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May 2, 2012
May Goings On
May 2, 2012
If a young child truly is like a sponge, absorbing and filing away early influences, then why not introduce the toddlers and preschoolers to science, wetlands and Louisiana culture?
Allyn Rodriguez, at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux, couldn’t answer the question, so she pioneered the Wee Rangers Kids Program, basing it loosely on toddler-reading days at local libraries.
“My thought is we should have that sort of early exposure and experimentation with science and wetlands and kind of the cultural history of Louisiana,” Rodriguez says. “That’s what inspired the Wee Rangers – to develop a program for younger kids and their family to come out and have, if you will, a ranger experience on a younger level.”
Wee Rangers is open to children ages 3 to 5. The program focuses on one theme each month. So far, children have been introduced to Wetlands in Winter, African American History, The Irish in Louisiana and Fun with Frogs.
On May 10, the last class before the program breaks for the summer, children are introduced to Asian Influences, such as the significance of dragons, New Year celebrations and the creation of the firework.
“We’re going to learn about the mythology of Asians, particularly the Chinese, although there was a large immigration group of Vietnamese,” she says.
Rodriguez says fun, but “super kid-friendly,” experiments are conducted each month. In February, for African American History, the Wee Rangers used okra to make slime.
Children that exceed the age limit are invited to join their peers in the Family Fun Day Kids, which is held the last Thursday of the month (May 26) and thematically mirrors Wee Rangers.
“They’re based on the same thing,” Rodriguez says. “For May, we’ll be doing the same subject, but a higher level and a few different experiences.”
For both age groups, the goal is the same – to stimulate a child’s mind and create a foundation of learning.
“I think it gives them experiences that they may not be able to get at home,” Rodriguez says. “While a lot of people do the reading program with the library, this is my hope to introduce them to the science.”
Rodriguez says she tries to limit class sizes to 20 to better facilitate individualized discussion. For more information, call (985) 448-1375.
Allyn Rodriguez conducts experiments with children in the Family Fun Day Kids program at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center.
