Lots of things for kids to do this summer
Posted on Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Just because school is out, there's no reason for the younger generation to be bored. Summer programs for Rogers children are available at the Rogers Activity Center, the Rogers Unit of the Boys and Girls Club, the Rogers Public Library and the Rogers Historical Museum. Each one is a little different.
The RAC Summer Day Camp is a licensed day care center where children from kindergarten age through seventh grade can spend the hours between 6: 30 a.m. and 6: 30 p. m., according to director Lena Colgan. The fee of $ 75 a week includes both lunch and breakfast, as well as nutritious snacks.
The campers spend the morning at the Activity Center, but afternoons find them loading borrowed school buses for trips to local pools, skating rinks, theaters and other attractions. While some favorite trips will be scheduled every year, there are always new places to see. This year, War Eagle Cavern, Gator Golf and Fun City are among the destinations.
Some campers will also sign up for morning swimming lessons at Lake Atalanta and one of the buses will transport them back and forth.
Colgan expects to see about 250 campers each day. Already, over 200 have signed up. Some scholarships are available.
For more information, call the Rogers Activity Center at 631-0336.
On June 8, the Rogers Unit of the Boys and Girls Club will hold a Summer Orientation Night for parents, director Sharon Comstock said.
The summer session begins June 11 and runs through Aug. 1. The only fee is $ 40 for a summer membership. Lunch is included.
The Boys and Girls Club is a youth development program, not a licensed day care, Compton said. A few field trips are planned throughout the summer.
This year the club is partnering with Rogers Public Schools and Ozark Transit to provide lunch, Comstock said. Last year her personnel brought lunches from a nearby school, but this year with the help of Ozark Transit, the children will go to Jones Elementary for lunch.
At the Eighth Street location, members have access to a full size gym, a learning center that includes activities like Legos, Lincoln Logs and board games, a supervised tech center, a craft room, a game room with pool and foose ball tables and separate rooms for teenage girls and boys. Comstock is holding 20 spots for teenagers because she believes they need summer supervision too.
Children can come and go at any time with their parents, Comstock said. Parents must sign their children in and out.
Comstock believes her program will draw 350 kids this summer.
For more information, call the club at 633-0044.
The programs at the library and the museum are not day care programs. Both offer enrichments opportunities for children who are out of school.
The library's Summer Reading Program has become so popular that it's being spread out this summer, Children's Library Director Sue Ann Pekel said. Registration is already open on the Internet.
The participants in the program set their own reading goal and there are weekly prizes for achieving that goal. An end of the year skating party is also a possible reward for good readers.
Throughout the summer there are story times on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. There are movies scheduled on several Mondays and crafts on Fridays.
Special guests are scheduled for some Tuesdays and Thursdays, Pekel said. The special guests are a way to get more kids into the library each summer, she explained. Hopefully, they'll go home with books.
This year's theme is "Get a Clue"so many of the guest entertainers use the mystery theme. The very first presentation at 2 p.m. on June 7," Quizzical Quests"brings the Act ! vated Storytellers to town for a professional theatrical production, Pekel said.
Throughout the summer presentations range from "Shaky Bugs"on June 14 to Marty the Balloon Man with his top secret balloons on July 18. For a complete list of special events, visit the library Web site at www. rogersarkansas. com / library or go to the library.
There are also programs for teens at the library, including teen movies, special guests, gaming night and a self defense class.
The Rogers Historical Museum also has a summer program.
In addition to their Second Saturday program which offers family activities all day on June 9 and July 14, there are three children's programs during the week of June 11.
On Wednesday, June 13, from 9 a.m. to noon, children who have completed grades three through five will make and decorate their own flower presses. On Thursday, June 14, from 9 a.m. until noon, children who have completed kindergarten through second grade will weave placemats. On Friday, June 15, from 9 a.m. until noon, children who have completed grades three through five will weave a fabric placemat, after choosing their own fabric.
The museum sessions cost $ 7 for members of the Friends of the Museum group and $ 10 for non members.
For more information, call 621-1154.
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