By Pamela Stern
On June 13th the Spring Creek After School Program held their Family Funzone. This event took place during their regular program hours from 2 pm- 4pm.. The children and their families were able to engage in two hours of fun.
There were a total of 20 families that attended this fun family event. Also, six parents volunteered to help support the program by assisting with the set up and provided the counselors with preparation for the student activities.
This year’s theme for the Family Funzone was Togetherness. This theme was selected because the staff of the Spring Creek After School wanted to end the year in the same mannerism that they had started off the year with. The year they showcased inclusiveness and togetherness. They invited and included the families of the students in both the Hispanic Heritage Expo and Lights On Afterschool Events. The goal of the Spring Creek After School Program was to keep up the momentum throughout the school year.
The Family Funzone was designed to have interactive activities both inside and outside of the school. The small cafeteria is where the indoor arts and crafts activities were hosted. Some of the fun arts and crafts activities included: Water Paint and Gifts, Sand Art Designing, and Father’s Day Crafts which included the children recognizing the male figures in their lives and expressing how grateful they are to have them in their lives. The outdoor activities took place in the school yard. These activities were based on working as a team in sports. The children and their families played games such as; Octopus Tag, Balloon Train, and Shark Attack.
This was one of the end of the year events. On Friday, June 14th (the official last day of the program) the staff held an award ceremony to recognize all of the children in the program. The children received special awards that allowed them to stand out and receive recognition and provided a moment of individual focus on them. All of the program participants were gifted treat bags. The awards that the children received were chosen by the children’s Counselors and designed by Janay Swift (Group 2 Head Counselor). The treat bags were snacks contributed from the families and staff of the program.
“Hosting a Family Funzone at the end of the year was not only a great success, but also a great idea. The children and their families were able to be together and create
memories. And at Spring Creek After School this is just the right place to do it, we love to provide the families the space to spend quality time with their children,” said Randi Ray, Program Director of Spring Creek After School Program.
