Peddlesfoots

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Offering tools to teachers and parents to help create good character in children.

While we have tried to make a case for our products, it is best to get the opinion of satisfied users. Here are a few responses from parents and teachers who have used this teaching tool.

My class absolutely loves the rabbits! They’re actually beginning to have a sense of empathy for them as they get into a scrape now and then. I also see them rooting for them when they make good choices. That’s a lot of what the stories are about - demonstrating how the rabbits decide to make a right choice or sometimes a wrong choice. We also are able to talk about the consequences of our actions because of some of the episodes. I’m glad we have these books now. They’re here to stay!

Debbie Bell
Young Fives teacher

The Peddlesfoot series is a great way to talk about a topic that isn’t always that easy to bring up. Let’s face it; good character traits can be rather abstract for children, unless you have some good examples to demonstrate those ideas. The stories are really quite good! I’m a stay-at-home parent, and so I’ve been reading a story, and then putting in the accompanying mini-lesson and song from the CD that goes with the story. The CD is really cute! My daughter likes to take the CD and the tote bag of books in the car when we run errands. So she’s learning something very valuable while she’s having fun! I like that.

Sandy Schumaker
Mother

I knew my class needed these lessons, but I really didn’t want to have to add another thing to my day. However, if I’m honest with myself, the job of turning out children with good character should be the school’s job too. There are so many problems out there now and bad influences that compete for the hearts and minds of our children, that the responsibility is overwhelming as educators and parents. I’m just glad we went with The Peddlesfoot series, because the curriculum is very user-friendly. It doesn’t feel like an add-on or an extra thing to do.

Cheryl Wayne
First Grade teacher

I really like the teacher’s guide because it has lots of different activities that involve the home and community. At our school, we’re trying to involve our children more with the community—to help them feel connected. That’s supposed to be a real deterrent to children getting mixed up with the wrong things. The community, as a whole, wants to be involved too, and the Peddlesfoot series has quite a few activities and ideas for making that happen. It has my vote so far!

Ruth Warren
Kindergarten teacher

Just read the paper or listen to the news and it’s not hard to see that children have needs in this area—acquiring good character. They don’t seem to have the foundation they need to make good, wise choices. I try to bring up situations right from my classroom, but then I run the risk of embarrassing someone. The Peddlesfoot stories take care of that problem. They can freely identify with them, the rabbits—when they make good choices or poor choices. It’s something we’ve needed to add to our day and it’s been very easy to plug in the activities from the teacher’s guide. All in all, a great program!

Lisa Melville
Preschool teacher

I teach music at Arrowwood Elementary School in Saginaw Township. I also chair our Character Education Committee. We have been fortunate to use the Peddlesfoots curriculum for the past 2 years. OUr teachers have found it to be user-friendly and easy to implement. Students enjoy the stories and puppet skits, which we perform monthly in a character assembly.

I highly endorse this fine curriculum for character education. Teachers have many demands placed upon them for student achievement yet without a strong positive character, what good is knowledge or intelligence? This curriculum fits our needs so well because goals can be accomplished with small bits of time and very little teacher preparation.

I would be pleased to speak further with anyone considering the use of this top-notch material.

Carolyn S. Gaus
Music teacher

I’m a father who enjoys his family and I want to make a difference in their lives when they’re young—when it really counts. My son’s friend from down the street had the Peddlesfoot CD at our house one day and I heard the children singing along. Then I found out about the Parent Kit and decided that this could be a good way for me to talk to my preschooler about good character. Now the stories have become a part of our nightly routine. We read a story, discuss it, and then play the CD. Works great for me! It’s easy and I feel like I’m doing the right thing as a parent.

Dave Sanders
Parent

Research Response

Saginaw, Michigan is a great place to live. A place full of history and opportunity. A place of diversity and change...a place filled with America's greatest hope for a bright future--the children of our community.

But Saginaw also faces the challenges that confront many places nowadays. It faces the challenges of violence, poverty,apathy, and job losses within its multi-ethnic demographics. Finding solutions to these complicated problems takes courage, cooperation, and ingenuity.

When Saginaw County received federal funding through the Saginaw Intermediate School District to implement systematic character education, 13 different school districts participated in its implementation. These districts reflect very diverse demographics, from inner city African Americans and Hispanics to white collar suburban families, as well as a growing Arab-American population.

As participants in the grant process for four years, we were able to acquire plenty of feedback from parents and teachers alike. We would like to share them here, however, their names are withheld to protect the confidentiality of the research data.

Teachers reported overall:

•	Teaching character education through literacy was positive since literacy is such a key indicator for academic success.
•	Using the curriculum was easy because it aligned with the Michigan Benchmarks and Creative Curriculum.
•	The stories were very appropriate, making discussion richer and more relevant.
•	Teachers reported receiving encouraging feedback from parents and benefited from this collaboration.

•	All teachers indicated that this program impacted positive behavior and enhanced literacy skills.
•	Teachers appreciated the multi-sensory approach using stories, songs, read-a-long CDs, art, and puppets.
•	Since parents received the same materials for their children at home, this program provided a positive connection between home and school.

In the teachers' own words:

In the parents' own words:

"The Peddlesfoots provides a great connection for parents to read to their children at home about such an important topic ... having something that will be as fluent as going from the classroom, to the children, and then following them at home seems like a no brainer."

"The kids love having me read the stories to them ... they love the read-a-long CD as well."

Anytime parents are reading to their kids at home, it only helps their children out in the classroom even more!"

"Children refer back to the stories often and make connections with their own lives."

"Not all parents are teachers or know how to talk about good character to their children. The parent kits really give them the tools they need to feel confident in talking with their kids and teaching them in age appropriate ways."

"The puppets help the children re-create the stories - they love them."

"I have seen real growth in understanding literacy concepts by using the Peddlesfoots material."

"Using the program provides teachers with the structure to teach the traits systematically and meaningfully."

"We didn’t have any character education program before and this really works and the kids love it!"

"The Peddlesfoots is an actual program that can be recognized by the whole school. It makes the school more interactive and could be used for making the entire school a team in having good character."

"As a parent I feel that character education is lacking and there must be more emphasis at a young age. We are glad to be involved in this research and receiving these wonderful materials."

"This is my son's first year in Head Start. By teaching character education in the home and at school, it helps and reinforces children to stay on the right track."

"I like this program because we're working on the same things at home and at school."

"Building good character is so important that it should be reinforced in both home and school settings, although, I think the basics should be taught at home."

"I am so excited that my children will receive character education in the school setting to complement what is being done at home here with us!"

"My daughter loves this program! She listens to the CD, chooses to read the Peddlesfoots books over all of her other books. She’s using the vocabulary, like, when she puts on her shoes - "I use perseverance just like Scuff." She retells the stories and relates them to things for herself and her brothers."

"My children talk about Scuff, Alexa, and Todd at home constantly and about their decisions and consequences."

"We can’t go anywhere in the car without listening to the songs and mini-lesson CD!"