ToyBox education project seeks testers

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This article was published 27/01/2021 (1764 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A grassroots educational project is looking  families with young children to help test an educational tool designed to improve kids’ numeracy, literacy and wellness.

Through the ToyBox project, a team of parents, educators, and university and high school students has created a set of fun and free activities for caregivers and their two- to eight-year-old children.

Founding member and project director Sheri-Lynn Skwarchuk said the literacy and numeracy activities directly support kids’ academic development and are levelled into beginner, intermediate and experienced content.

“Families enjoy the activities that are at the right level for their children,” said Skwarchuk, a professor and development studies director at the University of Winnipeg.

“Wellness activities are also included for both caregivers and their families, as we want to ensure families take care of themselves during these difficult times.”

The project was first released to the public during the spring lockdown, she added.

“We are so thankful to the 200 participants who subscribed to the project last spring, especially those participants who provided feedback,” Skwarchuk said.

“We have made some changes based on their input. A new component of the project is that we have several communities from Northern Manitoba also trying out our ideas to support children in all corners of the province.”

People who sign up to be a ToyBox tester will help to evaluate the activities. The process begins with a five-minute survey. Then activities are released three times per week until the end of March, with literacy on Mondays, wellness Wednesdays and numeracy on Fridays. Families can sign up any time to join the project in progress.

“The goal is for caregivers to follow the interests of their child and know that introducing this content helps with skills development,” she said.

“ToyBox testers will be asked what they thought of the activities. They will also be asked to complete a questionnaire at the end of the project, which will help us to determine the overall merits of the project.”

People who complete this final survey will receive a $10 gift card to a local business for their help.

“Caregivers may also participate and just receive the activities, with no pressure to evaluate them,” Skwarchuk added.

“In this case, each strategy could take between 30 seconds and five minutes to complete — or longer if a child enjoys them and wants to spend more time on them.”

The ToyBox team is hoping to share the project with all parents, caregivers, families and educators who connect with children within the project’s age range. Their goal is to reach 800 families.

“We know that children who start school behind in academic skills development have difficulty catching up to their better-prepared counterparts. We want all Manitoba children to have a good start in school,” Skwarchuk said.

“With many children’s programs closed or reduced in capacity, this project can be accessed online directly by caregivers to provide quality learning opportunities for children.”

Skwarchuk expressed gratitude for financial sponsorship from SafeAtHomeManitoba.ca, the University of Winnipeg, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Foundation, and the Winnipeg Foundation.

“Having this funding shows that the project is credible,” she said. “We are also very proud of the students involved in our project from the Maples MET school and university developmental studies and dducation students who are learning about project development and delivery, alongside of their coursework to support families across Manitoba.”

To sign up, caregivers can email toybox@uwinnipeg.ca, visit toyboxmanitoba.ca or visit the Facebook page ToyBox Manitoba.

Anyone who wants to interact with the developers can join a Facebook Live session on Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m.