LAKEWOOD – Youthful eyes and ears took a glimpse into their parents’ workplace on Wednesday morning at the Jamestown Cummins Engine Plant.

During the annual Take Your Kid to Work Day event series, children of Cummins Engine employees were able to show their kids around, participate in games and build projects with them.

The three-day event took place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with children from 8-12 years old visiting on Monday and Tuesday.

On Wednesday, children age 13 to 18 visited the plant with their parents.

The kids were given a tour of the plant, watched videos on hydraulics and then worked with their parents and other volunteers from the plant to build their own hydraulic arm.

“Did the video help you understand it?” one parent asked.

“No, it didn’t,” the girl said with a laugh.

Stephanie Morse, event director and Cummins Engine quality representative, said she has been participating in the event for the past five years.

“It gives kids a chance to interact with their parents in a different way. We also focus on doing things that are community based,” Morse said. “We have field game activities, and we’re also writing letters to people in the military. We’re going to create our own ‘Operation’ game.”

She said the day is full of fun, education and the employees seem to enjoy it.

“I like hanging out with the kids and showing them the options they have. It’s just not just getting away from your job it’s about getting the kids interested in something other than video games,” Morse said. “This year, we brought in Striders to help us out. We try to utilize local businesses (and organizations), like local pizzerias, Chautauqua Striders, just to get the community involved in what we do here.”

The participants in the program also got T-shirts and water bottles which bore the day’s theme on them, “Engineering Our Futures.”

Morse said Cummins used a local vendor for those items as well.

Pam Exley, administrative assistant to the plant manager, said the event brought approximately 300 children to the plant over the three day period.

“It started out as a ‘bring your daughter to work day’ and expanded into a ‘bring your kid to work day,'” Exley said, adding the event has been going on for almost 20 years.

The event is completely voluntary, and Morse said even employees who don’t have kids will help out with the activities.

For more information on the Jamestown Cummins Engine Plant and Cummins events, visit www.cummins.com.