No more sitting on the couch for kids in Woolwich. The Summer Playground program is in full swing, keeping kids aged 5 to 12 busy until Aug. 17. This week marked the beginning of a seven-week summer activities schedule, organized by the township.
In her second year as Summer Playground supervisor, Shannon Koebel is excited about the changes to this year’s program. Where last year’s Summer Playground camp was limited to the main Elmira location, the current program is enjoying success at the various locations around Woolwich. Kids’ activities will be taking place all around the township, including locations in Elmira, Breslau, Bloomingdale and Conestogo. Each week Summer Playground events will be held in Elmira and another Woolwich community. Elmira and Breslau are first up on the list of locations with Mad Science and Pawley’s Reptiles as the theme. On Wednesday kids enjoyed a day of activities like side walk chalk drawing and soccer, while Thursday held a day themed around making “slime” and learning to interact with reptiles.
The main Elmira location at the Woolwich Memorial Centre accepts a maximum of 40 kids a day while outside locations with two volunteers at each accept up to sixteen. Kids five to seven are placed in to Summer Fun groups, while kids aged eight to twelve enjoy Sports and Leisure.
Koebel said the program is accepting fewer kids into the program this year due to a decrease in the number of volunteers.
“We used to have three age groups, but we have less leaders this year.”
Despite a drop in staff, the incorporation of various Woolwich locations to the program is an exciting prospect, one that has been very well received.
“The parents were really accepting when their kids signed up, we just hope to have a fun summer filled with different themes,” said Koebel.
The main attraction for parents and children is the incorporation of off site locations. The activities last all day with lunch breaks and air conditioned rest stops in between. Kids who sign up can look forward to daily swims, free time in the mornings, events like rock climbing and visits to Bingeman Park and African Lion Safari.
