You are reading

Summer Kids program kicks off on the Long Island City waterfront

Summer Kids (Photo provided by Jessica Sechrist)

A fun-filled six-week program for kids featuring music, storytime, and yoga, kicked off at the Long Island City waterfront last week (Photo provided by Jessica Sechrist)

July 17, 2023 By Michael Dorgan

A fun-filled six-week program for kids featuring music, story time and yoga kicked off at the Long Island City waterfront last week.

The free program, known as Summer Kids, also includes art classes and dancing, with hundreds of children expected to attend over the six-week period. Spaces for the program are limited, but slots are still available, organizers say.

Summer Kids takes place each day from 10 to 10:45 a.m. and will run through Aug. 20.

Last year, organizers expanded the program to include events on Saturdays and Sundays in order to make it easier for parents working weekdays to attend.

The extended programming proved very successful with more than 1,500 kids attending the programs. The seven-day-a-week format returns again this year.

Summer Kids aims to give families fun options to spend time together while at the same time keeping kids busy over the summer.

The programming, now in its eighth year, is organized by the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy (HPPC), a volunteer group that oversees events and helps with the upkeep of the park.

Jessica Sechrist, the executive director of the HPPC, said the organization is proud to offer the children of both longtime residents and new neighbors the opportunity to take part in programming at the waterfront parks that include Hunters Point South Park and Gantry Plaza State Park. The Hunters Point waterfront community has seen a population boom over the last number of years with the opening of several new high-rise residential towers.

“As more young families move into our community, the need to provide affordable, enriching programs that foster an appreciation for nature and spending time outdoors becomes more pressing,” Sechrist said. “It’s great to attend our programs and see new and familiar families embracing our programming.”

Summer Kids (Photo provided by Jessica Sechrist)

The Blue Bus Project lets kids make art from recycled objects (Photo provided by Jessica Sechrist)

This year’s “Summer Kids” lineup features program favorites like Yogi Beans yoga, the Blue Bus Project where kids learn to turn recycled materials into art, and STEAM classes (Science Technology Engineering Art Math) by City Owlets.

Snapology, which incorporates Lego bricks into learning, and Tots Sing & Play, a musical and rhythm class, also feature.

All events are free and require advance registration due to a limited number of spaces. To register a child, click here and select the day and activity on the calendar. The program is open to children aged 10 and under.

Summer Kids is funded by the HPPC, Weill Cornell Medicine Long Island City, Hunter’s Point South Living, NYC Ferry, City Councilwoman Julie Won and the NYC Youth and Community Development.

For more information, contact the HPPC at info@hunterspointparks.org.

Hunters Point waterfront (Photo by Michael Dorgan)

The Hunters Point waterfront community has seen a population boom over the last number of years with the opening of several new high-rise residential towers (Photo by Michael Dorgan)

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Gunman wanted after nightclub shooting during early morning dispute at Jamaica hotel: NYPD

Police from the 103rd Precinct are looking for a gunman who opened fire inside a banquet hall in a hotel in Jamaica during the early morning hours of Sunday, March 16.

The suspect was involved in a dispute with an unidentified man inside a nightclub that operates inside the Hotel Liberty Inn & Suites-JFK at 144-20 Liberty Ave. just before 5 a.m. when he pulled out a firearm and discharged it multiple times, causing damage to the ceiling, police said. An NYPD spokesman could not say what the two men were arguing about before the gunfire erupted. No injuries were reported as a result of the shooting.

Flushing man arrested for impersonating ICE agent in visa fraud scheme: Feds

An alleged Flushing con artist was arrested by FBI agents in Brooklyn Friday morning after a federal grand jury indicted him for perpetrating a visa fraud scheme by pretending to be an ICE agent.

Tommy Aijie Da Silva Weng, 49, was arraigned in Brooklyn federal court on Friday afternoon on an indictment charging him with wire fraud, mail fraud, and impersonating a federal law enforcement agent in connection to a scam to defraud an unidentified Chinese citizen who resides in the United States by claiming he could help her in obtaining a green card through an EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program if she invested $500,000 with him for a project to build hotels in California.