Education Student Kristen Blatta Talks About ToyBox Manitoba

Kristen Blatta began working on the ToyBox Manitoba project in Dr. Sheri-lynn Skwarchuk’s Applied Childhood Development class two years ago, as one of a choice of assignments. Even though Blatta was initially excited about the project, she never anticipated how much her involvement and skillset would grow.

“A few things really stuck out for me while participating in the project,” Blatta says. “The first thing was the amazing community mentors. They took time out of their day to come and help us on the project. They were all from very different careers. We had teachers, parents, early childhood educators, a math specialist, a literacy specialist, and even a speech pathologist. They all brought their own unique experiences, skill sets, and educational outlooks.”

While participating in the project, Blatta was especially struck by the willingness and enthusiasm of community mentors from all walks of life who took time out of their day to help out. These volunteers included teachers, parents, early childhood educators, a math specialist, a literary specialist, and even a speech pathologist.

“They all brought their own unique experiences, skill sets, and educational outlooks. It was very valuable to learn from them and they were always willing to go the extra mile to help us reach our goals.”

Blatta loved the project so much that she applied to be a research assistant after finishing the class. Her RAship began at the UWSA daycare, testing the literacy and numeracy strategies with children. When the pandemic hit, RA students began to edit their ToyBox materials from home.

“When I originally applied for this position I never imagined working from home, but I am so thankful for the opportunity to do so. This job will not only be an asset to my future career but will be helpful to the future of the ToyBox project. I have had the chance to participate in diverse team meetings, conduct and collect survey data, help write a grant, run strategies with young children over Microsoft Teams, help design a website, and help create booklets for the northern communities. I was also a community mentor for the Applied Childhood Development class in 2020.”

In addition to the provincial funding it has since received, the ToyBox project has been partially funded by a UWinnipeg Experiential Learning grant for the past two years. The money from EL has gone mainly towards RAships and other opportunities for students like Blatta. Keen to talk about the project, Blatta was also one of three student presenters during the UW Experiential Learning Fund Colloquium in Spring of 2021.

 “I am so thankful this grant has provided me with the opportunity to take part in this project.” Blatta remarks. “Overall, this grant has not only helped the RAs involved but has provided us with the skills and abilities that will make ToyBox Manitoba stronger.”