The LOU Excel By 5 Coalition, in collaboration with United Way of Oxford & Lafayette County, will host a Water Play Day on Saturday, July 16 at Avent Park from 10 a.m.  to 12 noon.

This is a free event, open to the public, but targeted specifically for families with children aged five years and younger.

The event will feature a wide array of age-appropriate water-based activities such as sink or float games, water painting, a bubble machine, and rubber ducky word games. The different activities, while disguised as simple and fun games, are actually all designed to help children prepare necessary skills for kindergarten and are meant to be easily replicable at home by parents or guardians. For instance, sink or float games help build science and math skills in young children, and the rubber ducky game will help children practice their ABC’s and vocabulary.

Children are sure to get at least a little wet at Water Day, so parents might want to dress their kids in swimsuits or other clothes that can get wet. LOU Excel By 5 will have a limited supply of sunscreen for attendees to use, but parents are advised to bring their own.