spark some fun
with your grandkids
Grand Sparks is a one-week activity day camp that will challenge grandparents to interactive outdoor play and recreation with their grandchildren.
Registration for 2022 is open!
There is a lot of planning that goes into this fun filled week at Grand Sparks summer camp. Registration is through Edge-of-Walton. Registration ends JULY 8TH!
WHEN: Week of July 18-22, 2022, Monday to Friday, 9AM to 12PM
LUNCH INCLUDED
What is Grand Sparks?
Grand Sparks is a one-week activity day camp that will challenge grandparents to interactive outdoor play and recreation with their grandchildren (ages 5 and up). The ultimate goal of Grand Sparks is two-fold: 1) motivate older-adults to become more active and find a recreational activity that becomes a shared, routine, interactive pastime with youth, and 2) educate and encourage children to make healthy nutritional choices by getting them involved in meal preparation.
Small local businesses and individuals will lead sessions in adventure hiking, canoeing, biking, yoga, and much more. This program will also include nutrition workshops daily, where lunch is prepared together, after a morning of physical activity.
You don't have to officially be a senior, or a grandparent, to participate. You only need to be an older adult bringing a youth partner, and lots of sunscreen. Don't worry if you feel you are "out of shape!"We can modify the activities to suit the physical abilities of the participants.
Cost to participate
See current prices on the Edge-of-Walton website (click here).
You will also be taking part in rural health research!
The primary research question: What motivates people to get active and stay active? Many people will start an exercise program with good intentions, but often lose interest or motivation to sustain that activity over time. We are curious whether a program like Grand Sparks, that focuses on building relationships through a shared activity, is a more sustainable exercise program. We will request follow-up surveys of all adult participants at the end of our week together, and 6-months after Grand Sparks.
Secondary question: What do children know about nutrition, and are they putting that knowledge to use? Although adults usually do the grocery shopping, their meal choices are heavily influenced by their children's requests (or demands).We will be developing a quick survey tool to measure children's knowledge of nutrition, and how much they are putting that knowledge into practice. Currently, no tool exists that can quickly gauge nutritional knowledge/practice in children. We will request short follow-up surveys of the children at 6-months.
In 2016, Healthy Kids Community Challenge - County of Huron provided funding to help us make water the first-choice beverage f or kids, and reduce sugar-sweetened beverages. In 2017, HKCC provided funding again to help boost fruit and veggie consumption. water as the first-choice beverage for kids, and reduce sugar-sweetened beverages. Their funding will also help us cover the costs of food, and development of our nutritional information handouts.
This program was started in 2015 with the financial assistance of the Ontario Senior Communities Grant, funded by the province of Ontario. We acknowledge the help of the province in getting this program launched.
