Families roll, read down the Katy Trail

Parents as Teachers hosts reading, exercise event for South Callaway school district families

Kyler Bohnert, 4, helps push a wagon carrying 20-month-old JT Wagoner at the Parents as Teachers roll and read event Saturday.
Kyler Bohnert, 4, helps push a wagon carrying 20-month-old JT Wagoner at the Parents as Teachers roll and read event Saturday.

Pam Norris, parent educator with Parents as Teachers, pulled out a book on the Katy Trail in Mokane on Saturday morning. The group of parents and children gathered near her under trees and sat down on the trail's dirt path.

"Is anybody scared yet?" Norris asked the children. "It's kind of dark and spooky in here."

Luke Plybon, 3, answered Norris' question.

"I'm not scared," Plybon said loudly to the group.

Norris said she wasn't scared either and started to read the children's book, "Where's my Teddy?" This was one of a few books she read to the families at the Parents as Teachers roll and read event Saturday. The event was open to all families in the South Callaway R-II School District, not just those involved with the Parents as Teachers program.

Families walked, ran, pushed a stroller and biked one mile on the Kathy Trail, while occasionally stopping to read a book. All of the books read focused on bears. They started with the book "Going on a bear hunt," which they read at trail mile marker 125 before starting their walk.

Norris, with the South Callaway School District and Parents as Teachers, said she wanted to have an event that combined literacy with physical activity for kids.

Ericka Wagoner attended the roll and read with her husband, James and her 20-month-old son JT.

"I thought it would be fun," Ericka Wagoner said. "Reading and exercising at the same time and letting JT get out and run around."

Caden Bohnert, 6, said he had fun Saturday. He rode his bike along the trail, leading the group of families walking behind him. He and his family live in the country and spend a lot of time outdoors.

"I like being outside," Bohnert said.

He especially liked being in the woods. The roll and read event was the first Parents as Teachers program Bohnert's mother Laura said they had been to.

The event was also a way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Parents as Teachers programs worldwide. The South Callaway School District's Parents as Teachers program started 25 years ago. Norris said Parents as Teachers usually focuses on children from prenatal until they start kindergarten. The event Saturday was open to children of all ages. Norris handed out packets of information on Parents as Teachers and every child received a free book to take home.

Norris said the Parents as Teachers program offers resources and encouragement to parents of young children.

"Especially for first-time parents, a lot of us don't know very much about child development - I know I didn't when my kids were little," Norris told the Fulton Sun prior to the event. "It's helpful to know if the things your child is doing is typical for babies or toddlers that age."

Terrie Culwell pushed a stroller on Saturday with her two-week-old son Paul Callahan inside. She has three other children - ages 4,6 and 9 - who have all also been through the Parents as Teachers program. Culwell said she went to the roll and read to get out of the house and socialize with other parents.

"It was a nice activity to bring kids to," Culwell said. "I think it's great. During the cooler months, it would be awesome to do once a month."

Norris said some of the people who attended the event had not participated in Parents as Teachers events previously. Parents as Teachers, she said, will most likely do a similar event again next fall.

Megan Favignano can be reached at (573) 826-2417 or [email protected].