Bad weather, no school sends area kids indoors

    As the blizzard makes its way across Iowa, dozens of schools are closing their doors or cutting back hours to ensure the safe transportation of school children. When not in school, those kids have to find something else with which to occupy their time. Many find their way to the Washington Y, which sees an enormous number of kids on early-out and no-school days.

    Fran Stigers, the sports director at the Y, is in charge of supervising the gymnasium and game room. He said that, on early dismissal days, he has activities prepared for the mob of kids that descend upon the Y. 

    ?We?ll have a pingpong tournament or a billiard tournament going in the game room,? said Stigers. ?Sometimes I?ll put together a Wii tournament. You need something to keep them busy because they have all that pent-up energy inside.?

    On the very first snow day of the year, Stigers said most kids find things to do in the snow. He said that sledding down the hills at Sunset Park is a popular activity among young kids. As soon as they get too cold in the snow, the kids head over to the Y for indoor games.

    ?We have a rock wall they can climb and we have a Dance Dance Revolution game that keeps them pretty busy,? said Stigers. ?For the older kids, we try to keep the gym open as much as we can. We try to get pick-up basketball games going.?

    The Y?s game room is a hot spot when school is let out early. Stigers said the kids need to have something to do or else they?ll get bored, and there is plenty to keep them busy in the game room.

    Griffin Wood, a first-grader who frequents the Y, said the game room is one of his favorite places to be when it?s too cold to go outside.

    ?I like to play pool, pingpong, foosball, and Dance Dance Revolution,? said Wood. ?I also like to go swimming and do arts and crafts.?

    Fellow first-grader Devon Linville said he was especially fond of air hockey, swimming, and Dance Dance Revolution.?

For the full article, see the Dec. 10 edition of the Washington Evening Journal.