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The MHPSD's HUG program offers summer programming for students from Grade 2-5 while the MyPlace programming is designed for students in Grade 7-10. There are still dozens of free activities planned for the remainder for the summer break.
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
The Medicine Hat Public School Division has several activities planned to keep students busy throughout the rest of summer break through its HUG (Helping Us Grow) and MyPlace summer programs.
The HUG program offers programming for students from Grade 2-5 that includes friendship-building activities and emotion exploration with art, games and outdoor adventures
MyPlace programming is designed for students in Grade 7-10 and includes activities like rock climbing, painting, kickboxing and campfire cookouts. All MyPlace activities are created to support mental well-being and peer connection.
“Our program is about building friendships and connections throughout the summer, because oftentimes students leave their friends and maybe their friends are going on vacation and they don’t have those connections anymore,” explains April Welshman , program manager for the mental health capacity building programs with the school division.
“We also do a ton of social emotional learning components in there as well.”
Some activities planned include carnival games, race car games, a scavenger hunt, giant board games, Minecraft themed games, Minute to Win games, make your own puppets, diamond art and choose a park adventure.
Additional activities for teens include basketball at Big Marble Go Centre, mini golf, bowling and zen activities.
All activities are designed to keep students off their phones while participating.
“I think it just gives them an opportunity to just play,” said Welshman. “They don’t always get an opportunity to do that when they’re on their screens. And so that connection piece, they’re creating conversations with each other, instead of texting each other.”
Welshman says so far this summer, hundreds of families have already participated in the free pop-up park style programming.
“Our summer pop-up in the parks with our families have increased over the years, last year we were probably seeing about 100 families, this year we are probably seeing about 150 to 200 families coming to our events,” said Welshman.
There is no registration to attend an event as students’ families are encouraged to drop in to participate.
Parent supervision is required for all children under the age of 12 during all summer program events.
“We’re actually seeing some really incredible connections with our families,” explains Welshman. “(Sometimes) they don’t know each other and then they make a connection at our event and they’re swapping phone numbers. So we’re really seeing a lot of that this year, of other families sitting together and talking and making connections that way.
A full schedule of all free activities can be found by visiting the Medicine Hat Public School Divisions’ website and clicking the “Division News” tab.
