SPRINGFIELD - Emily Luka, of Blue Mound, eyed her target, aimed and fired.

"I got to five feet!" Emily exclaimed.

Emily and her brother Blake were two of hundreds of children who made their first "rocket" this week, composed of two overlapping straws and a paper windmill for lift, at the 4-H area of the Exposition Building at the Illinois State Fair.

Persistent morning rains kept crowds small on Friday, but parents were grateful to see there was more for children to do than ride the Tilt-a-Whirl and Giant Slide at Futures for Kids Day.

"Kids want to be able to get their hands on something, and not just see what other kids' projects are like," said Sarah Bielicki, a 4-H volunteer. "Most kids now just care about video games, but (through hands-on activities) they can learn something that will help them in their future."

The 4-H "Make It-Take" area included stations to create the rockets, decorate foam visors and view displays by children involved with 4-H.

Lily and Carter Burns, of Bloomington, attended the fair for the first time with their "mimi," Ruthann Stevens, and stopped into the Exposition Building to escape the rain. Lily said her favorite aspect of the day so far had been decorating her new green visor.

"I think they're having a good time," Stevens said. "They are so surprised to see they can make something and then take it with them. Carter just said to me, 'see how creative I am, Mimi.' Kids need to know they can do other things than just riding the rides."

The day also featured a junior dairy show, society horse show and Kids Ag-tivity Tent. The tent expanded in size and changed locations this year, allowing parents to be able to sit and enjoy the music from the Hometown Pride tent while their children experienced interactive agriculture-focused activities, said Karen Frause of the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Dan Gehrig, of Alton, said he thinks the Ag-tivity Tent offered the most kid-friendly activities throughout the fairgrounds. He and his wife brought their children every year, he said.

Carla Luka, who accompanied Emily and Blake, said she believes exposing children to state fair activities is beneficial.

"They loved looking at the animals; we have cows and chickens at home, but it's still fun to look at other animals, and they got to milk a cow," she said. "This really gives them hands-on experience and opens the door for the possibility of future 4-H activities."

Courtney Klemm can be reached at cklemm@herald-review.com or 421-6968.