Field Day Brings 325 Campers Together for a Day of Fun
Over 320 kids from the Des Plaines Park District summer day camps participated in the second annual All Camp Field Day on Wednesday, July 17, at Prairie Lakes Community Center. Campers from Adventure Camp, Arndt Park, Camp Chickagami, Camp Opeka, Sports Xplosion, West Park, and Dance and Arts Camp were divided by age into six groups: five and six year olds; seven year olds; eight year olds; nine year olds; ten and eleven year olds; and twelve and older for a day of competition and fun. “This is a wonderful way for children from all of our camps to meet and make new friends,” said Karyn Roth, Recreation Supervisor. “Field Day gives kids an opportunity to discover and try new activities, take part in team and individual sports, learn about good sportsmanship, and meet campers and counselors from across the District.”
The groups rotated through six stations during the day. In Station 1, campers raced through an inflatable obstacle course and played sidewalk games including jump rope, hula hoops, and bags in the Prairie Lakes field. At Station 2 campers competed in Track and Field events including a shoe toss, the long jump, hurdles, a softball throw for distance, and a 50-yard dash. Indoors, in the Prairie Lakes gym, at Station 3 campers played dodge ball, floor hockey, knock out, and kickball. At Station 4, kids played with the new Park It! Patrol games including: a jumbo Jenga, an obstacle course, and frisbee golf. At Station 5, while the girls were playing a game of musical chairs, the boys played four-square and competed in wheel barrow races on the mats in the Mountain View Rooms; then, they switched. In the aerobics room, at Station 6, campers learned the Tonto, a dance made famous by Will Smith and Carlton Banks Do in an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
“Our field Day gives kids a chance to step out of their comfort zone and experiment with a new activity,” said Josh Cantres, Athletic Supervisor. “I love to see the kids in Sports Xplosion learn to dance, and the Adventure Campers play some dodge ball.” At the end of the day, all 320 plus campers got together in the gym for a group Tonto dance. “Field Day is a great tradition we plan to continue,” said Roth.
For more information about all Des Plaines Park District day camp options visit www.DPParks.org or call 847-391-5700.
To see a video of the All Camp Field Day Tonto dance visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hij5EHeINtg&feature=youtu.be