Submitted article
One of the most timeless children’s holiday stories is an adventure to help a boy recapture his love of Christmas. Bucyrus Elementary School kindergarten students will get to experience a little piece of that adventure when they board the “Polar Express” Dec. 16.
This is the sixth consecutive year that the Elementary School has held this special holiday activity, complete with a conductor to punch each student’s ticket before they board the train. In the past, the acting talents of Bucyrus community members have been called upon to play the role of the conductor and this year is no exception.
“Mr. Matt Feck, our conductor this year, often serves as a substitute and guest teacher in our building and we’ve been able to learn about his extensive stage experience and talent as an actor,” Kindergarten teacher Nancy Lipscomb said. “For many years Mike Taylor provided our students with a great portrayal of Danny and the train conductor, and this year Matt will be sharing his talents with our students.”
In Kindergarten, read alouds are very important to students’ educational experience. Many times, teachers and students will use puppets or props to act out different stories as they practice story-retelling skills.
“Many of us will do ‘Polar Express’ activities all week and read the story again after the large group activity,” Lipscomb said. “We have centers in our classroom that focus on retelling the story, making student booklets about the trip and putting the train in order by numerals on the car.”
Students get excited for this activity because they are permitted to wear their pajamas for the day and participate in a special activity. The Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization helps the teachers with this activity by providing funds to purchase special treats for the students to enjoy during their train ride.
“We are helping a book come alive and use our imaginations as we ‘ride’ a train made of chairs in our hallway,” Lipscomb said. “We use our senses as we hear train sounds, usually a recording of a whistle, and then we enjoy hot chocolate and cookies just like the children in the story do.”
With the Elementary School’s yearlong Right to Read programming, this is another opportunity to engage students in books and show how much fun they can be. It is also a common experience the kindergarten teachers can give students, and can be connected to future learning the students do the rest of the year.
“This is a popular program for everyone in our building and not just for kindergarten students and their teachers,” Principal Todd Roll said. “Our kindergarten teachers do a fantastic job of engaging our students in different learning activities, like the ‘Polar Express,’ and I cannot wait to hear the train whistle and see the smiles of wonder on our students’ faces.”
For more information about this unique learning experience, contact Nancy Lipscomb at nlipscomb@bucyrusschools.org.