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By Nancy Townsley of the Times BEAVERTON - Five year old Benjamin Krause grimaced as he
attempted to explain the green goo leaking through the
bottom of the plastic basket. "It's sticky," he observed, touching the stuff with the
tip of scissors as it oozed toward his desk. He made sure to
trim off the lengthening sting before it got there. "Play
Doh is smooth, and Flubber stretches," Benjamin said with a
confident nod of his curly heard. It's all in a day's playtime at Science-Fiction Camp, one
of seven programs under way this summer at Beaverton's
Creative Children's Center. This week, 15 youngsters are
taking part in a whole galaxy of space themed activities
from building a rocket to making aliens out of clay. They're learning about gravity and what makes a spaceship
go. They're taking imaginary trips through the solar system,
creating stars out of tin foil and creeping through a
darkened room with flashlights trained on glow-in-the-dark
planets. Space Environment On Friday, the last day of the program, the parents will
gather to view their tiny campers' artistic efforts and chow
down on - what else? - star shaped sugar cookies. "By the
end of the week we'll have a total space environment right
here on the grass," said Lucy Chaille, director of the
cooperative kindergarten and preschool. Chaille had dropped by to survey the front yard, where
two of her small charges were busy shooting tempera paint
through turkey basters toward blank pieces of the poster
paper. They're making alien space bodies," she said. "We
allow the children to explore all the activity areas as a
long as they're engaged in something. There's a real balance
between child choice and teacher direction that helps young
people develop creative thinking and decision-making
skills." Besides all that, the kids were having a blast. Brothers Austin and Alexander White took turns with the
paints, mixing and matching primary colors to come up with
cool combinations on a hot day. After the paint dried, said
teacher Amy Bockman, the kids would "cut out the shape their
paint pattern made on the paper and attach body parts and
antennae." Wendie White, the boy's mother, is a member of the CCC
parent board. "I like the different experiences my kids get
here." Said White. Her daughter, Angellena, who turns two on
July 4, will attend the center's Play Pals program in the
fall. "Teacher Amy does a lot of theme-oriented things that
teach all five senses. It brings adventure into the live of
all the children even a kid who might not naturally be the
adventurous type." On a national level Chaille, who formerly taught children's music and theater
arts classes at Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District,
joined 20 other parents a dozen years ago to establish
Creative Children's Center. The cooperative operated out of
Ladd Acres Elementary School in Hillsboro for its first
three years before locating a permanent home at 2515 N.W
185th Ave. During the school year, CCC runs five-day a week
kindergarten and preschool classes for age 2 to 6. We
decided to open up a small center, and it's grown to include
170 families," noted Chaille. In 1997, the school was
featured on PBS television's "News Hour with Jim Lehrer" for
its work on brain development and children's learning
processes. Last October, Chaille teamed up with two Portland State
University professors to present a works shop called
"Learning with the Light: Children Investigating their
World" in Anaheim, Calif. "We're actively involved in
promoting and supporting early childhood education on a
national level," said Chaille, who holds a Master of Fine
Arts degree from the University of Portland. As she spoke, 3-year-old Austin White squatted in the
sunshine, blissfully unaware of the greenish tinge his hair
had acquired while he worked on his masterpiece. "I can tell
what activities my kids did that day the condition of the
clothes they wear home," smiled Wendie White. "It's hard to
get them to leave sometimes because they love it so
much."
Children Launch Creativity at Camp
Beaverton Valley Times - June 21, 2002