The Brown Room Express

Below is a conversation that evolved as a small group (Cannon, Grace, Maren and Fletcher) took a train ride together.  Later in the conversation more children joined the play.  Lots of unexpected events came about... even ghosts!

(First we assembled chairs to make a car)
Maren: We need a phone.
Fletcher: We have a flat tire.
Melanie: We might need to call someone about that.
Fletcher: A towtruck!
Grace:  We might need a garage.
Fletcher:  It's all fixed now, we can drive it now.
Maren:  I’m in the middle.
Cannon:  I’m gonna try to call the train.
(Grace puts blankies on Fletcher and Cannon, while Grace and Maren collect phones and babies for themselves)

Fletcher: We made it to the train station.
Grace:  No we didn’t, we have to go through the meadow, up there, and we’re going.
Fletcher:  Somebody stole the train!
Maren: No - we're sitting on the train!
Grace:  The train's broken.  There's another train.
Fletcher:  I'm building the train! (He begins rearranging the chairs into one straight line.)
Maren:  Fletcher here's another. (indicates chair)
(All the children get up and help with the effort to rearrange the chairs)
Maren: I'm sitting in the front.
Fletcher: Oh no, we need a caboose. Here's a caboose. OH no... The train stopped!  He's driving the train (points to Cannon).
Melanie:  Where's the train going?
Cannon:  Anywhere!
Fletcher:  It's going to a broken track.  STOP THE BREAKS!
Grace:  Choo choooooo.  I need a blankey please.
(Fletcher explains that the train has crashed.  Cannon becomes a doctor to help the babies that were injured.)
Fletcher:  We have to eat on the train. (Brings plates from kitchen.)  I have a baby on the train.  Okay, I'm gonna get another baby. Another baby, he needs to get on the train.  (He runs out of seats for the babies.  Maren and Grace see him looking around)
Maren: I will hold it.
Grace:  Maybe he could sit in the basket.
Maren:  (indicates her suitcase) This has my stuff in it.  My doctor stuff.
(Emilia brings food from the kitchen to feed the train passengers. Many others have joined our train)

Fletcher: We're going in the tunnel!
Melanie:  Ooh, it's dark in there.
Lane: Any ghosts??
Emilia:  No.  There's no other ghosts in the tunnel.
Fletcher:  There's a GHOST!  Back the engine up!
Lane: Or witches.
Fletcher:  The police is comin'! It's comin'!! A ghost in the tunnel!
Cannon: Oh no!
Emilia: (on the phone) I'm still talking to the police.  (hangs up)  They're going to get the ghost away.  The police is coming.
Grace:  I have some money for the police to get the ghosts away.
Emilia: I'm going to watch some TV.
Fletcher:  I'mma cut the ghost.  (has tool from kitchen)
Olivia: (on train with lots of babies) I'm going to my school.  I'm going to home. (comforting babies) Oh my big girl.  Oh my big boy.
Grace: (to Emilia) Bye bye mama.
Emilia: (to Grace) Byyye.
(Maren excitedly brings a basket of food for the train babies)

Two exciting activities in the studio today:

1. Grace's birthday committee (Emilia, Alexandra, Olivia, Lane and Fletcher) got to work making her a birthday gift!  At meeting Grace asked for her present to have "green, sparkly, feathers, and branches". 

2. Paint mixing so that we can add to our easel paints!

Fun in the Snow on the Playground...

Stories from the snowy weekend:

Alexandra: I throwed snowballs at mama and papa.  I throwed snowballs behind mama and papa’s back!

Lane:  I throwed snowballs at my daddy.  My snowman was funny.  My snowman had a leaf mouth and it kept falling off.  Raisin eyes!

Olivia: I made a snowman with daddy.  The mouth was red.

Grace:  I made a snowman outside with dada.  Then we went to eat at the Chevy Chase club.

Cannon: (In reference to his snowman)  I made a little head.  A snowball fight!

Fletcher:  I made a snowman.

Emilia:  I tried to go sledding all by myself with daddy and I got snow all over my face!