We are getting geared up for this summer’s VBS’s in Costa Rica. We are in need of several things. If you have them around the house, you can turn them into the office or Mrs. Dyster anytime and they would be greatly appreciated!

• Toiletry items  – shampoo, conditioner, soap, wash rags, toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthwash, etc. – many times these are found at hotels, motels if you travel a lot.
• Happy Meal toys – stuffed animals, toys, not books or games
• Sources for wooden people – little 3” cutouts
• Zoo animal decor – particularly anything “Panda”

We have our Cinco de Mayo luncheon coming up on Thursday, May 5. All you can eat for $5.00, including dessert and drink! Plan to take advantage of this! Parents, if you want to participate, please let us know so we will have enough food!

Also, we are sponsoring the annual Costa Rica Talent Show on Friday, May 6. More details to come, but please be thinking about participating! This is a major fundraiser for our supplies and a great way to showcase the talent of East Hill!

Last week we heard from Mrs. Laguens about her time with her third-graders on the prairie. Mrs. Laguens explained that the third grade has just completed a two-chapter study about expanding the USA beyond the original thirteen colonies. “We started with the Louisiana Purchase and the travels of Lewis and Clark.  Then we looked at the wagon trains heading west to settle the prairie, to teach the Indians about Jesus Christ, and to be part of the Gold Rush in California. We kept a pioneer journal, and built log cabins out of milk cartons and popcicle sticks.” The study ended with Pioneer Day, on which the boys and girls in her class came dressed as a famous American they had read about from that time period. “We spent the day in a pioneer one-room schoolhouse, doing our lessons on slates with chalk, making various prairie crafts (weaving, tin punch art, Indian bracelets, hornbooks, whittling bars of soap, and stenciling a bandana), and eating snacks from the prairie (cornbread, biscuits and apple butter, popcorn with maple syrup, and pumpkin bread). It was a memorable day!”