November 3, 2017
East Texas Baptist University's Kinesiology Department hosted its tenth annual Field Day for Washington Early Childhood Center (WECC) on Wednesday, November 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Keys Gym on campus. Kinesiology students enrolled in the Teaching K-5 Physical Education course interacted with over 280 three and four year-olds from the center, allowing them to enjoy a variety of physical activities including parachute play, tricycle riding, and obstacle courses.
"The event started in 2008 as a community project for a senior-level sport management course. Later, it migrated to the Motor Development and Teaching Elementary Physical Education courses. It has been put on each year since with the help from ETBU students and WECC staff," ETBU Professor of Kinesiology Will Walker said. "Since the beginning, the experiences have been meaningful. Research indicates that children with positive attitudes towards activity are more likely to be active into adulthood, and if we can plant even one positive memory into each of our little visitors, it has the possibility of bearing fruit later on."
The outreach event provides ETBU Kinesiology students with an opportunity to gain experience working with children in a physical education environment, strengthen their servant leadership skills, and build relationships with children and families within the local community.
"Field Day was a good opportunity to put into practical use some of the things that we have been learning during the semester," freshman Kinesiology major Blake Edel commented. "We put lesson plans together for Kindergarten through fifth grade students and then we were able to see that they responded well to them."
In preparation for Field Day, the class spends time designing lesson plans specifically for elementary students and practices teaching the instructions effectively, incorporating the importance of both wording and body language. As the event is four hours long, students are given a glimpse of what it would be like to teach Physical Education professionally.
"I participated in the Field Day held in the Fall of 2016," ETBU junior Saidee Burrage shared. "My experience working with children at the Washington Early Childhood center gave me the opportunity to confirm that I have the stamina and endurance needed for a full work day. Since the event, I have been more confident in my calling as an elementary Physical Education teacher," Burrage continued. "To lowerclassmen Kinesiology students, I would encourage them to get excited about participating in Field Day because it will provide guidance and clarification for what grade level to teach."
The Washington Early Childhood Center serves students in pre-kindergarten and is the home of Marshall ISD's Head Start program. The center is focused on preparing each child for kindergarten by providing quality curriculum, engaging activities, and compassionate staff dedicated to the development of all students.
"I have attended Field Day for the past eight years and truly love the partnership," WECC Principal DeDe Fisher expressed. "The ETBU students are patient and loving to our three and four-year olds. At WECC, we begin encouraging our students early to aspire to attend college. Coming to the beautiful campus of ETBU, the children have an opportunity to relate exciting learning experiences with going to college."