Volume 6 No. 1 * Spring 2001
Page Three
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Friends of Volume 6 No. 1 * Spring 2001 Page Three |
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PRESCHOOL DAYS AT CRATER LAKE Greg Reddell thought our readers might be interested in knowing something about the preschool I ran for 10 years at Crater Lake during our stint there. So here goes. According to past park superintendent Bob Benton, life at Crater Lake during the mid 1980's was problematical, in that residents and their families were unhappy. There was little to do in the winter. The winter was long. People got on each other's nerves. Unhappy families made for unhappy employees, some of whom began having mental problems. Children had nothing to do and nowhere to go to play, especially in the winter. Roads between 15 foot high snowbanks were not safe for play. A committee was formed to look into the problem and part of the result was to make the old "school house" useful for current needs. The focus was on the upstairs, where it was determined a bright, colorful rug and some toys would give children and their moms a place to go away from their own home to "blow off steam", run and play and exercise. A satellite TV system was installed, along with a VCR, with the intent that educational films could be rented and shown to children. People also wanted a playground for summer use installed in the housing area.
Initially moms would go to the "playroom" with their children and enjoy a new environment. Toys were donated as the years went by. The park purchased a few items each year, until a very nice assortment was obtained. A resident named Nita Inman started a daycare service in her home for working parents and began teaching a small preschool in the playroom several mornings a week for her daycare charges as well as any others who wanted to come. The concensus after that was that families were happier. I came along about the time Nita decided to go back to school to earn her degree. I ran the school from 9-12 noon three mornings a week. Class size ranged from 2 to 7, although there were a couple of periods when I only had one student. I started off with Sally Webster and Katie Raeburn. Soon Aaron and Logan Magnuson moved in and were added to our ranks. Sally moved with her family to Arches. Then Katie's little brother, Brett, started coming as did Jesse Buktenica. Stephanie and Cameron Jones would join us in the summer when their dad showed up as a seasonal backcountry ranger. The Lynn's moved to the park and William became a regular. Katie and Aaron began Kindergarten in Prospect. Katie moved on with her parents. Shawn and Kara Reinhardt moved to the area and became students. About the time William Lynn started Kindergarten, his little sister Elyse was old enough to come. Eventually, Jesse's little brother Alex was old enough to come. And so the students came and went over the years. Some moved, some went to public school, some were home schooled. My last two students were Heather Brock and Kyle Pohll.
The day in preschool usually began with 45 min of "freeplay" time. Children could choose from among the many toys in the room. Some days elaborate forts were built. Some days dress-up clothes were a hit. Some days the Legos. The climbing apparatus and slide were always popular. And for some children it was a minute or two spent at a variety of places in the room playing with a variety of toys. A cleanup time record would soon have children working diligently to get all the toys picked up because their reward was a sticker of their choosing to put on a chart on the bulletin board. A semi circle of chairs was set up for "circle time". We would put the correct day on a large calendar, sing a few songs, read a couple of story books, have "Show and Tell" where each child could tell about a special item they brought from home, and discuss the lesson for the day concerning the current unit of study. These units varied. It could be holiday or seasonally related or it could be birds or animals or good health or whatever. The next gathering place was the table for snacktime. Hands were washed and the special helper put placemats out for each child and brought cups of water to the table. Lots of fun conversations were had around the table. I might learn what someone had for breakfast that morning, whether they fought with little brother or sister over a toy, a trip to town (very special times for most kids), TV shows or videos they watched. Or there might be imaginary games with the Teddy Graham bears they were eating. You never know what kids will come up with! Next item of the day was a vigorous game or other exercise, usually downstairs in the "gym". We would practice with ropes or balls or hoops or play an organized tag game. After 10-15 minutes (the attention span of young children is short), we would head back up the stairs for an art project. Lots of different mediums were explored, from chalk to paint to fingerpaint to crayons to colored pencils to collages made from lace or torn paper or bits of ribbon or packing popcorn. The finished item may not have looked like anything at all, but you'd be surprised at the effort and enthusiasm that went into the making.
When art supplies were put away there was again an opportunity for free play before parents picked their children up at lunchtime. This three hour break for moms was usually very welcome. For me, it was an outlet for my teaching skills. I had taught at a public school in Utah for 11 years before coming to Crater Lake and I wasn't quite ready to give up teaching. The children were adorable. Some were challenging. Some were gifted. All I hold dear with the memories of such fun times together. Many of my former students are in high school now and from what I hear are accomplished in many ways, from music to drama to sports to academics. Now the current mothers at Crater Lake have formed a playgroup and gather with kids certain days of the week so that the children can play together. For the future, maybe there will again come a day when a resident wishes to teach a formal preschool. In the meantime, the room is being put to good use and mom's and children's sanity is being preserved. |
