The WSC early childhood program and The Child Development Lab Preschool, known as Kiddie College, welcomed a new early childhood indoor activity area on March 26. The area allows student teachers to engage in nature education and activities with children enrolled in the Kiddie College preschool on campus.

The Kiddie College is open from 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. in the Benthack Applied Science building on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

The activity area allows the preschool to expand its participation in the Nature Explore program by providing an area for student teachers to provide nature education indoors when the outdoor Nature Explore classroom is inaccessible due to adverse weather conditions. Early childhood professor Dr. Pamela Langlie-Willers started the Nature Explore program on campus in 2013. The program welcomes preschool kids from the ages 3-5.

“I have always been involved in the Nature Explore program, the promotion of it and the outdoor classroom that we have involved with it,” Langlie-Willers said. “This gave us a chance to expand the opportunities of the Nature Explore program.”

The new childhood indoor activity area is designed to promote all areas of development for young children and highlights physical development, music development and early science skills.
The activity area features a castle, climbing tunnels and other opportunities for physical activity. Student teachers also provide environmental education activities and music education in the space.

The program uses student teachers from all of the early childhood programs offered at Wayne State. The student teachers have the opportunity to participate in small or large group teaching.
All of the early childhood programs at Wayne State may utilize the program and are allowed the chance to practice teaching by working with children.

“Interacting with the kids and seeing how much they grow and [are] developing from week to week is the best part,” senior Paige Medinger said. “You can really notice how the kids develop, simply from their writing and even from the spelling of their own names.”