The Stuffies Go To Mardi Gras

Today was Teddy Bear Day, and a whole array of stuffed animals joined us for a day's adventure.  Bears, horses, dogs, a pegasus, a caterpillar, a hippo and even a shark came to play and enjoy Morning Meeting, music and even yoga. Many of the stuffies got to spend time with a variety of kids, as the Turtles shared and traded throughout the morning.

We had a special guest For Morning Meeting, as GK's mom came in to read us a book, Down in Louisiana, which was sent in by GK's grandmother who is from Louisiana. Then she told us about Mardi Gras, and shared pictures of some of the fancy costumes. She also told us about the parades and, when we all called out, she threw us beads and Mardi Gras coins.

We also learned about the tradition of the King Cake and how a toy baby is baked into the cake and whoever finds it is King for the day. Noah, or King Noah as he was known today, found the toy baby.

Some Turtles also took the opportunity to make portraits of their stuffed friends, using a new medium - oil pastels. The pastels have some of the qualities of crayons, with the added benefit of allowing artists to mix colors directly on their papers.

Kids and pets traveled together to the John Barnes room, where we had a rousing musical session with Alison. We sang, danced and made "popcorn" with a parachute!

After music, we stayed in the Meetinghouse to play some games and get in some much-needed exercise on this cold, cold day.