KidBiz offers opportunities for kids to express creativity

Story and photos by Senior Contributing Writer Alice Gerard

Overcoming shyness was motivation to start a business for one of the approximately 150 participants in KidBiz on June 20. Katherine said she wanted to “interact with people and be less shy.”

She was selling “seeds and pots, and I have dirt. You can make your own plant right here for one dollar.”

In addition, she had fully grown plants for sale, including coleus and zinnias. Other things she sold included bracelets, earrings, and homemade kettle corn.

“I made everything, including the kettle corn,” Katherine said, noting her favorite thing to make were the earrings.

Katherine, who will start sixth grade in September, said, “I get to meet a lot of different people and a lot of nice people and I can see the good people in this world. I think everyone is just smiling and being so nice to kids and seeing good people. It just makes me happy because there are a lot of bad people in this world who do bad things.”

Faye Tulek, Katherine’s grandmother, said, “She’s very industrious. She’s worked very hard at it. A while ago, she planted the seeds and watered them. I was playing around with kettle corn. She said, ‘I have to do this.’ I said, ‘I think you’re going to burn yourself.’ She came over and did it at my house, all by herself. I was really surprised.”

Tulek said she lives close to Katherine’s family, so she is able to spend a lot of time with her granddaughter.

“She stops over and has breakfast sometimes. I had a wonderful relationship with my grandmother, and I like to have this with my grandchildren, also.”

Tulek said it makes her happy to “watch her blossom. It’s just amazing. I have sales background. I’m watching her and am thinking, ‘Oh my gosh. She’s just as good.’ ”

At another area, Evelyn and her stepsister, Amiah, were selling gluten-free baked goods.

Evelyn, who just finished fifth grade, said, “My business is for gluten-free treats because I have celiac disease. I remember, when I first got diagnosed, I didn’t know anywhere I could go to get treats, and I didn’t know what ice creams I could eat and what I couldn’t eat. I wasn’t really eating anything I liked anymore because I couldn’t. When I decided to make these, it made me feel like I wasn’t sad anymore. I could eat all the same treats as before. It was a good feeling that I was able to help other people, too.”

“I just like helping out at craft shows like this,” Amiah said.

Evelyn and her stepsister, Amiah, sell gluten-free treats.

Teddy shows off a paddle with a design made with pyrography and a piece of embroidery.

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Teddy, who was at another booth, had handmade embroidery and wooden objects that had burned, also known as pyrography.

“There are coasters and ornaments,” Teddy said. “You can use them as a paper weight. There are charcuterie boards here. I have some hand-embroidered bags over there. There are key chains. These probably took like five minutes. These took 10-20 minutes. It really does range … what you want to do and how you want to do it.

“It’s kind of satisfying, burning the wood and how it just all comes up. It’s rewarding to see how nice it comes out. People walk by. Even if they don’t buy anything, it’s nice for them to just look and tell me how cute it is.”

Teddy, who just completed eighth grade – which is the last year students can participate in KidBiz – described this year’s event as “a little bittersweet. I’ve been doing this since third grade. I’ve been doing this for six years. I’m happy to see the community come out and everyone supporting each other.

“The first thing I did was I folded books. I did different designs, different patterns in the books. And I think that year, I did it with a partner, and I made about $50. The year after that, I painted rocks. Last year, I just did embroidery. In the third year, I sold animal masks and tails.”

Teddy created an entire look for the event.

“My makeup comes from the subculture goth. It’s an alternative style, and it’s just something I fit into,” she said. “I love how it looks, and it makes me very confident. I wear this to get more people to come to my stand, and so I can feel confident and talk.

“And then my hair. I’ve been dying my hair since third grade. Sometimes I go into my salon. I have no idea what I’m going to do. Just put color on my head. I just trust my stylist so much.”

When asked about encouraging kids to participate in future KidBiz events, Teddy said, “One hundred percent, do it. It is such a fun experience. No matter if it’s hot or if it’s raining. It’s always been super fun for me.

“I’d really like to thank my father. He’s helped me a lot. He signed me up. He’s always done a lot for me with this. And I want to thank my mom because she’s also helped me a lot, and she helps me stay on task. This is all super fun for me.”

Teddy, who has played the flute since fourth grade, plans to continue playing the flute in the concert band in Grand Island High School in September.

“This is my forever flute. I got her in the summer of sixth grade. I will never need to upgrade unless it breaks. I named it Ocean,” Teddy said.