Seneca Valley School District kindergarten students play at a dinner-themed dramatic play center on Friday in the Haine Middle School gymnasium. Matthew Glover/Butler Eagle
Kindergarten students know learning is a lot more fun with toys involved, and the Seneca Valley School District is catching on.
The district and The Andrew Effect partnered to launch their dramatic play centers, a social emotional tool to help students connect their learning to real-life experiences.
Assistant superintendent Sean McCarty and Candace Kantz, president of The Andrew Effect and a district parent, introduced the centers 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 18, for implementation at Haine Elementary School.
The centers are large wooden stands that go in the classroom with themed toys, books and vocabulary worksheets that encourage students to use their imaginations and step into roles they otherwise may not experience. The themes include a bank, construction site, creator space, dentist office, diner, home care and weather station.
“It’s something they would see in our community, so would be able to talk about that when they go outside,” said Kristen White, elementary principal.
The goal is for a teacher to establish a scenario and assign responsibilities for the students to act out the role in cooperation with other students while using their imaginations. The themes rotate between classrooms so students learn new skills each month and discover potential careers to pursue.
Seneca Valley started its extended day kindergarten program three years ago to give students the best possible academic start, but White wanted it to be different from a longer day of school that puts more pressure on students. She contacted Kantz in June to get the ball rolling.
Students are provided breakfast and lunch and have a half day of classroom learning in the extended-day model before the district invites an organization in to teach students other skills.
Haine Elementary School’s five extended day teachers will give their classroom instruction during one half of the day then apply the skills they learned like vocabulary and math to the dramatic play centers. For example, students may learn numbers in the classroom then be asked to collect a number of different items at the center, kindergarten teacher Chelsea Koryak said.
Kindergarten teacher Ciara Was said teachers will facilitate the program by modeling what to do at each station with students to set expectations and learn skills like sharing and teamwork.
“Conflict resolution is a big thing in kindergarten,” Koryak said.
The Andrew Effect partners with schools to give students opportunities to learn via play. The organization partnered last year with the district’s guidance counselors to identify students who would benefit from sending books home during summer. Kantz said she is looking to partner with more schools.
