Buddy Letters

Last week during our visit with our big buddies they shared a story with us.

They read The Jolly Postman and Other People's Letters.

They we wrote Valentine letters to each other.

We soon learned that many of our big buddies did not know their full address.

A casualty of technology possibly.

As they were busy making their cards I took pictures of the buddies.

With their card, the photo and Valentine card their envelopes were stuffed.

Will they arrive at their homes by Valentines Day?

Gingerbread News

We received our first post card and letter on Monday.

The children were interested, excited and inspired.

We also received this fantastic letter, via email, that contained stories 

of a little boy

whom met our gingerbread cookies in a park.

His mom edited the photos and added images of gingerbread cookies 

walking in the leaves, going down the slide

and climbing a tree with her son.

This news inspired some of our children to tell their own story about

the cookies.

Once they told their story an adult wrote it down for them

and we have started a story wall.

That afternoon one of our kingergarten teacher gave me a few 

stories that her students wrote.

"The gingerbread man is outside looking at the rainbow"

"The gingerbread man is running into the forest."

"The gingerbread man ran into the gym to play with the hoola hoops."

"The gingerbread girl is running away from a dinosaur, a cow and a horse."

We so look forward to reading more stories.

Runaway Gingerbread

Several years ago we pretended that our gingerbread cookie ran away

and asked friends and family from around the world to send us 

post cards of what the cookie might see and do

if they visited them.

It was a huge success.

It was so exciting to receive postcards from all over.

This year we are doing it again.

It started last Thursday when I invited James, a baker from a local grocery store,

to come in and make gingerbread cookies with us.

He was great with showing the children how to separate an egg,

introducing them to molasses,

and demonstrating how to roll out and cut the gingerbread boy and girl.

Into the oven the cookies went.

Mmm they started to smell good.

While the gingerbread cookies were baking our big buddies visited for story.

Ms Smith, their teacher, read the story of The Gingerbread Man.

Just as she finished the story James yelled from the kitchen,

"oh no, stop stop"

The gingerbread cookies had jumped out of the oven when

he was checking on them.

They ran out into the hallway crumbling a little as they went.

The buddies went out to investigate and saw the trail of crumbs.

They followed it all the way to the door heading outside.

There was note that the big buddies read to the little buddies.

Run, run as fast you can,

I'm off to see as much of the world as I can!

We were standing in the school foyer wondering what we were going to do.

Should we go outside and try to find them?

Maybe they were on the roof.

Then one of our big buddies suggested we make 'Wanted' posters

to put up so others might help.

They got to work creating posters.

Sharing ideas of how to describe the cookies and what should

be a reward.

Posters are made and ready to go up around the school.

Can you help?

Send us a post card from where you live or are traveling,

telling a little story of what the gingerbread cookie might see or do.

Mail it to:

Brooklyn StrongStart

1290 Guthrie Rd.,

Comox, British Columbia

V9M 4G2

We look forward to checking our mail box.

StoryWalk - The Jolly Postman

While we were at the Visitor Centre I set up several activities outside.

One was a StoryWalk.

 The Jolly Postman by Allan and Janet Ahlberg.

There isn't much green space around the centre so I used a clothesline

to hang the story on a fence.

To expand the idea of mail I set up a mail box with envelopes and pens.

They wrote their address on the envelopes and put them in the mailbox.

I'll mail them soon.

I hope they are surprised when it arrives at their house.