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CUMP students enjoy play day with moms
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Four-year-old class member Anthony DeLucia invited his mom, Kari, to Canfield United Methodist Preschool’s annual Mommy’s Play Day where they played and did puzzles together on April 16.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Four-year-old class member Olivia Tomasic and her mom, Kelly, read a book together during Canfield United Methodist Preschool’s annual Mommy’s Play Day on April 16.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Four-year-old class teacher Ellen Bennett (right) read “I Wish You More” to her students and their moms during Canfield United Methodist Preschool’s annual Mommy’s Play Day on April 16.
By ABBY SLANKER
Mothers of students at Canfield United Methodist Preschool began April 16 with a similar feeling to how they start some week days. They took their child to preschool, but on this very special occasion, they were invited to stay and play.
The school hosted its annual Mommy’s Play Day, a favorite of students, moms and teachers alike, during which moms get an inside look at their preschooler’s time in school.
The school offers three classes: a 3-year-old class with lead teacher Ellen VanDussen and assistant teacher Shirley Merritt, a 4-year-old class with lead teacher Ellen Bennett and assistant teachers Lisa Helmick and Merritt and a pre-kindergarten class with lead teacher VanDussen and assistant teacher Brenda Williams.
Each class has a scheduled time of an hour to play and have fun with their moms at the school.
“Mommy’s Play Day is an abbreviated version of a typical preschool day. The children have a chance to play with their moms, show them around the classroom and share with them what they do at school. They get so excited for this day because usually it is the parents sharing and showing the children around places, but today it is the opposite and the children get to share their school with their moms,” VanDussen said.
The students prepared for their mom’s visit the week before Mommy’s Play Day. Along with a handmade invitation to Mommy’s Play Day, the students made nametags for their moms and helped prepare a snack for the big day.
The 3-year-old class made a snack mix for their moms, while the 4-year-old class made a layered snack mix of air-popped popcorn, Cheerios and M&M’s in a plastic cup, which was made to look like a flower pot with a small paper flower with the student’s name ‘growing’ out of the snack. The pre-kindergarten class made a snack of pudding pops for their moms.
In anticipation of the mommies visiting, each class also decorated a bulletin board in the hallway leading to the classroom.
The 3-year-old bulletin board was filled with paper butterflies the children made for their mothers, with the phrase ‘Moms are the wind beneath our wings’ in bold letters. The children also ‘wrote’ a letter to their mom by finishing the sentence, ‘I love when…’ The 4-year-old class’ bulletin board read ‘Our moms are special because…’ with the students providing their answers along with a hand-drawn portrait of their mothers. The pre-kindergarten class created fruit cup flower art for their mothers and also completed a page of questions titled All About My Mom, with such questions as her favorite color, favorite food and what she always forgets.
Each class also made shadow box art to decorate the classroom for their moms.
Stations were set up throughout the classroom where the students and their moms could choose to draw on easels together, play at the doctor’s office, read, color or play with blocks and puzzles.
After the 4-year-old class students and moms 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 Bennett was waiting for them.
Bennett explained to the moms 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 “Weekly Rap,” which included motions and focused on the days of the week. At this special meeting, Bennett asked the moms to participate with the class.
Bennett then read “I Wish You More” to the students and the moms. As a special surprise, the students then presented each of their moms a paper flower bouquet while reciting, “Thank you for coming. We love you.”
After enjoying their special snack and to close the special play day, both moms and students formed their friendly circle to sing the “Goodbye Song” and “Buckle Up Song” together.