Aggie activities available for more than just students
Dragons, spiders and other designs were painted on the faces of young children as they listened closely during story time at the Utah State University Bookstore on Saturday.
Lacey Erickson, a senior majoring in exercise science, has been in charge of the Little Aggie Activities for two of the three years it’s been running. The activities are held at the USU Bookstore on the south side of the Taggart Student Center.
“We feel it is a good service we can do to people to provide an educational outlet for their children,” Erickson said. “It’s a fun thing to get people into the store and see what we have and see the different things we can do.”
Erickson said each month they try to follow the bookstore’s themes, as they prepare for the activities.
The activities’ advertisements are limited to campus only, she said. They send letters, e-mails and fliers out to inform the public of each activity, but the “faculty is the easiest to advertise to.”
Cory Law, a senior majoring in animal science, said he heard about the activities from a flier his professor gave him.
The activities are free and open to anyone who wants to participate. Law said students with children have a cheap way to do something as a family. The activities are fun and they have a good time being there, he said.
His wife, Dyan, agreed. She said their children “love storytelling, and the face painting was a hit.”
Cory said many activities on campus are focused on the single students and can exclude the married students.
“It’s good to see [activities] geared toward married students rather than the single,” he said.
Erickson likes the activities to be focused on the family.
“It’s fun to involve parents and let them have an activity together with their children that they can enjoy together,” she said. “I think it is really important to involve your children with things they can do with you.”
Storytelling is a wonderful time for the children too, she said. They read classic stories as well as new stories to the children. One reason she said she loves books is because it “captures the imagination in a child.”
Erickson said the bookstore is more than just textbooks for students, and activities are a good way to inform people about the bookstore. Many students
don’t know much about the south side of the bookstore, and there ar e many activities to offer them, she said.
Students volunteer from the elementary education department to help with the activities for the bookstore. They participate with the theme activities and read to the children.
Megan Dabell, a sophomore majoring in early education, said being a volunteer is a great break from her studies. She also enjoys using her talents by interacting with the children. Dabell participated in the face painting this month.
Rachelle Holmes, an undeclared freshman, will replace Erickson’s role in the Little Aggie Activities in October.
Holmes said the kids are cute and they make the activities fun. She said she looks forward to being active in the future, and hopes it will help her decide if elementary education should be her major.
The activity during the third week of October will follow a Halloween theme.
-srkrebs@cc.usu.edu