Officer Phil, Student Team Building, All About Birds, Puppets, and Author's Visit

Officer Phil: was recently visited by T.J. from the Officer Phil Program. Using music, puppets, humor and magic; topics of bullying, stealing, playground safety, accident prevention, and bicycle safety were discussed in a fun and entertaining way.

A program that is based out of Pennsylvania, and now operating in the New England area for the past ten years, was endorsed by the school and the Northborough Police Department. 

Community VIPs were highlighted as well during this program; adults who children can turn to if they need help and where they can go for that help.

The importance of safety belt usage was also discussed. “The first thing you need to put on as soon as you get into the car or bus is the seat belt. It’s the best way to be safe and it’s Massachusetts law,” T.J. said.

The topic of bullying was also of priority for the program. “Differences make us interesting, differences make us unique,” said T.J. “Treat each other how you want to be treated.”

T.J. introduced his wise owl puppet to the audience which resulted in fits of laughter as topics were reinforced. Students were able to go home with an activity book, which reviews the program as well.

Student Team Building: Fifth graders from and Proctor School met up for two days at for workshops and transition activities concentrating on cooperation and team building skills. Groups of kids worked with Teamworks facilitators as they also met students that they will be attending middle school with next fall.

Rock wall climbing, aerodynamic stations and ropes were just a few of the activities that the students had the opportunity to participate in.

All About Birds: Feathers, nests, and bird sounds were just some of the bird facts that Kindergarten students at Lincoln Street School learned about recently through a bird program presented by the Massachusetts Audubon Society. 

Presenter, Kathy Richards, from the Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Worcester discussed different type of birds and those common to the area, including what they eat and some interesting facts on each. She had bird nests and various feathers to pass around for a close up view by the students.

Students took their handmade binoculars with them for an outdoor bird watch where they used their “look and listen” skills.

Puppets Visit Peaslee: John McDonough of Pumpernickel Puppets performed Peter Rabbit for Peaslee School students in grades Kindergarten through second, including incoming Kindergarten students that will be joining Peaslee’s student body in the fall.

McDonough has been performing for over 35 years, telling folk stories and fairy tales  at schools, libraries and parties. He performs about 250 shows a year. His love for performing with puppets started when he was a child, and he started by reading books on how to make puppets.

The show was entertaining, interactive and silly. After the puppet show, McDonough directed the students how to use their hands and bodies to act out things like an octopus, clam, and jelly fish as well as how to make some stage noises that he used during the program.

“Use your dolls, action figures, and toys and make them move and tell a story,” he said as he encouraged students to put on their own puppet show. “It’s very easy.”

McDonough also let the children take a peek at a clown puppet and showed them how easy it is to create on their own using a bleach or milk jug that has a handle for the head, bottle caps for the eyes, a paper plate for a hat, and cutting up a yellow plastic trash bag for the hair.

The program ended as McDonough introduced the students to Twila, his full size puppet who sang and danced down the aisle.

Author Visits Proctor: Alex Beard visited students at Proctor School earlier this week, as part of the last week of his Kids’ Day Event Tour that started in January 2011. Beard, a father of two young children, has a whimsical style of drawing and said it was a natural progression to writing and illustrating for children.

Monkey See, Monkey Draw, is his newest book being promoted during this tour. “I write and illustrate about things I know about. I know a lot about art and a lot about monkeys,” he said as he was telling students how he lived in Africa and had two pet monkeys. His illustrations in the book are all created from handprints and footprints.

As an art project with the students, Beard had them use their handprints to create animals of their own. His only rule was “no turkeys allowed.”

Carolyn Carleton, Proctor’s PTO Treasurer, was the one who initiated the idea of Beard’s visit.

Kidzfest:  This fun day filled with games, food, and incredible raffle baskets and silent auction items will be held on Saturday,  May 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.