Getting Kids Off the Couch

With schools out for summer, parents are faced with an age-old question: How should their little darlings fill all that free time? Sitting on the couch playing video games, sucking down Twinkies and watching adult-content TV?

We’ve got a much better idea. Get them involved in a youth sailing program, where they’ll get some healthy exercise in the great outdoors, learn a new hobby that could stay with them throughout their lives, and probably make some new friends.

As reported in the April edition of Latitude 38, the Greater Bay Area offers a broad range of youth sailing opportunities for kids from 7 to 18. Some are even free or very low cost. See our complete online listings here.

While some youth programs are already full, others still have room for newcomers. "Hey, we can still take a few more kids," says Tiburon YC Junior Sailing Director Pat Lopez. His three-year-old program — which runs through August 22 — focuses on kids 8 to 13 years old, who learn the ropes aboard Optimist dinghies.

If you’re involved with a local youth sailing program this summer, we’d love to see some photos of your kids in action plus a paragraph about this season’s classes. (Email here.)