The Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS) brought local youngsters to the Hill on Saturday to participate in activities sponsored by an array of student and community groups for the 45th annual Kids' Day.
The event drew approximately 450 area children, according to sophomore Fred Huang, one of the program's co-coordinators.
More than 90 volunteers from over a dozen student and community groups ran booths offering different activities, many of them geared toward this year's theme of the "JumbOlympics."
The Alpha Omicron Pi sorority offered attendees the chance to test their knowledge with Olympic trivia, and the Social Justice Arts Initiative group helped kids paint the flags of foreign countries.
The Chinese Students Association offered participants the opportunity to create panda bear masks and play "pin the torch on the panda."
Other organizations provided a more physical approach to the Olympic theme. La Unidad Latina, a national group comprised of the Lambda Upsilon Lambda fraternity and Omega Phi Beta sorority, supervised Wiffle ball games. The Theta Delta Chi fraternity (123) offered a running-bases competition and the Student Occupational Therapy Association ran an obstacle course.
Student a cappella groups had a large presence at this year's Kids' Day, which featured performances by Tufts sQ! and the Amalgamates. "Typically Kids' Day has employed a lot of outside performers. This year we tried to emphasize that, really, we don't necessarily need to," Huang said.
Though the focus of the day was the Olympics, there were plenty of unassociated activities. The Pre-Veterinary Society offered face painting, and the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity coordinated an activity in which kids made various Lego constructions.
In its Teddy Bear Clinic, representatives from Tufts Emergency Medical Services showed kids how to perform emergency practices such as using a stethoscope, performing CPR, calling 911 and checking breathing and blood pressure.
The Society of Women Engineers showed kids how to create hovercrafts and the Engineers Without Borders group showcased a bicycle that produced electricity to power a light bulb when kids rode it.
In Barnum Hall, kids were treated to a magic show, while in Pearson Hall the American Chemical Society presented a series of laboratory experiments.
Tufts' Traveling Treasure Trunk, a group dedicated to performing drama for children and the longest-standing performance group at Kids' Day, put on a show in Lewis Hall.
Overall the event was a success, Huang said. "I think, in general, throughout the day the kids are happy, the kids are safe. There are kinks to work out for next year, but there are always kinks," he said, emphasizing his appreciation for the administration and the volunteers who made the event possible.
The two groups other than the LCS that sponsored the event were the Department of Romance Languages and the Eliot Pearson Department of Child Development.
