Developmental learning becoming more focused on play
CENTER TWP — The line between recess and class time is beginning to blur in elementary schools across Butler County as teachers increasingly integrate play-based activities into lessons in their classrooms.
Elementary school teachers in the Butler Area School District are receiving supplies designed to give that fun more structure and introduce children to concepts that will help their build their vocabulary and strengthen their motor skills.
On Friday, May 1, the Andrew Effect, a Zelienople-based nonprofit that aims to provide children with opportunities that spark creativity and learning, brought 11 “Dramatic Play Centers” to Center Township Elementary School. The centers, which will be introduced in every elementary school in the district, provide students a chance to role-play scenarios such as a car wash, restaurant or construction site.
Candace Kantz, president of the Andrew Effect, said the organization last year distributed play centers to the Seneca Valley School District, where they are being used by elementary school teachers to stimulate their young students. The plan is the same for the Butler Area School District, where students will use play to develop their communication and reasoning skills, Kantz said.
“Every play scenario includes toys … every child gets assigned a job for the day,” she said. “So the teacher may say to a student while playing, 'When you go to a grocery store, why did you pick the apple instead of the banana?' And it's meant to help them learn to communicate, learn to talk.”
The play centers are wooden structures that resemble a lemonade stand or Lucy Van Pelt’s office when she played a doctor in the “Peanuts” comics. They have clips that can hold laminated signs designating what toys are placed in the station and shelves where those toys and their accompanying binders can be kept.
The stations were built by volunteers. Ten were assembled by members of the Butler AM Rotary Club, while one was made by members of the UAW Local 3303. Kantz said they are funded by donations, including money provided by the Butler AM Rotary Club.
Several elementary educators at Center Township Elementary said these stations will be good for explaining to students the real-world equivalents of the toys, which will also introduce opportunities to talk to the youths about their actions.
Katlyn Earl, K-4 emotional support at Center Avenue Community School, said the stations resemble imaginative play so much that it probably won’t be hard to get her students to engage with them. It probably will be more difficult to pull them away.
“These kids aren’t even going to know that they’re learning,” she said. “I think they’ll be so excited about playing and interacting that it will teach them these life skills.”
Even Friday, as the Center Township Elementary gym was filled mainly with educators there to learn about the stations, young children took up foods and carts to mimic grocery shopping, while others took apart the contents of a toy lawnmower’s engine. The toys are easy for children to latch onto, and each station comes with a binder that not only lists its contents, but also gives teachers some ways to facilitate play.
Matt Martinez, principal of Northwest Elementary School, said the teacher will mainly play the role of monitor at these stations.
“The teacher will kind of give a brief introduction, a lesson on how to use the equipment,” Martinez said, “and then the teacher is more of an observer to get the kids talking, only intervening to say, 'The hammer is supposed to hit on the table.’”
As some of the elementary educators explained, children know how to play. They might just need some guidance. Especially now, Martinez said, when virtual entertainment occupies so much of their time that physical and communication skills can be ignored.
“Having something physical to manipulate and someone else to interact with is so important,” Martinez said. “Really that's the idea of play is to help with that social interaction.”
Aaron Royhab, director of special education, said the Butler district is increasing its efforts to address students’ socio-economic needs. He said the play centers will allow students opportunities to explore, collaborate and imagine.
Brian White, superintendent of Butler Area School District, also attended the launch on Friday. He said the elementary years are critical for students to build skills that can help them better express themselves.
“Research continues to show that play, movement and activity are directly connected to brain development, attention and learning,” White said. “The elementary years are a critical time when students build the communication, problem-solving, creativity, self-regulation and social skills that support future success.”
Alaina Kosinski, modified kindergarten teacher at Broad Street Elementary, said she is excited to implement the Dramatic Play Centers into her classroom. This is her first year teaching in the Butler Area School District. The initiative falls in line with others being pushed by the district, such as an increased focus on physical stimulation, Kosinski explained.
“They need to play to grow and learn who they are as people,” Kosinski said. “We are increasing recess times to give them more time to explore.”
Butler isn’t the only district in the county expanding on the idea of learning through play. Kantz said the Andrew Effect plans to distribute Dramatic Play Centers to the remaining school districts in the county, with Mars Area, Karns City Area and Moniteau school districts in line for the materials.
With Seneca Valley’s positive marks and Butler Area’s rollout of the centers, Kantz said she is happy to see children and teachers alike enjoy this growing learning initiative.
Kantz shared a story about a letter she recently received from a parent of a Seneca Valley student.
“I had a mom in Seneca … I received a five-page letter from her that said, 'My son would never talk about what happened at school. When this program launched, he came home every day talking,” Kantz said.
“It has really been amazing, we've gotten great feedback with what it's doing for the kids.”
