YMCA announces summer activities

[MAY 19, 2000]  As the school year draws to a close, many parents may be wondering how to fill the summer months with worthwhile and fun activities for their children. Well, look no further than Lincoln’s YMCA for some great ideas close to home.

Angie Peters, executive director of the local YMCA, has the perfect summer solution for you and your family–Summer Camp 2000. "The children who participate in the Y camp meet other children from all over the county and make many lasting friendships," she says. "This is so good for our community because it helps the children learn how to meet and make new friends and helps the children to understand how to get along with people that are different from them."

The well-trained staff provides good role models and a super curriculum that overflows with activities. Ms. Peters explains that each week at camp has a different theme, which the planning staff fills with games, arts and crafts, character development lessons, songs, guest speakers and field trips.

The Summer Day Camp program is offered from 6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m., beginning the last day of the school year and ending the day before school resumes in the fall. Ms. Peters expects to have 65 to 70 kids in summer camp beginning May 30. "Camp takes place in an outdoor setting for most of the day so that the children have a true camp experience," she says. "Last year we had 55 to 60 kids in a week and it was a really fun summer."

 

 

The programs and services offered by the Lincoln Area YMCA are open to anyone in Logan County. A membership initiative was put into place in January of 1990 by the staff and board of directors in order to give the YMCA participants a sense of "belonging to the Y family." YMCA members receive membership cards listing discounts to local merchants, a quarterly newsletter, brochures, special mailings, and invitations to member picnics and events. The YMCA’s membership fee is $5 per family each calendar year and is paid the first time someone in the family signs up for a program. According to Ms. Peters, there are currently more than 3,200 members of the Lincoln Area YMCA. "We would like to see that number grow," she adds.

 

 

In addition to Summer Camp 2000, the YMCA is offering a Preschool Camp program. For more information about these or any other summer activities at the YMCA, call 735-3915.

Following is list of the dates and descriptions for Summer Camp 2000:

Session 1

May 30 – June 2

"School’s Out for Summer"

Children and instructors will get to know one another during this session through fun activities and games. Children will be assigned their group names, learn camp rules and procedures, be introduced to character development programs and also learn about the YMCA’s exciting summer reading and writing program.

Session 2

June 5 – June 9

"Boogie with Bugs"

Campers will learn many amazing facts about bugs and insects through science kits and instruction. By the end of the week, they will also know more about plant life and gardening skills.

Session 3

June 12 – June 16

"Farm Fun"

Campers will enjoy a field trip to a farm this week to learn about raising farm animals and to see some of the products and crops that farms produce.

 

 

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Session 4

June 19 – June 23

"The Magic School Bus"

Campers will experience imaginative trips to where "The Magic School Bus" takes them. They will acquire insights related to the five senses, inside the earth, inside a beehive, hurricanes and "kitchen chemistry."

Session 5

June 26 – June 30

"Experiencing the USA"

Campers will have an opportunity to learn about various places in the United States that are exciting to people from all over the world. Important places in Illinois (including Chicago); Juneau, Alaska; the Colorado mountains; Washington, D.C.; and New Orleans are places the YMCA will highlight throughout the week with stories, games, videos and activities. A field trip to New Salem State Park is planned.

Session 6

July 3 – July 7

"Let Freedom Ring"

This week the children will experience American history and patriotism to gain insight into American government. An American Marine who served in the Gulf War will share his experiences with the children.

Session 7

July 10 – July 14

"Traveling Through Space"

Children will learn lots of facts about the solar system and astronauts, and will design a space shuttle. A field trip to the Children’s Museum in Decatur is planned.

Session 8

July 17 – July 21

"Connecting Our Cultures"

During this session, campers will learn about Mexico, Africa, Japan, Russia and Germany. Customs, beliefs, foods and dances from these cultures will be shared.

Session 9

July 24 – July 28

"Surfing the Deep Blue Sea"

Water fun and activities are on the agenda. Children will learn lots of facts about the deep sea and aquatic life, as well as properties of water. A field trip to Dragonland Water Park in Pekin is planned.

Session 10

July 31 – Aug. 4

"Catch the Olympic Spirit"

Campers will participate in soccer, basketball, baseball, volleyball and skating. Fundamentals and interesting facts of each sport will be taught and experienced during this week. A field trip to Owens Ice-Skating Rink in Peoria is planned for this session.

Session 11

Aug. 7 – Aug. 11

"Experience the Fine Arts"

Children will learn about drama, music, art, theatre and dance. Performance night is scheduled for parents on Thursday night of this week from 6 to 7 p.m. so that children can share songs, dances and poems they have learned during the camp.

Session 12

Aug. 14 – Aug. 18

"Call of the Wild"

A field trip to Wildlife Prairie Park in Peoria will be the highlight of this session. During camp the children will learn interesting facts about forest and jungle environments and their wildlife. The children will enjoy a party this week to wrap up summer camp.

[Dara Baker]

 

 


"Turn left at the next corner, dear"

On most of our vacations, we’ve packed the car full and driven to our destination.  I’m usually in the driver’s seat, and my wife usually rides shotgun as the navigator.  On most trips we’re fine, even jovial, comfortable and happy for the first five or six hours of the trip, but then we begin to get weary, hungry or just plain grumpy.  And then the inevitable happens!  The driver (that’s me) asks in a grumpy tone for directions from the navigator (my wife) for the next turn.  The navigator, also weary, hungry or just plain grumpy, responds in kind.  And then it escalates as we find out in a panic that we’re not on the right road at all.  The vacation, now only five hours old, ceases to be a vacation, and our daughter in the back seat wishes she had stayed home.

My wife is actually a very good navigator, and I am a pretty good driver (if I might say so myself).  But invariably, a sign is missing, or we missed a sign, and voila, we are tense, angry and holding each other accountable for our current predicament.  Twenty years of vacations trips…. and then I discovered GPS.

  Using a laptop/notebook computer in the car, with special mapping software, and a GPS (global positioning satellite) device, we resolved our relational problem, got instructions for the best roads, the shortest time and/or mileage, and even found an excellent source for information along the route.  GPS computer navigation is great for vacation planning, short trip navigation or planning for business trips.

 


[Information sent back from the GPS satellite is then translated thought a computer program providing you with accurate navigation.]

 

  The special software is an intricately-detailed map of the entire United States (and even shows parts of Canada) which has on it every highway, every connector, every local road, and even gravel and dirt roads.  The mapping software allows you to enter the place where you would like to start your trip, and then also your destination. You indicate to the program that you would like it to calculate a route using specific or general road choices, a scenic route or, if you are in a hurry, the quickest route, and the software charts your upcoming journey on the map with a magenta line.

 

 

  There is a treasure trove of information detailed on the map.  Included is information about motels and restaurants along your route (even telephone numbers in case you want to call ahead).  You can zoom in and zoom out in order to get a perfect perspective of the details along the way, including names of forests, rivers, parks, mountains, stores and waysides. 

  Perhaps the best feature of GPS computer navigation is that the computer shows you your exact location marked on the map.  It appears as a green arrow pointing in the direction you are traveling, and shows you where you have been.  You can see exactly which road you are on, where you are heading and, in a navigation window, how soon you will arrive at your next stop.  It even tells you your current elevation and your current speed.  But, best of all, the computer tells you in a plain voice where and when to turn.  I call this divorce prevention!

In order to use GPS to help plan and manage your trip, you will need a notebook computer which has either a long-lasting battery or the ability to plug into the cigarette lighter to provide lasting power.  You need a CD-ROM drive in the notebook computer for the detailed mapping data.  And you will need to purchase the GPS bundled hardware and software.

 

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There are two packages on the market currently which I have either owned or used.  Rand McNally sells their bundled hardware/software package called GPS Streetfinder 2000 for under $100.  It includes the GPS device which connects to the notebook computer by an external serial port and rests on the dashboard of the car.  The mapping software is intuitive, easy to use, and will adequately guide you from point A to point B.

  The bundle I am most familiar with is by a mapping company known as Delorme.  It is called Street Atlas USA, and sells in most computer stores for about $150.  The Earthmate GPS device (bright yellow) also sits on the dashboard of the car to constantly get a glimpse of the invisible satellites in the sky.  It tracks your position (Delorme uses the satellite data to triangulate and report your position on the screen, not to report your position to the government).  The mapping software seems easy to use and best of all, audibly gives directions right from your notebook speakers: “Turn Southwest on I-497, still three minutes away.”

 

 

  If you have a modem in your notebook system and an Internet account, you can download the latest road conditions before you begin your journey.  The software even makes automatic adjustments for road hazards and road construction.

 


[Device for communicating with GPS satellite] 

 

  Our first experience with GPS cut hours off our drive time, showed us which restaurants were coming up and helped us plot in advance which motels we would choose.  Even with GPS, though, we have made a few mistakes in navigation.  Road signs are still imperfect, our ability to interpret them is slightly flawed, and sometimes we still get just plain turned around.  But, the real stress reliever in our travels with GPS is that now when we are on the wrong road going the wrong way, we blame it on the computer!

[Jim Youngquist, Lincoln Daily News]

 

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