Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

GET OUTSIDE!

PLAY Kamloops wants to get families outdoors this December

Dec 11, 2020 | 1:57 PM

KAMLOOPS — With fewer than eight hours of daylight during December days, it can be difficult to find the motivation to get outside and move our bodies. As we approach the winter equinox, a group of organizations in Kamloops has teamed up to help people off the couch and outdoors. That group is called PLAY Kamloops, and the campaign is called the How to Play Winter Challenge.

When you’re a child with a sleigh, there’s nothing quite like that blank canvas. Today is Play Like a Kid Day, which is part of the How to Play Winter Challenge by PLAY Kamloops.

The Boys & Girls Club, they’re sponsoring our day today,” Jodi Lebourdais explains. “So if you find a playground, see if you can get across the monkey bars. See if you’re brave enough to climb up the slide, all of those cool things we used to like, tap into when we were kids.”

Lebourdais is the Play Coordinator with PLAY Kamloops, which is part of the Physical Literacy for Communities Initiative. Partners like the Kamloops Y, Tk’emlups the Secwepemc. and the Boys & Girls Club of Kamloops are part of the steering committee that helps plot a course for PLAY Kamloops.

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“We are very passionate about kids, and families, and people being active,” Traci Anderson with the Boys & Girls Club of Kamloops tells CFJC Today. “We knew that this winter would be a little different, especially with COVID-19 restrictions. Especially December, moving into the Christmas season. So we just really wanted something else for people to be excited about.”

The How to Play Winter Challenge is simple. If you go to the PLAY Kamloops website, you can download a How to Play Winter Challenge Calendar. The calendar has suggestions on how you and your family can get outside throughout the month of December. However, just getting out the door is a big step.

“The benefits of physical activity — there’s a lot of research on how that impacts our mood,” Lebourdais says. “Being outdoors can really boost mood levels and reduce stress levels.”

The How to Play Winter Challenge also seeks to remind folks that getting outside at this time of year shouldn’t be a daunting task.

“As long as you’re prepared it’s easy,” Anderson says. “It’s absolutely beautiful to be out in the winter. Look at today, it’s snowing. It’s just a really pretty wonderland.”

Not that you’d need any extra motivation, but there is a chance to win some prizes. If you download the calendar and check out the PLAY Kamloops Facebook page and Instagram accounts, you could be a weekly winner, and qualify for the Grand Prize draw at the end of the month.

“We have a $500 Grand Prize package for our participants who are checking off boxes on the calendar,” Lebourdais says. “Every box you check off is an entry into the Grand Prize package draw.”

So grab a sled, or your skis, or skates or even just your winter boots and get outside for the How to Play Winter Challenge! Even if you don’t win a prize, the feeling you get from that activity will be worth it.