Every Thursday at the Center has been dubbed "Happy Cow Day". What it means is that at lunch if a child drinks all of their milk, he or she will get a hand stamp. Sounds cheesy, cute, interesting. Whatever. The adult interest in Happy Cow Day is unimportant. Its a HUGE deal to the kids.
When I took over in the kitchen a couple of years back, every single day the kids would ask, "Is it Happy Cow Day today?" And four days out of five days I would be forced to answer, "No, today is not Happy Cow Day. Happy Cow Day is Thursday. Today is (insert any day but Thursday here)." After a few weeks of the incessant inquiries from one hundred children on a daily basis, I was starting to get a little annoyed with the question. I came up with a plan.
Every day, we put our lunch and snack menu on a dry erase board that hangs beside our cafeteria door. It's the perfect place to draw pictures and fun little things for the kids. So every Thursday I began to draw a "happy cow" face on the board. The children slowly started to realize that unless there was a cow on the board, it was not Happy Cow Day. Brilliant, isn't it? It worked like a charm.
Recently, Happy Cow was upgraded to a construction paper face, complete with sappy brown eyes and a markered-on smile. We decorate her on holidays and special occasions. We hang her a little lower on the wall so the kids can see her better, pet her, give her "hoof"-fives, whatever. On Thursdays, she reigns supreme.
So, to honor our beloved Happy Cow, I wrote her a poem. I'd like to share it with you....
When I took over in the kitchen a couple of years back, every single day the kids would ask, "Is it Happy Cow Day today?" And four days out of five days I would be forced to answer, "No, today is not Happy Cow Day. Happy Cow Day is Thursday. Today is (insert any day but Thursday here)." After a few weeks of the incessant inquiries from one hundred children on a daily basis, I was starting to get a little annoyed with the question. I came up with a plan.
Every day, we put our lunch and snack menu on a dry erase board that hangs beside our cafeteria door. It's the perfect place to draw pictures and fun little things for the kids. So every Thursday I began to draw a "happy cow" face on the board. The children slowly started to realize that unless there was a cow on the board, it was not Happy Cow Day. Brilliant, isn't it? It worked like a charm.
Recently, Happy Cow was upgraded to a construction paper face, complete with sappy brown eyes and a markered-on smile. We decorate her on holidays and special occasions. We hang her a little lower on the wall so the kids can see her better, pet her, give her "hoof"-fives, whatever. On Thursdays, she reigns supreme.
So, to honor our beloved Happy Cow, I wrote her a poem. I'd like to share it with you....
Ode to Happy Cow
Ode to thee, dear Happy Cow.
Thy dainty ears, thy horn-ed brow,
thy face of paper upon my wall.
The children love thee,
one and all.
Thursdays art thy day of choice.
"Its Happy Cow Day!" the children rejoice.
At tables they sit, thier hearts all a-flutter
chugging and gulping the fruits of thy udder.
Thy presence to them; a beacon, a lamp,
a chance to win a coveted hand stamp.
I watch from the door as thy milk they inbibe,
thinking how easy a child is to bribe.
Ode to thee, dear Happy Cow.
Because of thee, they drink their milk now.
2 comments:
How creative, I wish some of the teachers that my daughter has was half as creative and caring.
Hi Angie, It's Brennan from Summer Camp, The Nuggets were good today!!! I Love Your Blog and the humor and sarcasim is great!! Can you please update though!!
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bye!!
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