Kids stay active on spring break in local youth programs
.JPG "Ben Liske, 8, of Merced reaches out to touch the branch of a pine tree during a Building Young Leaders treasure hunt at Applegate Park in Merced on Wednesday. The activities are organized to keep students active and busy during spring break.")
For many students, spring break is a time to enjoy a mini-vacation with their parents.
Others will relax at home playing their favorite video games.
And some will keep busy with activities planned by local youth groups.
Wednesday afternoon, it was all games and giggles at the Boys & Girls Club of Merced, where about 25 students are spending their spring break this week.
The club moved up its hours of operation so students without classes or day care services could have a safe place to play. This week, the facility is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The club’s normal hours are from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Lam Kindavong, a program coordinator at the Boys & Girls Club, said students ages 6 to 18 are scheduled to participate in classroom-type activities, such as computer lab hours, science experiments, arts and crafts time, and bingo.
On Friday, UC Merced’s women’s soccer team will visit the Boys & Girls Club to give students soccer lessons.
Another group, Merced’s Building Young Leaders, also organized workshops to take students on adventures this spring break.
The organization’s Nature Explorers class, for example, gives students the opportunity to improve their art and science skills while getting some dirt on their hands. Wednesday’s 9 a.m. class took kindergartners through third-graders on a “treasure hunt” around Applegate Park.
The treasures, instructor Amanda Hill told students, are found in nature. The children wore their most comfortable shoes and made their way from the Merced Outdoor Amphitheater to the Applegate Park Zoo, taking note of flowers, bugs and birds.
Students recorded their findings in a notebook by sketching what they saw and later sharing with the group.
The class is scheduled to explore Lake Yosemite on Thursday and practice poetry and storytelling on Friday at the Building Young Leaders Center on 3337 M St.
Parents who would like to find out more about Building Young Leaders can visit www.buildingyoungleaders.com. Those who would like to contact the Boys & Girls Club of Merced can call (209) 722-9922.
This story was originally published April 8, 2015 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Kids stay active on spring break in local youth programs."