This weekend, I attended the annual two-day JustPlay! Sports and Recreation Festival with my husband and kids in Carol Stream.
This great free event, sponsored by the Carol Stream Park District, is all about playing, having fun and feeling fit. The events and activities are designed for people of all ages and activity levels.
The JustPlay weekend always kicks off with the JustRun 5K and Kids 1K. Although I didn’t run this race this year, I have run it in the past and it’s a great family-friendly, well-organized race. I love that this race offers a 1K for kids and really encourages them to be active.
Following the 5K race are two jam-packed days of fun, demos, activities, crafts, face painting, exhibits, fitness events and more!
We watched the Division BMX team perform stunts, tricks and jumps, and my kids also really enjoyed the Birdie Ball by Backyard Golf and climbing up the rope ladder.
Sponsors such as DuPage Children’s Museum and Legoland had booths set up and had activities for kids and adults to do.
There were booths for disc golf, bowling, baseball, karate, line dancing, fitness centers and much more!
Not all were sports and fitness-related. Bartlett Nature Center had a few animals out at their booth, including a hedgehog, bearded dragon and a Madagascan cockroach.
The kids loved them, but I kept my distance!
Besides having physical activities, there was also information regarding nutrition and healthy eating, including a performance by Jump with Jill, best known as the world’s only Rock & Roll Nutrition Show, to help kids learn about healthy eating in a fun way.
As a fitness instructor, I taught part of a fitness demo to show people what kind of classes the fitness center offers.
The festival also offered scuba diving and paddle boarding at the indoor pool, zip lining, a giant trampoline and an outdoor rock climbing wall.
The JustPlay! Sports and Recreation festival is a great way to get families out of the house and to help them get active! It offers something for everyone and is definitely an event worth checking out in the future.
