April 17, 1999
Toy sends teen to state finals
By Cathy Willoughby
Staff Writer
Nesting within a set of six bright mesh boxes, was the fledgling idea of a student that took flight, and will take her to Columbus this week.
Coupling a love of children with a spark of creativity led one member of Sentinel's Early Childhood program to win a regional award in the beginning of March.
Tyfanie Barth, a junior, competed at Tri-Rivers Career Center in Marion in a contest to create an educational toy. Sponsored by the Family Career and Community Leaders of America, or FCCLA, her submission would be judged on the lesson plan she created, her demonstration of the game or toy, it's appearance, safety and whether it was age appropriate.
The name of her toy was "Which Bird Belongs Where.'' It consists of a series of brightly colored bird houses, that "nest'' inside each other. Each was a primary color, and had matching birds that could fit inside the nests.
The activity is aimed at three- to five-year-olds, or preschoolers. "They need to unstack all of the birdhouses,'' Barth said. "And you show them how each bird matches the houses, and that they all fit inside each other.''
"It helps them learn size and order and in identifying colors and sizes,'' she added. "And you ask them to put the houses in order, from the largest to the smallest.''
Barth received some help from an aunt, who suggested she use the bright colored pieces of plastic canvas to construct the bird houses. "I then sewed the edges together, and attached the lid with string,'' she explained. "I bought the birds at Lace and Elegance in Tiffin, and painted them in matching colors.''
She received a medal and certificate for the regional win; she will go to state competition April 22 at Vets Memorial in Columbus.
Before submitting her toy for the competition, Barth gave it to the harshest critics, children, to play with. Students in the preschool program at the Family Learning Center had the opportunity to test the toy.
"They all thought it was great. They liked it,'' she said. "They liked to play with the birds a lot. Most of them could match their colors, but they had some trouble placing them from largest to smallest.''
Barth hopes to become an elementary teacher and said that she enjoys her program at Sentinel. "I like making projects for the little ones,'' she said.
Ann Ott, instructor of the Early Childhood program, said that Barth's project appealed to the judges; it received a perfect 100 from all of the judges at regional.
"The project had to deal with categorizing and arranging by size,'' Ott said, "and also to involve the senses. During the judging, she played bird sounds on tape, and the way that she constructed the boxes gives them a tactile surface.''
Ott said that Amber Woessner and Rachel Szablewski, who also competed in regionals, will accompany Barth to the state competition Thursday.