Screen-free fun focus of HUB’s Healthy Kids Community Challenge

The HUB Family and Child Care Centre hosted more than 50 children at its Healthy Kids Community Challenge Thursday morning in Benson Park in Picton.

Staff focused on bringing awareness of the benefits of reducing screen time for children through various fun, and simple activities – the highlight of which was the water curtain provided by the Prince Edward County Fire Department. The challenge was the second of the summer as the first was enjoyed by children in the Wellington area earlier this month.

“We want to show it doesn’t take a lot of money to have fun,” she said. “and remind of the simple things we can do away from screens,” said Tiffany Struthers, part of the HUB’s Early On program.  “It also promotes that you don’t necessarily have to be part of a sports team to get out and be active.”

Activity centres also included sponge water bombs, sidewalk chalk, hop-scotch, building blocks, and a tunnel. A scavenger hunt featured painted rocks based on the popular PEC Rocks campaign where people are invited to paint stones and place them throughout the community for others to find, keep, or re-hide.

“The plasma cars are also popular,” Struthers said. “We come here for playgroup every week and the kids use their muscles taking the cars up and down the ramp.”

Healthy Kids Community Challenge funding was provided through Hastings Prince Edward Public Health to help cover costs of healthy food snacks and screen-free kits and prizes distributed at the events which included items such as balls, skipping ropes, flying discs, children’s books and activity books.