Activities at the Louisville Free Public Library
Local library branches have added many free activities to accommodate JCPS students on Aug. 14 and 15. Those activities include board games, crafts, LEGOs, movie showings and scavenger hunts. Call your local library branch for offerings.
You can also stream a mix of prerecorded storytimes, and cooking and crafting workshops for kids at www.youtube.com/AskLFPL.
Here are some offerings at each library branch:
- Bon Air: Board games and crafts, Monday and Tuesday
- Crescent Hill: Wand Making on Monday, LEGOs and craft on Tuesday
- Fairdale: Board games, Monday, 12-7 p.m.
- Jeffersontown: LEGO Block Party!, Tuesday 2-3 p.m.
- Highlands-Shelby Park: Drop-in crafts, Tuesday, 2-4 p.m.
- Middletown: Games and Crafts, Tuesday, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
- Newburg: Craft-stravaganza for families, Monday and Tuesday, 1-4 p.m.
- Northeast Regional Library:
- Outdoor scavenger hunt: Monday and Tuesday
- LEGOs: Monday 1-4 p.m.
- “Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse” movie and craft, Tuesday at 2 p.m.
- Portland: Scavenger hunt and drop-in crafts, Monday and Tuesday
- St. Matthews:
- Mix It Up, Monday at 10:30 a.m.
- Board games, Monday and Tuesday, appropriate for ages 5 and up
- Shawnee: Call (502) 574-1722 for details
- Shively: Board games and crafts for teens, Monday and Tuesday
- South Central:
- Button-making, Monday 2-4 p.m.
- Get Creative with Shrinky Dinks, Tuesday 2-4 p.m.
- Mid-week movie break, Wednesday 2-4 p.m.
- Southwest:
- Building Block Party, Monday 2-3 p.m.
- Family storytime, Monday, 6-7 p.m.
- Finger painting, Tuesday, 2-3 p.m.
- Dinosaur scavenger hunt, all week
- Western: Call (502) 574-1779 for details
Movie at Iroquois Amphitheater
Louisville Parks and Recreation is offering two free showings of the “Super Mario Brothers Movie” Monday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Iroquois Amphitheatre, 1080 Amphitheatre Road.
Children under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult.
Louisville Zoo
The Louisville Zoo is offering discounted admission and free parking on Aug. 14 and 15. General admission for children ages 3-11 is $10, ages 12+ is $15, seniors ages 60+ is $10.
Tickets may be purchased at the zoo’s admission windows or online. The zoo is open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
YMCA
Students enrolled in the YMCA’s Child Enrichment Program (CEP) can spend the day at the following locations on Monday and Tuesday. Space is available on a first-come, first serve basis. The program will provide breakfast, lunch and a snack.
- Bates Elementary
- Bloom Elementary
- Cane Run Elementary
- Greathouse
- Hite Elementary
- Jeffersontown Elementary
- Lincoln Performing Arts School
- Stopher Elementary
- Trunnell Elementary
- Wilder Elementary
Bowling with the Louisville Metro Police Department’s Police Activities League (PAL)
PAL, Executive Strike and Spare (911 Phillips Lane) and Kroger are offering free bowling Tuesday, Aug. 15 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for kids with proof they are JCPS students.
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
The museum is offering two free student admission tickets per paying adult on Aug. 14 and 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m..
Parents or guardians will be asked to show identification with a Jefferson County address at the ticket counter.
Neighborhood House
Neighborhood House (201 N. 25th Street), a community center serving west Louisville families, says it will open its doors for day-long camps as long as school is out for current members.
Membership is $25 for the school year.
Neighborhood House is also expecting increased traffic to its emergency food bank.
Free play sessions at Glow Worm Cafe and Play
Glow Worm Cafe and Play is offering free 90-minute play sessions on Tuesday, Aug. 15.
The offering is sponsored and paid for by state Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong and state Rep. Josie Raymond, and is for JCPS students in Kindergarten through grade 5.
Play sessions begin at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Registration is required: https://www.glowwormplaycafe.com/jcps-family-day
JCPS offering meals
Two-thirds of students in JCPS come from families that rely on the National School Lunch Program for meals.
While school is closed, the district is offering free lunch served onsite from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. Students can also take home a bag of snacks. Any JCPS students can attend any site. No registration is required. Meals are offered at the following sites.
- The Academy @ Shawnee
- Atkinson Elementary
- Bates Elementary
- Bloom Elementary
- Cane Run Elementary
- Chenoweth Elementary
- Cochrane Elementary
- Crums Lane Elementary
- Frayser Elementary
- Greathouse
- Greenwood Elementary
- Hartstern Elementary
- Hite Elementary
- Jeffersontown Elementary
- Kammerer Middle School
- J.F. Kennedy Elementary
- Kerrick Elementary
- Knight Middle School
- Layne Elementary
- Lincoln Performing Arts School
- Marion C. Moore School
- Newcomer Academy
- Price Elementary
- Shacklette Elementary
- Stopher Elementary
- Trunnell Elementary
- Unseld Early Childhood Center
- Watterson Elementary
- Wilder Elementary
- Young Elementary
Louisville Metro Parks and community centers
Louisville Metro’s 14 community centers are open starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and will offer “fun, safe and inexpensive activities for youths across the community.”
Most centers will also offer afternoon meals, thanks to Dare To Care. But families should provide snacks and refreshments for children if they visit the center during the morning.
A list of sites and offerings is available here.
Child care providers
JCPS and Community Coordinated Child Care put together this list of child care providers who may have availability while school is not in session. Families should contact the providers individually to inquire about availability and cost.
School board meeting Tuesday
The Jefferson County Board of Education is holding its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 15 at 6 p.m. at the VanHoose Education Center.
Neither the district’s transportation plan nor its failure last week are not on the agenda, but members of the public may comment on non-agenda items at the end of the meeting. Board rules allow up to 45 minutes at the end of the meeting for public comment, but the chair can waive that limit.
Support for this story was provided in part by the Jewish Heritage Fund.
