🌴 $1 Movies, Pizza Night Goals, & Backyard Bliss

Sponsored By

Happy Friday!

Before the last couple rainy days we had some absolutely beautiful weather and we did our best to soak it all in. Inspired by our renewed effort to spend more time outside (more on that in this week’s Palmetto Piece), we’ve been taking every chance we can to get outdoors. The highlight? Walking as a family to the Farmer’s Market last Saturday, where we picked up some of the sweetest blackberries and peaches we’ve ever had—followed, of course, by pastries from Talucci’s. The low point? Glancing out the window to find our son and his friend tenderly petting a dead squirrel in the backyard during a playdate. Nature, in all its glory. 😅

The Palmetto Parents store has an all new Dad and Grandpa collection just in time for Father’s Day (in 9 days!).

Get some “summerville dad” and “summerville grandpa” merch now!

TO DO

$1 Movies at Regal Theaters

Regal’s Theatre’s Summer Movie Express is rolling in this week with the perfect budget-friendly activity for families! From June 10 to August 6, enjoy $1 tickets to a rotating lineup of family movies during the first showtimes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays—a fun and affordable way to beat the heat and make some sweet summer memories. The featured movies for this week are Sing 2 and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

The lineup for the rest of the summer includes new favorites like IF (starring Ryan Reynolds and John Krasinski), Leo (featuring Adam Sandler), and The Wild Robot. You’ll also catch beloved classics from the Sonic, Paw Patrol, Minions, and Kung Fu Panda franchises—perfect for kids of all ages (and yes, still funny for grownups too). To sweeten the deal, Regal offers a $5 Snack Pack with a junior drink, snack-size popcorn, and fruit snacks—and you can save $3 when you pair it with Dippin’ Dots.

It’s a simple, screen-time win you can feel good about—fun for the kids, easy on the wallet, and just the right amount of air conditioning for a hot summer day.

🎬 Check your local Regal theater for showtimes and full movie listings!

FROM OUR SPONSOR

Meet the Alphabittles – Alphabet Fun for Little Learners!

Calling all letter learners and ABC enthusiasts! The Alphabittles are here to make learning letters fun, imaginative, and interactive. Created by former children’s librarian and Summerville local Mr. Steve (Steve Fowler), this brand-new picture book series features a lovable character for each letter of the alphabet—with 26 books in all, one for each letter. The finished books include The B Hive, Fishing is Fun, and P on Your Pants, with more books on the way!

Each story comes with a QR code that unlocks exclusive content like videos, activities, and printable worksheets, helping your child continue the fun and learning long after storytime ends.

🎉 Join the Fun In Person!
Come meet Mr. Steve at Main Street Reads on June 18 at 9:30 AM for a special story time and alphabet-themed activities! It's a perfect outing for little ones who love books, letters, and hands-on fun.

📖 Preorder Now
All Alphabittles books are available for preorder now and will be shipped out this fall.

💌 Join the Alphabittles Club
Want even more ABC magic? Join the Alphabittles Club to support the series and receive perks like monthly alphabet videos, sneak peeks, merchandise, and even a chance to have your name printed in a future book!

🧩 Check out the Merch
Alphabittles has shirts, puzzles, posters, flashcards, craft kits, and more to further encourage your little’s love of letter learning! Check it all out here. 

🚨 Bonus: Subscribe to the Alphabittles Newsletter and get a free PDF of The Alphabittles Coloring Book!

Join Mr. Steve on his journey and let your little ones fall in love with the alphabet—one Alphabittle at a time.

LOCAL EVENT

June Family Fun Nights

Thursday, June 12th: Family Trivia Night (Disney Edition) at the Rollins Edwards Community Center

Disney Trivia is the perfect way to have some family fun! Teams up to five people are allowed (ages 5+). Participants under 5 are welcome to join in on the fun but won’t count towards the 5-person cap. There are also options for people flying solo. Family Disney Trivia runs from 6-8pm at the Community Center. Register here— spots are limited.

Friday, June 13th: Family B-I-N-G-O Night at Ashley River Park

Gather the family and enjoy the evening outdoors from 6-8pm playing bingo in the Ashley River Park Pavilion. Register here— spots are limited.

Thursday, June 19th: PuzzlePalooza at Ashley River Park

Get your team of 2-4 together to compete in a 2 hour puzzle competition! Teams will be given a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle. The first team to finish or whoever has the least number of pieces at the end wins. PuzzlePalooza is from 6-8pm in the Ashley River Park Pavilion. Register here— spots are limited.

Have a highly sensitive child? Check out A Cuppa Momsense newsletter. Get support and sanity-saving tools for moms navigating the chaos of big-feeling kids, loud lives, and not enough coffee.

RESTAURANT

Rotolo’s Craft & Crust

When we moved from Chicago, we thought we were saying goodbye to deep dish pizza for good—so imagine our surprise (and Daniel’s joy!) when we discovered that Rotolo’s Craft & Crust in Nexton serves up a seriously satisfying Chicago-style deep dish. This family-friendly spot offers all types of pizza— Detroit style, thin crust, classic crust— and they even have a gluten free cauliflower crust!

Our toddler was thrilled with a kid’s menu slice bigger than his face, and even our baby got in on the action with a bowl of noodles. The menu also features pasta, wings, wraps, burgers, calzones, and creative apps like The Chalmette Cheesesticks (hot sauce, garlic butter, feta, cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan—hello, delicious). We thoroughly enjoyed our meals and we all left full and happy, and already planning our next visit.

For pizza night with a twist (and deep dish dreams fulfilled), Rotolo’s hits the spot.

📍 Rotolo’s Craft & Crust – 420 Cross Park Ln, Summerville
🕒 Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday & Saturday 11am-10pm

PALMETTO PIECE

Get Outside (With Some Bug Spray)

When kids are home with us all day long—like during summer break—filling the days can feel exhausting. I often put pressure on myself to plan structured activities or outings to keep my sons entertained. But recently, after weeks of sickness (the kind where your kids take turns being sick, so you're basically in isolation for forever), I was reminded of something simple and powerful: just getting outside.

After so many days indoors, everyone was moody, our relationships felt strained, and it honestly felt like we were all climbing the walls. I remembered how much better things feel when we just get fresh air—and how much kids benefit from unstructured outdoor play. Going outside for a walk or some catch was always such a great reset.

And it’s not just about burning energy; studies show that time outside strengthens the immune system, improves moods, lengthens attention spans, and boosts creativity and confidence. Mom of three, Ginny Yurich, started the 1000 Hours Outside challenge to help families prioritize time in nature. Her family noticed better sleep, stronger coordination, and happier days just by being outdoors more. It's not about hitting an exact number—just about being intentional.

Of course, in our house, there’s one big obstacle to outdoor time: mosquitos. They’re so bad in our yard that it had become nearly unusable. And I don’t love the idea of spraying my kids down with heavy-duty repellents every day. But thankfully, a friend recently introduced me to a locally made bug spray from Daniel Island—and it’s been a game changer. It's allowed us to enjoy our backyard again without the chemicals, and I’m so grateful for that.

The heat also presents a challenge. We are SO lucky to have so many local splash pads close to Summerville, but sometimes we need days at home. This water table (shown below) that connects to a hose and doubles as a sprinkler has been great. My in-laws got it for my son’s first birthday, and it’s been a game changer for helping us get outdoors while staying cool.

So this summer, I’m reminding myself that it’s okay to step back from planning all the things. Sometimes, the best plan is no plan at all—just a little sunshine, a lot of mud, and maybe a really good bug spray.

Love,

The Berks 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦