EAST WINDSOR — The township Recreation Department is holding Kids to Parks Day from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, at Etra Lake Park. The free event will include a fishing and camping demonstration, guided nature walk, arts and crafts and other activities encouraging enjoyment of the outdoors.
East Windsor’s local event is part of a national effort intended to focus young people and their families on spending more time outdoors at local parks and recreation sites, to develop more active, healthy lifestyles.
This initiative comes at a time when obesity touches nearly one in three children and communities are witnessing rising rates of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated cholesterol levels in children. East Windsor Township joins with the National Parks Trust desiring to build a greater awareness and appreciation by young people for the outdoors and the importance of our country’s public lands and parks.
Kids to Parks Day has been endorsed by numerous groups throughout our country including America’s State Parks, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Hiking Society, Boy Scouts of America, Children & Nature Network, National Environmental Education Foundation, National Geographic Kids, National Parks Hospitality Association, National Recreation and Parks Association, National Wildlife Federation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National League of Cities, National Park Service, National Parks Conservation Association, Bureau of Land Management, Sierra Club, American Recreation Coalition, Outdoor Alliance for Kids, City Park Alliance, U.S. Play Coalition, and Falcon Guides.
“East Windsor Township is committed to healthy living and our wonderful parks and recreation areas like Etra Lake Park, as well as our many trails and natural areas, provide excellent spaces for outdoor activity,” Mayor Janice Mironov said. “We encourage young people to join in for this special outdoors day at Etra Lake Park on May 21, for Kids to Parks Day.”