POCATELLO — Learning doesn’t always take place in a classroom, behind a desk. It can also entail hula-hooping, blowing bubbles, crawling through tunnels, and tossing bean bags.
That was the scene at a Pocatello park Thursday, where the last of three summer events brought the ‘Read Talk Play Every Day’ initiative to life. Kids first got to read with the local semi-pro baseball team, then talk about STEM at the local library, and finally play at the park.
“We live in a world that is so technology-focused, but I think really encouraging interaction and play outside of devices is so important for kids,” said Tennille Call, the director of education for United Way of Southeastern Idaho. “All learning is done through play. The senses are triggered, they’re engaged in it, and they’re excited to participate.”
The ‘Read Talk Play’ initiative was the brainchild of American Falls Superintendent Randy Jensen and his daughter Whitney Lankford. Since then, it’s caught on and expanded throughout the state, and even garnered some national attention.
At its core is an effort to increase literacy among children between the ages of zero to five in a state where pre-K education is not funded through tax dollars.
“We know that 80% of brain development or more happens between the ages of zero and five, (so we want) to really support parents to be their child’s first and best teachers,” Call said. “The ultimate hope is really to just remind people how simple interactions are so impactful in kids’ lives … relationships really matter more than the things we have.”
United Way has held similar events in American Falls, but this was the first summer expanding it to Pocatello, Call said.
Katie Wren, a stay-at-home mom, brought three of her children to the event Thursday and said reading enriches play. “It enhances their imagination so when they’re playing they can come up with their own stories and games,” she said.
For those who missed the summer events, or simply want to extend at-home learning opportunities, United Way also partners with local libraries in southeast Idaho to provide learning kits, which have a literacy focus and include books and educational toys.
Cresta Craner is the director of the Portneuf District Library in Chubbuck and said the kits are popular among families and can help spark lifelong learning.
“Play is learning,” she said. “Once kids find the love of learning, you’ve got ‘em.”
The kits are also available at the Pocatello, American Falls, Bancroft, and Snake River libraries.
