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…]

It’s Been 2 Years of COVID and Finally We’re Back in Print! 

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The South Nicollet News  is a monthly single-page insert of the Lyndale & Kingfield Neighborhood Associations shared with neighbors via the bi-monthly SW Connector. Check the April 21st edition for the first edition, with news in English and Spanish about happneings up and down the corridor! You can also view the full edition here!

SWConnectorInsert_April22

Be sure to check every issue of the Connector for stories and actions from neighborhood leaders regarding local issues and opportunities.

Questions on happenings should be directed to .

Captivating Calm: the 13th Annual Kingfield 2021 Garden Tour

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Thursday, July 15th, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM / 27 Gardens throughout Kingfield!

This year’s tour includes a Minneapolis Heritage Tree site – a yellow buckeye, Mom’s donated hostas, and Asian Python Beans. Be inspired by productive vegetable planting, blooming boulevards or shady backyard patios guarded by gnomes.

Curious? Check the map or watch for signs saying “Garden Tour Here on Thursday” to pop up later this week and plan your route. Stop by one or stop by all 27 yards to see what your neighborhood gardeners have been planting during the pandemic.

Visit 1 or visit all of the 27 varied and intimate spaces! The tour is free and open to all, although donations will be accepted to support the education garden and orchard at MLK Park growing produce donations for The Aliveness Project. Suggested donation is $3 if you visit 1 garden;$10 if you visit more than one. Donate via Venmo at @kingfield_kfna or via text “Garden Tour” to 44321.

Little Kickers Soccer Program: summer 2021

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Located at MLK Park, in the field near Nicollet Ave. & 42nd Street
Fun Soccer Games Program for Young Children – Ages 4-8
Wednesdays: starting June 23 and continuing through August 18, 6:15-7:30 PM
$20 a season for Minneapolis residents

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.

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 “Buffalo Hunter”.  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.

If you want to be one of the “Official” parent coaches, we will provide training in June at a two-hour games-learning session from a one of several college-level soccer coaches who actually use these games in their professional roles, working with their upper level youth programs and their college varsity soccer teams. But they are fun, kid games. Not serious soccer drills.

Interested? Send and email to Michael Vanderford, at .