On July 10, the Early Childhood Development Center hosted its annual Night Out on Campus event at the William S. White Building with 84 attendees. The event gave families the opportunity to participate in classroom-inspired activities while spending time together.
ECDC is a Reggio Emilia-inspired early learning program and lab school at the University of Michigan-Flint that has been around for over 18 years. This event has taken place since the COVID-19 pandemic.
This event was started to bring families to the campus and let them experience firsthand what the children are learning at the school while also meeting their classmates and teachers.
“That’s the purpose of the event, we invite families in and show them what we do. We’re innovative, it’s not traditional most of the time.” Mary Lynn Gotler, a mentor teacher at ECDC, said.
Night Out on Campus was free to the public and took place behind the William S. White Building, extending to the lawn behind the David M. French Hall and the University Center. The event lasted two hours with different activities corresponding with different classrooms.
Nido classroom, bubble activity station at the Night out On Campus event. Photo provided by associate teacher Ella Swink. 
Luna classroom, slime making station at the Night Out on Campus event. Photo provided by associate teacher Ella Swink. 
Luna classroom, slime making station at the Night Out on Campus event. Photo provided by associate teacher Ella Swink. 
Art pieces from families at Giardino’s art station. Photo taken by Ramla Ouedraogo/MTimes. 
Father and daughter playing with bubbles. Photo provided by associate teacher Ella Swink.
Lead teachers and staff selected activities based on their students’ interests. Nido, the infant classroom, offered bubble activities; Fiore, a toddler classroom, offered texture table activities; Giardino, a toddler classroom, had sidewalk painting; Fiume, a preschool classroom, made pinecone birdhouses; Luna, a preschool classrooms, had a slime-making station; and Vento, the other preschool classroom, had a pet rock station.
“Some classrooms pick activities based on class interest. For me, my class is interested in art, so I chose this mosaic,” Hanami Foth, the lead teacher of Giardino at ECDC, said.
All materials used were already available at ECDC, so no additional funding was needed for the event. “We have a lot of nice materials, so we just used what we had,” Gotler said. Many of the supplies were items the children already use every day within their classrooms.
Among the activities offered, slime-making was a favorite among some children.
“My favorite activity has been the slime; I made it green.” Braxton Mitchel, a 4-year-old student at ECDC, said.
“My favorite activity was slime,” said Aubriella Klamert, a 5-year-old ECDC student.
The event is one of several family-focused events that ECDC hosts throughout the year to encourage children and families to learn together while enjoying themselves.
“These are family events that we provide at least three times a year, and it’s an opportunity to have family and children involved,” Kara Moore, the Interim director at ECDC, said.
Haley Bowman is a write for the Michigan Times, she can be reached at haleybow@umich.edu.
