BY FRANCES COLLISON
As a kid, the summer meant traveling with my family, biking, watersports on the lake, board games and camping. If Creston parents are wondering what to do with their kids, I have done the research. The Creston and District Community Complex is a great fitness place all year round. Did you know that they have summer activities and day camps for kids? The Complex provides week long day camps all July and August for kids who are 6-12 years old. The cost is $39 per day or $170 per week. Check out the leisure guide for details or go to the Complex to register. There are also some mini camps like sports, movie making, mermaid camp and cooking. Some drop in activities to do with or without your parents are Fun Patrol Tuesdays, WIBIT Wednesdays, and Duck Hunt Thursdays.
If parents want their kids to explore more outdoors, the Creston Valley Wildlife Center has week long summer science programs for kids who are 6-13 years old. The Junior Naturalist Science Summer Program is designed for kids who like to investigate their environment, collect samples, explore nature and are curious about wildlife in our valley. The age categories are Curious Caterpillars (6-7 years), Boisterous Beavers (8-9 years), Eager Eagles (10-11 years), Trekking Turtles (12-13 years) and the Teen Stewards (14-16 years) that take on the task of habitat restorations. The Creston Valley Wildlife Centre has a website for more information.
If parents would like their kids to have a fun time for worship and education in Christianity, the Creston Baptist Church has a four-day summer camp from July 4th-7th. It is a good deal at only $20 per kid and this includes lunch and snacks. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church also has a vacation bible school July 10th – 15th from 9am-12pm for children ages 2-14 years. Creative crafts and nature discoveries are planned and free. That’s a great deal!
If you would like your kids to camp out overnight try Blue Lake Summer Camp that is just north of Canal Flats. This camp has an age group of 6-14 years and runs all summer long. It is a real rustic deep woods camp. Another summer camp is Kimberly Alpine Discovery Camp that runs all July for ages 8-14 years old. Going west of Creston is Pines Lake Christian Camp in Grand Forks. This camp runs all summer but has different age groups set for different weeks. It has beautiful facilities. All these camps have websites for pricing and more information.
At the Creston Valley Public Library there are books and technology for your learning. But did you know they have a reading program for kids? The Summer Reading Club program has been around for about 20 years. It is flexible for anyone who wants to just drop in or come on a regular basis. The coordinator is Alyssa Mynott. The program starts on July 11th and registration is available by mid-June. The Summer Reading Club welcomes kids 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 years of age for various afternoons. The purpose of this club is to keep kids’ minds engaged in reading during the summer time.
There are other great places to visit and be active with your children. Here are some ideas: going to the water park, public swimming, playing with sand toys on the hot sandy beaches of Twin Bays, listening to story time at the library, a trip to the Creston Museum, a fun game of mini golf at Cheyenne Creek course, going to Mackie Park beach in Boswell that has an awesome deck slide, taking a hike on one of the nearby trails, mountain biking and anything else you can imagine in our beautiful giant backyard of the Creston Valley. Don’t forget your sunscreen and have a wonderful summer!
