YMCA hosts Healthy Kids Day Saturday
The Ashland Family YMCA will host Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, May 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 540 YMCA Way. Many activities will be set up to keep families busy, including a dunk tank, a jump house and a gymnastics obstacle course. Summer camp and swim lesson registration will also be available. If families want their children tested for swim placement, they should bring a swimsuit. There will also be a water safety demonstration and kayaking in the pool.
A Mercy Flights helicopter will be landing in the YMCA parking lot at 10 a.m. Children can explore inside of the helicopter along with an ambulance and a fire engine.
"YMCA Healthy Kids Day is a collaborative effort of health-related activities," said Laurie Schaaf, the associate director of the Ashland Family YMCA. "Besides the YMCA activities, ScienceWorks will have a demonstration set up in the basketball court, SOU Youth Programs will have a presentation, Today's Dentistry will have an activity and Kokopelli River Center is supplying the kayaks for paddling in the pool."
A concession stand will have bagels, granola bars and other food items for sale with all proceeds going toward the Scholarships for Kids Campaign.
In addition to just having a day of fun, families can register and get more information about the various summer camps available. The YDay Camp has many week-long, full-day camps for children entering kindergarten up to sixth grade. These camps meet Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with extended care available until 6 p.m. for an extra fee. Each week will have a different theme such as Pirate Camp, Galaxy Quest or Super Soakers.
Half-Day Sports Camps are another week-long camp option. Camps such as soccer, volleyball and basketball will teach skills and good sportsmanship while maintaining a focus on fun. Some of the Sports Camps have been scheduled to compliment another camp so a child can attend a sports camp in the morning and in the afternoon.
Extreme Camps are designed for older kids and teens and include Fishing Camp, Paintball Camp and Outback Adventure Resident Camp. The Outback Adventure Resident Camp is a week-long overnight camp at Box R Ranch for kids entering grades third through eighth.
"This is more of a traditional overnight camp," Schaaf said. "During the day, campers will be hiking, doing crafts, practicing archery and putting on skits. The Outback Adventure Resident Camp and the Paintball Camp fill up quickly because of limited space."
Healthy Kids Day is a free event and open to the public. For more information, call the Ashland Family YMCA at 482-9622.
