Ministry Profile:  Play 'n Learn  

It is 9:00 on a Tuesday night and Theresa Durbin, Parkside's Play 'n Learn ministry leader, is setting up play stations inside The Loft in Solon.  Equipped with rolls of masking tape, bags of cotton balls, homemade playdough, and cardboard boxes, Theresa prepares the room for tomorrow's Play 'n Learn which will host moms and their kids, ages zero to five, for an hour and 45 minutes of, well, playing and learning.

Theresa sets down masking tape on the carpet to create a pretend playroom that has masking-taped "shelves" from which the kids will take toys and learn to put them back.  In another area of the room, an unfurled light blue bedsheet becomes a cool backdrop for cotton-ball snow where big spoons become perfect-sized shovels for toddlers.  This week's theme is snow, and the arts-and-crafts table is bedecked with snowmen and snowflake stamps while a nearby table has coloring book pages featuring sledding scenes.  Even the snacks that are provided for the kids are set up as a station where the kids can scoop out their own pretzels and snow-inspired, mini, white chocolate chips.

Show and Tell
"We had the basic vision of what we wanted Play 'n Learn to be," explains Theresa, referring to her initial brainstorming conversation with Pastor Scott Kennedy, who oversees young families at Parkside.  Theresa, who has an educational and professional background in early childhood development, had been a guest speaker at a Parkside tea for new moms and realized that there is only so much that can be learned from a lecture.  "We wanted to provide play experiences where learning stems out of the actual activity.  It's not about coming to hear a lecture on how to teach your child how to share.   You can read all the books and go to all the lectures, but in the end you just want someone to show you."

Theresa sets up the learning environment and then roams the room offering support and suggestions where needed.  "I am not in charge of the kids.  The rule is:  Mom follows child.  I go around the room and play with the kids and model for the moms."  Like Mary Poppins swooping in from out of nowhere, Theresa moves effortlessly throughout this week's group of 25 moms and 30 kids.  At the arts-and-crafts table, Theresa notices that a toddler is struggling with putting glue on a small paper cutout.  Kneeling down next to the child, Theresa starts her own project by putting glue down on the larger background piece of paper and asks the child to help her by placing the snowflake on top of the awaiting glue.  With this simple act, Theresa demonstrates one way to interact with a child that does not result in a battle or frustration.

Age Appropriate
Play 'n Learn brings a range of ages together so that moms can observe and learn from each other.  A mother of a six-week-old baby can see what's ahead at six months and then at two years.  Moms also see what behavior can be considered normal.  "Let's say that a two-year-old is having a temper tantrum," says Theresa. "I just gently go over and role model for the mom.  I tell her, 'You need to leave him alone,' and we go with her other child and play with the blocks over there.  And suddenly, the child having a temper tantrum is getting no attention, sees mom with the other child, and gets up and goes to play.  Everybody else in the room sees it and realizes what to do in that situation.  I'm there to support the mom so she doesn't feel embarrassed that her kid is misbehaving.  I can say, 'It's okay.  This is what two-year-olds do.  This is what you need to do.'  It's an encouragement."

Do Try This at Home
These techniques might work great at Play 'n Learn under Theresa's expert supervision, but how well do they translate to the home environment?  Sue Hermann has been bringing her three- and five-year olds to Play 'n Learn since it started in the fall of 2009.  "Both of my kids love it," says Sue.  "In fact, we had gotten to a point where we were feeling over-scheduled.  We needed to cut out some of our activities and when I asked my five-year-old which were her favorites, Play 'n Learn topped the list."  Sue recently employed the use of play stations at her daughter's birthday party.  "Because we had as many as 20 adults with their kids stopping by throughout the day, I wanted to make sure it wasn't chaotic.  I set up four different stations that would appeal to the different age ranges coming to the party and it worked great," says Sue.

Sue also enjoys the opportunity to meet other moms who have children the same age as her kids.  "Our kids are going to be growing up together, especially if they are attending the same church or schools," notes Sue.  "It's nice to be able to strike up a conversation with somebody at church who I've met at Play 'n Learn."

Learning How to Play
What if "playing" isn't fun?  If you're an adult who doesn't play percussion, the idea of pounding on a plastic ball with a plastic hammer for half an hour might sound like torture.  But for an 18-month old, this activity might be the most fun thing he's ever done in his life.  "You don't have be playful in order to play," explains Theresa. "Sometimes you just need to sit next to your child and give him other things to pound.  It might not be fun for you, but the more important thing that is happening is that you are present and establishing a relationship with your child.  Let's say that you have a child who loves to put puzzles together.  Will he still learn things if he puts it together by himself?  Absolutely.  But how much more will he learn if mom or dad is there talking about the colors, shapes, numbers, letters, and pictures?  These things are the building blocks for language and problem-solving.  It's just a better quality of learning and it builds relationships."

Speaking on Their Behalf
A big kid herself, Theresa is a self-professed child advocate.  Because of her training, she understands where a child is in their development and can share parenting techniques that will make sense from the point of view of a child.  "I'm there as a child advocate, not a child expert," says Theresa.

Theresa, and her husband Mike, are the proud parents of two sons, Christopher, a sophomore at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio, and Joe, a senior at Shaker Heights High School who will also be attending Cedarville in the fall.  Because of the various demands of life, Theresa had to take a break from her position as a pre-school director in Shaker Heights.  "I've missed it so much.  I've been out for seven years and it was only supposed to be one.  This ministry is a way for me to exercise that part of my brain again and to get back to working with kids again."

How You Can Pray...
Please pray for all the young mothers who come through the doors at Play 'n Learn that they may find encouragement and many new ideas to make parenting their young children a time of joy and happy memories.

Pray also for Theresa (a.k.a., Durbie) that she is granted wisdom and God's guidance as she encourages and advises these young women in their role as mother, as well as clarity and creativity in developing new activities for the children.

For More Information
The next Play 'n Learn is Wednesday, March 10 at 9:15 a.m. at The Loft in Solon.  For more information, please email the church at pks@parksidechurch.com.

Text and photos by Julie Hahn