Expo kids learn outdoor safety and thrills

SANDY — Ethan Greene grimaced and sucked in as he pulled his hand from the icy water.

"That is so cold," he said to his friend, Tristan Knight. "I couldn't feel my little finger!"

He put his arm, reddened from being in a fish tank filled with ice water, in between his legs as the two boys discussed how difficult it was to complete the task asked of them once they'd submerged their arms in the icy water.

"We were supposed to pick up a penny or something," said Greene, an 8-year-old who was exploring the Kids Expo at last weekend's International Sportsmen's Expo at the South Towne Exposition Center. The Kids Expo was presented by the state Department of Natural Resources, with help from six of the department's seven divisions. Great Basin Wildlife Rehabilitation and the Utah Anglers Coalition also assisted, with booths on birds of prey and the fishing pond.

"It was absolutely packed Saturday," said Dean Mitchell, the division's conservation outreach chief. "We broke the record for the number of kids who visited the fish pond on Saturday at any ISE."

Children picked up a passport that had all of the booths at the Kids Expo on it, and then they received stamps for visiting those booths. All of the booths were designed to teach children how to recreate safely, as well as kindle a desire to get out into Utah's outdoor areas and have some fun.

The ice-water exercise, explained the volunteer behind the table, is meant to show children just how dangerous spring runoff can be.

"So imagine if you fell in water that was even colder than that," Mitchell said to the boys. "How hard would it be to swim, or move your arms, or even call for help?"

"Really hard," conceded Knight. "Your arms will cramp up, and you won't be able to get out."

Both boys said they were "having so much fun" exploring the Kids Expo that they had trouble deciding which activity was their favorite.

"I think I liked the boat thing," said Knight, a 10-year-old. "It was about how important it is to put on your life jacket before you get into the waves, so you won't drown. But it was just fun."

The boat-safety exercise had several volunteers teaching children how to put on a life jacket properly. Then they went for a ride in the boat, thanks to the muscle of the volunteers simulating the rocking of a boat on water.