This section is filled with columns by Sandy Pennington, Director of First United Methodist Preschool. The columns are filled with information about FUMP: the school philosophy, curriculum, school culture, and parenting advice. If you have any questions or would like more information about FUMP, please contact the preschool office.

November 7, 2022 by FUMP

Who does it better: children or adults?

Did you pause when you read this quote? Did you reflect on how many times you took over for your child when they were struggling on a task? Did it resonate with you?

As I read it, I am reminded of a conversation with a parent when I first started teaching. She said that she could stay and help me put on each child’s jacket, as I “didn’t have time to do it for them.” I paused at her words. I surely could have put each child’s jacket on them. However, it was more important for me to TEACH them to put on a jacket and learn to zip it up. Learning to dress was just as important as playground time. And if the transition to the playground took 10 extra minutes as I coached children about sleeves and fasteners, then so be it. That example has always stayed with me.

At FUMP, one of our core beliefs is that children should learn age-appropriate self-help skills that evolve into the larger goal of self-sufficiency. This means that simple tasks, like three year old’s putting on shoes or toddlers throwing away trash, are part of our intentional teaching. Giving children tasks such as these, which seem easy and unimportant, is, in fact, important work for children. Tasks build developmental skills: gross and fine motor by their physical actions and language by listening and processing instruction, and they build a child’s emotional development as well. Most importantly, they learn responsibility.

When you think of your preschool-aged child growing up into the elementary years, middle and high school years, and adulthood, I am certain that you want “responsible” on this list of traits they have. Developing the trait starts in the early years with small steps. You will see our teachers patiently coaching children through tasks. Teachers will break down tasks into small steps that a child can master with confidence. As a result, the child gains a feeling of pride in their accomplishments, and they seek it out again and again.

We seek to develop this skill in children rather than rushing in to complete a task for them. We seek out the long-term rewards of mastery over the short-term convenience. Yes, as adults, we can do it better and faster, but where is the learning for the child, and what message do we send by taking over? Perhaps this column will give you pause. At FUMP, we are playing the long game of growing responsible people.

September 26, 2022 by FUMP

At FUMP, We Believe…

Discover. Create. Connect.

First United Methodist Preschool is a unique, child-centered program based on the best practices of early childhood education. We want our parents to know and understand our deeply-rooted beliefs and philosophy at FUMP. Our curriculum and philosophy are researched-based, as they align with national standards for the highest quality of care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Our teachers, board, and director crafted our statements of belief for an expounded view of our philosophy beyond our brief mission statement. These five areas clearly articulate our guiding principles to give you a comprehensive view of our program.

We believe…that children learn through play.

- Children naturally learn through what they see in the world. Teachers create a developmentally appropriate environment for each child to play, create, move, experiment, and express themselves.
- Children are active learners and have opportunities for choice, independence, and learning through play with real materials in hands-on direct ways.
-Children’s activities, materials, and classroom curriculum are selected based on individual children’s development: socially, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and intellectually.
- Children are provided a balance of indoor and outdoor time; active and quiet play; and individual, small and large groupings.
- Children need routine and continuity in the classroom and with adults. We create consistency in the classroom through predictable schedules and activities and by limiting transitions and enrichment activities.

We believe... in supporting children’s social, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual development.

- Children express a range of emotions as a natural part of their development. We identify and acknowledge these emotions and create opportunities for children to express them in healthy, constructive ways.
- Children model what they see teachers treat children and other staff with respect, kindness, and empathy.
- Children are learning to participate in group activities, get along with peers, and develop trust for other adults. We support this task by creating opportunities for meaningful interactions with others, nurturing friendships, and teaching conflict resolution skills at every age.
- Children develop a sense of accomplishment and an enhanced sense of self-esteem through competence and mastery of tasks. Children are provided opportunities to grow in independence and self-reliance through routines and activities.
- Children develop a sense of what it means to be a spiritual being and grow in their faith and community. Through Chapel, we teach that God loves each of us, that He has created a world that we care for and that we are to love and care for those around us.

We believe... in respecting individual differences in children’s growth and development.

- Children learn best through small group play and one-on-one interactions. Therefore, low child-to-teacher ratios are maintained.
- Children move through predictable developmental stages at their own rates. Children are provided support and encouragement and are not hurried through processes related to those milestones. Arbitrary age requirements are not imposed for milestones such as toileting, specific academic skills, etc.; rather, those milestones are celebrated by the adults around them.
- Children express creativity and self-expression through open-ended projects and experiences. Creative, child-directed play is encouraged in many forms, such as drawing, painting, music, building, role play, and more.

We believe.... in experienced, professional teachers.

- The teacher’s role in the classroom is to be a facilitator, nurturer, caregiver, and supporter of children, in a manner consistent with school philosophy.
- Teachers are early childhood professionals in the classroom who support and implement school philosophy, curriculum, and policies consistently yet flexibly.
- Teachers maintain open communication with parents through various means: at arrival and departure, through lesson plans, electronic communications, and formal and informal parent conferences.
- Teachers attend high-quality training in curriculum, age-appropriate guidance, dealing with special populations, health and safety practices, and other early childhood issues and topics.
- Teachers conduct themselves professionally and courteously with parents, children, co-workers, and the church community.

We believe…in family communication and involvement.

- The diversity of each family and child is welcomed, respected, and incorporated in an inclusive environment.
- Families receive frequent, ongoing communication from teachers regarding their child’s developmental progress and classroom activities through various modes of communication.
- Families are incorporated into the program through a system of individual classroom activities and networks, preschool gatherings and events, invitations to First United Methodist Church fellowship and worship opportunities, and notifications of local community events.
- Families support the preschool through volunteer opportunities, annual giving, committee and classroom projects, and Preschool Board service.

April 3, 2020 by FUMP

The Value of Dramatic Play

Over the last few weeks, I have been highlighting the learning that occurs within the different learning centers at FUMP. In this age of academic pressures falling to younger children, we rely on the best practices of child development to create learning in a play based environment. In each classroom, you will find a dramatic play learning center. At times, parents will question the value of such play. This week, I want to share some information from one of my favorite blogs, www.notjustcute.com about how dramatic play supports literacy development in early childhood.

Why Play Pretend When We’re Trying to Build Readers?

I noticed my 2 1/2 year old walking around the back yard the other day with a small rectangular rock nestled in the palm of his hand. I watched as he excitedly moved it around as he energetically bounded around the lawn, obviously in his own world. I wondered where his imagination had taken him. Then I heard the giveaway: “Boop! Boop!” He was holding the rock out, extending his arm toward a ride along car in the yard. “My boop-boop!” He said as he looked up with a huge grin of satisfaction, having clearly just set the alarm on his toy car with his own personal key fob.

I’ll admit that I was pretty excited too. This type of symbolic play — where an object represents something else — may seem like inconsequential play to some, but it is actually a hallmark of pre-literacy.

Whenever a person reads, they’re scanning across a series of symbols. Together, those symbols make words, and those words carry ideas. But what we actually see or hold is very different that what is going on in our minds. When children play pretend, they are making this same cerebral leap. A block can be a phone. A rag can be a baby. A rock can be a key fob.

And marks on a page can be a story.

This is why I get so discouraged when I hear about early education classrooms doing away with dramatic play areas. The foundational learning that goes on in pretend play is powerful for children.

In addition to the symbolic play that prepares the brain for reading, pretend play often goes hand in hand with language practice, dialogue development, and story structure, all of which continue to prepare young minds for the eventual tasks of literacy. Add to that the great practice kids get with problem-solving (negotiating roles and themes), perspective taking and empathy building (imagining how another person feels as they assume their character), fine motor control (putting costumes on and off), among many other skills.

Getting rid of the dramatic play area in the name of improving literacy is like getting rid of your running shoes so you can spend more time running.

As Fred Rogers said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”

If you’re looking to promote pretend play, there are some great ideas below to get you going. These are the types of ideas I would especially look for when I was preparing a dramatic play area for a classroom of preschoolers. If, however, these kinds of set ups are overwhelming for you personally, don’t worry too much. Sometimes, all a kid needs is a rock. Imagination will do the rest.

Original post: Why Play Pretend When We’re Trying to Build Readers?

April 2, 2020 by FUMP

To worksheet or not to worksheet, that is the question.

After my last column on process art, it sparked even more conversation about other salient points on process art in a child-centered classroom. Inevitably, the topic of worksheets arises. The parent I spoke with last month mentioned that her friend’s daughter came home with worksheets; they were simple – just two shapes on a page. The teacher in the class read the directions aloud from the page and the children drew a circle under the square. The neighbor was proudly showing off the “school work” her child had completed at school.

Worksheets appear in the early childhood setting in many shapes, forms and fashions. Oftentimes, they are presented in a direct-teach situation, meaning a teacher sits in front of the group, reads a prompt, and the children are instructed to complete a task. There is typically a clear, end-product for the children to copy or recreate. Teachers may also select them to support a theme. If a teacher has selected a theme such as apples, they may copy the outline of an apple for the children to color. Pages are set out with red and green crayons for the children to color. For many schools, it serves as the art project to support the theme.

Children will the complete worksheets as set forth. However, they may be thinking, well, I like pink lady apples, but the teacher only provided green and red crayons. One child thinks of apples as tan, as she likes dried apples. Another child recently discovered the seeds in the core of an apple, but no brown crayons are available for use that day. Rather, FUMP uses open-ended art principles, allowing children to create art that is representative of their own unique experiences, encompassing the length and breadth of their knowledge of apples – not limited outcomes with only one right answer.

At FUMP, we create more authentic experiences for children. Teachers select more dynamic materials to encourage hands on learning through the five senses: taste, touch, sight, sound and feel. We would skip the flat one-dimensional image on a page and seek other ways to engage children. Stamping with apples cut in half, a tasting project of types of apples, planting apple seeds are all projects that I have seen done in our classrooms this fall.

Will children be expected to complete these types of activities in elementary school? Absolutely. And that type of activity should be reserved until children reach the appropriate age to do so. Milestones such as following multi-step directions, comprehending the principle of written symbols are represent the spoken word, understanding reading foundations (page orientation, left to right), attention span, and more. You will see some worksheets with pre-selected shapes on our art shelves. They are one choice out of a wealth of creative materials in the classroom.

One side note, a dozen children in a classroom could not possibly be developmentally ready for the direct teach activity at the same time. As a child centered program, the last thing we want to do is set up a child to fail. When open-ended materials are used, children who are ready for more can do more. When teachers pick out crafty projects and worksheets that may be cute and pleasing to adults, they fail to capture the wonder and curiosity of early childhood, and fail to allow for individual differences among children. We seek to support children in their development, at their own rate and pace.

Thanks for your support of FUMP and our child-centered philosophy. Your children thank you too!

Want to learn more about FUMP curriculum and activities? Check out the FUMP DIRECTOR’S BLOG.

April 1, 2020 by FUMP

FUMP: Where art is not just art

I had a wonderful conversation with a parent recently. It started with her revealing to me that she had been thinking about moving her daughter to another preschool. Day after day, her neighbor‘s child was coming home from their preschool with elaborate craft projects and worksheets filled with shape drawings. Her thought was that she really liked FUMP, but her neighbor’s child was bringing home so many great things and perhaps her own child was missing out.

She reached out to a friend and blogger who is very knowledgeable about child development. Her friend began asking questions about FUMP. Do they send home scribbled art work? Do they have sensory tables in the classrooms and change the materials in them regularly? Do they have playdough on the tables? Are the teachers highly trained? Are they accredited? And more. The answers were all yes. Her friend said that FUMP was doing it right, focused on child-centered learning. The parent was so relieved. She knew that she loved FUMP from her first visit, but couldn‘t articulate why. A year later, she is so glad that she stayed, and of course, I am as well. As we continued our conversation, I knew she had tapped into something deeper.

What does it mean to be a child-centered program? After 30 years in early childhood, “child-centered” is a term I use frequently; however, some parents may not have the same grasp of it. For this week’s column, I will expound on child-centered art. It is a tangible, visible example of FUMP‘s unique philosophy that illustrates the concept. More posts and columns will be coming your way as our child-centered philosophy is the common thread that runs throughout our program, from the babies to prekindergarten, and makes FUMP such a unique experience for children.

As I mentioned at the parent orientation meeting in August, your child will inevitably come home from FUMP with a completely brown painting and be thrilled by it. It will be covered with layers of once-bright tempera paints that have now been swirled and mixed into a top-to-bottom, wall-to-wall landscape of dull brown. While as a parent, you may think, “Ugh, that’s not one I am putting on the refrigerator”, it greatly illuminates FUMP‘s philosophy. Let me walk you through the experience through our eyes.

A child at the easel faces a blank page, pots of colored paints, and endless opportunities for learning. Here is a quick list off of the top of my head about the learning that happens here: 1) Fine motor skills of manipulating the brushes, 2) Gross motor skill of painting on a vertical surface (easel) rather than a horizontal surface (table), 3) Creative expression as there are no graphics or focused adult-selected objectives, 4) Drawing/writing skills as they form lines, shapes, symbols, 5) Science processes as they observe changes as colors, textures and paints are mixed on the page, and 6) Language as the teachers may ask the child about what they have drawn and dictate their response. Just like that, multiple areas of children’s development are addressed in one single classroom activity.

Further, children learn through repetition. The easel will be in the classroom all year, and the teachers will vary the mediums for children‘s use. What happens if you add shaving cream to the paint? Or use watercolors instead? Or add glue into the paint and paint on foil? Or use spray bottles with colored water? Or add an extract to create scented paint? A peer might even join to do a “partner painting”, which adds a social component.

These variations extend learning (building on the list above) and support further opportunities to learn about the properties of liquids and solids, art mediums, and more. This list is quite impressive, when you stop and examine something as simple as a child’s easel painting.

This is called “process-art,” a hallmark of a child-centered program. At FUMP, we cherish and nurture the process of creating and expression, not the end product. Parents can feel almost disappointment to receive muddy brown paintings day after day. However, each one is a testament to discovery, expression, and exploration.

Well, what about those perfectly-constructed spider crafts that your neighbors are bringing home these days? The key is to remember THAT IS NOT ART; not process art, anyway. They are an excellent measure of OTHER skills: following an adult‘s multi-step directions, practicing fine motor skills to assemble the craft, learning pre-math directional terms (above, below, beside), learning science concepts (a spider has 8 legs), etc. “Product art” has its place in the early childhood setting, but it has an entirely different end goal. Just last week, I observed in a classroom and the children were building skeletons with glue and cotton swabs. The teacher listed the activity under “Fine Motor Skills”, not “Art Projects”. I was delighted to see an example of the distinction on her lesson plans.

In fact, we could have the children make crafts for you each day at FUMP, and we would receive rave reviews for it. Many, many, many schools take this approach and do so successfully. However, we seek out opportunities to create child-centered, process-focused experiences for children. We prioritize children’s authentic experiences over more product-based outcomes, and ultimately the children have a richer, multi-dimensional and more meaningful experience because of it. Perhaps now you can see why the teachers gush at pick up time about the amazing muddy brown painting your child did that day – through our lens of valuing the child-centered experience.

So the next time you see a child’s carefully-constructed preschool craft project, perhaps this column will echo in your mind. Perhaps you will smile to yourself and think, ahhhh, that‘s not really art. And if you do, you will know that you are one of the precious few that recognizes the deeper value of a child-centered, developmental philosophy for young children. Now go forth and proudly show all of those brown paintings to all your neighbors!

Who does it better: children or adults?

At FUMP, We Believe…

The Value of Dramatic Play

Why Play Pretend When We’re Trying to Build Readers?

To worksheet or not to worksheet, that is the question.

FUMP: Where art is not just art

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