Sing, Play, Create! Little Learners’ Day

The Western Illinois Museum, in collaboration with the WIU Infant and Preschool Center, invites the community to spend a Sunday on Our Front Porch. On Sunday, May 4, 2025, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, the event will launch the Museum’s new series, designed to offer community members of all ages opportunities to enjoy engaging activities, meaningful conversations, and lively performances.

Come connect, play, and reflect on our shared history while celebrating local traditions on the informal and welcoming Our Front Porch. A suggested donation of $5 will be accepted at the door.

The May 4th program begins with interactive play stations from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm led by WIU Early Childhood Education students. In addition, pop-up activities will include a sing-along at 11:30 am, storytime at noon, and a reader’s theater at 12:30 pm. All activities will incorporate the “seven things”– create, move, sing, discuss, observe, read, and play– that the WIU Infant and Preschool Center includes each day to build a foundation for learning. 

At 1:00 pm, the focus will shift to a community conversation reflecting on our area’s strong and deeply-rooted legacy of education, and consider how we can come together to support our local children and teachers today. The discussion provides a unique opportunity to learn about Macomb’s heritage as a center for teacher training, beginning with the establishment of the Western Illinois State Normal School in 1899.  By 1900, the town’s first free kindergarten opened with 39 children ages three to six, followed by the Laboratory School in 1902. This event not only celebrates that legacy but also raises awareness of the importance of early childhood education and issues facing it in our community today. Light refreshments will be served following the discussion.

Program Schedule:

11:00 am-1:00 pm Family Activities (recommended for ages 0-7)
Hands-on activity stations to CREATE, DISCUSS, and OBSERVE led by WIU early childhood education students, along with special pop-up activities:

• 11:30 am – SING & MOVE: Sing-along with Dr. Gina Yi, WIU Music Education Assistant Professor 
• 12:00 pm – READ: Milk & Cookies Storytime with Molly Selders, Macomb High School English Faculty
• 12:30 pm – PLAY: Reader’s Theater – Goodnight Moon with Roxi Diallo, WIU Infant and Preschool Center Pawsitive Parents’ Group

1:00 pm Community Conversation
Community members in education will discuss Macomb’s legacy in teacher training–the challenges, changes, and bright spots in education today, with a focus specifically on early childhood education. Participants include:

• Sandy Pendell – Lead Infant Room Teacher, WIU Infant and Preschool Center
• Jim LaPrad – Director, WIU School of Education
• Ronda McKee – Former Early Childhood and Pre-K Director and Special Education Teacher & Illinois Ag in the Classroom Literacy Coordinator
• Carissa Yocum – Assistant Director, YWCA Canton Child Development Center
• Vicki Phillips – Assistant Project Director, Illinois Board of Education and Former Superintendent, Brown County School District

2:00 pm Refreshments with opportunities to ask questions informally to panel members

This program is funded in part by grants from the Illinois Arts Council.

The Museum is located at 201 S. Lafayette Street, one block south of Macomb’s Courthouse Square. The building is fully accessible and free accessible parking is available. For more information, call 309-837-2750, text 309-837-2613, or email info@wimuseum.org. 

About the Western Illinois Museum
The Western Illinois Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating a deeper understanding of history, culture, and tradition, sparking curiosity that connects us to the past, each other, and the values that shape our community. As a lively gathering place, the Museum offers exhibits, open collection access, lectures, music, and a variety of engaging, educational programs in a historic setting.

Save the Date for other Sundays on Our Front Porch programs

June 8th: Kristan H. McKinsey, Director, Illinois Women Artists Project,  for her program, “Exploring Local History through The Lives of Women Artists” in partnership with the Illinois Historical Society and the McDonough County Historical Society

June 29th: Music with Average Joey, followed by a square dance with the Lane Family

About the WIU Infant and Preschool Center

Established in 1977 as a lab-training site, the WIU Infant and Preschool Center serves as a hands-on learning environment and observational opportunity for over 600 students from across campus disciplines and departments at Western Illinois University each semester. The Center’s approach emphasizes seven core activities included each day to build the necessary foundation for learning: create, move, sing, discuss, observe, read, and play. Recognizing that families are children’s first teachers and that each child brings their own unique cultural heritage and experience to the program, the teachers utilize a variety of instructional practices to reach and engage each child.

About Our Guest Participants

Dr. Jim LaPrad is a Professor of Philosophical and Social Foundations of Education at Western Illinois University, teaching courses in the social foundations of education from philosophical, historical, legal, and socio-cultural perspectives to teacher candidates, in-service teachers, and educational leaders. His research, scholarship, and practice include critical pedagogy in teaching and learning environments, experiential education, educational ethics, multicultural education, transformative educational leadership and P-12 educational reform. He is a former high school and middle school teacher, an Outward Bound instructor, and big brother with Big Brothers and Big Sisters. He is currently serving as a board member for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Warren and McDonough Counties and the Macomb Community Unit School District #185 Board of Education.

Sandy Pendell received a Bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University in Elementary Education. She completed a Master’s in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education in 2012, also from WIU. She also holds a Level 5 ECE Credential from the state of Illinois. Ms. Pendell has been with the Western Illinois University Infant and Preschool Center since 2000 and became a Lead Teacher in 2013. Sandy has taught elementary school, preschool, infants, and toddlers. Outside the classroom, Sandy enjoys spending time with her family. You can also find her playing in the dirt while she is planting her flowers. She also enjoys playing piano, reading, journaling, and taking part in the activities at her church.

Ronda McKee grew up on a farm outside of Macomb and graduated from Bardolph High School in 1969. She married the following fall and went on to raise three children, who are now grown with their own families. When her youngest started school, she decided to continue her schooling, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood from WIU in 1982 and later a Master’s in Early Childhood also from WIU in 1998. Her career in early childhood spans several decades. She served as Director of Wee Care Center in Macomb from 1983-1989, then worked as a Pre K/Early Childhood Spec Ed Teacher at Northwestern CUSD–later West Prairie CUSD–in Good Hope from 1989 until her retirement in 2012. From 2013-2023, she also worked part-time as an Ag in the Classroom Literacy Coordinator with the McDonough County Farm Bureau. Today, she continues to stay involved in education by substitute teaching in the local schools. Ronda and her husband, Greg, have nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. They enjoy traveling and attending their grandchildren’s sporting activities.

Carissa Yocum has served as Assistant Director at the Canton YWCA since 2022. Before coming to the YWCA, she worked at a daycare center for eleven years, starting as a teacher’s aide and working her way up to Assistant Director. She is a graduate of Cuba High School and is now continuing her education at Spoon River College in Early Childhood Education. Her passion for early childhood education comes from her belief that every child should have the best start to life possible through a well-balanced curriculum that promotes a safe place to play, learn, and grow. When not at work, you can find her spending time with her two sons and husband, or working out in her yard.

Vicki Phillips is a veteran educator and administrator with over 30 years of experience in K-12 and higher education, including roles as a superintendent, principal, and school counselor in Brown County and as a state-level education leader. She has led major initiatives in educator preparation, early childhood access, curriculum alignment, and school improvement, with a focus on equity, community engagement, and staff development. Her work with the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Board of Higher Education has influenced statewide policies and programs supporting teachers and school leaders. Vicki holds advanced degrees in educational administration and counseling from Western Illinois University and is known for her strategic leadership and commitment to student success.