Indoor Kids Games

SkyCamp helps keep kids active in summer months

Kids in Las Vegas don’t get enough physical activity during the summer.

That’s the premise behind SkyCamp, a five-week indoor summer camp where children age 6 to 12 can jump, flip and play games on large trampolines.

“We wanted to offer something for kids to do during the summer so they’re not sitting at home,” camp founder and General Manager Mallory Rueca said. “Kids here can go on the trampolines and they don’t realize they’re getting a workout.”

With school out for the summer, many children find themselves indoors playing video games or watching TV, said Rueca, 24.

They might escape the searing desert heat, but youngsters don’t get the physical activity they usually receive from their physical education classes and recess during the school year, she said.

That might help explain the high rate of childhood obesity in Southern Nevada.

A recent UNLV study of students entering the Clark County School District found that 34 percent of kindergartners were considered either overweight or obese, and state statistics show 38 percent of Nevada children are either overweight or obese, above the national average.

Rueca hopes to change the statistics with SkyCamp, which has served about 100 kids each summer for the past three years.

For $100 a week, SkyCamp attendees can play games such as dodgeball, tag and long jump on three trampoline fields at Sky Zone, 4915 Steptoe St. The day — which also includes snack time and arts and crafts — goes from 8:30 a.m. to noon every weekday, said Christin Shults, the camp’s team leader.

“Parents bring their kids here to get them moving and active,” the 21-year-old said. “They hope they’re nice and tired by the time they pick them up.”

Jumping on a trampoline can burn upward of 1,000 calories an hour because it involves full-body aerobic exercise, Shults said. However, unlike running around a track or on a treadmill, jumping on a trampoline is low impact on the knees, she added.

One recent afternoon, seven campers participated in a foursquare match, a popular playground game usually played on asphalt. Kids jumped around on trampolines as they hit balls across the room.

After a fierce match, Anthony Ikhtiari, 14, sat down with his peers for a brief snack break. With sweat clearly visible on his red T-shirt, Ikhtiari said he has enjoyed coming to SkyCamp for the past two years.

“I think it’s really fun — you can flip, run around and play games with friends,” he said. “It’s a great way to use your energy and it doesn’t feel like you’re exercising. I love this place.

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