KIDS, ADULTS ENJOY CAMPS : PARK PROGRAMS OFFER ALTERNATIVE.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

In Agoura Hills, recreation leaders offer tennis and football clinics as a way of keeping kids busy during the winter break - the program's first year since the success of last year's arts and crafts day camp.

In Thousand Oaks, day camps around Christmastime have become a years-old tradition. Every year, the program gets rave reviews, except for one thing: parents want longer hours.

The Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District holds the record in the region for providing a haven where busy parents can take their children. Two area parks provide entertainment from 6:45 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. every day during the break except for Christmas and New Year's Day.

They are just some of the solutions parents turn to after experiencing too many days of children hanging out at home during school breaks.

Some parents drop their children off as a way of escaping from sibling fights, blaring televisions and whines about boredom. Others need a place to take their kids when they head to work. Many simply would prefer that their children get away from the television and spend some time playing.

``If they weren't here, they'd probably just be sitting at home watching TV,'' said Patty Hamm, Conejo Recreation and Park District recreation leader. ``They're being dragged to the mall with mom. Usually parents want their kids to come here for the several hours. Not just for the kids, but to give themselves a break, too.''

Especially, Hamm noted, since most of the children who stay with them from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. have brothers and sisters, giving parents a handful to deal with.

The Conejo district's program splits the younger kids from the older kids, and all of them spend time cooking, doing arts and crafts and playing sports.

Despite the activities, children aren't always so excited to spend their day at a local recreation center or park. But once they arrive, they don't want to leave, park administrators said.

``I talked to a couple of parents who said their kids say they just want to stay home,'' said Lauren Bragginton, co-director of the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District program. ``But they come here and we can't get them out of the gym. It really lets them get their energy out.''

Where the usual activities fail to excite children, field trips step in. On Monday, children in the Simi Valley camps got the chance to take a bus to the El Capitan theater in Hollywood to see ``101 Dalmatians.'' On Friday, a group of kids will walk to a local bowling alley.

For some children, day camp helps them keep a stable routine.

The Conejo park district also offered a camp for children with disabilities. Pat Hendrickson, a recreation specialist, said the children need a routine similar to school.

``These are children who need continuity in their program,'' Hendrickson said. ``For this population, it's extremely important. They do what other kids do - arts and crafts, music. They play. They have a pretty full day.''

For parents who didn't sign up for this school break, there's still good news. Most recreation centers will open their day camps once more when spring break rolls around.

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Photo: In Simi, youngsters take a break from a basketball game organized by a Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District day-care program.

Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News