PAT Holds Easter Fun Party
The Schulenburg/Weimar Area Parents as Teachers (PAT) were excited to hold their first in person Group Connection this year on Tuesday, March 23 at the First United Methodist Church. Sixty-eight parents, children, and volunteers participated in the event.
PAT advisory board member Ginger Bosl, PAT program director Phyllis Venghaus, and Pastor Mary Cline from First United Methodist Church greeted the families as they arrived. Once the safety protocol was reviewed families were encouraged to take part in various activities on the lawn. The weather was perfect for this family outing.
PAT educator Windi Raphael oversaw the egg hunt. Children had fun finding the requested number of different colored eggs. Thank you to the docents at the Stanzel Model Aircraft Museum for helping fill the eggs with treats.
Three art activities were available. Volunteer Jannette Striet helped children get their bunny ears on, while Melinda Barneycastle, PAT advisory board member, admired the children’s creativity when coloring Easter pages at her station. PAT educator Kelli New helped children with their fine motor skills as they used small colorful stickers to decorate their bunny.
PAT advisory board member Juanita Duchicela got families moving to two songs the Bunny Hokey Pokey and Sleeping Bunnies.
PAT educator Erica Steinhauser held an egg-ersize station where the child picked an egg and the parent and child did the gross-motor activity listed inside. This fun station also included hopscotch where families were encouraged to jump.
For literacy fun, PAT educator Jan Whitten engaged families as she read cute bunny stories.
PAT educator Nettie Cernosek prepared an Easter backdrop photo shoot where parents could capture great family memories.
Volunteer Cindy Ferguson helped with the resource station where gently used clothes were available for families. Thank you to Cindy and Carol Berger for sorting the clothes so families could easily find what they needed.
Jessica Garcia and Johanna Herrera were the two lucky parents who won the door prizes donated by Pastor Mary Cline.
Parents were given a handout on the importance of family traditions and how this benefits the entire family. Each child received a special goody bag upon leaving. Special thank you to Brooksie Fuchs, Cheryl and Jace Pekar, Lucy Stanzel, and Melanie Ramirez for all they did to help make this event so successful. We could not do our events without these wonderful volunteers.
All parents with children ages 0-5 are invited to join the PAT program. Please visit www. sw-pat.org or call (979) 743- 6060 for information on how to join the PAT program.