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!

Polaris Productions Theater Camp

<p>Kids will learn, rehearse, and perform the wonderful Maurice Sendak and Carole King musical, Really Rosie. For 10 weekdays, campers will take part in physical and vocal warm-ups and learn choreography, staging, and vocal parts. They&rsquo;ll develop skills in acting, singing, character development, and more. This camp will ignite your child&rsquo;s imagination and passion for performing, build their self-esteem, and help them form lasting friendships. They&rsquo;ll have fun! At camp&rsquo;s end, the kids will perform Really Rosie for family members and friends. Kids of all levels of experience, ages 8 through 13, are welcome to join.</p>

Treehouse Shakers

<div>Treehouse Shakers&rsquo; Branching OUT After-School program is for ages 12-14. This awarded program is for young people who identify as LGBTQIA+, or are seeking to become better allies. Branching OUT centers on discovering and exploring one&rsquo;s story and identity through an intentionally artist-led format. During our community-based program, young people will explore and reflect on their own story to create a larger, more meaningful experience, while gaining self-empowerment and gathering with like-minded peers. Through the guidance of our awarded teaching artists, young people will create narratives that will be turned into podcasts, dances, songs or poetry.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Young people have the opportunity to learn new art forms, work with professional artists, while building a meaningful community.</div>

Adventuring Portal

<p><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.</p> <p>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;</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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!</p> <p>We are an inclusive organization and welcome gamers who are LGBTQIA+ and those on any spectrum.&nbsp;</p> <p>All girls&rsquo; groups available.&nbsp;</p> <p>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.</p>