The JumpBunch program has occasionally been playfully referred to as Pee Wee P.E. That is indeed a fun way to easily describe what we do, but I wonder if stopping with that leaves a lot not understood. For instance, the words "pee wee" are often used to describe a smaller scale version of something clearly only meant in earnest for older kids or even adults. While it necessarily makes something sound more appropriate for the youngest of kids, it also can have the possible unintended consequence of minimizing the importance or relevance to those kids. That is the point at which it may be wise to pause and consider the message that needs to be heard beyond the cute introduction that gets your attention.
That consideration might best be done by simply breaking down the words Pee Wee P.E. a little further. Although it ceases to rhyme when you drop the abbreviation, P.E. takes on a whole new meaning when you set it free to become Physical Education. In fact, it takes something sort of whimsical and instantly makes it sound very much academic. Of course, academic then immediately translates into the thought of learning. In this case, learning is exactly what we want to come out of our classes...along with the whimsical fun!
Another popular term out there for "optional" programming is enrichment. While it is understandable how JumpBunch gets lumped into this generic category along with every other perceived "add on" type of class, but the above is an argument as to why that is the last place our program should be. That is again why we must think beyond the attention grabbing description of Pee Wee P.E. and truly understand that the end goal is to educate children at the earliest possible age that being physically active is critical to their overall well being as they grow. It absolutely has to be age-appropriate, and that means it has to be fun for all in ways that kids are naturally drawn to. Just don't stop there. Let the Pee Wee P.E. door that you walk in through be one that leads you to the invaluable life improving door of Physical Education that your child walks out of. We believe that learning to be active and happy should never be optional.
