‘Winter Daze’ camp beckons kids on break
Kids looking for something to keep them busy during their winter break from school can sign up for the city of Spokane Valley’s annual “Winter Daze Cool Camp” at the CenterPlace Regional Event Center.
“We have it every winter break for the kids,” said Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Coordinator Tina Gregerson. “It’s an extension of our summer day camp. It’s the same camp counselors.”
The camp will be offered Dec. 20-21, 26-28 and Jan. 2-4 at CenterPlace, 2426 N. Discovery Place. Each day has a different theme and a different mix of indoor and outdoor activities, including crafts and games.
“Everything they do revolves around that theme,” she said.
The activities will also depend in part on the weather. “Hopefully there will be some snow for the kids to play in, but if it doesn’t (snow) we have a few more things up our sleeve,” Gregerson said.
The goal of the camp is to give kids something to do and help parents who need to work, said Gregerson. Children can come once or every day or anywhere in between.
The themes for the camp are, in order, Santa’s Workshop, White Christmas, Fa la la Flamingo, Candy Cane Wishes, Sleigh Bells Ring, Snowflake Flurry, Penguin March and Snowman’s Land. “We’ll have a couple field trips during those days,” she said.
There will be a field trip to go swimming at the Valley YMCA on Jan. 2. Another field trip is set for Dec. 27 but the location has not been finalized yet.
“It’s going to be somewhere great,” she said.
The camp is designed for kids in the Central Valley, East Valley and West Valley school districts but anyone is welcome, including students in Post Falls and Spokane, Gregerson said. “It’s open to anybody,” she said.
A maximum of 35 children is allowed each day and each session must have a minimum of eight students. Attendance can vary day by day, Gregerson said. “It depends on when Christmas falls, the day of the week it falls on,” she said.
The three Spokane Valley school districts also have different dates for their winter break, which can affect attendance. “We have a couple days when only one school district is out of school,” she said. “We want to accommodate everyone.”
Only Central Valley School District is out on Dec. 20 and 21, so those days may have low attendance, Gregerson said. “We kind of go with the flow,” she said. “We hope to fill it.”
The sessions are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Extended care is available beginning at 7:15 a.m. and ending at 5:45 p.m. The camp is open to kids ages 6 to 11. The cost is $35 per day.
Parents can call (509) 720-5200 or visit