Pirates Invade Durham-Great Programs with Durham Parks and Recreation

What it is: Now that the weather is getting a little cooler, it's nice to have a few more indoor options for entertaining the little ones.  Well, this Wednesday, all of the Durham Public Libraries were closed, so we didn't even have any storytimes to go to.  Never fear, Durham Parks and Recreation came to our rescue with a great program just for our kids.

Durham Parks and Rec hosted a Pirate Treasure Hunt at Campus Hills Rec Center for kiddos ages 2-6, and it was the perfect way to get their wiggles out.  We had to pre-register for the Treasure Hunt, which I definitely recommend because the program only had a few spots left when we showed up.

I was pleased by how well-organized the treasure hunt was and how many staff they had there helping out.  They gave each of the kiddos either pirate or parrot stickers when we showed up and divided us up into two groups accordingly.  Our group started off doing some great crafts.  We created newspaper pirate hats, pirate faces, and some coloring.  They also got to each some snacks that were provided.

Next, we moved on to the treasure hunt.  They moved our group on to the gym where the scavenger hunt was set up.  They guided the kids through the gym running around and finding various things until they "found" the treasure chest, got to pick out a prize from the chest, and received a medal for their excellent hunting.  Then, one of the staff led them in some very age appropriate games, and the kids got to run and play in the gym for a little while.  It was very well organized and my son had a wonderful time!

What we liked: I loved how well planned everything was.  They knew exactly what the kids were doing and what they would be doing next.  There wasn't much down time which is a must for any activity for young kids.  As they were wrapping up the activity they handed us a flier for the next Durham Parks and Rec activity for kids-an evening meet up with Santa.  I would definitely go back to another Parks and Rec activity after that experience, and I'm going to look through their classes to see what we can go enjoy.  Plus, there's a playground and a pool also at Campus Hills, so there are plenty of other opportunities for fun there.

What we would change:  We did have a little trouble registering online, and navigating their webpage.  So, be patient and give yourself a couple of days before the program you would like to do to figure out registration.

Website and other important information:

Website: http://durhamnc.gov/ich/op/prd/Pages/Home.aspx

Photos: 

(Creating fabulous pirate artwork)

(A scavenger hunt in the gym)

(Playing parachute)