By Seth Leonard
sleonard@salisburypost.comChildren attending a day-care and development center on Catawba College’s campus are in the midst of receiving a global education.
Partners in Learning Child Development and Family Resource Center is the only five-star, nationally accredited program in the county for young children. The program includes children from 6 weeks old up to 12 years old and provides both day care for youngsters and after-school enrichment for others.
The youngsters spent the past two weeks learning about various countries. The children chose places they were most interested in and spent a day on each.
Speakers described the locations, such as Piotr Gil talking about conditions in his native Poland.
Mitch Houck managed to steal the show. A bush pilot from Alaska, Houck brought in the pelt from a bear that he shot in his back yard.
“They learned a lot,” said Michelle Macon, an administrator for the program. “They learned different languages and different types of food. They learned to respect diversity.”
Children celebrated the mid-point in their studies with a parade of nations for the benefit of the youngest students, who will participate in later years. Kelly Kirk donned ski bibs and a paper dragon head to lead the parade. Some children held the tail of the dragon, while others dressed in costumes and carried miniature flags.
Megan Honeycutt works with the program and appreciates the well-rounded approach to social studies.
“I just think this is a great way for the children to learn about other countries,” she said.
Teacher Norma Honeycutt put on a burqa, a traditional dress worn by some Muslims to demonstrate how different cultures view gender roles.
Children picked up interesting facts from the program. Only they knew the exact number of islands comprising Japan. Some adults figured it to be four, but the students knew better. It is actually 6,852.