PORT ANGELES — BlockFest sessions are planned at Franklin Elementary School, 2505 S. Washington St., this Saturday.
The next Saturday, March 28, the sessions will be at Jefferson Elementary School, 218 E. 12th St., Port Angeles.
The free sessions will be at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the school’s gymnasiums.
During the BlockFest sessions, parents, teachers and caregivers are taught how to use playing with blocks to help children from 8 months to 8 years old enjoy and succeed in math.
Registration for the sessions is necessary. To reserve time at the events, phone Franklin at 360-457-1343 or Jefferson at 360-457-4231.
Five block stations
During a BlockFest exhibit, parents and children spend 10 minutes playing at each of five block stations, rotating through all of them in about an hour.
Information about child development and how children learn math and science concepts is offered at each station.
A take-home booklet, Playing and Learning with Blocks, will be given to each participant.
The program was created by the University of Idaho to raise parents’ knowledge of early child development in the areas of math and science while providing children opportunities to increase social skills and literacy.
The program was funded in Clallam County by a nearly $50,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the Parenting Matters Foundation.
It will be conducted at schools throughout Clallam County. All sessions are sponsored by Parenting Matters and the First Teacher Program.
For more information, visit www.blockfest.org.
