Kingfield Neighborhood Association

Seeking Adult Soccer Game Leaders & a Table Manager for Little Kickers at MLK Park

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NEEDED: ADULT GAME-LEADERS AND A TABLE MANAGER for 2022 Little Kickers Soccer Program
at M.L. King Park, Nicollet Ave. & 42nd Street
Fun Soccer Games Program for Young Children Ages 4-8

This summer, on Wednesday evenings from 6:15 to 7:30 PM, on the grass of ML King field #1, the Minneapolis Park Board and the Kingfield Neighborhood Association will again host a program for 4- through 8-year old boys and girls, of all nationalities and backgrounds. The program is designed around soccer basics and soccer balls, and lots of action. But the highest priority of the program is that the kids have fun; have fun playing games with soccer balls, and want to come back the next week, enthusiastically, to play the games with soccer balls again. Sessions start Wednesday, June 22rd, and continue through August 17th. Neither the kids, nor the Game Leader/Parent Coaches, need to be there every Wednesdays. But we need adults to commit to attend each Wednesday that you are in town, to help lead the games!

If you can imagine; dads, moms, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, (you!); joining in to play the games with your 6-year-old son, your 4-year-old daughter, and the the other 15-20 kids in their age-group, on the field. The adults are regularly invited to join in games kicking the soccer balls, and pretending with the kids for: “Ouch!”, “Allegators”, “Go Get It”, “Islands”, “Bandits”, and “Mosquito Squahers”.  There is the occasional soccer scrimmage for the older groups at the end of session, but mostly it’s about teaching soccer through these other, “silly”, games.

The Little Kickers Program uses these little-kid teaching-games, led by 2 or 3 parent-coaches trained in a bunch of the games, to groups of a dozen to 20, or so, 4-year-olds, 5-6 year-olds, and 7-8 year-olds. The games are about teaching skills and behaviors core to soccer, but the games are generally not soccer games, and we don’t do “drills”, we don’t form organized teams for the summer, and parents don’t commit to being team soccer coaches for the summer. Parent coaches don’t need to be athletes, nor need to have experience playing organized soccer; ten adults have already committed but with 100 kids on the field, we could use a dozen more! [Read more…]

Love Trees? We’ve Got Options for You!

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Did you know that fruit trees, and many other species are beneficial pollinators? The Minneapolis Park Board Forestry Department is one of our partners on our pollinator pathway program and is planting over 400 trees through the neighborhoods of Lyndale, Kingfield, and Tangletown! They need all of our help to keep these young trees alive, the first three years of root development and consistent watering are critical for a trees survival, especially those growing out on our boulevards. If you have a new tree in front of your home please take the pledge to water it weekly—one hour at the base of the tree with your hose is all it needs for a strong start.

Mark your calendar for the weekly water date (any consistent day of the week that works for you will be fine with your new boulevard-bound friend!) and help Kingfield stay green!

Join KFNA for the 1st Annual Pancake Breakfast!

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—Made Even Better with Kingfield’s Very Own Maple Syrup!

Saturday March 19, 9-10:30 AM at MLK Park (outdoor, fireside dining!)

Bring the family down to the park to watch the sap boil and enjoy a good ol’ fashioned pancake breakfast, served with sausage (pork), fruit, juice and coffee! Learn how maple syrup is made—and enjoy some of Kingfield’s own syrup from 2021 on your pancakes! Proceeds from the breakfast benefit both KFNA and MLK Park programming, partners in this community Sap Tap which is in its 4th year of seasonal celebration!

Tickets are available here!

So what is a Community Sap Tap? Neighbors register at the park to pick up a tree tapping kit and instructions on how to tap their personal maple (or box elder!) tree. Then all the participants bring the sap to the park and we collectively boil it down to syrup, and then share the results! Kits are gone for this year…but join us for pancakes, learn about the process, and plan to join KFNA in this fun seasonal activity again next spring!

Spring MLK Park Activities

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Indoor Playground (Masks required for all participants above age 2yrs old.)

Ages 5 and Under with a parent in the MLK Gym

Wednesdays 10:00am-12:00pm

Free

 

Youth/ Teen Open Gym:

Ages 9-17 yrs.  (Parents/ Guardians welcome)

Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday  3:30-5:00pm

Free

 

Teen Nite Owlz: 

Open Gym,  Game Room and Instructor led Ceramics

Ages 13-17 yrs.

Fridays 5:00-8:00pm

Free

 

Archery In The Parks:  Register at Activenet # 124773

Wednesdays Feb 23 – March 23rd  5:30-6:30pm

Cost $25.00

 

Questions? Contact Peter Jaeger, Recreation Supervisor- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Park

Kingfield Community Sap Tap; Shared Maple Sap Collection, Boiling, & Finished Product

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March 19—stay tuned for details but get your sap collection kit now…just a few remaining!

For $20, residents will get a kit that can be used to tap sap from any privately owned tree in the maple family (including box elders). Register at https://apm.activecommunities.com/minneapolisparks/Activity_Search/123174

Are you a repeat Tapper with your own kit? Register to participate in the boil for only $10! Register here: https://apm.activecommunities.com/minneapolisparks/Activity_Search/123175

The all-day boil-downs are an opportunity to bond with other neighborhood residents and learn more about how sap is turned into syrup.

Register and pick up a Tree Tapping Kit from the front desk of MLK Park. (Note, trees must be larger than 10 inches in diameter). Kit includes spline(s), tubing, 5 gallon food grade collection bucket, and how-to instructions. Participants will be able to sign up for a shift of syrup making, and will get to take a jar of syrup home with them too! A program of the Kingfield Neighborhood Association and MLK Park.

Upon registration for this program, participants agree to adhere to the current Minnesota state face covering mandate. (Face covering exceptions may apply to certain MPRB activities.) Failure to comply will result in removal from the program.