Butler Mayor Maggie Stock, a faculty member at Butler County Community College, reads to students Wednesday during the art reception for the Children's Creative Learning Center at BC3 in the AK Steel Lobby of the Science and Technology Building on campus.

BUTLER TWP — Like a museum curator, 5-year-old Jenna Capriotti led new friends around the fine art on display, explaining the techniques used. Her mind and fingers had fashioned several pieces of the art, and she was eager to point them out.

"This one is my baby sister on top of a heart to show I love her," Jenna said, holding a cup of red punch and a yellow-frosted cookie from the refreshment table.

Jenna and about 15 other children from the Children's Creative Learning Center at Butler County Community College welcomed parents, grandparents and guests Tuesday to an artists' reception. The school was to have a second reception at 11 a.m. today.

In preparation for the event, the children created individual works of art and several group projects. The art is on display all week in the AK Steel Lobby of the Science and Technology Building on campus. The event is part of the celebration for Week of The Young Child, which kicked off Monday.

Jenna created the piece with her younger sister on white paper with paint brushes, she said. A second piece was done with her fingers to create a design in chocolate.

"The finger one was the funnest," she said.

She said after she finished painting her chocolate dinosaur, she got to lick her fingers clean.

The third was a sculpture she created with fire truck red and ocean blue clay.

That piece she labeled with the help of her teacher: "This is a snowman dinosaur that likes to be all crimpled up."

Jenna also introduced guests to "Rexie" and "Emilie," two dinosaurs built from cardboard and painted in bright colors.

When the children arrived in the lobby, they had time to mingle with their parents and point out their creations. Next, they made mosaics from glass marbles and ceramic tiles on corkboard circles.

Jenna shaped her mosaic into a smiling face with white tiles for teeth and blue marbles for eyes.

While the children enjoyed their refreshments, Butler Mayor Maggie Stock, who is on the faculty at the college, read a story to the children.

Week of The Young Child continues at 2 p.m. today at the North Trails Library and from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Slippery Rock Community Library.