The frigid weather outside was frightful the night of Tuesday December 15th, but in the gym of Jefferson Elementary, it was DELIGHTFUL! Several trips for more chairs had to be made as guest began arriving for Mrs. Erin's PreK Class Holiday celebration. At six o'clock, half of the pre-k children took the stage to perform The Mitten by Jan Brett. This story tells of a young boy who wants his Baba to knit him some white mittens. He drops one in the snow, and many animals climb in it to keep warm until a giant sneeze leaves them all out in the cold. The children acted out the parts of the little boy, the Baba, and the animals.

Next it was the time for the remaining children to take the stage and perform The Hat also by Jan Brett. In this story a young girl loses a stocking while hanging winter clothes on a line. A hedgehog happens by and gets the stocking stuck on its head. Other animals go up to the hedgehog and at first laugh, but later decide wearing clothes isn't such a bad idea! Again, the children performed the parts of the girl and the different animals in the story.

To wrap the performance part of the evening up, the children sang Must Be Santa (Raffi) and Jingle Bells.

To celebrate not only the holidays, but the hard work the children put into practicing these readers theaters, families were asked to join the children and play games, have a snack, and make a mitten craft.

In a twinkle of Santa's eye, the hour long event was over. Mrs. Erin handed a present to each child as they left the warmth and joy of that gymnasium.

A special thanks to Mrs. Karri Braumann who put extraordinary effort into the planning, preparation, and prop making for this celebration. Thank you also to Mrs. Natalie, the children, and the wonderful family members whose attendance and participation made the night magic!

Click one of the white boxes below to see pictures from the party: