2012 is starting off great...

We have welcomed many new changes with the 2012 New Year! Check out the new PLAYFORT in our Children's Museum!

 The playfort includes multiple levels for safe playing, a slide, climbing wall, and an interchangeable beam to allow for rope swings, monkey bars, and other cool swingset accessories. 

The playfort has been a great addition to our already amazing play space!

   Imagination Station...

 Our imagination station is an exceptional dramatic play center that offers lots of career exploration, puppets, cultural costumes, baby dolls, stuffed animals, costume jewelry, purses and shoes, kitchen and restaurant toys, construction playsets and more! It is truly an amazing place for a child to be whatever he or she wants to be! 

    The Reading Center...

 Our reading center offers a cozy space to explore the world of books. Bean bags, large pillows and carpet squares allow for a quiet nook to listen to books on tape or CD as well.

    Our Educational Arena...

 The kiddos love to explore the shelves of manipulatives, puzzles, games, leap frog learning toys, musical instruments, various types of blocks, train and vehicle sets, a large dollhouse with lots of furnishings and community members and more. The possibilities at the Children's Museum are endless!

 The large playspace and colorful tables offer many choices for any activity offered in the Children's Museum!

   The Arts and Crafts Center...

Our open arts and craft room allows for the kiddos to become the artist that they have always wanted to be! All mediums of art materials are available to the kids! Gak, floam, and playdough are just a few of the things that we make and play with. Children can also color their world with many types of paint, papers, stamps, and various colorful writing tools. Our sand and water tables also offer fun sensory experiences.

 Writing in shaving cream, pudding, or sand is also a favorite thing to discover in the art center. The huge canvas paint wall, sand and water tables also allow for some great sensory activity time!

   The Coat Nook...

 Our cozy coat nook is the perfect place for the kids to hang their backpacks, coats, and lunchboxes after a long day of school. 

    Our Classroom...

The comfy classroom offers the perfect space to complete homework, play games, have small group activities, movie time, and even an occasional rest!

  Our Kitchen... 

Whether the kids are enjoying a snack, eating their lunch or participating in a cooking project, our kitchen provides a great space for eating and learning.

The Children's Museum at the Blackfoot Community Center is the perfect place for any early learner to explore the world around them! 


We accommodate children from ages three to eight years old in this creative space including our school year literacy, education and arts (L.E.A.P Frog) preschool program and S.H.A.R.K. afterschool program!  (Check out the Activity Center for activities that are provided for our third through fifth graders!)


During the summer months, our all-day S.H.A.R.K. daycamp program is the place to be! We include swimming, bowling, field trips, service at the community garden, library time, and trips to the local movie theater into our adventure-themed and educationally enriching program!   


Please call the Blackfoot Community Center for more information!
785-8022 or 785-3121

Mission, Vision, Values and Goals

MISSION

The mission of The Blackfoot Community Center is to empower children, youth, and families by promoting opportunities for healthy emotional, social, physical, and cognitive growth.

VISION

The vision of the Blackfoot Community Center is to provide a center with high quality programs, services, and facilities which will act as a catalyst for positive youth development and a stronger community by empowering people of all ages to be actively involved in the community through involvement in educational, recreational and social activities.

VALUES

Compassion, Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Leadership, and Service

GOALS

In keeping with our mission, our goals are:

·    to ensure that no one is turned away for inability to pay;

·    to help build a sense of community and belonging

·    to cultivate an environment for appreciation of and participation in the arts;

·    to provide opportunities for social activities, education, social development and nourishment to all children;

·    to provide opportunities for social activities, education, and social development

·    to organize and sponsor community events for education, socializing, and celebration;

·    to organize and offer volunteer opportunities;

·    to provide information about community issues, people, and events; and

·    to refer people requesting assistance to appropriate individuals and agencies.

August 2011 Update

Our web page has gotten a facelift! 

We are currently in the process of updating everything here so you always have a place to check the latest and greatest at the Blackfoot Community Center.

There are also some renovations underway! Community member Cal Morgan has been offering his time and expertise toward building a classroom and storage room in the activity center.  

The ceiling being installed last Thursday

 Stay tuned for more updates! And don't forget to look for the Blackfoot Community Center at the Eastern Idaho State Fair Parade on September 3rd!

Children's Science Club Receives Grant

The Wonder Kids Science Club, for K-5th graders, is now being offered at the Blackfoot Community Center. The Science Club is included in the all-inclusive SHARK After-School Club membership fee of $25 per month or seperately for $5 per meeting for non-members. Thanks to an $1800 INL Community Grant, the Science Club can now purchase new child-size science equipment and other materials to help our Wonder Kids explore their world!

Our Wonder Kids have already witnessed chemical reactions, such as homemade erupting volcanoes and tasted their own fizzy lemonade. They have made Oobleck (not a liquid or a solid - what is it???) and have designed and flown their own kites. They have also learned about:

Physiology - our amazing sense of sight

Meteorology - tornadoes (cyclones, twisters); being a weather watcher

Physics - how sound travels; invention and innovation for kids

Zoology - animal adaptions for survival

Botany - Arbor Day and why we love trees; planting a flower garden

We are looking foward to warm weather and many more outdoor science adventures and explorations! The Wonder Kids Science Club meets on Fridays from 4-5pm. If you are interested in more information about the Wonder Kids Science Club, please contact the BCC.

We certainly want to recognize and thank INL for their tremendous support and contribution to this program.

The kids are loving it!

Survey Results Are In!

The results are in! In order to better serve this community and in order to provide enriching learning experiences, we surveyed 726 first through fifth graders from local elementary schools, asking them about out-of-school time programming. Here are the results:

Student Survey

We need your help! The Blackfoot Community Center wants to create an after-school program that is exciting and useful for you. Please answer the following questions to tell us about your opinions and ideas for after-school activities. If you would like to get even more involved in planning after-school activities, or be a club officer, ask your teacher for more information about the after-school program.

About You:

1. Boy 375 Girl 351 What grade are you in? 1-5

2. Check the sentence that best describes your feelings about attending an after-school program.

86 I already participate in activities after school.
382 I would definitely be interested in going to an after- school program.
113 I have other responsibilities after-school and could not go to an after-school program.
104 I am not interested in going to an after-school program.

About Your Interests:

3. Which activities would you enjoy or like to try? Check all that apply.

(Only the 20 highest ranking activities are listed)

Swimming 451
Wii 442
Bowling 391
Field Trips 381
Climbing Wall 360
Cooking 348
Basketball 312
Karate 310
Computers 303
Soccer 286
Ping Pong and Table Games 284
Tumbling 283
Board Games 283
Legos 279
Crafts 277
Gymnastics 273
Woodworking 270
Art Lessons 267
Dance (Hip Hop, etc) 264
Science Experiments 249


4. What other times would you like to participate in these activities?

113 holidays / inservice days
300 weekends
441 summer

5. If a bus could take you to these activities, would you ride it? 466 Yes

6. What are some ways you would like to get involved in the after-school program?

107 Deciding what programs to offer
181 Planning after-school activities
158 Being a club officer
112 Advertising the after-school program
89 Your idea: Helping Others/Tutoring

7. Which types of “advertisement” would interest you in participating in the after school activities?

210 Student-designed posters
182 Flyers sent or mailed home
78 Presentations by students who are in the after-school program
251 Rewards for students who regularly attend activities

About Your Education:

8. Would you like to do better in school? 615 yes

9. Do you feel like you need additional help in one or more school subjects? 286 yes
a.Which ones?
The most requested subjects were Math, Reading, Spelling, and Science, in that order.

10. Would you like to be able to get help with your homework? 260 yes

Wow! Thank you to all the elementary students and their parents, staff, prinicipals, and secretaries for helping with this survey. We are very excited to use these results and plan programming that will truly benefit you. With that in mind, watch our blog for information regarding summer programs, classes, courses, and camps the whole family can enjoy!