Kindergarten Center's Teddy Bear Picnic
April 29, 2008
Photos by Barry Taglieber
The students at the Phoenixville Area Kindergarten Center got a chance to meet some special friends on Tuesday at the annual Teddy Bear Picnic!   Dressed in their Kindergarten Best – matching purple Kindergarten Center tee shirts that they received as a holiday gift – the students and their favorite teddy bears made their way to the beautifully-decorated stage in the all-purpose room.       They sang (“beary” well, we might add) a selection of music, including “I have a Bear Named Teddy,” and “Me and My Little Bear.” The morning class, led by Music Teacher Mr. Bretzius, used sign language rather than words for part of the song “Me and My Little Bear.” The afternoon classes, led by Music Teacher Ms. Staszak, sang “Grizzly Bear” in Spanish.   And when the children finished their beautiful music, the Zoo Keeper (Mrs. Purcell) brought some of her special friends out to play! Three bears from the “Philadelphia Zoo” – Amanda Panda, Corduroy, and Polar Bear – stopped in to see the students. They were a little shy, but the Zoo Keeper was energetic and happy and brought them out of their shells.     But before they were allowed to go to the picnic, the bears had to take a nap. The Zoo Keeper locked them in their cages, then she settled down into a chair to take a little nap of her own!   But the Zoo Keeper didn't know that a sneaky kindergarten teacher took the key to the cage while she was sleeping and let the bears out to dance and play!     After the performance, each class had a photo op with the bears, and they sat down to a healthy picnic snack.   Parents Tarra Lane and Patricia Le Brun are the co-chairs of this year’s Teddy Bear Picnic. They volunteered their time to not only plan, but create the scenery for this year’s event.     In just four hours, Ms. Lane and Ms. Le Brun and other volunteers turned the all-purpose room into a beautiful bear wonderland, with a beach theme in one corner, a princess theme in another, a jungle theme in a third and a bear picnic by a lake.   Kindergarten Center Principal Karen Coldwell said this is the 18th year for the Teddy Bear Picnic, a tradition much-loved by faculty and students alike.