Katrina had an interesting project due for school this past week.  They were told to have their parents’ help & make a “train car” to go along with the theme of this month: “The Little Engine That Could”, or otherwise known as “perseverance”.  It was an interesting idea & they were given a lot of room to be creative.  The only directions given were that it was to be made out of a small box of some type (shoebox, cereal box, etc.) & that it could pretty much be anything they could think of in reference to a train: an engine, a coal car, a coach, a caboose…  Well, since one of Kat’s very favorite movies of all time is “The Polar Express” & since we had some leftover cardboard cutout-type decorations from Christmas, she decided she’d like to make her car like the one in the movie.  We made kids out of construction paper, including a Conductor (which may actually be the “Station Master” or something – the one who takes the tickets).  The seats & windows were cut out by Jeanette & Katrina glued on the decorations & made labels (with help) that read, “Polar Express”.  She also made a “ticket” for the kids to share; remembering the movie, her scene had all the kids seated, with one boy handing the ticket he’d found to the girl who’d lost hers.  It was yellow & she wrote the word “ticket” on it (again, with our help for the spelling).  The finished car even had spinning wheels, made from cardboard circles & brass paper fasteners!  This is one “art project” she will probably keep to look back on for years to come!  It was really fun & her teacher was really proud of her, too!

Another fun activity Kat got to begin this week is Girl Scouts!  Yes, even though the original rally was back at the beginning of the school year & there was no leader for her troop back then, we got an e-mail just this week, stating that someone had volunteered & was interested in meeting the girls & their parents & setting up a time/place for meetings & such.  So, Kat & her Mom went & had a great time.  There are only 4 girls in her troop (might be 5 total, but one didn’t show up that night), which is ideal for this age group.  They are going to meet once a week, on Thursday evenings for a little over an hour.  We paid the $10 membership fee & she is now officially a “Daisy Scout”!  Daisies wear a cool vest, with places for “petals” (badges) that they will earn throughout their time as a Daisy.  They don’t sell cookies, so this year will be a great time to get used to other scouting events, prior to being allowed to raise funds.  We look forward to sharing her progress, as she begins this wonderful, new adventure!