WASHINGTON – Thousands of energetic kids and their parents hurried into the nation’s capital for an afternoon of outdoor family fun Saturday, Sept. 24.
Nickelodeon’s eighth annual “Worldwide Day of Play” provided an opportunity for kids to rock climb, hula-hoop, dance, bike and to play soccer, shuffleboard and basketball.
Nickelodeon and its affiliated networks went off the air for three hours that day to get kids to go outside.
Cast members of “iCarly,” as well as other Nickelodeon stars, showed up. But thick crowds prevented many attendees from seeing them.
Federal health data shows children need to get outside and play more often. More than a third of children and adolescents were either overweight or obese in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I think there are too many children that are sitting in the house with the TV and the video games- I do think this is wonderful,” said Lisa Frayer, a Fort Washington, Md., resident who brought her daughters to the event.
The day of play took place on the Ellipse, just near the White House, and was broadcast on Nickelodeon later Saturday night, Sept. 24.