Learning happens everywhere a child goes, but parents, grandparents and caregivers may not always know how to support that learning.

 

That won’t be the case at Home Run Memorial Park. When Mom and Dad, Aunt Amy and Grandpa take their favorite young child to Home Run Memorial Park now, they’ll be able to play fun games together that will help the child come to school ready to succeed.

 

That’s because United Way of Hardin County and community volunteers today created an outdoor interactive early learning trail at Home Run Park to help parents, grandparents, and caregivers turn excursions into fun leaning moments.

 

The Born Learning Trail is a series of learning activities that any adult can play with young children. It is sponsored by United Way of Hardin County with materials being donated by Root Lumber Company, Ace Hardware, Kiwanis,  and Sherwin Williams.

 

Based on the latest early childhood research and approved by national early learning experts through United Way of America, the Born Learning Trail is designed to help adults interact with children to boost language and literacy development and to help caregivers understand how to best support early learning in outdoor everyday moments.

 

There are 10 signs on the Born Learning Trail, each including activities such as See! Say! Point! Read!, which encourages playfulness with letters and sound building pre-literacy skills.

Imagine! Create! Pretend! Encourages interactive storytelling, building a child’s ability to imagine and listen. Hop! Toss! Shake! Wiggle! Gets children’s brains and bodies moving, building fine and gross motor skills as well as the thinking that’s key to kindergarten success.