ATHOL — The Athol-Royalston Education Foundation recently held its second annual Mother-Son Challenge at the Athol Community Elementary School.
Styled after the popular “minute-to-win-it” TV show, the event was a fundraiser designed to promote mother-son relationships.
A number of challenge stations were set up in the gymnasium and cafeteria, with volunteers timing the minute-long activities. The intent is for mother and son to either compete in attempting to complete the task more times than the other member or cooperate and accomplish the task more times than another team.
The events included something called “Bucket Head,” with one team member bouncing ping pong balls off a table, aiming for bucket on the head of the other team member.
“Nose Dive” involved sticking cotton balls on the ends of team members’ noses, running to a drop-off spot, then returning for more.
Children from preschool through middle school participated. Sometimes the activities appeared to be so much fun that competition went by the wayside, and the mother-son pairs or groups of children worked toward mastering the challenges.
Other stations featured the chopsticks and loop cereal challenge, archery, puzzle-making, balloon batting, kicking shoes through goal posts and “egg” in spoon races, and there was a refreshments station where the only goal was to enjoy an impressive collection of donated baked goods.
Volunteers for the event included Maureen Blasco, Joann Deacon, Laurie and Curtis Deveneau, Catey and Chris Deveneau, Becky Divoll, Anthony Divoll, Emily Hall, Christine Hoegen, Jen Laroche, and Nancy Melbourne and Nathan Melbourne.
According to Melbourne, a member of both A-REF and the Athol-Royalston Regional School Committee, father-daughter dances have long been the big parent-child event of the season, and the Mother-Son Challenge was created in response to requests for activities for mothers and sons.
The Athol-Royalston Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching lives of students in the district. The group offers a number of activities throughout the year for parents and children, and grants funding requests for in-class and after school activities.
For more information on A-REF, the upcoming father-daughter dance, or how to volunteer, contact Joann Deacon at 978-249-3408.