The Bell Gardens Parks and Recreation Center is the place to be when looking for fun events to attend, such as the Pi(e) Day event held on March 14.
The Pi(e) Day event took place at the recreation center in Veterans Park for the kids who attend their after-school program; However, anyone who wanted to join was able to sign up online or on-site.
At approximately 3:30 p.m., the staff began bringing out the materials they were going to be using and by 4 o’clock, the staff and kids from the program were ready to make the pies.
For the Pi(e) event, the staff selected a different lead so that each coworker can show what they have. This year, Emily Esquivel was selected to host the event.
Esquivel, the main event organizer, has been working in the Rec. Center for 6 months as a recreation leader.
She really enjoys working with kids and hopes to continue her career working with them.
“This is my first year doing this event, so I planned it and everything ,” Esquivel said.
The idea was to make apple pies in cupcake trays so that each child could have their own individual pie.
That way the kids could all contribute to making the filling as well as making the crust.
While they waited for the pies to bake, they worked on an art activity called “Pie In The Sky” which is an activity based on the numbers of pi.
The recreational leader had a sheet showing the value of pi and for every number, where the children would draw circles to match.
Esquivel and her coworker also explained to the children what pi was, how long the number is and which numbers are the most commonly used.
The recreation leaders do their best to come up with ideas that will be fun and interesting for everyone.
“We try to do something new every week or every month,” Esquivel said, “we try to come together as a whole team to plan different events for the kids.”
She went on to mention all the different and bigger events they hold within their community, welcoming anyone willing to join their fun.
Bell Gardens’ host yearly events such as Fiestas Patrias, Winter Wonderland and the Halloween/Dia De Los Muertos event, but it doesn’t stop at those events.
The recreation center is a fun place for children to be during their summer, winter and spring breaks.
They have different camps for them to join that allow them to go to a variety of amusement parks, museums and waterparks.
Apart from the programs, they also offer classes such as cooking, Folklorico, fusion dance, pepsters, lego-botics and art classes.
These are just a few of the programs they have available that not many people know about.
Bell Gardens does its best to keep not only the children safe and entertained but their community as well.
Be sure to keep an eye out for their upcoming events such as the Family Food Distribution.