Spring Break Will Be Action-Packed Right Here at Home

My inclination every year in March is to head for the beach. Florida, that is. A week of sun, sand and surf is the perfect remedy to the late winter blues, and besides, isn’t that why spring break was invented?

But the reality of having to pay for airfare, lodging and all the associated travel costs always clouds my sunny vision. “Let’s save that money for summer vacation and ski trips,” says the miserly man (me), to which the kids reply, “Then what are we going to do for spring break?!”

It’s a good thing the Fox Valley Park District has families like mine in mind. When school is out during the week of March 28 to April 1, fun is in throughout the District.

From open gym to expanded water park hours to E-Fit fun and spring break camps, there’s plenty going on to provide parents ammunition against the dreaded cries of “I’m bored.”

Open gym is available during various hours each day at all three community centers – Eola, Prisco and Vaughan. It’s good, old-fashioned fun where kids create the games and make up the rules. Whether it’s a game of horse, or 21 or half-court hoops, anything goes.

If you haven’t checked out the E-Fit room at Eola, treat the kids to a unique experience. It’s literally an interactive fitness arcade that turns video game technology into a cardiovascular workout. The kids will be having so much fun they won’t even realize they’re exercising.

Get ready for summer (and pretend you’re at the beach, for that matter) at the Vaughan Aquatic Center. With three pools and a water park, it’s the place to be for excitement. Daily passes are available, and the center will be open for spring break use from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day during that week.

Three new spring break camps are also available, each running Monday through Thursday.

Aspiring volleyball players ages 10 through 15 can take part in age-specific camps at the Vaughan Center. All the essentials will be taught during the four-day camp, with each player receiving instruction appropriate to his/her skills.

Grab a skateboard and head to Hupp Skate Park, where the new skateboarding camp will be held for children ages 5 to 13. Instructor Frank Pope will teach his bag of tricks that participants can show off when they return to school.

The NFL is on ice right now, but youth football players ages 7 to 10 can hit the gridiron during spring break at Wheatlands Park. The Youth Flag Football Camp runs each afternoon and puts young players on a solid track to developing football skills essential to future success.

Spring break really is a festive time after all, right here at home.

Jeff Long is the public relations manager for the Fox Valley Park District. Contact him at jlong@fvpd.net