CHILDREN DISCOVER `BUILDING BLOCKS' TO BETTER HEALTH CARE

She may have been dressed up like a nurse, but Mandy Johnston, 11, saw herself years in the future as a doctor.

Mandy and her cousin, 7-year-old Carrie Maloney, both of Jackson, were just two of the children Saturday at West Park Mall who donned surgical gowns and masks, along with stethoscopes, as make-believe surgeons and nurses.

The activity was part of the free children's health and safety fair, "Building Blocks for Better Health and Safety."

About 3,000 children were expected to attend the all-day event, just as in years past, said the mall's assistant manager for marketing, Maggie Friend. St. Francis, Southeast Missouri Hospital and the mall sponsored the fair.

Unlike Carrie, who wants to be a nurse when she grows up, Mandy said she's looking to become a doctor.

"I just think that they have better jobs (than nurses)," she said shortly after hospital workers had helped her remove a green, child-size surgical gown and mock nurse's hat.

Mandy said the dress-up activity was fun because it gave her the chance to try on some surgical clothes and experience what it would be like to be a nurse or a surgeon. Children who dressed up in the costumes received a instant picture of themselves.

Mandy is the daughter of Joyce Johnston, a chemical dependency counselor at St. Francis. Carrie is the daughter of Gwen Maloney, a nurse at both St. Francis and Southeast.

Saturday's fair offered children more than 30 different activities and learning stations, said Friend. The hospitals presented the activities and learning stations along with various agencies.

Among the agencies and companies at the fair were the Missouri Department of Conservation, which presented a station on the prevention of forest fires, and Ryder Transportation, which had a station on school bus safety. Ryder's station included a miniature school bus from St. Louis.

Children learned about their hearts by listening to cassette tapes and using read-along books, had eye and ear screenings done, and watched puppet shows.

Southeast Hospital made available a therapeutic netted dome with multi-colored balls that children could climb into. The dome is used to strengthen weak muscles in children and improve body awareness, among other things.

Friend said 270 children attended a free showing Saturday morning at West Park 4 Cine of "All Dogs go to Heaven." Children also had the chance to register and win over two dozen prizes, such as a bike, a $50 bank savings bond, and a $50 store gift certificate, she said.

Friend said the puppet shows would be held four times Saturday by The Judith Heiken Puppets of Evansville, Ind. The shows, presented in the mall's center court, featured colorful Indian and animal characters.

"They use Indian legends to teach children about environmental issues," said Friend, "so it's an educational experience."

The idea of the fair, she said, was to get the children still on summer vacation to think about safety and health issues and going back to school.

"It gets all these safety and health agencies together where they can share their information," she said. "The characters are a big hit. We've got Smokey (the Bear) and Louie the Lightning Bug."

Louie the Lightning Bug is used by Union Electric to promote safety awareness.

Near the JCPenney store, children doted upon with the Cape Girardeau Fire Department's Freddie the Firetruck, which made its debut at the fair. A fire department representative ran the small red-and-black remote control truck from a nearby enclosed booth.

The talking truck blinked its eyes, lit up its lights and ran its siren on request.

The fire department's training officer, Mark Hasheider, said the truck had prompted just the type of reaction from the children that the department wanted.

"They're really intrigued with him," he said. "They talk to him like a real person."