Woodlawn Regional Park is offering weekly programs for young people this summer.
The park received a $2,500 grant through the Community Initiatives Fund for the programs, which take place every Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Children who are seven to 12 years of age are welcome to attend.
“We have a number of different things scheduled throughout the summer,” said Maureen Daoust, the park’s business manager.
The program kicked off on Thursday with a park exploration and scavenger hunt. Eight young people attended.
This week will include arts and crafts and water play. Other events in July will include a Zumba session for the kids, a cooking class, and an opportunity to use the canoe, kayaks and paddleboats in the park.
August activities will include a walk-through of the Fresh Air Fitness site, with an opportunity to try out all of the outdoor fitness equipment and participate in yoga; a fishing 101 class that will teach kids how to fish in the river; an activity with the Estevan Public Library; a lesson on how to build a bird house; a chance to learn how to make slime and a wrap-up session.
“There’s a gamut of different things; it’s well rounded,” said Daoust.
A nutritious snack will be offered at each session.
Registration is required each week to ensure there are enough adult supervisors each week. They also want to know if the kids have allergies or medication needs.
The goal was to have children come every Thursday, but the park would be willing to accept kids for the remaining weeks of the summer, and they would also accept children for one week to try out the camps. They hope the eight kids who were there for the first week can attend each week.
Daoust pointed out that while there are kids who are camping at the park who are participating, the program is open to young people not using the park.
“They are welcome and can see what the park has to offer and get outside and have some fun and be active.”
They tried to incorporate nature as much as possible with the scavenger hunts, bird houses nd fishing, and they also want to have fun activities and even offer a little bit of learning during the summer months.
The weekly sessions will take place at the Souris River campground, with Rotary Hall as the drop-off point.
“We have access, obviously, to the facility. So if the weather is inclement, we can move indoors to the hall, and we also have a fenced area attached to the building there, so while we’re waiting for all of the kids to arrive, the kids can play in that area.”
The start time was selected so that parents can drop off if their children around the coffee break time, and then pick them up during their lunch hour.
