About 20 parents and 30 kids attended Eckville’s second annual children’s fair and swap meet Oct. 20 at the Eckville Community Centre. The fair was busy first thing in the morning but quiet in the afternoon once parents took their kids home for lunch and nap time.
Long rows of tables held a variety of items donated by people in the Eckville and surrounding area for parents and kids to pick up.
“Parents came in this morning and filled their bags with whatever they wanted. We had strollers going out, toys, clothes, everything,” said Karin Engen, new council member and coordinator for Eckville Neighbourhood Place.
“The premise behind the [fair] is early childhood development awareness in the the five developmental areas, ” said Karin Engen, The five developmental areas are social competence, language and thinking skills, physical health and well-being, emotional maturity, and communication skills and general knowledge.
Engen shared how she sees the fair as raising awareness in the community and how important it is to actively engage with children from 0 - 5.
” They are sharp. They’re like little sponges,” she said.
Another goal of the fair according to Engen is to educate parents about the various programs and services available to them in Eckville including Parent Link, Bright Futures, a pre-kindergarten program at Eckville Elementary and a play group that meets 10 - noon every Thursday.
Parents at the fair also had access to a public health nurse, dental hygienist and a nutritionist to help give tips on how to handle picky eaters. Razzle Dazzle was represented to give out information on how to start an approved family day home. The public library had few bean bags with books sitting near their booth for kids to encourage them to take a moment to read.
myra.nicks@eckvilleecho.com
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