Ideas to keep bored kids busy in the last daze of summer
August is here, and that means the final leg of the summer of ’11 — the first summer since forever that every schoolkid in the Clark County School District enjoyed a classic, three-month-long summer vacation — has begun.
So how’s it been going? Mind-numbingly bored yet, kids? Climbing the walls trying to keep the kids busy, Mom and/or Dad?
Don’t worry. We’re here for you. We came up with a few things — activities, day trips and the like — that you probably hadn’t gotten around to doing this summer. Each is relatively inexpensive. Each can be done in as little as a day. And each is close enough to home that nobody has to spend a lot of time trapped in a car with whiny parents or whiny kids.
So, enjoy. And, remember, when classes resume a mere 25 days from now, you’re gonna look back on these dog days of summer and miss them so, so much.
GET WET
Yes, we live in a desert. But that doesn’t mean the valley isn’t awash (ha!) with places where you can offset the climatological rigors of desert life with a refreshing dip.
Lake Mead is always a possibility. So are municipal and county pools, backyard pools and (not that we’d ever encourage this) whatever hotel pool you can finagle your way into.
But we’d also recommend the four pools operated by the YMCA of Southern Nevada. The outdoor water parks at the Y’s Centennial Hills, Durango Hills and Heinrich facilities are equipped with multistory flume slides, aqua play zones and soakers, while the Y’s newest pool, at the SkyView YMCA in North Las Vegas, is an indoor pool that’s also open to the public.
"Summer is our busiest time with the pools," said Tara Maras, marketing director for the YMCA of Southern Nevada.
Particularly in light of this year’s school calendar, she said, parents are seeking places where their kids can be "safe, active and entertained."
In fact, many of the Y’s young poolgoers live in the neighborhoods surrounding the water parks, "and a lot of them walk, some get dropped off, and some are with their families," Maras said. "It’s just a nice family environment."
No alcoholic beverages are permitted, but some pools have pool concessions, and patrons are welcome to pack lunches, Maras added.
Pools are at: The Bill and Lillie Heinrich YMCA, 4141 Meadows Lane; the Durango Hills Community Center, 3521 N. Durango Drive; the Centennial Hills Community Center, 6601 N. Buffalo Drive; and the SkyView Multi-Generational Center, 3050 E. Centennial Parkway.
All are open daily from noon to 5 p.m. until Sept. 5. Admission is $5 per person for non-YMCA members.
For more information, visit the Y’s website (www.LasVegasYMCA.org).
HIT THE ICE
Or, enjoy water in its harder-edged state at the SoBe Ice Arena at the Fiesta Rancho, which offers daily public skating sessions in what is, at this time of year, a downright refreshing setting.
"There’s no place better, I believe, other than probably Mount Charleston to escape the heat, because it’s 110 outside and year-round (here) it’s anywhere from 55 to 60," said Rob Pallin, ice arena director.
Not surprisingly, many children and families have made sessions there a favorite way to beat the summertime heat.
"It’s very festive and kids have a lot of fun," Pallin said. "We make it very fun for the kids, and their parents come and watch, or parents will drop the kids off and go to eat in the restaurant.
"We’ve had kids as young as 4 years old skating, and we have regulars who are in their 70s."
Public skates are scheduled from: 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, with an additional session with a DJ from 7 to 11 p.m.; 1 to 5 p.m. and from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturdays; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Skate rental is $2.75, except for the Sunday afternoon session, when there is no charge for skate rental.
For more information, call 638-3785.
FLOOR IT
The Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix has been a favorite recreational destination for both kids and their lead-footed parents since it opened in 1993.
But the facility, at 1401 N. Rainbow Blvd., also offers a closer-to-home, and way less expensive, option to pricey amusement parks, thanks to its arcade and carnival-type rides.
Among the latter are: The Tornado Twister, one of those rides you want to do only before lunch; the Dragon Coaster; the Dive Bomber airplane; and the Super Fun Slide.
Then there are the racetracks and the vehicles, which range from adult grand prix cars (a driver’s license is required) to two-seater go-carts in which an adult and a kid can ride, to "kiddie carts" that kids (minimum height 38 inches) can drive.
There’s no admission fee, but tickets are $7 each or $6.50 each when you buy five or more. Big rides take a full ticket, while smaller rides take a quarter- or a half-ticket. Or, a $20 wristband gives you an hour on any of the rides.
Jerry Barton, the company’s vice president, said the attraction’s prices are "very competitive" with other go-kart and racing facilities in town. It’s also a popular venue for parties, he added, with about 60 to 100 parties scheduled each week.
Summer hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, call 259-7000 or visit the facility’s website (www.lvmgp.com)
GO WEST(ERN)
Not that you’d want to make summer vacation too educational, but a trip to Bonnie Springs Ranch and Old Nevada is sure to make the kids’ Nevada history class this fall a lot more interesting.
Bonnie Springs Ranch has authentic historical cred, having been built in 1848 and then turning into a popular spot for travelers along the Spanish Trail.
Old Nevada, in contrast, may not be historically significant, but it is fun. Old Nevada, explains "Cowboy Joe" Tasso, one of the ranch’s supervisors, is basically "a re-creation of an Old Western mining town."
From the horseback and pony riding opportunities at Bonnie Springs to the daily live shows — which, in true/faux Old West spirit, include shootouts and hangings — of Old Nevada, families will have fun spending an afternoon with assorted cowboys, saloon girls and bad guys.
Showtimes and attraction schedules vary, so check the Bonnie Springs website (www.BonnieSprings.com) or call 875-4191 for details. Admission is $5 per person Mondays through Fridays and $7 on weekends (kids younger than 12 are admitted free).
Bonnie Springs Ranch Old Nevada is at 16395 Bonnie Springs Road, Blue Diamond.
EXPLORE NATURE
When you take the kids to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, be sure to take along the camera. Not only will it be useful in capturing images of Southern Nevada’s coolest natural wonder, you’ll need it to take a picture of the kid when he or she takes the Junior Ranger oath.
Children who stop in to the visitor center at Red Rock merely have to ask for a Junior Ranger activity book, said Aaron Leifheit, environmental education program director for the Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association.
Then, after the child completes activities in the book, "we’ll have a ranger come in and do a little ceremony," Leifheit said. "They have to take a pledge and they get an official certificate and a little badge."
The Junior Ranger program is just one of many child- and family-friendly activities the nonprofit association conducts at Red Rock. In addition to checking out those programs, Leifheit said parents and children may wish to walk the short (three-quarters of a mile) Lost Creek Children’s Discovery Trail, where, he says, they’ll see a seasonal waterfall, a spring and "a spot where Native Americans used to live."
For a schedule of activities, check the association’s website (www.RedRockCanyonLV.org) or call 515-5367.
EXPLORE THE WORLD
An afternoon devoted to the exploration of Las Vegas’ downtown museum corridor is a fun way to expose kids to science, natural history and Nevada history, all within the space of a mile or so.
Begin at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, 900 Las Vegas Blvd. North, where kids can view dinosaurs, watch sharks and rays cavorting in a tank, check out snakes and other live creatures and even find out what’s so special about King Tut.
The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children age 3 to 11. For information, call 384-3466.
Then head across the street to the Lied Discovery Children’s Museum, 833 Las Vegas Blvd. North, where kids can play — er, learn about science — on an assortment of hands-on displays and interactive exhibits.
The Lied Discovery Children’s Museum’s summer hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $9.50 for adults and $8.50 for children age 1 to 17. For more information, call 382-5437.
Then check out the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park, 500 E. Washington Ave., where kids can learn about the Mormon missionaries who in 1855 became the valley’s first non-native settlers. The park includes a portion of the original fort and exhibits and displays about the settlement.
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Call 486-3511 for more information.
Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.
