On Thursday, Jan. 17 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. children at the age of four from Arcola, Kisbey, and Pheasant Rump were invited to participate in a fun filled party. The Impact: Early Childhood Celebration was meant to introduce youngsters and their parents to the skills needed for entering school in the fall.
"It's to teach the parents different milestones, things kids should be doing by the time they get to kindergarten," Karla Beatty explained.
The gymnasium was set up with a farmyard theme complete with a reading barn in the middle of the gym.
Each section was set up for interactive learning where the children would be challenged in different ways. A puzzle station was set up where youth were questioned first about finding certain things on the box, and then they began putting the puzzle together.
A round up of vegetables was sitting at another station where youth were encouraged to sort the different coloured items into separate baskets. The youth then moved onto the next area where they got to play with playdough. They were given different objectives to complete such as making horns for the sheep on the mat in front of them.
The next station was a bean bag toss. The game is meant to teach youth how to take turns and share, while having fun.
The youth then came across pluck-a-duck, which was a tub filled with water. Little rubber ducky's were set floating in the water and the youth had to find two matching numbers. This one was particularly liked by many of the youth in attendance.
Potato sack races were set up at the back of the gym where the youngsters hopped. They didn't necessarily want to be in the potato sack, but enjoyed hopping and running around on the soft blue mats which were set out.
Next the youth moved onto a sheep craft. They had to cut out the head of a sheep in paper and then glue cotton balls to it. In the end each child had made a cute craft, something they can expect to be doing once they get to kindergarten.
The children played at a few other stations and received a snack. A fun way for the youth to entertain themselves included a reading barn in the middle of the gym, which was supported by the library.
As the children moved through the different stations they were given a prize for participating at each one. They were given puzzles, playdough, crayons, books, and other goodies. In the end each family got to go home with a free educational kit worth approximately $40.
The day of celebration was sponsored by CanWest Raise A Reader and Community Initiatives Fund. The latter was a grant applied to by Kids First based out of Carlyle.
Overall the youth were entertained. They had two hours of running, jumping, and concentrating quietly at different activities. Youth worked together during different sections, such as helping each other put the puzzle together. Parents were both entertained through helping their children and educated on different ways they can help prepare their child for school.
