10 signs your kids were born to learn

If you’re a frequent visitor to Brothers Pond Park, you may notice a colorful new feature along the main trail. Thanks to the United Way of the Brazos Valley – in cooperation with the College Station Parks and Recreation Department – the trail now offers interesting educational games that build pre-literacy skills in young children. The Born Learning Trail officially opened last Friday.

An interactive, playful and visible community engagement tool, the trail is part of the national Born Learning Campaign, which helps parents, caregivers and communities support early learning. The program focuses on boosting language and literacy skills, and simply encouraging families to get active. In addition, it raises awareness and connects volunteers to early childhood education programs.

Parks, museums, libraries and corporate campuses across the country are building Born Learning Trails as a way for kids to boost their language and literacy skills while having fun and being active. The close proximity of Brothers Pond Park to Southwood Valley Elementary School gives those children in particular a chance to interact and explore all year.

The Brothers Pond Park trail includes 10 engaging, bilingual signs that feature fun outdoor games to help parents and caregivers create learning opportunities:

• Sign 1: Welcome!
• Sign 2: Point to the letters painted on the ground. Say the sound each letter makes.
• Sign 3: Listen to the birds. Ask, “What are they saying?  Can you sing like them?” Make up silly stories or songs.
• Sign 4: Pretend to move like an animal. Walk like a duck or jump like a frog. Walk backwards or skip. 
• Sign 5: Find a flower or a tree. Touch it. Talk about it. Is it soft or hard? Rough or smooth?
• Sign 6: Look at the shapes on the ground. How are they the same? Different?
• Sign 7: Play hopscotch.
• Sign 8: Tell stories about yourself and your family. Look around for story ideas. Have your child help tell the story.
• Sign 9: Stand in the circles, look at each other and make each other smile or laugh.
• Sign 10: Watch what your child likes to do. Is it playing on the slide, looking at bugs or playing with other children?

Next time you’re near Brothers Pond Park (3100 Rio Grande Blvd.), stop and take a quick stroll down our Born Learning Trail.  And don’t forget to let us know what you think! My email address is aatkins@cstx.gov.