Dads stay and play at CUMP

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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Erik Hansel and his daughter, Alexis, enjoyed playing with the big bolt construction set during the Canfield United Methodist Preschool’s Daddy Play Day March 7. Alexis is a student in the 4-year-old class.

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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield United Methodist Preschool 4-year-old class student Ava Votaw enjoyed reading books with her dad, Kenneth, during the school’s annual Daddy Play Day March 7.

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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Hudson Littler invited his dad, Dave, to come and play with him at his school during the Canfield United Methodist Preschool’s Daddy Play Day March 7. Hudson is a student in the 4-year-old class and enjoyed building blocks with his dad.

By ABBY SLANKER

Canfield United Methodist Preschool students celebrated Daddy Play Day March 7 by taking time to just play with their dads - at school. The students invited their dads to the annual event to come play with them and experience what a day at school is like for their children.

The school offers three classes: a 3-year-old class, a 4-year-old class and a 5-year-old class. Each class had a scheduled time of an hour to play and have fun with their dads at the school, and even enjoy a snack.

In preparation of their visiting dads, the 4-year-old class made name tags for their fathers to wear throughout the play day. In keeping with the letter of the week, D, the students made donut nametags for their dads.

Stations were set up throughout the classroom where the students and their dads could choose to draw on easels together, play with dominoes, use the train table, build with big wooden blocks, draw at the light table or read a book together.

After the students and dads all had a chance to visit the stations, they were asked to clean up the toys and meet at the front of the room, where their teachers, Ellen Bennett and Lisa Helmick, was waiting for them.

Bennett explained to the dads that the children have a meeting every morning where they recite the “Pledge of Allegiance,” sing their flag song, sing “God Bless America” and then perform the and “Weekly Rap,” which included motions and focused on the days of the week. At this special meeting, Bennett asked the dads to participate with the class.

After the meeting, in keeping with the doughnut theme, the dads and students were treated to doughnut holes the students had prepared for them during the week. The students placed the doughnut holes on sticks and wrapped them in clear plastic bags and added a decorated tag especially for their dads.

“Today is a fun day for all of us,” Bennett said.

To make their dads feel even more welcome at school, the students completed an art project of daddy portraits which were displayed in the hallway by a bulletin board which read, ‘We are lucky to have special daddies.’ The portraits included a shamrock and the students completed the phrase, ‘My daddy is special because…’

In the classroom, a display of books about donuts and dads was set up to help celebrate the day.

To close the special play day, both dads and students formed their friendly circle to sing the “Goodbye Song” and “Buckle Up Song” together.