Summertime in the PWC: Things to do with your kiddos that are FREE!....or cheap.

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It's Summer time in Prince William County and I am ecstatic!  I LOVE summer (and no, it's not just because I'm a teacher). So since it is the first week of Summer (and I'm getting lots of questions about what moms can do with their tots around this area) I thought I would take this opportunity to write a post about local events and activities for children that are free!... (or cheap).

In my last post I talked a little bit about the future Marketplace. When we first visited Potomac Shores we were told that they planned to design the Marketplace similar to Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center. I had yet to visit it at that point but once I found out they had a Wegmans I was giddy like a school girl.  I still have my fingers crossed that the Marketplace will bring in a Whole Foods but in the meantime I will continue to shop at Wegmans (my only complaint against it is that I have to drive 8 miles down Jefferson Davis HWY to get to it but it is a lot better then when we lived in central PWC). However, Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center offers a ton of free events for families and kids of all ages. Every Wednesday at 10 AM they have children's entertainment at the fountain. They also show a family friendly "Movie Under the Stars" on Saturday nights and their concert summer series is every other Friday night. Please check here for a full list of all the events at Stonebridge PTC.

As much as I love Stonebridge the one thing it is missing is a Regal Cinemas (yep, add that to the list of things I want at the Marketplace).  Many Regal Cinemas offer summertime movies for just $1 every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 AM. This year they are handing out "Summer Movie Express Passports" for the children to collect stamps each time they see a movie and if they collect 8 stamps they will get free admission on the 9th week.
For any mamas of children with sensory issues they also offer a program I love called "My Way Matinee" movies especially designed for children on the autism spectrum. This is such a great idea for those special kiddos. The only location near us that offers it is in Gainesville at the Virginia Gateway so a bit of a drive for us at Potomac Shores but I especially love that location because after the movie I take the kids to splash around in the fountains that are right outside in the middle of the Promenade (and in case anyone is reading this that is in charge of Potomac Shores , please add fountains kids can splash around in to the list of things that need to be part of our Marketplace when it arrives.).
 The Summer reading program for  PWC Library is also in full swing. I will admit, however, that I was pretty disappointed that they took away their coupon of the week this year and I think they need to work on bringing more age appropriate weekly challenges for the preschool age group but I still really like the other events they offer all summer long (but please bring back the coupon of the week next year!) Make sure you swing by and pick up their summer reading booklet that will have all the events that are going on this season and more information on the reading program. And by the way if you have a school age child that is enrolled in PWC school they receive 3 extra credit A's for doing the program (there is also a math packet that county has that we give extra credit for, too. If your child's teacher did not give this to you please let me know and I will be glad to get you a copy).

The Montclair branch is the closest library to Potomac Shores and it just opened in February so it is all new and shiny. It really is a great branch and we are so blessed to have it. The Chinn branch is also very nice and not too far away.
If you go to Chinn I highly recommend to go on a Thursday so you head next door to the Lake Ridge Chick Fil A for their activity of the week. I bet their aren't many moms out there who don't like Chick-fil-a and the owner of the Lake Ridge location has hired an event and activity planner. Every Thursday morning they offer child friendly activities including story hours, monthly crafts, and more. Check out this cute Father's Day card my oldest made there last month (they even provided a Chick-fil-a gift card for a free breakfast sandwich!).

The last thing I want to mention is something that is rather new to me. I had a friend invite me to one of her MOPS events a couple months ago (if you aren't familiar with MOPS it stands for "Mothers of PreSchoolers" and it is a wonderful group to get involved with and a great way to meet other mothers that live near you).  This particular one is run through First Baptist Church of Woodbridge and it is through them that I found out about their "School Daze" events that they offer all summer long. Some of the events include: water day, carnival day and a drive-in movie night. Please click here for a list of the events (all free!).

I would love to know what other events you enjoy that I may not know about, so please leave a comment!

Shore hope to see you around the neighborhood!