Festival of learning
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on June 4, 2017 9:04 AM
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Amy, 4, and twins Kelly and Elliot, 6, Sanchez color at the Read Wayne Booth Saturday during the Born Learning Festival at Herman Park.
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Richard Yang, 7, flips over a matching card Saturday at the Born Learning Festival. He and his brother Peter, 8, left, took turns playing at the Literacy Connections tent and were also given a smaller version of the game to take home.
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Reagan Brock, 8, rolls a marble covered in paint around in a box to create a design at the Wayne Community College Early Childhood Education booth during the annual Born Learning Festival Saturday. Also pictured, Kennedy, 3, and Melissa Brock, Reagan's sister and mother. The family has been attending the event for the past four years.
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Jasmine, 7, and Alexis, 4, Grant color at a small table set up beside the Simmons Early Intervention table at the Born Learning Festival.
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Kayden, 2, and Taylor, 1, Exum play with a basketball game at the Partnership for Children booth during the annual Born Learning Festival at Herman Park Saturday. The booth featured information about the programs "Parents as Teachers" and "Be Active Kids."
Herman Park came alive with music and color Saturday, as the Wayne County Partnership for Children hosted its annual Born Learning event.
Hundreds of people congregated at the park for the free event, which was designed to introduce parents to ways to further their child's education during the early years of life. Charlie Ivey, executive director of the Partnership for Children, said that 45 community groups attended the festival.
"The only requirement we have of the organizations here is that they have to give the parents an activity to take home," he said. "The activity has to help their kids grow either cognitively, socially or physically."
Groups ranging from the Boys and Girls Club to the Goldsboro Police Department set up all over the park, as parents and children ran back and forth from booth to booth. The one-day event typically draws in between 1,500 to 2,000 people, Ivey said.
Set slightly back from the main group, Joel Burks stood in front of a bench with several drums aligned in a row. He watched as several delighted kids took positions behind the larger drums, and quickly helped them find their rhythm.
"I usually come out here during the spring and summer, when the kids get off of school, and I teach conga and djembe drums," he said.
Burks is a self-taught musician who has been drumming for over 20 years. He offers free drumming lessons to any children who happen to catch him in on a sunny day in Herman Park.
On this particular sunny day, four smiling kids packed together on the bench, eyes fixed on Burks' hands as he pounded out a stead beat. Brothers Joshua Floyd, 8, and Jordan Floyd, 11, say with Jose Ortiz, 6, and Keilly Ortiz, 3, doing an admirable job following along with Burks.
"I'm surprised you got that far," he said with a smile as the kids copied his pattern. "Lets try this now."
Burks upped his tempo, and the kids followed along.
In addition to providing information for the community and a fun way to spend a weekend, the event is also a valuable source of information for the Partnership for Children. As part of registration for the event, each family received two anonymous surveys, one with demographics questions and one with questions about early life learning.
The second survey was comprised of statements such as "children learn better when parents use routines with them," or "you can't spoil an infant," which parents could either agree or disagree with.
Ivey said these survey's are part of what keeps the partnership accountable, and also serve to show the partnership what the community thinks about early life education.