Campaign gives tips
to aid early learning

"Pants, pants, pants," says the woman in the TV commercial. "I am folding the pants. The pants are lonnng."

"Do they go on my head?" she continues, pulling the lemon-yellow slacks over her eyes. "Do they?"

Viewers wonder for a second, "Is she crazy?"

No, she's just a mom. As the next shot of a squealing, delighted baby reveals, she is a mother using her time in a Laundromat to help her baby learn language.

Playtime tips Born Learning offers tips, fact sheets and activities to guide parents and help young children learn. Here are a few samples from one brochure on playtime: » Jump right in -- Playing with a child helps build the foundation for trusting relationships and helps him become a happy person. » Take a break -- Solitary play gives a child time to process everything that he has been doing. Watch. If he is happy, leave him alone. » Forget the rules -- Encourage a child to explore and "make believe." » Think like a child -- Add to a child's play experiences by creating imaginative games. » Invent instruments -- Let your child make his own music. Create instruments with common household items. For example, fill empty water bottles with pennies or dried beans, secure lid tightly and let baby shake away. » Hide and seek -- For toddlers, put small toys or household objects in a pillowcase and ask the child to take out the objects you name. Online resouces » bornlearning.org

The ad is part of "Born Learning," a national education campaign starting tomorrow that underscores the importance of the first years of a child's life, and offers tips on getting off to a good start.

"It's not so much that parents of children under the age of 5 don't know what they're supposed to be doing; the real obstacle is time," said Cynthia Round, executive vice president for the United Way of America, which is sponsoring the campaign. "We all feel pulled in all directions."

"We want to remove that obstacle of time as a barrier," said Round, who gave the Aloha United Way members a sneak preview of the campaign at the chapter's annual meeting last month in Honolulu. "Everyday moments matter."

Beginning tomorrow, Hawaii residents interested in Born Learning resources or local programs can call 211, Aloha United Way's information and referral service, or download materials from www.bornlearning.org.

The campaign offers parents and caregivers "doable" steps to make it easy and fun to help children learn while doing everyday activities. Some parents do not realize the importance of talking to children long before they can speak themselves. Laundry can be a way to learn about colors and sorting.

"Children are learning constantly, right from birth," said Susan Doyle, president of Aloha United Way. "We offer parents simple activities that can make a big difference during the early years and prepare their children for later success in school and life."

The national campaign is a partnership between United Way, the Ad Council and Civitas, a nonprofit group that produces practical tools for parents. Locally it is supported by the Good Beginnings Alliance, the state of Hawaii, Kamehameha Schools and other nonprofits.

The Born Learning campaign includes $30 million worth of print and broadcast advertising, $7 million in education materials and the Web site.

"To improve the most lives, we need to focus on the root causes of problems in our community," Round said, noting that children arrive at kindergarten with widely differing abilities, depending on their early experiences.