Children count on great fun with new friends at community center
at community center
CALEXICO — On hot summer evenings it is the coolest ticket in town as Kids Night Out is one of Parks and Recreation’s most popular events.
The Lego Batman Movie was certainly a draw for the 30 children who arrived at the Community Center on Saturday despite more than a few having already seen the February release. But before Gotham’s cinema splash, children enjoyed coloring, arts and crafts as well as crab ball, a version of indoor soccer (substituting a dodge ball) as players must compete in a crouched position while passing the ball by hand, water-polo style.
“We’re offering it twice a month in July and August for just a $5 entrance,” noted Jaime Chew, sports coordinator. “The next one is on July 22. Tonight kids will do a Batman out of construction paper. Then they’ll play crab ball and afterwards they’ll watch the movie while having pizza and snacks.”
Children really love the board games such as battleship, Janga, and connect four, remarked Jose Galindo, rec leader. “I haven’t seen ‘Lego Batman’ yet,” said Galindo. “But Batman is one of my favorites. He’s much better than Superman of Spiderman.”
Batman is also a favorite with Jaden Pyerce Hodge, fourth grader and his father likes him too, but his mother favors Wonder Woman. “My brother was born on July 5th,” said Jaden. “I really like having a younger brother. When he’s gets older we can play tag.”
Krishna Zuniga, 12, looks forward to playing all the board games but does not have a favorite. “I like watching ‘Lego Batman’ but I like the Joker,” she confessed. “I also like coming here to meet new friends and I really like the little kids.”
Attending Kids Night Out when she was in primary school Liz Vizcarra is now a rec leader. “I have fun when they get together with others their own age,” she said. “And it’s a great chance for them to get away from electronics and video.”
But making a Batman figure out of construction paper was the most fun for fourth grader Sophia Gonzalez. “I like Batman the best,” she said. “And this is fun because sometimes my parents have somewhere to go and they don’t have a baby sitter so I get to come here.”
Working his first year as a rec leader was Fabian Galindo who was assisting third grader Jacob Lizarraga to paste together his Batman figure. “I like working with the kids a lot, helping them with sports activities,” he said. “I like working with them in basketball and hopefully they get to like it too.”
In a fiercely competitive game of crab ball, William Maiga was top scorer and Jacob Lizarraga also a game competitor but had other weighty matters to contemplate. “I like getting the gum and cookies,” he said.