Child Actors Double Dutch for Nickelodeon Day of Play

NEW YORK—The young cast of “The Haunted Hathaways,” a Nickelodeon show, encouraged children to stay active. At a pop-up event in Union Square Wednesday afternoon, they played double Dutch and promoted their show “The Haunted Hathaways.”

“Whenever we’re off set, we toss a football and we jump rope and we have fun,” said Amber Montana.

“I also play tennis and golf when I’m at home, I play with my dogs a lot outside,” Breanna Yde said.

Montana said that staying active encourages her to eat healthy and drink a lot of water. “It’s healthy for your body and it’s healthy for your mind to get out,” she said.

The smaller pop-up events, that will take place throughout the city this week, lead up to the big Saturday event in Prospect Park where thousands of children are expected to participate in a full day of activities. This year will mark the 10th anniversary for Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play.

Nickelodeon partnered with over 30 organizations to stage the event, including NFL, NBA, Boys & Girls Club of America, the YMCA of Greater NY, and others. On Saturday children can expect to play football, tennis drills, dancing, and double Dutch.

“You can always find a way to do something,” said Montana. Even when she lived in a small apartment, she found ways to exercise and walked her dogs.

Both girls encouraged children to stay active, go outside, and not be afraid to join sports clubs.

“If you’re not good at it you should keep trying until you get it right,” Yde said.

“The Haunted Hathaways” is a TV series that presents a story about a mom who moves into a haunted house with her two daughters. The house is, however, haunted by another family, a father and his two sons. The show premiered last year and was picked up for another season starting this Saturday.

The daughters are played by Amber Montana and Breanna Yde, and the sons are played by Curtis Harris and Benjamin Flores Jr. Flores Jr. also agreed that physical activity is important.

“It might not be important right now … but when you get older, it’s important to stay fit,” Curtis Harris said. Harris said he has a Wii, which helps him stay active, and he says he also does a lot of planks.

“I like to do push ups and pull ups and sit ups,” said Flores Jr. He encouraged children to attend the Saturday event.

“Get up, get out, and go play,” he said.

The Saturday event is a free, but it’s a ticketed event running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets can be ordered on the Nick.com website.