Half a dozen youngsters fidgeted with excitement as Oak Harbor Mayor Jim Slowik helped the pint-sized park-goers cut a yellow ribbon in celebration of the Born Learning Trail at Fort Nugent Park Friday.
“If you want to wiggle and jump and hopscotch, feel free to do that,” Cathy Niiro, executive director of United Way of Island County, said.
With the official OK, the kids wasted no time in unleashing their youthful energy, hopping and skipping through a hopscotch painted on the asphalt at the trail’s start.
The new trail offers a series of activities that incorporate the latest early childhood development research to create an interactive outdoor trail to help parents, grandparents and caregivers turn an afternoon at the park into an engaging learning experience.
Angie Housley of Oak Harbor brought her kids, Kennedy and Logan, along with several of their friends to the park to enjoy the spring-like weather and burn off a little energy.
“We love this park because there’s so much for them to do,” she said.
The Born Learning Trail is just another draw for young families like the Housleys, in addition to grandparents and caregivers who bring pre-kindergarden children to the park.
The trail includes 10 signs with activities that get kids’ brains and bodies moving to build fine and gross motor skills that are key to kindergarten success.
Niiro, her husband Cedric and a small group of volunteers worked all of Thursday to finish the trail in time for its grand opening ceremony on Friday.
The team even employed the help of a heat gun to speed up the paint drying process.
“The Born Learning Trail promotes fun and games – important components of early childhood learning,” Niiro said.
Two more trails, one on South Whidbey and one on Camano Island, will be installed soon, she said.
United Way of America created a public engagement campaign in partnership with the Families and Work Institute, Ad Council and Civitas. The campaign, called “Born Learning,” is aimed at helping communities create everyday early learning opportunities for its youngest members.
For more information about the trails, call Cathy Niiro at 675-1778, or visit bornlearning.org for details about the public campaign.
