The Town of Taos loves kids
THE TOWN OF TAOS is inviting the young at heart to a Valentine Craft Making and Cookie Decorating Feb. 10 from 1-4 p.m. at the Taos Youth & Family Center.
“It’s free for children of all ages,” Judy Esquibel, community events coordinator explained, “but children under age 8 must have an adult with them.”
Many Taos businesses and groups help with these events. The Valentine program is being sponsored by Albertson’s Market, Taos Ski Valley, Inc., Rodeo de Taos Royalty representing the Taos County Sheriff’s Posse, and Taos Youth & Family Center and Town of Taos Community Events.
“Everyone loves to get a special hand-made Valentine,” Esquibel said, “and materials will be provided. All the kids have to do is bring their
imagination.”Imagination and much more was active at a high level at the recent Explora, program from the Science Center and Children’s Museum of Albuquerque. One of many adult volunteers helping kids at the hands-on exploration tables clocked in some 400 children by the end of the day.
At the Microsopios table, volunteer Brian MacCormack, a veteran of the war in Iraq, called Operation Iraqi Freedom was always interested in science, he said. But volunteering to help kids peer through microscopes at an abundant variety of plastic-encased objects resulted from his painful childhood experience with a learning challenge that always placed him in lower expectation classes. “All kids can learn if you give them a chance,” he said.
Ernie Lopez, a retired science teacher and co-chair of a 2007 Inquirum
event in Albuquerque, was a volunteer helper at the Scribblebots table. “What are the kids doing here?” I asked, somewhat in awe of the robots made out of pencils, crayons, cork, foam and ice cream sticks that were skittering around the table.
“Learning to think critically,” Ernie said while showing a child how to attach a battery to her duck-taped robot construction.
At another table, children were constructing circuit boards, instructed by volunteer Will Jaremko-Wright, Natural Resources instructor at Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M.
Around the Rampecabezas table, both students and adults were seated. The volunteer helper, who referred to herself as a private person, a swimmer, who learned about the opportunity to volunteer through attendance at adult activities, explained each of the wooden puzzles to me.
“Look at these,” she invited, laying two carved wooden pieces on the table. “Which one is longer?” I replied that it was the one on the left. She switched the pieces. Now the other one, now on the left seemed the longest.
“We tend to judge these by the highest curve of the piece,” she smiled. to make this happen.
“Seems impossible,” I commented. “We did have a group of three 6thgraders do this.”
“So your table encourages teamwork?”
“Well, innovative thinking, mostly. These students talked to one another about various options. It was great fun listening to them work this out. Finally, they succeeded.” She looked around to see if the students were still around. “I think they were part of the Taos Middle School group. They were all really excited and involved.” But not only were adults active as helpers. At another table, an elementary-age girl was building a tower of wood blocks. “I could go higher,” she said, “but that’s as far as I can reach!”
A tall high-school boy stepped up. “Let me help you.” The tower quickly shot up. The girl turned to thank the other student, but he had disappeared in the crowd. In March, another program will be held at the Taos Youth & Family Center. “The Dr. Seuss event will be really big,” Esquibel explained. We’ll be integrating the activity event with a reading program “we’ll be taking into the schools.”