Friday, July 18, 2008 9:00 PM CDT
'Girls' Day Out' offers tea, dress up and playing with dolls
BY DAWN SCHABBING, Features Writer
dschabbing@jg-tc.com
Most little girls love playing dolls and dress up. And some enjoy grown-up fun like having tea with friends.
This past week at the Lake Land College Summer College for Kids program, four days of doing these sorts of things were a part of “Girls’ Day Out.”
The class was designed and taught by Diane Anderson of Neoga, who guided 21 “little ladies,” aged 4 to 7 years old, through a Victorian tea party, an American Girl doll party, and a glamour party, complete with boas and glitter makeup, as well as a cooking class.
Lydia Gentry, 6, of Neoga summed up the experience with two words.
“It’s fun,” she said.
Lydia’s parents are Ross and Amanda Gentry of Neoga.
Anna Jurka, 4, of Mattoon nodded in agreement that she’s made some new friends. “I like dolls. It is fun to play together,” she said.
Her parents are Sam and Angie Jurka of Mattoon.
Olivia Titus, 6, of Mattoon agreed the class was good for making friends. And what do these young “girlfriends” do?
“I went to the bathroom with them,” said Olivia.
Olivia is the daughter of Brian and Sara Titus of Mattoon.
The girls gathered at long tables where a variety of colored beads, paper dolls to color, and socializing was to be done.
Anderson, the mother of two adult sons and a retired teacher after 44 years of experience, said she continues to stay busy. She is also a recruiter and teacher for the kids’ program, as well as a substitute teacher for area school districts.
“I never had any girls (of my own), and this is great,” Anderson said.
Parents enrolling their youngsters in the children’s programs at LLC have different reasons.
Ryan and Autumn Risinger of Mattoon enrolled their daughters, Avery, 7, and Tinley, 5.
“I’m starting (in the nursing program) school out here this fall and thought it would be fun to bring them out. They love to work with arts and crafts,” said Mrs. Risinger.
One craft project was to create beaded bracelets for themselves and for their favorite doll or stuffed animal; many of the youngsters brought American Girl dolls.
“It gives the girls something to look forward to. It is a chance for them to mingle with other girls their ages,” said Mrs. Risinger.
She said the activities of dressing up make them feel special, too.
“All the crafts we get to do, and all this stuff planned for us. I just think it is too much fun to miss,” said Tinley Risinger.
Anderson kept the girls busy with activities, story time, and sharing time, meeting for one hour each day.
She said children are enrolled in the program’s many classes for different reasons, including socialization.
“The arts offer so much for the development of the child, especially in one’s social skills, through art and drama,” said Anderson.
Darin and Heather Warf of Mattoon gave their middle child, Chloe, 7, a chance to participate in the Girls’ Day Out.
“She is my girly-girl, and she loves dolls and animals,” said Mrs. Warf.
And the Victorian tea party was exactly what Chloe wanted.
“Every year we have a Christmas tea with all of the girls on my side of the family. When she saw ‘tea’ in the description, she wanted to take this one,” said Mrs. Warf.
They also have a son, Alex, 3, and daughter, Taylor, 10.
“We’ve been involved in several seasons of Summer College for Kids,” said Warf, a stay-at-home mom.
Lindsey Yoder, 5, and Krista Yoder, 7, of Arthur joined the group, as well.
They are the daughters of Ernie and Regina Yoder of Arthur.
“We have seven children, and their dad saw this one and said, ‘They need a girls’ day out.’ It was his gift to them,” said Mrs. Yoder.
Anderson said this year at Lake Land she is teaching seven classes total in science, drama, and art. Her classes are geared for 4- to 7-year-olds, mostly.
She also offers a “Boys’ Day Out” class through the program, which was held in a previous week.
Summer College for Kids has existed for 28 years at Lake Land. An estimated 350 young students throughout the college’s district take part in its many programs each season.
Fees range from free to about $85, depending on the course selected.
For more information about any of Lake Land’s programs go to: www.lakelandcollege.edu/summerkidscollege.
Contact Dawn Schabbing at dschabbing@jg-tc.com, or 238-6864.
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