Archive for Sunday, April 8, 2007

Kids show learning can be fun

Christian Heritage kindergartners use interactive game to get close with nature

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Amber Townsend, right, raises her hand to answer a question during an educational game show hosted by Barb King. King volunteers in the Christian Heritage classroom, teaching weekly lessons about nature.

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Katelyn Kline, left, participates in an educational game show hosted by Barb King, dressed as Barbie Do Right, at the Christian Heritage School in Steamboat Springs on Wednesday.

— Barbie Do Right did well.

With nearly one dozen attentive kindergartners gathered before her Wednesday, Barb King pretended to be a game show host as a fun way for the Christian Heritage School students to show off what they learned about nature.

Dressed up as Barbie Do Right, King asked questions and encouraged the kindergartners to answer questions and cheer on their classmates.

Originally, King made the weekly drive from Grand Lake to Steamboat Springs to volunteer in Linda Calkins' kindergarten classroom as a reading aide and to see her grandchildren at Christian Heritage.

When word got out that King is an environmental educator for the National Park Service in Rocky Mountain National Park, King began weekly lessons about nature.

The lessons began in January and concluded Wednesday with a trivia game show. Christian Heritage kindergartners Thurston Hodge, Katelyn Kline and Amber Townsend were selected to play the skunk, frog and coyote, respectively. They attempted to answer questions about what they had learned. The audience - otherwise known as their classmates - helped out.

All participants were given a goodie bag for their achievement. The class made King an unexpected scrapbook of their favorite memories, including eating insects, wearing a moose pelt, learning about forest fires and making worm farms.

"My favorite part was when we got to play the game of which scat belong to which animal," said Kyle Case.

"My favorite part was when she showed us the antlers," said Miriam Sills.

"I liked (Wednesday's) game when she gave us a badge," said Justin Peretz, but King only gave Calkins' kindergartners a prize if they promised one thing.

"Go the other way if you ever see a moose," Calkins said.

King works with children and adults doing environmental education for Rocky Mountain National Park. Learning more about the animals and environment that surrounds Steamboat Springs is valuable even at a young age.

Using dead insects, animal furs, puppets and interactive games enabled the students to associate a fact with fun.

"They are like sponges," King said of the kindergartners. "They'll remember this. Even with adults, if they have something intangible to hold on to, that's what they'll remember."

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