MOM’S DAY OUT
Some time back a lady in our church felt led to start a Mom’s Day Out ministry which would meet every week on Tuesday morning at 9:00 AM. She asked me to do the curriculum. The program was to start the first Tuesday in April. We announced it in church on the last Sunday in Feb. I told them I would be coming down to the church every Tuesday morning at 9:00 during March to prepare the games and activities. I invited anyone who would like to help to meet me there. We soon had a group of fourteen ladies. They all had said that of course they couldn’t teach (especially a class of preschoolers) but would be glad to help get things ready.
We had a great time cutting out feltboard figures and game parts, finding and filing magazine pictures, and covering everything with clear contact paper so they would be sturdy enough to take lots of handling by the children. Of course I was excited about the curriculum so I couldn’t help but show them how the games were played with the children and even sang the Bible Story songs with them. We had refreshments and everybody had a good time.
On the last Tuesday in March, one lady was cutting out some feltboard figures. She remarked, "I sure would like to be a fly on the wall and see what the children do with these." The director seized the opportunity. "Why don’t you come down next Tuesday and sit in the corner with the feltboard and play with the children who come to see what you are doing?"
The director and her husband had planned to teach the twos and threes. Rex and I were to teach the fours and fives. On the first Tuesday in April we had five two and three year olds and nine four and five year olds. We also had seven ladies who had come for the twos and threes class and three for the fours and fives! Not to teach, of course, but just to see the children playing with the games they had made. That first morning was fun for everybody.
Most of the ladies came every Tuesday. Soon they were helping with bathroom needs, snacks, playing with the children and taking part in everything. Without realizing it, they were teaching!
The children were happy. The teachers were happy. And the mothers were happy. The allowed capacity for the room was thirty children. After a few months there was a waiting list.
In looking back, I could see a pattern for setting up a situation such as this. If you start preparing ahead of time and do it at the same time and place where the class will be meeting, helpers will be in a non-threatening situation. They will be getting used to being in the room and acquainted with the teaching materials. Some of them may want to come take part in a small way, such as playing a game over in the corner with a small group of children who are interested. I have found that most people are reluctant to teach in preschool classrooms because they are afraid they won’t be able to control the children. After all, preschoolers are awfully wiggly, especially if you are trying to get them all to sit down together and listen to you. Working with a small group of preschoolers who are with you because they are having fun with the activity helps eliminate most discipline problems.
And even if most of your helpers do not want to be in the classroom, you have still gained much by having help in getting the materials ready and this goes a long way toward cutting down on your preparation time!
We moved away from that town, but kept in touch. And the last we heard, those ladies who first came "just to watch" would not miss Mom’s Day Out for anything.
THE BOOSTER CLUB
We tried this idea again in the next church we attended. Of course, we soon found ourselves in the preschool department. This time we invited people to come help prepare materials. We called it the "Booster Club." We had fun painting clothespins pink to use for legs on our little cotton covered lambs and hunting through magazines for pictures and filing them. This time we asked the ladies to bring their scissors and old magazines.
One of the ladies loved to do interior decorating. She took one look at the baby nursery, which was rather drab, and saw great possibilities. So she and the others in the Booster Club went to work. They painted and wall-papered and sewed curtains and new cushions for beds, playpens, and high chairs. They got some new pictures and toys and turned that room into the most delightful nursery you could imagine.
Another lady agreed to substitute for us when we couldn’t be there. She spent the Sunday before in the room seeing how we played the games and ran the morning schedule. Then took the class for us while we were away.
HELP IN GETTING THE THINGS YOU NEED
People can’t
always come to help or actually teach in the classroom.
But they can help you
with getting some of the things you need.
1. Make a List of Things to Save: Put it in the church bulletin or newsletter and send it home with the children. Look through the upcoming lessons and see what you will need to put on the list. Things like old magazines with pictures to cut out, half-gallon cardboard milk and juice containers, margarine tubs, scraps of colored felt, and so on. Have a special box in your classroom for people to put the things they bring.
2. The Envelope Shower:
Go to the Christian Book Store and write down the preschool picture and story books, tapes, bulletin board displays, and other things you would like to have for your class. Also go to the department store and make a note of toys for your free-play time. Note the prices of everything.On an envelope, write the name of one of the items you would like and the price. Underneath designate spaces for the name of the person who picks that envelope and their mailing address. Make a separate envelope for each item you chose while out "window Shopping."
Tack the envelopes to a bulletin board in the church foyer. Ask people to choose an envelope from the board, write in their name and address, put money to cover the cost of the item in the envelope, and seal it. Have a basket on a table under the board in which to put the sealed envelopes. Since this is a public place, someone should stay by the table to guard the basket and answer questions.
Then comes the fun part when the teachers go shopping for the items they want! At your very next session, introduce the children to the new books and toys and involve them in helping to make thank-you notes to send to the people who gave the money for their wonderful gifts. Let them draw pictures and dictate the words they want to use to say thank-you and how much they enjoy the item the person chose for them. Then be sure to have the children say a prayer with you, thanking God for all the wonderful people He gives to help Him take care of us.
© 2005 by Jodi VanBibber, SUNNY HOLLOW PRESS