
Photograph Credit: Apple
Select Apple retail stores offer a FREE summer camp spanning 3 days where kids, ages 8-12, can improve their filmmaking skills. Each location chooses the dates for their camps.
In scanning through the limited availability, some camps are Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday or Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Each camp day is 1.5 hours, and participants are asked to bring a MAC computer, digital camera or video camera, and earphones.
At camp, the participants will shoot their own footage, create an original song, and put it all together. Camp ends on a Saturday where participants debut their film at the Apple Camp Film Festival.
Space is very limited with most camps beginning mid-July. Our local Apple store is offering 12 weeks of camp starting July 15 through August 3. A few weeks still have openings, but space is filling up fast. If you have an interested child, who meets the age requirements, then check your calendar and sign them up.
Summer camp is always a special treat. Those who seize this opportunity will gain FREE instruction and accomplish a finished film. Happy planning!
Photograph Credit: Chuck E. Cheese
Highlighting 14 summer reading programs in these two weeks, I hope you will find multiple ways to keep your reader learning and exploring this summer. These programs encourage life-long learners with rewards for meeting a goal.
Our summer reading series: Barnes & Noble Imagination’s Destination and Chuck E. Cheese.
ParticipantsStudents of all ages.
Expires on December 31, 2013.
Read every day for 2 weeks.
Work on your summer reading and complete the Reading Reward calendar by marking each day read with a sticker, “X,” stamp, amount of time read, or initial.
Take the finished Reading Reward to a participating Chuck E. Cheese.
Make a food purchase and receive 10 FREE tokens for your accomplishment. No more than 1 of any FREE token offer can be used per child, per day.
Chuck E. Cheese BenefitsMy children enjoy playing the arcade games, earning tickets, and redeeming for prizes. By registering for the Chuck E. Cheese’s email club, I receive the newsletter with valuable coupons for food and tokens. If you prefer, you can also access coupons from the Chuck E. Cheese’s website.
With 10 FREE tokens earned for 14 days of summer reading and no registration, you can complete the Reading Reward and wait until your next visit to Chuck E. Cheese. Having until the end of the year to redeem your reward, you have plenty of time to read and earn.
The indoor fun at Chuck E. Cheese is a welcome break from the heat of summer. In pairing rewards with coupons, our family enjoys a morning of fun celebrating our hard work. Happy summer reading!
Photograph Credit: Regal Cinemas
Beginning as early as June 4, participating Regal Cinemas host Summer Movie Express showing select movies for $1 per person. With multiple locations in our area, we can meet up with friends.
This option works great for our family as my 3-year-old may not sit through the movie. Having other adults staying inside the theater with my older ones gives me freedom to take my 3-year-old out when needed.
Rated G and PG movies for $1 per person paid the morning of the movie at the box office.
Note: A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Will Rogers Institute, which supports research in asthma, tuberculosis, and pulmonary diseases.
The Summer Movie Express is available at participating Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatres, and Edwards Theatres locations.
Beginning in June and ending in August, select movies will play at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The series runs for 9 weeks with each location choosing the starting and ending dates. Check the Summer Movie Express page of Regal Cinemas’ website for available theatres near you.
Per the Summer Movie Express page, the chosen movies for $1 this summer are listed in the following schedule by the week:
| Week | Title | Rating | Start Time |
| 1 | The Three Stooges | PG | 10am |
| 1 | Ice Age: Continental Drift | PG | 10am |
| 2 | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days | PG | 10am |
| 2 | Parental Guidance | PG | 10am |
| 3 | Mr. Poppers’ Penguins | PG | 10am |
| 3 | Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked | G | 10am |
| 4 | Monte Carlo | PG | 10am |
| 4 | Rio | G | 10am |
| 5 | Coraline | PG | 10am |
| 5 | ParaNorman | PG | 10am |
| 6 | Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax | PG | 10am |
| 6 | Big Miracle | PG | 10am |
| 7 | Yogi Bear | PG | 10am |
| 7 | Journey 2: The Mysterious Island | PG | 10am |
| 8 | Racing Stripes | PG | 10am |
| 8 | Happy Feet Too | PG | 10am |
| 9 | African Cats | G | 10am |
| 9 | Chimpanzee | G | 10am |
When we visited our Regal Cinemas, they showed both options in different theaters. We just chose which movie we wanted to see. If we wanted to see both movies for $1 showing that week, then we needed to attend both the Tuesday and the Wednesday showings.
In planning your summer activities, movies for $1 is hard to beat. If you will attend, consider becoming a Facebook fan, Twitter follower, newsletter recipient, etc. of your local theater. Loyal customers receive periodic coupons and freebies.
On our last visit, a friend sent a text code and received free popcorn, so spending a little time to check for deals can net you a great experience without breaking the bank.
With all these great summer opportunities, our calendar is not lacking for options. Now we just need to decide which activities to attend while using time wisely. Happy summer planning!
Photograph Credit: Cinemark
Keeping a variety of options for summer activities, I like to know indoor opportunities for rainy or hot days. Though not available in our area, Cinemark Theatres runs a Summer Movie Clubhouse selling tickets to each show for $1 per person.
Rated G and PG movies played during select times at a cost of $1 per person paid the morning of the movie at the box office.
If you plan to attend at least 5 movies, then you can save money by purchasing the ten-week punch card for $5 each – making each of the 10 movies only 50¢.
Each punch card can only be used at the location where purchased and only used one time per week. If my 3 children and I planned to attend 5 or more movies, then I would purchase 4 punch cards as each of us would need a card.
The promotion does not allow for multiple punches on one card for the same movie. To check the details on how the punch card works, visit Cinemark’s website.
The Summer Movie Clubhouse is available at participating Cinemark Theatres, Century Theatres, CineArts, and Tinseltown locations.
Beginning around May 27 and ending around August 1, theatres will run one movie per week. The series runs for 10 weeks with each location choosing the movie, the viewing days, and the times. Check the Summer Movie Clubhouse website for available theatres near you.
Samples of the movies that may play this summer include:
Each movie location will post their own schedule. Most of the movies play around 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays, but check the listings before heading out.
In planning your summer activities, $1 movies is an inexpensive indoor activity to share with friends on hot or rainy days.
Some theatres post coupons for free or inexpensive refreshments on their website for the Summer Movie Clubhouse participants. Love these coupons because I can spoil my kids with popcorn and a drink without spending a fortune. Happy summer planning!
Question: Does your family attend the $1 summer movies?
