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Preschoolers have play day with Dad
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Stephanie McCune and her uncle, Rod McCune, paint a picture during Canfield United Methodist Church Preschool's Daddy's Play Day Saturday.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.The 4-year-old class made individual construction paper dads to display and listed everything they like to do with their dads.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Adam Hively (right) and his dad, Ryan, play with an interactive train book during Canfield United Methodist Church Preschool's Daddy's Play Day.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Dads and children celebrate Daddy's Play Day at the Canfield United Methodist Church Preschool Saturday. The day is a chance for the children to bring their dads to school to experience what a day at school is like.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.The 5-year-old class at Canfield United Methodist Church Preschool built a 76-inch tall daddy to greet their dads at Daddy's Play Day.
By ABBY SLANKER
For some students, Saturday school is a punishment, but last Saturday at Canfield United Methodist Preschool, it was no work and all play for students and their dads.
The students at the preschool invited their dads to school for its annual Daddy’s Play Day. It was an opportunity for the children to bring their dads to school to experience what a day at school is like.
The school offers three classes: a 3-year-old class with lead teacher Monica Egolf, a 4-year-old class with lead teacher Ellen Bennett and a 5-year-old class with lead teacher Roseanne Peluso. Each class has a scheduled time of an hour to just play with their dads.
“Daddy’s play day offers an opportunity for Dad and child to spend one-on-one time with each other in the child’s school environment. The child is so excited to show their dad all the work they did to prepare for their visit,” said Carole Bogar, Canfield United Methodist Church Preschool administrator.
The students prepare for their dad’s visit the week before Daddy’s Play Day. They make name tags for their dads and help prepare a snack. This year, the 3-year-old class cut up fruit to make a fruit salad to share with daddy.
The 4-year-old class iced cupcakes and added sprinkles for their dads, and the 5-year-old class voted to make chocolate pudding for the snack.
The 5-year-old class even made a 76-inch tall daddy out of construction paper and craft supplies to display in the hallway. The 4-year-old class made individual dads out of construction paper and listed everything they like to do with their dads.
At the end of the hour, the dads experienced the ritual that ends each school day. Toys and games were cleaned up and put away and dads and children gathered on the carpet and held hands to form a circle to sing the Buckle Up Song and the Goodbye Song together.
The school also holds a Mommy’s Play Day in the winter for the children to bring their moms to school and play.