The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
72°F
Current Conditions
Clear sky
View complete weather report

Color Scheme

Subscribe now

Children build new skills

Kaden Foreman, 3, peeks through the side of a block structure that he and his sister Erika were building at Block Fest, part of the Day of the Child and Books celebration Thursday at the Harding Family Center in Coeur d'Alene. Several child-centered nonprofit groups put on the event. (Photos by JESSE TINSLEY / The Spokesman-Review)
Taryn Brodwater Staff writer
Kaden Foreman, 3, peeks through the side of a block structure that he and his sister Erika were building at Block Fest, part of the Day of the Child and Books celebration Thursday at the Harding Family Center in Coeur d'Alene. Several child-centered nonprofit groups put on the event. (Photos by JESSE TINSLEY / The Spokesman-Review)

Kaden Foreman stacked the colorful foam blocks end on end until they towered beyond his reach.

“That’s tall,” he said, as his twin sister, Erika, created a structure resembling a multicolored tugboat.

The children were playing and having fun, but they were also learning, said Terry DeSpain, state leader for the Parents As Teachers program.

“Children learn everything through blocks,” DeSpain said. “It’s literacy, it’s math, it’s science.” Parents As Teachers organized Block Fest – one of several activities at Thursday’s Day of the Child and Books event in Coeur d’Alene.

Several stations with different types of blocks were set up where parents could watch their children play and join in the activity.

“It’s wonderful to have parents realize what their children (are) learning and how they can encourage learning,” DeSpain said.

Zeyda Foreman snapped picture after picture as the twins played with the foam blocks.

“What are you building?” Foreman asked. “That’s so creative.”

Foreman said she was surprised to learn of all the activities she and her kids could do with blocks.

She said it was wonderful to see her kids open up their imaginations.

Activities were set up inside and outside of the Harding Family Center for Thursday’s event.

Children played with giant bubble wands on the front walk and played in bins full of rice in the backyard. They created trail mix out of different cereals and made giant paper pinwheels.

Jimmy Kirkham, a 5-year-old from Spokane, said the fishing game was fun.

“I caught Goldfish (crackers) in a bag, Legos in a bag and just a book called ‘Clifford The Big Red Dog,’ ” he said as he used crayons to color a paper butterfly.

Marley Sullivan said “eating” was her favorite activity.

“I liked it,” the 4-year-old said as she tipped a plastic sandwich bag upside down to get the very last bits of the trail mix she’d made.

Her mother, Paula Lang, said she attends the event every year.

“It’s awesome to introduce the kids to other kids,” she said. “It introduces the parents to other parents.”