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- World Class Experience
Monday, December 4, 2023
Parks and recreation are all about enjoying the good parts of life, getting outside, and learning to play for fun. Those who choose a career in community services care deeply about providing services that allow our community to do the things they love the most.
July 21 is Park and Recreation Professionals Day, and we couldn’t let it go by without celebrating the world-class individuals who live out the work-hard, play-hard mentality every day. Throughout the month, we’ve been highlighting the different divisions that make up the Community Services Department, and today we are diving into the public service motivation that keeps our team at the top of their game daily.
When you work in the largest department in the city, it can be hard to stop and reflect on the incredible work your colleagues do, and we occasionally get siloed in our individual responsibilities. However, we know each team member is vital to fulfilling our mission of creating world-class experiences for our residents. On this Park and Recreation Professionals Day, we paused to ask one of our teammates what he loves most about his job.
Here’s what our Athletics Coordinator had to say:
“What I like about working in Parks and Rec is watching the kids I used to interact with as a counselor/attendant level grow up, develop their skills, and see them thrive in our programs and leagues. It’s even better when they remember me and they talk to me about how school is going or how much fun they are having in their sport. Seeing them enjoy themselves in our programs and leagues lets me know that we are doing the best job that we can for them and our community!” Luis Marquez, Athletics Coordinator
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Thank you to everyone in the Community Services Department. We’re lucky to be surrounded by world-class parks and recreation professionals who help our community grow every day!
Summer Camp Mania is the place to be if you’re a kid spending your summer in Southlake!
Camp is well-underway, and the kiddos are having a great time. Since parents don’t get the opportunity to shadow their kiddos during the day, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to share the incredible schedules our campers enjoy! No two days are alike, and every week has a unique theme to set the tone for the activities we do.
A Day in the Life of a Camp Mania Camper:
7:30- 9:00 AM
Campers wake up bright and early to make it on time for the first activity. Structured activities begin at 9:00 AM, but parents can start dropping off their kiddos starting at 8:30 AM. This is a time for free play and socialization!
9:00- 9:30 AM
Welcome to the Opening Ceremony. This is the perfect time to orient campers and prepare them for the day ahead! It wouldn’t be camp without singing some camp songs, reciting the camp creed, and going over the expectations for the day.
9:30- 10:00 AM
Time for a quick huddle/ ice breaker game! Camp favorites include the Human Knot, Freeze Dance, and Telephone!
10:00- 11:00 AM
Fun in the sun! It’s time for some outdoor playtime! Depending on the day we could be playing games or cooling off with waterslides!
11:00 -12:00 PM
Lunch! Time to take a break from all the activity and enjoy a delicious home-packed lunch! This is also the best time to talk with friends.
12:00- 1:00 PM
Time to hit the gym! This is the time of day to work on team building and friendly competition with crowd-favorites like volleyball and Powerball. On Fridays, we enjoy splashing in the water at the Champions Club Aquatics Center.
1:00- 2:00 PM
Time to get creative! During this hour, Campers break up into their groups to enjoy a fun craft or STEM activity. The highlight is always taking these crafts home to share with mom and dad!
2:00- 2:30 PM
Snack Time! All that playing and creating sure works up an appetite. Snack time is always a welcome break in a day full of fun.
2:30- 4:00 PM
Time for more incredible activities! Each day is different, but there is something for everyone! On Monday’s we watch movies, Tuesdays we have inflatables, Wednesdays are field trip days, Thursdays we have guest performances, and Fridays end the week with delicious Kona Ice!
4:00-4:30 PM
Camper Choice. After a busy day of scheduled activities, campers get to decide how to spend their final 30 minutes.
4:30- 5:30
Check- Out. Time to say goodbye to our friends and Camp Counselors and get ready to do it all over again!
Every day is an adventure at Camp Mania!
The beautiful Spring weather is here, and it’s the perfect time to get your sweat on outside!
Our Champions Club group fitness instructors are committed to providing world-class experiences for our Champions Club members, and we know they are the best in town. We want to share our incomparable group fitness classes with the entire community. The Outdoor Fitness Spring Series is the perfect opportunity to come together, get our sweat on, and enjoy the great outdoors in our beautiful parks!
Join us this month for this short series of fun, free classes located in different parks throughout Southlake and taught by our one-of-a-kind group fitness instructors. We’ll raffle off an awesome swag bag of gear to one lucky participant during each class.
Mark your calendars for these fantastic free classes:
Wednesday, April 13 – 6:00-7:00 PM
HIIT/Stretch with Megan
North Park
Monday, April 18 – 6:00-7:00 PM
Stretch/Yoga with Rebekah
Bob Jones Nature Center
Saturday, April 23 – 9:00-10:00 AM
Bootcamp with Skyler
Champions Club Outdoor Turf 1
Wednesday, April 27 – 6:00-7:00 PM
Zumba with Ann, Rosy, Cristina
Aria Amphitheatre
This limited series is open to all ages. No registration or membership is required. See you at the parks!
The Bob Jones Nature Center is a natural classroom for community members of all ages.
You may be familiar with our award-winning Cross Timbers Forest Preschool and legendary Community Hikes, but did you know the Nature Center offers free Outdoor Education classes for adults? Mark your calendars because there are three incredible class options this spring!
Photography Basics: 3/26/22 10:30am-11:30am
Join local photography expert, Bruce Rosenstiel, to learn about wildlife photography! This class will touch on the basics of photographing nature while focusing on pollinators in the garden. Topics will include equipment, the basics of shooting, general tips and tricks, and more! Feel free to bring your camera with you.
Register here.
Healing Gardens: 4/16/22 1:00pm-2:00pm
During this class with Betsy Marsh, Conservation Education Coordinator for Tarrant Regional Water District, you’ll have an opportunity to walk through the beautiful gardens at BJNCP, learn about specific plants and garden features that can promote health and well-being, and discuss new pathways to health in your own home garden.
Register here.
BJNCP Garden Tour: 5/14/22 9am-10am
Tarrant and Denton County Master Gardeners work incredibly hard to make the Bob Jones Nature Center and Preserve (BJNCP) gardens beautiful and beneficial to wildlife. Join head BJNCP Master Gardener, Carol Dowd, for a tour of the Nature Center gardens. Carol is an expert in all things gardening and can teach you about our plants and give you tips for your garden. This class will be entirely outside. Please dress for the weather and bring a water bottle.
Register here.
We know you’ve been obsessing with Wordle online, but it’s time to take your love for word challenges to the fitness floor!
The February Fitness Challenge is a Champions Club Word Scramble! Exercise your brain this month by completing a fitness word scramble the old school way! Each Monday, fitness staff will hide new letters around Champions Club to add to the scramble. Get out of your comfort zone and explore new fitness areas you’ve never taken advantage of before as you look for your next clue. Discover the correct word, and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a new Air Fryer and Air Fryer cookbook!
We didn’t forget about your muscles this month either! Each week we will also release workouts that you can complete while at Champions Club. The workouts are not necessary for the challenge they are just for fun. Nothing beats a double score of working out your body and mind!
This challenge is open to all Champions Club members. Age requirements still apply to fitness equipment usage.
What do you say, Champions Club members? Are you up for the challenge?
Champion Club is awash with the holiday spirit! We celebrate in style from our glorious tree to our awesome 2022 Goal Wall. We haven’t forgotten about our littlest Champions, however!
We know that wellness never takes a break, so we have something extra special planned for our Child Watch members who join us on December 24 and January 1. Our Child Watch staff organized a couple of fun holiday-themed days for our Lil’ Champs: Pajama Day! That’s right, no need to worry about getting dressed up on those days. Just bring in your little champion in their PJs for a festive and comfy day at Child Watch.
We love coming up with creative ways to show our members we care, including our youngest Champions Club members. Our Child Watch staff is always looking to cultivate world-class experiences for our Lil’ Champs to make them feel like a part of our family. Pick your coziest PJs, and we’ll see you at Child Watch on December 24 and January 1.
The year came and went, and now it’s time to start looking towards the new year!
We know our Champions Club members are motivated to smash new goals and continue making progress on their health journey. We’re here to help our members in whatever way we can. That’s why this month’s Fitness Challenge is all about Looking Into the New Year.
Our fitness staff wants to challenge you to start thinking about your 2022 goals early to get a head start on the new year. Stop by the fitness desk any time this month to share your goals with us, and we’ll showcase them on our 2022 Goals Wall! When you trust us with your mission, we’ll help hold you and our other members accountable. But that’s not all, we’ll also enter you into a raffle for a chance to win a fun Fitness Gift Basket!
Need help coming up with an attainable goal? It’s all about thinking SMART!
What are SMART goals?
Now that you know how to set up SMART goals, don’t forget to visit us at the Fitness Desk. We can’t wait to see what you’ll accomplish in 2022!