By Stephanie Bunker
Moapa Valley Progress
This summer doesn’t have to be slow and boring for the kids out of school in Moapa Valley. There will be plenty of activities to get them involved and keep them learning. Moapa Valley Parks and Recreation along with the Logandale and Overton Pools have activities and lessons planned for kids of all ages.
There are several aquatic programs for kids and families. Of course, swimming lessons be still offered to kids ages 3-14. But there will also be deep water aerobics taught at the Logandale pool for ages 14 and up.
At the Overton pool there will be a family water aerobics class. Families are invited to bring kids ten years and older to the class.
According to Dave Castle who supervises county aquatics programs attendance has dropped at the Overton Pool in the past few years. Because of this swimming lessons will be consolidated and combined at the pool. The beginning class through level 2 will be together, for every 6 kids there will be 1 instructor. The advanced group will be level 2-4. In this group there will be 2 instructors for every 10 kids.
Each level only accepts 10 kids, so sign up quickly!
The swimming classes follow Red Cross standards, which means that the child must meet the skills requirement to enter the next level.
Swimming lessons are two week long courses and will repeat throughout the summer.
There will also be a Recreation Swim Team program at the Logandale pool. “It’s noncompetitive,” said Castle of the program. “It’s fun for the kids to learn the different strokes and have coaches practice with them.”
Castle also wanted to remind the community that the pools will be open, once again, on the 4th of July.
Parks and Recreation will also be very busy outside of the pool this summer. Logandale, Overton, and Moapa are offering many different programs to keep kids learning and having fun.
Parks and Rec Coordinator John Stastny is over the Logandale and Overton Parks and Recreation. While Summer Recreation will continue, there will also be multiple other programs happening as well.
Sports camp is back this summer where kids can get their fill of basketball, softball, dodge ball and other sports.
A Cooking Class is being offered which is new to the lower valley. Cristine Johnson will be the Instructor. She is planning on starting the kids off easy with Rice Krispie Treats and then moving on to more difficult recipes such as Navajo Tacos.
Another fun class will be Art in the Park. Kids will be making outdoor crafts such as pine cone bird feeders, bug catchers, and piñatas.
There will be an Indoor Soccer Program for High School age kids. Jared Bushman, who is the new soccer coach at MVHS, will be the Instructor. Using a felt covered soccer ball will enable kids to play the sport inside.
The popular Leaders of the Future program is also returning this summer. This is for kids that are Middle School age. It is a free program and is designed to teach the kids a lot about getting their first job. There are only 9 slots open in this program.
“This is a program to be taken seriously, its not a babysitter service,” said Statsny.
The kids must fill out an application, and interview to be chosen for the Leaders of the Future program. They will learn how to fill out applications, dress for success, and interview for jobs. The program isn’t all serious, though. The kids will also have fun going on field trips like to the NBA Summer League games, to Hoover Dam, and to the Mesquite Rec. Center.
Moapa Parks and Recreation also has a variety of classes and programs for all ages. Their Summer Rec program consists of individual classes. Kids can be signed up for golf club, guitar class, science camp, knitting and crocheting, food magic, little artist, dance classes, all for the boys program, and girls U create.
There are also evening classes offered in Moapa for adults; programs like Zumba classes for women; and pick-up basketball, and flag football for men.
Monday through Thursday will offer a program called Fun Factor.
“Fun Factor is an organized chaos,” said Moapa Parks and Rec coordinator Gail Lindsey. “They play games, go to the spray park, and do little crafts throughout the summer.”
The Moapa spray park is open to the public between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm.
If your kids tell you they are bored this summer, sign them up for the Parks and Recreation activities.
