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Goddard School focusing on the environment
By Denise Dick
By DENISE DICK
BOARDMAN
Two-year-old Olivia Hetson strikes a pose in front of the mirror, admiring her one-of-a-kind outfit.
The cardboard flip-flops, snack-wrapper blouse and Dorito-bag skirt aren’t available in the children’s section of any department store. Olivia’s fashion is part of Earth Day observation this week at the Goddard School. The child care/preschool on Bristlewood Drive is focusing this week’s activities on the theme Stepping Up for the Environment.
Earth Day is Thursday.
Anthony Delluomo, 2, wasn’t as thrilled with his recycled duds. He kept removing his Cheeto-bag vest and putting it back on.
A fashion show with a boy and girl from each classroom modeling the designer garb is part of the Earth Day theme.
“We have activities about the environment all week long,” said Luba Everitt, educational director.
The school has 120 children, age 6 weeks to 6 years.
This week, they’ll learn the importance of recycling, how trees help the environment and how to talk to others about the environment.
Children in the classroom for 4- and-5-year-olds created a papier-m ¢ch model of Earth for the celebration.
Madison Murphy, Xavier Coach, Veronica Cionni, Rebekah Bader and Jacob Bowman, all 5, and Katie Justice and Gavin Vankleeck, both 4, lined up in Kim Johnson’s class, dipping strips of newsprint into glue.
“We’re doing papier- m ¢ch ,” Rebekah explained.
“We’re making the Earth,” Veronica added.
“The Earth is important,” Xavier said.
Katie, Gavin, Madison and Jacob all said making the model was fun, despite getting a little messy.
Even the babies got into the environmental act. Twins Fin and Lane Schubert, 11 months, and Cooper Grim and Alex Conley, both 1, stuck pieces of cut-up magazines onto cardboard to create collages.
“They do artwork every day,” Everitt said, pointing to the pieces around the room.
The babies learn about textures — glue is sticky — through the art. Using old magazines to create collages rather than throwing them away also fits into the reduce, reuse and recycle idea.
The children’s finished product is secondary, the educational director said.
“It’s the process,” Everitt said. “They learn to work with materials. Whether they make something beautiful or not, it doesn’t matter. It’s the process.”