Score An Ace With Your Kids At Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day

aakd7 — Novak Djokovic at AAKD 2015. Photo by USTA/Ned Dishman

Right before school starts, tennis fans young and old can have one last fantastic weekend with the family. On Saturday, August 27, come out to Flushing, Queens and kick off the 2016 US Open (August 29-September 11) at Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day! As one of the largest single-day tennis and entertainment events in the world, the event features big names from the court and the concert stage, promoting tennis and fitness for kids and raising money to help fund the National Junior Tennis & Learning Network.

The day beings at 9:30am with free interactive games and activities, such as face painting, juggling workshops, storytelling and of course, tennis for ages 10 and under. There will also be live performances by breakout musical talents like Jacob Sartorius, Sophie Beem, and Citizen Four from 10-12:30pm. The gates open at noon for the ticketed show inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, which runs from 1-3pm and will feature performances by rapper Flo Rida, Swedish pop star Zara Larsson, and up-and-coming R&B artist Jordan Fisher. Tennis fans will get a kick out of seeing champions Rafael Nadal and 2015 US Open-winner Novak Djokovic play exhibition matches and engage in skills competitions.

The true tennis maniacs out there will have the opportunity to watch a variety of other pros practice throughout the day at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

In true celebration of Arthur Ashe’s legacy, the whole event is for a good cause: Proceeds go to the USTA Foundation, which helps fund free or low-cost tennis and education services for more than 225,000 kids across the country each year through the National Junior Tennis & Learning Network. In addition to being a tennis great, Ashe was a humanitarian who fought to end apartheid in South Africa and founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation to Defeat AIDS, to fight the disease that took his life.

Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day 2016 will be held on Saturday, August 27 from 9:30am-4pm at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens. Activities and events on the grounds are free; tickets to the Arthur Ashe Stadium Show currently start at $14. To learn more and purchase tickets, visit arthurashekidsday.com!

Saf-T-Swim

For over 35 years, Saf-T-Swim Swim School has been teaching lifesaving swimming skills throughout Nassau County, Suffolk County, and now Little Neck. The school is proud to be Long Island's #1 swim school and a leader in water safety education. With swim programs for infants as young as 4 months, beginners, and advanced swimmers, Saf-T-Swim offers swimming programs for every age and skill level. Discover why generations of Long Islanders have trusted Saf-T-Swim time and time again with equipping their little ones the essential skill of swimming. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Steps on Broadway Youth Programs

<p class="m_6201101365486487057m_1751229968981391907gmail-m-6447730382188674378msonospacing" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;">For 40 years, the Youth Programs at the internationally celebrated Steps on Broadway have nurtured young dancers, ages 18 months to 18 years.&nbsp; Whether seeking a fun dance experience or comprehensive pre-professional training, there is a program suited for everyone.&nbsp; Classes include ballet, tap, jazz, theater dance, hip hop, contemporary, modern, pointe and more.&nbsp; Taught by a faculty of internationally-recognized concert, ballet, Broadway and celebrated guest artists, every student is encouraged to discover their artistic uniqueness, deepen their passion for the art form, while growing as dancers and individuals.&nbsp; Classes are offered throughout the academic year and summer. First Steps (ages 18 mos &ndash; 5 yrs) Kids &amp; Teens (ages 6-18 yrs) Pre-Professional Program (ages 7-18 yrs, by audition only)

Adventuring Portal

<a name="m_-1473885667065203258__Hlk72147528"></a>Adventuring Portal runs Dungeons and Dragons (D&amp;D) games for kids.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We have created a safe online space for tweens and teens to learn and play D&amp;D. Our D&amp;D Summer Camp session are a one-week experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;Monday &ndash; Friday.&nbsp;&nbsp;Each day will be 3 hours of gaming (with 2 breaks build in).&nbsp;&nbsp;15 total gaming hours for $180.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you have played with us before, you are entitled to 10% off.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Need your kids, nieces or nephews, grand kids or neighbor&rsquo;s kids to be occupied for a bit so you can get work done &amp; take care of your to-do list? Maybe your tween or teen is still a bit isolated and craves connection with their peers? Whether your teen/tween has played D&amp;D before or is brand-new to the experience, this safe space brings players together to have fun and solve problems as a team in ways few other online opportunities do. All our games focus on experiential learning.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Our players leave knowing all the basic game play as well as experiencing: teamwork, bravery, compassion, generosity, negotiation, improvisation, gamer etiquette, strategy, critical thinking, problem solving, cartography and probability - all through online D&amp;D adventuring! We are an inclusive organization and welcome gamers who are LGBTQIA+ and those on any spectrum.&nbsp; All girls&rsquo; groups available.&nbsp; I am a parent, a certified elementary school and middle school math teacher and last summer in the midst of the mess started&nbsp;Adventuring Portal, an&nbsp;online Dungeons &amp; Dragons&nbsp;business&nbsp;for kids. There are so many benefits to playing D&amp;D and I hope you will consider us as a great way for your child to safely socialize, grow as people and have a great time.