GONZALES — Youth have been invited for virtual playtime with the City of Gonzales Recreation Department, which has started a YouTube channel for daily content and a Facebook Live stream on Fridays.
“We want the kids to know that the staff is working and the staff is OK and that there’s some consistency,” said Sara Papineau-Brandt, recreation coordinator. “They can see the staff and the staff can talk to them.”
Papineau-Brandt noted that social distancing might be a misnomer, as physical distancing is paramount, and added, “We want to be as social as we can with our kiddos and let them know that we’re thinking about them and we care about them, and let them reciprocate.”
The YouTube channel, which is named “City of Gonzales California Recreation Department,” sees daily uploads of multiple mini-programs starting with 10 a.m. preschool content.
Kid Power staff from the after-school program as well as staff from the preschool program gathered on Friday to play Jenga on Facebook Live, as a way to have fun and hang out with the youth viewers.
Staff played the wood-stacking game in front of the cameras and greeted children as they tuned in. To make things more entertaining with the number of staff present, they played two games at once.
In addition to the preschool content with a different lineup each day, the recreation crew holds a chapter book reading at noon, an activity that can be done with household items at 2 p.m., and multiple rounds of fitness, including senior fitness in the afternoon and evening.
“We definitely have gotten feedback that the kids are starting to like it,” said Julie Douglas, the city’s youth program coordinator.
Senior fitness includes such activities as chair yoga and chair Zumba. Family fitness, meanwhile, begins at 4 p.m.
“We’re slowly adding things as we become more comfortable with the process,” Douglas said.
The YouTube videos give youth the ability to check out content after-the-fact, in case they miss the scheduled uploads. It makes for possible binge-watching of rec department content, as well.
The statewide shelter-in-place directives mean the recreation department can operate to help area youth and families. Papineau-Brandt said the plans could shift to home filming among staff if directives become stricter and people are ordered to quarantine.
In addition to Gonzales youth, Papineau-Brandt noted that all youth can check out the videos. Children from Gonzales will have a connection to the staff on screen, but the videos are made in a way that all children can connect with the content.
