Wilmette Park District Camps Learn to Beat the Heat

With the excessive heat last week and the weather expected to hit the lower 90’s Monday and Tuesday, has been adjusting summer camp programs to keep the children hydrated with more water-based activities. 

“We canceled field trips during last week’s heat wave,” said Steve Wilson, executive director of Wilmette Park District. “Both of my kids’ field trips were canceled.” 

Instead of taking campers to Lincoln Park Zoo, children headed to the lakefront, said Carol Heafey, manager of recreation programs. 

Heafey says no field trips have been canceled, yet, for next week, but if there are any changes, parents will be notified via email or a note will be sent home with the campers.

, Wilmette Park District has kept time at swimming pools and the beach the same.

“This time of the year some of the camps are inherently designed to spend more time in the water than during the first half of summer,” Wilson said.

Adapting Program to Deal with Heat

For campers spending time in facilities without air conditioners, the district is rotating the children through school libraries.

“We’ll have them spend 20 minutes in the school libraries playing card games or reading books,” Heafey said.

The school libraries are typically closed during summer and opened to accommodate the summer camp.

“We don’t use the school books, we bring our on books and games to use,” Heafey said.

When campers are outdoors, Heafey says they keep the activities low key.

“We use the shade of the trees as much as possible … we also limit the time out in the sun,” she said.

More Water-Based Activities

Games, such as Duck, Duck, Goose, have been adapted to Drip, Drip, Drop, where children drips water on the head of others and the person who gets a cup of water on their head has to run around the circle. 

“We are also having the kids do more water-based activities than physical activities,” Wilson said.

The kiddie car wash, a sprinkler game, which is typically used only once or twice during summer programs, was kept out all last week during the heat wave, Wilson said.

The number of water breaks has been increased and campers are reminded to keep their water bottles filled.

“We are really pushing both staff and the children to stay hydrated,” Heafey said.

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