By Kathy Chouteau
Fancy a “Kids Night Out?” Yep, that’s right—this night out is all about the kiddos, designed to maximize the fun during an evening play sesh with their peers in Richmond.
Set for Sat., June 1, 2019, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., “Kids Night Out” is being hosted by the First Presbyterian Church at its location at 3415 Barrett Ave. in Richmond. The event is open to elementary school aged children in Kindergarten through sixth grade free of charge—and also gives parents a chance for a night out themselves, should they want one.
“Our church’s desire is to offer families in our community a fun night with or without their children,” said church member Katrina Croda. “Each night we have had about 30 children. This will be our third session…we are having a science theme and we will be making ice cream for dessert.”
First Presbyterian Church, which has been a place of worship in the Richmond community for more than 100 years, has a long history of providing programs for children, according to Croda. In fact, Croda herself started attending the church’s activities when she was in elementary school. Today, the church is overseen by Pastor Jim Wheeler.
As part of the church’s Kids Night Out offering, a group of volunteers engage the participating children in various games, STEM activities and crafts. As Croda stated above, the June 1 session will feature a science theme and ice cream-making fun. The church also serves kids a pizza dinner, which is wildly popular among the younger set.
This reporter’s seven-year-old son attended the Kids Night Out in March and had an incredible time. There were plenty of children in his general age group—and a diverse range of other age groups as well—plus lots of friendly supervision by the volunteers. During my son’s session, he really enjoyed helping to make the pizza they ate for dinner. When we picked him up, I noted more than one volunteer referring to him by name, a nice indication that they had taken time to get to know our son.
The church’s generous offering also enabled my husband and me to steal way for a quick dinner out, knowing our son was happy and safe—and without the added expense of a babysitter.
Want to sign your child up for Kids Night Out? Pre-registration is required. Call 510.234.0954 to register for the June 1 session. To learn more about First Presbyterian Church, click here.
