April 19-23 is Arkansas Children's Week. The Ozarka College Kid's Academy is celebrating this event with many special activities planned throughout the week. The theme for the event is "All Aboard the B.A.M. Express". B.A.M. is an acronym for Body And Mind Learning Activities.

Arkansas Children's Week is a statewide event through the State's Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. It is promoted each year with a different theme. This year's theme of Body and Mind "B.A.M." is based on promoting literacy, health and nutrition, and active play. According to the Director of the Kids Academy, Amy Pinkston, gross motor activities are essential to health and well being. "Children's bodies and minds develop together and active play is important for healthy brain growth and development and for effective learning in all areas."

Each day the young students of the Academy will dress up according to a theme, such as "Pajama" Day on Monday, "Favorite T-Shirt" Day on Wednesday, and "What I want to be when I grow up" Day. On Friday the students will have a party to celebrate the activities they have participated in throughout the week.

The week began with a visit to the Kids Academy by Ozarka President, Doug Rush and Melbourne's Mayor, Mike Cone. Mayor Cone made a Proclamation on behalf of the city of Melbourne for Arkansas Children's Week. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the students will participate in several activities to go along with the theme of Body and Mind. They will have a gymnastics demonstration, learn about good nutrition and Ozarka instructor, Judy Cannady will promote literacy by reading to the children.

In conjunction with Arkansas Children's Week the Kids Academy has "adopted a troop" serving in Iraq. The troop, Bravo Company of the 1-26 Infantry, stationed in Samara, Iraq will be stationed in Iraq for over a year.

The students and their families are putting together care packages for the troop, which will include letters and artwork from the children, as well as any donated supplies for the 140 soldiers. According to Pinkston, "These men and women do not have any place to shop and depend solely on what family and friends send to them." She says some items they can use are toiletries, such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, razors and shaving cream. They also use prepaid phone cards, stamps, envelopes and stationary to correspond with family and friends.

Other items they enjoy are magazines, and snack food items like gum, beef jerky, granola and cereal bars, crackers, cookies, pre-sweetened Kool-aid, trail mix and other non-perishable food items. She adds, "No pork products of any kind are allowed in Iraq and they suggest not sending chocolate or anything that would melt."

The Kids Academy has placed collection boxes in the Ozarka Library and the Kids Academy. They are planning to send the care packages on at the end of May. For more information on "Adopt a Troop" contact Pinkston at 368-7868.