Kid Fit Challenge  begins Sept. 2

    The instructors from Lee’s Martial Arts Academy in Tempe decided they wanted to make a real difference in the lives of overweight children—so they designed the Kid Fit Challenge.

    The academy invited children from the community who were overweight by at least 10 pounds to participate in a fitness program for free. The first children to participate back in April were selected based on a one-page essay explaining why they wanted to become a Fit Kid. All instructors volunteered their time to train the 10 children who were selected; training included aerobics and martial arts training, as well as a nutrition class, every week for six weeks. At the end of the six weeks the child who improved the most won a gift certificate from the studio valued at $600 to continue her martial arts training and nutritional education.

    A new Fit Kid Challenge is set to begin on Sept. 2 at the academy, located at 715 W. Baseline Road, #1. Applications are now available; for more information, call 480-831-2124.

Ice cream social at Escalante Center

    Bring your family for an evening of cooling off in a fun and filling way: eating ice cream. Tempe’s Escalante Center, 2150 E. Orange St., hosts a Family Night Ice Cream Social  5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15.
    Enjoy ice cream along with karaoke board games and raffle prizes. You also can learn about upcoming fall classes and programs. The fee is just $1 per family!
For more information, call the center at 480-350-5800.

Yucky fun at local bookstore
A dose of gross helps science make sense! Bring your kids to this fun and funky “Oh, Yuck!” event 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 30, at Changing Hands Bookstore.
From the liquids, solids, and gases—especially the gases—of our own bodies to the creepy, crawly, slimy, slithery, fetid, and feculent phenomena in the world at large, kids with a curious bent just can’t get enough of the yuck.
The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty brings together, in one book, all the good things about some of the baddest things on Earth. Enjoy some live experiments, along with presentations by local "gross" pros Katie Schmidbauer from the Arizona Farm Bureau, chemist Jenny Green, Tempe Mortician Steve Salcido, and registered nurse Novelette Brown.
The bookstore is located at 6428 S. McClintock Drive. For more information, call 480-730-0205.

Childsplay offers Fall Academy
Childsplay, Arizona’s professional theater for young audiences, announces the new schedule for Fall Academy Classes-beginning August 16.
In addition to Saturday classes and Conservatory, for the first time Childsplay is now offering Evening Classes (Aug. 18 through Dec. 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.), Daytime Classes (Session 1: Mondays, Aug. 18-Sept. 29; Session 2: Mondays, Oct. 6-Nov. 10), and Fall Break Classes (Oct. 6-10).
Classes are offered to ages 18 months through grade 12. All classes take place at the Sybil B. Harrington Campus of Imagination Wonder at 900 S. Mitchell Drive. Parents are encouraged to register soon as there is limited space for all academy classes. Registration can be made online at www.childsplayaz.org or by calling 480-921-5700.

Free booster seats given away Sept. 20
Phoenix Children’s Hospital presents the Barnyard Booster Bash, sponsored by Progressive Insurance, where Certified Passenger Safety Technicians teaches parents how to use car seats and free booster seats are given away.
Parents can register for a booster seat if the child’s height and weight are appropriate. Booster seats are for children that weigh between 40-100 pounds and are under 4 feet 9 inches tall.
The Booster Bash is a safety event that’s fun for everyone and includes fun, food, and games. Children of all ages can decorate their booster seat, make their own driver’s license and meet the Booster Rooster.
The event will take place 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at Progressive Insurance, 4425 E. Cotton Center Blvd., Building 4. The event is free, but families must pre-register by calling 602-546-CARS.