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Home > Archive > Aug 2, 2007

Club Encourages Kids’ Curiosity
By Cami Cox
Staff Writer
Why is the sky blue? What makes a rainbow? How do tornadoes form? Why do centipedes have so many legs? Kids are full of curious questions about life, the world and how things work, and the Tonaquint Nature Center in St. George, in conjunction with St. George Leisure Services, is encouraging that childlike inquisitiveness through “Curiosity Club.”
The club is a program for preschool children ages 4 and 5 that urges kids to ask questions, be curious and learn about the world around them. Curiosity Club will take place Aug. 14-Sept. 4 at the Tonaquint Nature Center.
“If you have children, they get to that stage where they say, 'What's that? What's that? Why? Why? Why?'” Dawn Eide-Albrecht, city of St. George Recreation Division program coordinator, said. “At Curiosity Club, they can ask whatever questions they want. We'll keep it simple, but we're going to give them the facts. Kids are smarter than I think a lot of people give them credit for.”
For an hour each week, the pint-size members of the Curiosity Club will meet at the Tonaquint Nature Center for hands-on activities, crafts and interactive learning revolving around such themes as “Barnyard Hoedown!” “Scary Spider Day,” “Healthy You” and “Wacky Weather.” The kids will learn all about things like creepy crawlies, exercise, nutrition and weather phenomena; and, best of all, they'll get to ask all the questions they want.
“We just let them play and be themselves, ask the silly questions,” Eide-Albrecht said. “Who knows what answers they'll give? That's the fun part!”
Oftentimes, she said, adults become so busy and have so many responsibilities weighing on them that when kids ask a lot of questions, adults unintentionally stifle those curiosities with impatient statements like, “Because I said so,” “Just because” or “Go ask your mom.” But it's important to encourage kids to stay curious, she said. Throughout history, it's those who dared to ask “Why?” that impacted the world the most.
“I think when you stop asking questions, like these little guys do, you become too serious. You forget how to play and have fun,” Eide-Albrecht said. “When you discourage kids from asking questions, you stop them from developing. I mean, isn't that a parent's dream, to have a child that has that self-motivation to dream and go explore and become the best they can be?”
In addition to keeping kids' minds abuzz with questions and their curiosities alive, the learning activities at Curiosity Club also open their eyes to future possibilities, helping them discover what their interests are and what they can be when they grow up.
“They may want to be a hoedown farmer or a vet,” Eide-Albrecht said. “Maybe they want to be a dietitian.”
Not only a fun learning opportunity for the children, Curiosity Club is also a good break for parents, she said. Parents are given the option of staying with their kids at Curiosity Club or merely dropping them off for the hour; for many parents, that hour of “me time” is just what the doctor ordered.
“Parents can go to the park and read and have time to themselves,” Eide-Albrecht said.
The fee for Curiosity Club is $20 per child, and there is a registration limit of 12 children for the program. To register, visit the St. George Rec. Center, 285 S. 400 East, or go online to www.activityreg.com. Other activities for kids and parents are also available through the St. George Recreation Center. For more information, call 627-4560.
The Tonaquint Nature Center is located at 1851 S. Dixie Dr. in St. George.

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