My name is Kanitra Charles and I am the mother of four.
My daughter’s name is Anogia and my three boys are Lamar, John and Jalen.
My experience with the Louisiana Children’s Museum began about six years ago when I won
a membership, a one year membership for me and my kids to come to the museum.
And initially, I thought it was just a place for us to go and hangout and play and for
them to just get tired and we go home, but after our first visit I found that it was
actually more than a place for them to just play.
They can become fireman, they can become eye doctors, they can become cooks and waiters
and waitresses.
This introduces them to real world, real things that happen in the world and I love it.
These types of tools and materials that are available at the Louisiana Children’s Museum
are not available anywhere else.
Outside of the children’s museum, I was introduced to the eat, sleep, play program
at my younger son’s childcare center and at that program we learned about healthy eating,
eating healthier snacks and also exercising.
Prior to that, we didn’t really have, well I didn’t buy healthy snacks.
We would buy, I guess junk food as they call it because that was what I was accustom to.
That is what my parents bought.
We had junk food so I knew that they were going to like it and the healthy food is something
that they did not express interest in before and I was not interested in it so I didn’t
think they would be interested in it.
And also exercise.
They are little, puny little boys so I was like “ok, they don’t need exercise”,
but not realizing how being active at a young age would make them more active as they grow
older.
Because of the Louisiana Children’s Museum work play program, they love to read and they
are always bring me different books so we can sit together and read them.
Our reading time now is our bonding time so we are together; we are cuddled together;
we are closer.
They are not out on the floor at a distance.
We are actually sitting, going over the books and they kind of know the books already by
heart.
They have it down.
My youngest son, he knows the title page; he knows the front of the book, the back of
the book, the spine of the book so they really picked up the basic concepts of a book from
that program.
I do remember visiting the Louisiana Children’s museum a couple of times when I was smaller,
but I did not get the same experience that my children have.
They are here all the time now, it seems like.
And had I had that same experience, my life would probably be somewhat different.
Because of the Louisiana Children’s Museum, as a parent, I feel empowered.
My children are better able to read; they have better reading skills; we have healthier
snack ideas and we are exercising.