Feeling homesick? Get a call recently from a younger sibling asking when you can visit? Want to spend time with them monkeying around?
This weekend, students will have the opportunity to take their siblings “Under the Big Top” at University Programming’s annual Kids and Sibs weekend.
Registered students and their siblings will have the opportunity Friday to see magician Michael Kent and watch the movie Zookeeper starring Kevin James, while enjoying a candy bar.
Saturday, Kids and Sibs will offer breakfast and cartoons, a visit from a few Columbus Zoo animals and, a trip to Easton with either a movie ticket or a one-hour KDB game card.
In addition, there will be open rec center hours, and a Three Ring Carnival, featuring face painting, food, cotton candy, inflatables, and inflatable laser tag. Sunday will give Kids and Sibs the chance for brunch and chapel.
“I’m really excited for the Three Ring Festival,” Sarah Beinkampen, vice president of University Programming, said. “I’m excited to see all the fun the kids are going to have. It’s going to be huge, we’re going all out.”
“I’m also really excited about the candy bar,” Beinkampen said. “There’s going to be all kinds of candy and carnival cups to put it in.”
“This is a theme we haven’t done before and it easily incorporates the surrounding Columbus resources,” Elyse Cain, assistant director of student activities, said.
“We looked at what we wanted to have and fit the theme to that,” Beinkampen said. Organizers hope to have an event that will attract all ages.
University Programming (UP) is expecting a turn-out of about 100 students and siblings, which is better than some years in the past.
The budget is one of the challenges with planning an event like this, Beinkampen said. There are lots of ideas, but you can’t do them all.
“We want to have fun things that all ages will like. And we want to have the weekend packed full of activities,” she said.
“This is a great way to show the Cap community and give [siblings] a new opportunity to experience Capital and the surrounding Columbus community,” Cain said.
While students can go home and visit siblings, this event gives them a chance to come into a student’s life on campus, Beinkampen said. “You’re having fun outside the realm of what you normally do.”
“I’m most excited about the free movie passes,” Zac Boyer, sophomore, said. “My brother didn’t do it last year, and I know he had a hard time when I left for college,” Boyer said. “I wanted to make-up for not being there.”
“If you have a sibling and want to plan a weekend for them, or have a voice in what you want to happen on campus, you can always come to a UP meeting and voice your opinion,” Beinkampen said. “If you see people having fun, you can think about becoming a part of the fun.”
