Skip to content

Main Street Mobile provides fun for youths

Local youths had the opportunity to learn in a fun setting during a visit from the Main Street Mobile to the Estevan Leisure Centre on Wednesday morning.
Kids First pic
Roenick Pratt had fun at the Main Street Mobile.

Local youths had the opportunity to learn in a fun setting during a visit from the Main Street Mobile to the Estevan Leisure Centre on Wednesday morning.

Madeleine Valentine, who is the community liaison for the South East Cornerstone Public School Division’s Regional KidsFirst initiative, said the event offered a variety of resources for families. Regional KidsFirst and the Estevan Area Literacy Group brought the Main Street Mobile van to Estevan.

Many of the activities offered involved water, including a fish pond, a waterfall and a duck game. There were also table activities, including one with some hammers and nails.

“When you’re doing the hammers and nails, you’re looking at things such as hand-eye co-ordination, which you’re trying to develop in children,” said Valentine.

There were also activities to build motor skills, including a bean bag toss, an egg and spoon race, nature logs and a baby corner for the youngest children.

“I think that our end goal in all of this is just to encourage some parent-child interaction, and get parents and children playing and learning through play,” said Valentine.

Most of the stations have a sign that tells the children how to do the activity, and explains the benefits.

KidsFirst also brings the Impact Early Childhood Fair to Estevan each year. She said Main Street Mobile is different because it reaches a wider group of kids, while this year’s Impact fair was for those born in 2014.

“We have activities for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, right across the gamut (at Main Street Mobile),” said Valentine.

The Main Street Mobile alternates between the southeast region, the Yorkton area and the Regina-Fort Qu’Appelle area. Valentine will have it for four weeks this spring, and she estimates she has been to 15 or 16 communities this spring.

She will get the van for two more weeks in August, when she will make a visit to the Estevan Family Resource Centre, and then the van will be back in October.