With the average kid spending half of the day in school and their parents working about 8.8 hours per day, it can be hard to spend quality time with family.
To help families spend quality time together, San Carlos celebrated its 20th annual Week of the Family, Jan. 18–26. This week-long event is organized by local volunteers at the beginning of every new year.
The goal of the family week is to “strengthen family relationships by providing a series of activities focusing on family and community interaction,” according to their website.
Families participated in activities such as a scavenger hunt, a dog hike at Pulgas Ridge Preserve, a gravity-defying circus, a cook-off, and many others.
“We want people to have fun and we want people to have new experiences with each other,” said Susan Rose, the chairwoman of the Week of the Family committee. “This week is an opportunity for us to help other people in the community and to discover having fun with each other in kind of a non-technical, good-old-times type of way.”
A roshambo contest at Tierra Linda Middle School kicked off the week to a good start.
“It was actually entertaining and everyone seemed to like it,” said Sophia Parks, a parent. “It was great to see some fun, competitive spirit between the students.”
The week continued with other activities like Family Pickleball and a Family Activity Night where people were encouraged to do creative things without looking at a device or using any sort of technology.
“It was really nice to have a day where I was just hanging out and talking to my parents and sister without the distraction of school or my phone,” said Central Middle School student Malia Davis. “I did things like paint a picture and make up a play with my family that I would not have normally done on a weekend.”
Last Sunday afternoon, the Circus of Smiles participated in the family week by performing at the San Carlos Children’s Library.
Laughter was heard throughout the building as children marveled over the miming, juggling, and silent stories the showman acted out.
“We do this because laughter is the best medicine,” said Andrew Quick, a showman in the circus. “I think the best part is when parents come up to us after the show and they are like ‘That was actually funny! Even I had a good time,’ so I think something that we do actually provides comedy for the whole family.”
Although this event was directed more towards children, many adults enjoyed it just as much.
“It was wonderful. I mostly loved watching my daughter laugh. I think she enjoyed it, and it helped her come out of her shell,” said Leslie Norton, a local. “I love how the Week of the Family helps people get out of their house and off of their screens.”
The week progressed with even more activities like the Cooks Night Off, Family Adopt-A-Grandparent Night, Hiller Flight Night, Family Story Night, Family Theater Day, a Kid’s Concert, and Adult Trivia Night.
Certain activities like the Adopt-A-Grandparent Night helped bring together people who may have had difficulty connecting with one another on their own.
“Our goal was to expose the middle school students to the older residents here so they don’t feel awkward around senior citizens. The same goes for the seniors here — we don’t want them to feel uncomfortable around middle schoolers,” said the chairwoman of the Week of the Family, Cori Carpenter. “Se think it’s a good bridge for them to communicate, and they all had fun doing these activities together.”
On Saturday the 26th, the Lions Club annual Crab Feed Fundraiser marked the end of the San Carlos Family Week. All the proceeds from the dinner went toward charity and community projects.
“The dinner was delicious and it felt good to know that the money I spent was for a good cause,” said Micheal Anderson. “I loved spending time with my family, and I am already looking forward to next year’s family week.”
