Summer Fun in Wahoo, Nebraska: Things for Kids to Do

Summer is approaching fast, and the kids already are out of school. Parents are starting to wonder what to do to keep their children occupied. Although Wahoo, Nebraska, is the perfect picture of small-town America, there is plenty to keep kids busy this summer.

Summertime sports keep children busy and help them learn new skills as well as practice old ones. This summer the Nebraska Baseball Academy will be offering several different camps in Wahoo, including a Skills Camp, Day Camp, and Stars of Tomorrow camp (for Jr. and Sr. High School students).

The Wahoo Aquatic Center has a wonderful outdoor pool with lots of water slides and other toys for kids to play on while enjoying a break from the summer heat. The pool is open to everyone every afternoon, and in the morning they are offering swimming lessons. The best way to enjoy the Aquatic Center is to buy a summer pass for the kids. Children under eight years old must be accompanied by a parent or other responsible adult.

The Wahoo Civic Center is open every day except Sunday. They have a day camp program for the summer that is good for working parents. The day camp is essentially a day care program though, so it is not like a specialized camp. For children not in the day camp, there are still many activities to enjoy this summer at the Civic Center. The indoor pool is great for getting out of the sun, and swimming lessons are offered here too. The gym is open for basketball practice or just running around, the racquetball court is a great place to practice your racquet skills and usually one room is set up with a volleyball net so you can work on your volleyball skills as well. The game room is a great place for kids to just relax. The T.V. can be tuned to a variety of cartoon channels, ping pong and air hockey tables are a great way to have fun with friends, and you can grab a soda and snack at the vending machines.

Young bookworms can find daily fun at the Wahoo Public Library! Carrie Trutna, the Children's Program Director, has many exciting and educational activities planned for this summer. This years Summer Program theme is "Catch the Reading Bug". For school age children the program is at 1:00pm every weekday. It usually runs for an hour. On Thursdays at 10:30am preschool and kindergarten aged children can enjoy story time. Toddlers get their own story time on Monday mornings.

The Wahoo Kids' Summer Institute is offering a good variety of day workshops this summer. Children from preschool to high school can find something that piques their interest! Some of the workshops to choose from include: Basic Dog Training, Growing Little Gardeners, Halloween Stick Figure, Stampin' Up Scrapbooking, Chef Combo, Safari Fun, Simple Spanish, Character Noggins, Water Wonders, and Red Cross Babysitting. There are many more to choose from, and most of these activities are in the morning so your child will still be able to attend the library program. The fees for these workshops are reasonable. Fees range from $5. to $35.

Even more summer workshops are offered by the University of Nebraska (UNL) Cooperative Extension-Saunders County for elementary and middle school age children. You can sign your child up for Babysitting Basics as well as a variety of 4-H project workshops. Your child does not have to be a 4-H member in order to enjoy these workshops which include photography, rockets, rabbit showing, and horse showing. Some of these workshops are free but most have a small fee.

High School Students can attend Big Red Summer Academic Camps offered by UNL. There are several camps to choose from including Theatre, Web Design, Culinary Arts, Movie Making, Spiders, and Dance. There are scholarships available for teens who need financial assistance.

The small town of Wahoo is a great place to keep your kids occupied this summer. Your children will enjoy spending time with friends and making new ones as they participate in the many summer programs available.

Sources-
UNL-Saunders County
Wahoo Public Library
Wahoo Parks and Recreation