The Little Learners Room at the Homewood Science Center gives young children play time space with plenty of options.
The brightly decorated room features hands-on learning toys for HSC’s youngest visitors. They can pretend to be an astronaut or doctor with any of the costumes, do hands-on activities at the counting and sorting table, or watch colors come to life at the light table that shows off the magnetons.
Four-year-old Rudolph Host enjoys one of the activities at the counting table in the Little Learners Room at the Homewood Science Center. (Marilyn Thomas/H-F Chronicle)
There also are books that relate to the activities in the Little Learners Room.
Even the youngest children learn by doing, said Edie Dobrez, executive director of the Homewood Science Center. They come in to explore and to use their imaginations.
“We’re very intentional about what we’re selecting” for the space, she said. Rather than just expecting children to learn to count to 10, the toys in the Little Learners Room are about math and sorting, determining patterns and creating. “There’s lots of things kids should be exploring with math other than just counting.”
The Homewood Science Center has dedicated the space to the Homewood Rotary Foundation in recognition of its generosity.
“Rotary Foundation has been very good to us over the years, and we wanted to dedicate this room to them. This is actually one of the favorite rooms here,” Dobrez said.