Lawrence Kids Winter, 2018
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Lawrence Kids Winter, 2018
Season’s Readings Mama Spreer’s Tales Youth of the Year These Lawrence Kids The Lawrence Story Lady
08 10 16 26 36
Sledding Lawrence
46
cover photo by Tasha Keathley Table of Contents photo by Amber Yoshida a project of Four Birds Media info@lawrencekidsmagazine.com (785) 766-5669 Thank you for reading.
We did it! C E N T E R F O R G R E AT F U T U R E S C O M I N G AU G U S T 2 0 1 8
When the people of Lawrence come together, we can do amazing things. Thanks to your commitment and compassion, the Don & Beverly Gardner Center for Great Futures will soon become a reality. Five times as many teens will soon have an afterschool place of their own. They will have access to‌
CAREER EXPLORATION continuous exposure to skill development and career opportunities
INDOOR GYM healthy lifestyles through physical fitness and teamwork
CULINARY KITCHEN programs centered around healthy eating and the culinary arts
PERFORMING ARTS dance, perform, record, edit and create selfexpression through music
We achieved this dream together! Let us grab you a hard hat and give you a tour of the construction progress. To schedule a tour contact cwilson@bgclk.org. Don & Beverly Gardner Center for Great Futures • Lawrence College & Career Center (2910 Haskell Ave.)
Season’s
Readings
Classic Winter Suggestions from the Lawrence Public Library Picture Books for Lap Readers
Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton, 1943
Katy, a brave and untiring tractor, who pushes a bulldozer in the summer and a snowplow in the winter, makes it possible for the townspeople to do their jobs and be safe. She finally gets her chance to shine when a blizzard blankets the city and everyone is relying on her to help dig out.
Poky Little Puppy’s Wonderful Winter Day by Jean Chandler, 1982 Great news for Poky Little Puppy fans! Out of print for decades, this story is back to honor Poky’s 75th birthday in 2017. It’s a snowy morning, and Poky and his four brothers and sisters can’t wait to get outside and play! They dig tunnels, slide down hills, and make snow angels. But as before, that poky little puppy is….poky.
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, 1962
In 1962, a little boy named Peter put on his snowsuit and stepped out of his house into the snowy city street. Ezra Jack Keats transformed children’s literature with his pioneering portrayals of African-American children in this and his other classic titles. Chapter Books for Middle Grades to Teens
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis,
1950 Four English schoolchildren, sent to the country during WWII, find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia, where the White Witch has cursed the land with eternal winter. Now published as the second in the Chronicles of Narnia, it was written first, and can stand alone.
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper, 1973
The second in the Dark is Rising Sequence, this can stand alone. At the winter solstice of his 11th year, Will learns that he will be wielding the powers of the Light in its ancient struggle with the Dark, and must find the six Signs that will be needed. In the snowy churchyard, the rooks call, and the Dark Rider is coming! And some not-so-old winter books:
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak, 2017
As leaves fall from their trees, animals huddle against the cold, and winter is on its way. A brother and sister explore nature and take a stroll through their twinkling town, greeting all the signs of the coming season. Ages 3-5.
Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold by Joyce
Sidman, illustrator Rick Allen, 2014 How do animals stay alive in the winter, and what is happening under the snow? The short accessible poems are accompanied by interesting nature facts and wonderful linoleum print illustrations. All ages.
Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed, illustrator Bar-
bara McClintock, 2012 From the first thin ice on the sheep pail, through skating ice, to the last soft ice: lovely short chapters describe the twelve kinds of ice and the family and friends that enjoy them. A slim volume, great to read aloud. Ages 5 and up.
MamaSpreer’s TALES
One mom. Two daughters. Many, many stories. by Megan Spreer
D
o you remember the moment when you pictured your precious little baby going to kindergarten? As in, you’re holding your tiny baby and you imagine him or her being a real person and walking into a huge school all alone? You probably didn’t want to believe he or she would ever be so ginormous or independent. You may have been terrified at the prospect of your tiny angel learning bad words from those other people’s kids or really annoying knock-knock jokes that wouldn’t end. If you were like me, you even lost sleep about your perfect child potentially getting bullied. I mean, bullying is all everyone talks about once the kids go to school. There’s Anti-Bullying this…and Bully-Free Zone that. The kids are told from day one that bullying is a no go. It’s in the news. It’s on social media. And the stories are terrible. I mean, we all probably have a bullying story or two of our own.
As I held my baby HJ, six years ago, I remember already disliking whatever kid was going to make her feel sad for the first time. I was already planning my Mama Bear speech to put that jackwagon in his or her place. No one was going to bully my child. Six years later, that first mean-kid moment has already come and went. I couldn’t tell you who it was or the moment it happened. It was so fleeting that it didn’t even register on my radar let alone give me time to get my speech out. It was a non-event that my kid didn’t even tell me about because she was probably too worried about whether or not I’d washed her favorite unicorn shirt. We’d made it to first grade and I wasn’t worried about bullies anymore. I was worried about real things like whether she’s reading at her grade level and if she’s understanding subtraction. Stressing about her being good at school was the main thing on my mom brain. So, of course, that’s when I got the call. I was at work when the phone rang and I rolled my eyes when I saw the caller ID. The last thing I wanted to do was drive 30 minutes to HJ’s school to pick up a sick kid with the million things I needed to do at the office. I answered the phone to hear a voice that was clearly not the nurse. It was HJ’s teacher and she was not pleased. My child was in the hottest of hot water. She told me a story of what had just transpired on the school playground and asked if I could speak to HJ for a moment. (By the way, isn’t it surreal when you’re on the other side of your own worst childhood nightmare? I remember being threatened with a call to my mother when I was misbehaving and that was terrifying. Now that I’m the mother, I find it can be both intimidating and empowering. This day though, it just sucked.) I was hoping that my child witnessed another kid being mistreated and jumped in to whoop up on the bully and save the day. I was prepared to hear about my child standing up for someone else and being a martyr. But nope. That’s not at all what happened. I sat there listening to my kid’s teacher tell me about how she ripped off her classmate’s necklace and threw it somewhere. The other child was devastated and they couldn’t find the cherished necklace anywhere. Then, I listened to my very terrified kid tell me the same story. I had no idea what the heck to do in this situation. I was so angry with her, I was heartbroken for the other child, and I felt so much shame for the whole situation. My kid was the bully. My kid was the jackwagon and the Mama Bear speech I’d had ready in my head for
six years wasn’t going to work at all. There are a million blogs, articles, and resources out there for parents to help their kids who are being bullied. Do you know how many resources are out there for parents of kids who ARE bullies? Actually, I couldn’t tell you because who wants to read those?! I hadn’t been reading those. My kid couldn’t be a bully! I didn’t raise her to be like that. Then, I started remembering. Oh yes. There was that one time I gave a bag of dog treats to a girl who tattled on me on the school bus. And there was the time I kept reminding the boy in 5th grade that black and navy blue don’t match. There was also the time I held my nose through half of my classes because I had to sit by the stinky kid. I acted like a bully many times. Too many. When we got home, HJ further explained that she and a group of friends were playing Power Rangers and she was the pink ranger. The other child was the villain. She ripped off and threw the necklace as a way to “get” the bad guy. At this information, I was more understanding. It didn’t fix it…or make it right, but I could get into her headspace a little more. I resisted the urge to give her props for owning her character in this reenactment and asked her to think about this child’s feelings outside of the imaginary play. When I explained to her that what she did could be considered “bullying,” she was devastated. To her, a bully was an evil monster child that she could never be. She just made a mistake. She wanted to be liked by her fellow rangers for getting the bad guy. When I thought about it, that’s all I ever wanted when I acted like a bully. I didn’t do any of those mean things solo and my motivation wasn’t ever to be cruel. I was always just trying to fit in. I acted like a bully so people would like me… and maybe not bully me. Hunt or be hunted, ya know? I think this is really the root of why anyone is a bully. There’s this need for belonging and if you position yourself in a way that makes you liked or feared, they can’t or won’t hurt you. In return, it fosters a cycle of meanness. So, we’re squashing that business at our house. Our family discussions now revolve a lot around empathy rather than avoiding ridicule. My kids can’t control how others treat them so instead, we’re going to focus on how we treat others. So what if someone makes fun of my kid for not being able to spell? I believe I will have really failed as a mom if I raise kids that are mean. Seriously. Who wants to hang out with people like that? People who can’t spell have lots of friends.
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Boys & Girls Club
Youth of the Year
photos: Amber Yoshida
Each year the Boys & Girls Club nominates members who embody the values of leadership service, academic excellence and healthy lifestyles as their Youth of the Year. This year’s event is January 25 at Liberty Hall. Please meet 2018’s nominees: Hasiya, Ruth & Christian.
Ruth Gathunguri The daughter of Faith Gathunguri & Gilbert Karuga, Ruth went to the Boys & Girls Club Quail Run site in her elementary days. Aside from her employment at the Club, Ruth is a member of the Student Council and ‘Can We Talk?’ as a junior at Free State High School. Ruth has career aspirations in medicine and plans to major in biology.
“The thing that I’m most proud about is Boys & Girls Club. At first it was a place for me to come and be free of all the pressures of our society but now it’s a place where I can mentor the youth and show them that they have the power to change the society that we live in. They have the power to have a voice. They have the power to break the patterns of hatred.”
Christian LaPointe Christian LaPointe is a senior at Free State High School. He just finished his football career and is known for his gifted singing voice. LaPointe is a member of the Free State Chamber Choir and Chamber Singers. He hopes to attend the University of Missouri-Kansas City and major in psychology. LaPointe got his Boys & Girls Club start at the Deerfield Elementary site. He was recently adopted by his aunt and uncle, Shannon & Chris Miller, and is the son of Nancy Lacrosse.
“I wanted to pursue Youth of the Year because I want to show people everywhere that no matter your past, you determine your future. I want to help people find their own voice. During the process I have learned that anything is possible.�
Hasiya Asuku Hasiya Asuku did not attend Boys & Girls Club as a child. The daughter of Bilkisu & Adamu Asuku, Hasiya and her family moved to the United States from Nigeria five years ago. All of her Boys & Girls Club years have been at the Teen Center. A junior at Lawrence High School, Hasiya is a member of the LHS Choir, LINK Crew, National Honors Society, Pre-Med Club and AVID. Hasiya plans to become a pediatrician.
“I accepted my nomination because it’s a great opportunity for me to make the change I want to see in our community and a great way for me to impact people’s lives. My advice for kids is to be themselves. Embrace your individuality - don’t hide it. Show what makes you special and always smile because a smile can make a person’s day”
STUDENT. ADVENTURER. RIDES A BIKE. RIDE AND DRIVE LIKE A GROWN-UP.
Jafiya — Sixth-grader Drivers: Please don’t kid around.
TRAVEL WITH CARE
These
Lawrence Kids...
Bishop Seabury 6th Grade photos: Tasha Keathley
Campbell Helling working on her book
Hayden Slough in the 6th-grade English room
Six years ago, Krista Barbour had an idea. The sixth grade English teacher at Bishop Seabury wanted her students to write more and she heard about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). National Novel Writing Month, is an annual, Internet-based creative writing project that takes place during the month of November. Participants attempt to write a 50,000 word manuscript between November 1 and November 30. “I’m always looking for ways to challenge my students,” Barbour explains. “I thought about it and just decided, ‘Let’s do it.’ Let’s have these kids write a novel.” Six years in, having a class of students write a novel in a month is a tradition at the Lawrence school. “By now the entire school gets excited about it,” Barbour says. “It’s become something that students hear about and look forward to in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. It’s almost become a right of passage for students. You know: You’ve got to write a book to get through 6th grade.” Barbour has her students spend most of October preparing for the daunting task of writing their own novels. They study character development, plot arcs and setting word goals. By the time November 1 rolls around, most of the class is anxious to get started. However, Barbour is strict about the starting time. “I try to make it very clear that anything written before midnight on November 1 does not count,” she says with a laugh. “Most of the kids are positively terrified with the idea of writing an entire novel, so we work hard to set manageable goals. We break the number count down to a set number of words a day, which helps ease some of the fear. Really, the project is an exercise in both writing and perseverance.” Campbell Helling’s book “In a Field of Red Poppies” tells the story of a girl, Reagan, who learns that her parents are criminals. When she has the chance to catch her criminal parents, she jumps at the opportunity and ends up with a dead friend, and kidnapped sister. All of the heartaches and clues her parents leave her guide her to a maze; a deadly maze where her sister is being held captive. “I’m really proud of the book,” Campbell says. “I was really nervous when we started because I didn’t know if I would be able to write a whole book.”
a break for a few minutes I could unusually get through it and reach my goal for the day.” Campbell hopes to be either a doctor or an architect when she’s older, but she hasn’t ruled out writing another novel. “Now that I’ve done it, I’m not nearly as scared by the idea,” she says. “I guess it was kind of fun and it’s neat to have the book for other people to read.” Campbell’s classmate, Hayden Slough, wrote more than 43,000 words for his book “Civilization and Rebirth.” The novel tells the tale of a rebellion army attempting to conquer a country in medieval times. Not to give anything away, but there’s a big twist at the end. “I was really looking forward to writing,” Hayden says. “I started developing ideas in 5th grade, so by the time November came around I was ready to get to work.” Hayden admits to hitting the dreaded writers block a few times but, as his teacher noted, he learned to work through it. “I found if I had trouble reaching a word count or a I got stuck, I could stop and take a break,” he said. “I could walk around for a few minutes and stretch my legs. After just a few minutes I could get back to writing and make more progress.” The entire project is done through Google Docs, so Krista has access to the students’ work and can help evaluate progress and grammar. Unfortunately for Hayden, technology isn’t always reliable. “At one point something happened with our WiFi and I lost a big chunk of work,” he says, exasperated. “It was like two whole chapters. But, there was nothing I could do. I just had to get back to work and rewrite the pages. It was pretty frustrating.” Hayden says he will never forget the moment the month ended. He was sitting at the table, surrounded by various half-empty drinks, pounding away at the keyboard trying to reach his word goal. “When the clock hit midnight on December 1, I was pretty excited,” he says. “I’m really proud of the work I did, but I don’t think I’ll write another book anytime soon.”
Campbell’s novel is 31,700 words. That’s right: 31,700 words.
Krista has come to expect great things from her students. After all, she says, kids often don’t know their own abilities.
“I definitely got stuck a few times,” Campbell admits. “Sometimes I wouldn’t know what to write next or where the story was going to go. But if I would just take
“Kids are capable of pretty amazing things if we trust them.” LK
The
Story Lady
of Lawrence
Children’s Author & Illustrator Christine Schneider’s Tall Tale of Writing and Illustrating Children’s Books.
Grab a book from your child’s bookshelf or open a parenting magazine. Chances are pretty good you’ll see or read some of Christine Schneider’s work. That adorable story about the lady obsessed with pickles? You know, Picky Mrs. Pickle? Yep, that’s Christine’s. The classic tale of Saxophone Sam and His Snazzy Jazz Band? Christine wrote and illustrated every page. And, of course we can’t forget Horace P. Tuttle, Magician Extraordinaire! Since her time attending the University of Kansas, Christine has been writing, illustrating and creating whimsy pieces of children’s literate and art. Her work is bright and energetic. The characters she creates are fun and, often, very funny. Christine’s stories engage readers with rhythmic verse and her lush, detailed illustrations keep young eyes glued to the page long after the words have been read. “I really love seeing kids reading my books,” Schneider says with a modest grin. “It really feels great when someone mentions that their son or daughter likes something I’ve done. That makes it worth it.” Christine Schneider is a quiet lady. She speaks with a soft voice and chooses her words carefully. Her smile is easy, confident and calming. Imagine a movie about a young mother that authors and illustrates children’s books and Christine is probably what you would imagine.
pretty great and a big boost for my confidence.” Schneider hasn’t looked back. Since Jeremy’s Muffler published in 1999, she has either published or worked on more than a dozen books and contributed to nearly 100 different publications ranging from Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. Magazine to The Detroit Free Press. No matter the assignment, Schneider’s goal is always the same. “I want whoever is looking at the illustrations to believe the characters,” she explains. “But I also want them to be fun. I mean, I’m drawing pictures for either a children’s book or textbook, so whatever the subject is, it needs to have some fun to it.” Schneider said that the direction of her work is often determined by the publisher. Sometimes a publisher is very specific with instructions, other times they just send text of the book or article. “I actually prefer to have specific instructions,” she says. “For instance, a textbook publisher might say ‘The main character is an African-American girl with a mom, dad, two younger brothers and a dog. We need you to illustrate counting money.’ Those specifics help me focus on the illustrations. The specifics also help with the editing process because I have a solid idea of what they want before I start.” The ‘typical’ process of illustrating a children’s book takes between 3 months and a year.
When Schneider was growing up on Colorado, she spent hours at her grandfather’s printing shop, making use of scraps of unused paper. She was a voracious reader and loved to draw. Her passion for art and illustration led her to KU and a degree in fine arts. While still a student at KU, Schneider’s professor made a few calls and secured a meeting with a publisher in New York City.
“It’s actually a demanding process,” Schneider explains. “It can get stressful sometimes, because I want to make sure the publisher and the author are happy with the illustrations. I know from experience how much goes into writing a book, so I work hard to satisfy everyone involved in the process.”
“I had my portfolio and spent spring break meeting with publishing houses in New York,” Schneider says. “I had absolutely no expectations and was pretty intimidated by the whole process.”
Being a children’s author and book illustrator has made Schneider a popular guest at her daughter’s school. Though Christine loves it, the feeling may not be shared by her teenage daughter.
Not long after landing in Kansas, Schneider got a call.
“I think she got a little annoyed by her elementary teachers asking me to talk to her class every year,” Schneider says with a big laugh. “I mean, I’m her mom. I’m not that cool. But as she’s gotten a little older I think she’s beginning to think I’m not so bad. Of course, her teachers don’t invite me to class anymore, so that might have something to do with it.” LK
“The publisher told me they had purchased a book called Jeremy’s Muffler and they thought I had the right aesthetic for the illustrations,” she says with another big smile. “I didn’t know what to do with myself. They were going to pay me to illustrate a children’s book. It was
Schneider’s original work, just for Lawrence Kids!
Lawrence Lunch Santas ly is silent r e c n e r Law er fo roup in tle easi How a g g life just a lit ing families makin me unsuspect so
In 2016, a post on Twitter caught Laura Lorson’s eye. “I had read a Twitter post from a woman in Chicago who said that school lunch debt was a thing that was really pinching a lot of families, and I had no idea that such a thing even existed,” Lorson explains. “So I drove over to Woodlawn Elementary, asked to see the head of cafeteria ops, said ‘who’s got the highest school lunch debt?’ and wrote a check to cover the highest debt and the next-highest debt.” Lorson posted a note on Facebook letting others know that paying school lunch debt was something others could do. When her friends saw it, they got to work. “As soon as I saw Laura’s post, I knew I wanted to help,” Megan Stuke says. “It became clear that this was the type of thing that, if we worked together, Lawrence could really help ease the burden some families are feeling.” Megan and friends including Andy Morton and Will Averill are hesitant to call their group an organization, but soon the LFK Lunch Account Santas group formed on Facebook. The group had one simple goal: work to eliminate lingering debt from school lunches in Lawrence public schools. “I asked people who come to my trivia show to donate
to the cause and got a very strong response,” Andy Morton explains (this was December, 2016). “A few of us happened to hook up online and said ‘Let’s see what we can make happen in the small window of time we have before school lets out for the semester.’ It was never fully organized and, to be honest, that’s what made it even more exciting. People really stepped in and helped us with money, advice, and word-of-mouth, which turned out to be essential to the whole mad dash.” Morton explains that the school district provides anonymous lunch accounts for each school (Deerfield Elementary: $239 owed, for example) and Jill Ensley and Chris Lempa do a great job of organizing the money and tracking which debts have been paid (In January, 2018 the group donated nearly $3100 to cover outstanding lunch debt). As a result of the community awareness built by the Lunch Santas, almost no family had an outstanding lunch debt in Lawrence public schools in January, 2017. The success from the short dash of fundraising inspired the group to continue. “We love that there isn’t any real sense of organization involved,” Stuke explains. “This is just Lawrence helping Lawrence.”
The group has maintained “organizing” and paid lunch debts each semester since December, 2016. Tabitha is one of the parents that has benefited from the LFK Lunch Santas generosity. Tabitha has two children in Lawrence public schools and had fallen behind on lunch payments. “It’s stressful when the phone rings and I know it’s a robocall from the school district,” Tabitha says. “It’s embarrassing for me and I hope my kids aren’t too embarrassed. I know the school doesn’t make them feel bad about it, which I really appreciate. But when I learned that the debt had been covered it was such a big relief.” “To be clear, the schools do not deny a child a hot meal because of unpaid lunch debt,” Stuke is adamant to acknowledge. “We aren’t saving kids from starving, we are just trying to help ease the burden on a couple of parents.” The only “formal” fundraiser for the group is by another Lawrence facebook club, the Sad Lunch Club. The group of more than 2000 members posts photos of sad lunches. In 2018 they printed and sold a calender of pathetic lunches and all proceeds were donated to the LFK Santas. Moving forward, the Lunch Santas formally plan to stay as informal as possible.
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“At this point, we just want to keep hammering away at the debt,” Morton says. “We conduct all our ‘meetings’ over FB Messenger so there hasn’t been any Grand Plan laid out. Some other ideas have been kicked around but we’re still focusing on the lunches. Now that I’ve said that, maybe it would be a good idea to form a more-solid strategy.” Morton and Stuke are both very quick to give the credit for the LFK Lunch Santas to Lorson and the city of Lawrence. “This town has plenty of charities vying for peoples’ money so it’s great to be able to keep helping parents and kids who have to deal with this particular problem,” Morton says. “I don’t think any of this would have happened without Laura’s Facebook post,” Stuke says with a laugh. “I really, really wanted to stay completely anonymous about this,” Lorson says. “I didn’t do it because I wanted any credit for it. I’m really glad my little gesture inspired something so far-reaching and so helpful. All the credit for the effort should really go to Andy, Megan and Will Averill, who got all inspired to make it more formal. All I did was something on impulse, and I wanted other people to know they could do that, too.” LK
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Sledding
Lawrence
A 2003 study by a team of scientist from Southwest Texas State University and Arizona State University proved that Kansas is, in fact, flatter than a pancake. Regardless of the rest of the state’s elevation inadequacies, Lawrence boasts fantastic sledding spots. Get your sleds, toboggans snowboards ready... Maybe, just maybe, we’ll get enough snow to hit the hills!
The Best Hills in Town
3. Campanile Hill North side of Memorial Drive - University of Kansas
1. Centennial Park Between 6th and 9th Streets; Iowa St & Rockledge The 35-acre park is one of the most centrally located parks in Lawrence. Oregon Trail settlers once used the land now known as Centennial Park as an area to graze livestock as they traveled west. The most popular sledding spot is the big hill just west of the Ninth-street parking lot. On a snowy day, cars fill the lot and families take to the hill in mass. The wide sledding area has a steep downhill which levels on a large field. Get moving too fast, and you might need the foot brakes before landing in the creek. North of the parking lot and playground is another popular hill. Though not as steep, when ridden correctly, the hill offers a longer ride. Centennial Park is filled with hills and trees, so ditch the crowds, take a walk and find your own sledding slope.
Is there a more iconic sledding destination in Lawrence than in the shadow of the symbolic bell tower? Even after recent construction on “the hill” the long slope directly north of KU’s Campanile remains a “must-do” for Lawrence sledders. The hill is wide enough to comfortably accommodate the crowds and it’s almost a guarantee that someone will build a snow jump. Without question, Campanile Hill features the most varied selection of rides. Everything from sleds and skies to trash sacks and cardboard boxes will likely be spotted. Speed junkies have been know to forgo the grassy hill and opt for the ice covered sidewalk (bring a helmet!). If classes are in session, parking can be an issue so plan on walking from your car. Be aware that students like to hit the hill after hitting the bar, so you might have to cover Jimmy’s ears a few times. Don’t forget to bring a camera and capture the views of Lawrence and Douglas County.
4. Carruth O’Leary Hall 2. “Dad” Perry Park (2 parks) 1200 Monterey Way & Harvard & Parkside Road The park is named in honor of the “Father of Gymnastics in the State of Kansas,” L.R. “Dad” Perry. The 45-acre park is filled with naturally wooded areas, native grasses and includes nature trails that wind throughout the park. In addition, two large park shelters with rest rooms and parking are available that allows families and groups to reserve. Both West and North parks feature solid sledding slopes. The hills near the West playground are steeper and more popular. The playground is on a small plateau with short, steep hills bordering the east and north sides. Tall natural grass puts the brakes on any runaway sleds. The North park has smaller hills, perfect for younger children (and lazy parents). Also, the vast open field is perfect for snow angels, snowmen and snowball fights. The more adventurous sledders can take to the woods. The central portion of “Dad” Perry Park is dense woods dissected by trails. Many steep, tree-lined routes are available, but sled at your own risk!
1246 West Campus Road The hills just beyond the parking lot behind Carruth O’Leary Hall on KU’s campus are often overlooked by Campanile Hill sledders. The hills are steep and fast, so they may not be the best fit for younger kids. The parking lots West of Memorial Stadium have cut the length of a few routes, but many options remain for the more daring. If you can dodge sidewalks, a great run could land you on the banks of Potter’s Lake. Beware of rocks and branches covered by the snow. Like Campanile Hill, parking can be an issue when classes are in session. The buildings on campus may be open, so you might be able to sneak in for a quick restroom break or to warm your hands and toes LK