By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
There is still plenty of time to sign up for summer activities through the Hays Recreation Commission.
The commission’s current slate of classes runs through August. Classes are available for ages 9 months through senior citizens and cover a wide range of activities and interests.
Gail Wickham, program director for youth and seniors, taught a Doodle Bug class on Wednesday morning. The art class was for children ages 2 to 5.
The children dove into slim, blobbed paint with small balloons, molded clay and made fanciful neon sand art.
These activities are not only fun, but they help build fine motor skills in small children.
Picking up a small item like a bead, will help the children build the skills they need to grasp things such as pencils or scissors as they get older.
Grayson, 4, has been coming to art classes at the HRC sine he was 1-1/2. His father, Thomas Decker, said Grayson loves to experience things that involve new textures, such as the slime activity.
“He likes to touch things that are weird, strange and gooey,” Decker said.
He said his son also likes to bring home examples of his art.
For older children, Wickham said Hays Rec programs offer youth a way to stay active during the summer months and build social skills.
“Our School’s Out program encourages social interaction. They get to interact with different kids from different schools. It keeps them active,” Wickham said, “and it keeps them away from electronics.”
The programs for school-age children will be starting in earnest next week, Wickham said.
Sign up days are Wednesdays and can be done online at www.haysrec.org or in person at the HRC, 1105 Canterbury Drive.
Class space is limited, but there are wait lists for classes that are full. Some classes have already started to fill up.
If a class is full, the HRC may inquire if the teacher can handle a few extra kids or administration may consider adding another session.
You must pay in advance for all classes, including wait classes. If you or your child do not get into a wait list class, a refund will be issued.
“We will try to accommodate as many as we can.” Wickham said, “and we will try to take people off of wait list.”
Popular HRC courses come back year after year. New this year for youth is an arial yoga course.
Participants use a hammock to do yoga stretching positions.
Wickham, who is teaching the class, said youth and adults both can build confidence in arial yoga.
“Tweens have to learn to trust the hammock,” she said. “It builds self confidence. Once they have accomplished it, they don’t have to be afraid. If they can trust the hammock, sometimes they can trust more people.”
The HRC opened a new fitness center in April, which freed up more art and programming space in the main HRC building. For more information on the new fitness center, click here.
“The additional space has been a blessing,” Wickham said.