The City of Yorkton Community Development, Parks and Recreation Department has offered three Kids' Conventions a year for about 10 years, says recreation services manager Darren Spelay.
Typically the events are scheduled to take place during the February school break, Easter break and Christmas break, Spelay reports. "It's a chance for kids to get off the couch to participate in some recreational activities," he explains.
Each session serves 25 youngsters who register for the week-long session. "They just come over to the Gloria Hayden (Community Centre) and have a lot of fun," Spelay states.
The Kids' Convention also provides some relief for parents who can't always schedule vacation time with the school breaks, Spelay points out. It gets the kids out of the house to do something active, he suggests.
Generally summer programmers return for the convention to work with the young participants for the week.
The program leads into the summer S-cape program which runs in July and August at the Gloria Hayden Community Centre. It allows the kids to come out to participate in the programs throughout the summer months, Spelay notes.
Kids' Convention activities take place both indoors and outdoors depending on the weather. This year the youngsters were able to try snowshoeing despite the lack of deep snow, Spelay reports. Activities are generally based around seasonal themes, he adds.
The program, aimed at youngsters ages six to 12 years also offers a lot of cooperative games.
Participants bring their own bag lunches which they consume during the supervised lunch hour. It helps parents who can't get away from work during the lunch hour.
The fee of $50 for the week is nominal, Spelay says.
The whole premise behind the program is to get the kids active and keep them busy, Spelay closes.
One of the challenges of the program is the limit of 25 youngsters, "We do have a waiting list," he claims. Therefore he urges parents to sign up early.
The next scheduled Kids' Convention will be held during the Easter school break, he notes.
Anyone who would like more information or to register youngsters for the next session at Easter should telephone Darren at 786-1776.
