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Washington Evening Journal
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Campers test skills at Summer Nature Olympics
FAIRFIELD — Jefferson County Park hosted a Summer Nature Olympics for kids Tuesday that tested their speed, strength and marksmanship.
The all-day event was for children entering fourth through seventh grade, and gave them a chance to show off their skills in several outdoor activities. Events included testing their accuracy with a bow and BB gun, learning how to throw a spear far with an atlatl, running in a relay race, and kayaking as fast as they could on the pond.
Jefferson County Naturalist Brittney Tiller said the conservation department has hosted a Summer Nature Olympics before, but the events were done one at a time over several weeks instead of all in one day.
“Doing it this way saves time, and allows us to have additional programs throughout the summer,” Tiller said. “It was fun to have a bit larger group, so the kids could interact with each other a bit more.”
Since some of the activities involve shooting a projectile like the BB gun and archery section, or throwing a projectile in the case of the spears, Tiller said she and her assistants are very safety conscious.
“We say at the beginning that the kids have one chance to do an activity, and if they demonstrate that they can’t do it safely, they don’t get a second chance,” Tiller said. “We start in heavy with our expectations, so we rarely need to ask a camper not to participate.”
Camper Rozee DeVore said that she had a fun time at the Summer Nature Olympics. Though she came close to falling out of her kayak while making a turn, she said she wasn’t afraid because she had been kayaking before, and was able to remain calm.
Camper Jayce Stein said the highlight of the day was shooting a BB gun, which is something he’s done many times before.
Tiller said that activities at the park will slow down a bit for the next few weeks, but they’ll ramp up again in September when kids will start taking school field trips to the park.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
