THE GREAT AMERICAN GUINEA PIG RELAY
THE GREAT AMERICAN GUINEA PIG RELAY
Geography is especially hard for small children to figure out. They are still learning that there is a world beyond their own street,neighborhood, and town, let alone accross the ocean or accross the United States.
Fluffy became a way for myself and my friend Chris Johnson...also a teacher at the same school... to teach our students about other places. The children began to grasp that there are other children who have classrooms and teachers in other towns, and in other states.
The project started out as just an idea, and has grown at a phenominal rate.
We sent Fluffy off armed with a journal for posting things he has been doing, a photo of the class with myself, my co-teacher, Chris and my son Christopher. He was off to the post office and we began to wait.
We posted a map in the classroom and put a colored pin in "Salem, Oregon"...our town.
It wasn't long before we received a postcard and some wonderful photos of Fluffy visiting Kim Bighams' classroom in Austin, Texas at the Galindo Elementary School.
That was back on April 4th. We put a pin in Austin, Tx...and put the photos and postcards from Kim on our wall.
From Austin, Fluffy went on to Amanda Lovello in Baltimore, Md.
We heard that Fluffy went "clubbing" in Baltimore. What a fun time! Hey..sounds like a great name for a movie. "Fluffy: Pig in the City!" We recieved more nice photos and then a postcard arrived about the end of April. Another pin in the map!...and we began to connect the pins with a string so we could visually see how far Fluffy has gone.
Then on to Amandas mother in Buffalo, NY.Another pin and more fun for Fluffy!
From New York, Fluffy went to visit Sheryl Sarkoff in Kileuea, HI. Oh my gosh!! you won't believe what fun Fluffy had in Hawaii!
After Hawaii, Fluffy went to visit Karen and the Spice Pigs in Tucker, Ga...
Fluffy even met the Mayors daughter, and wait til you see the pictures of Fluffy with The Spice Girls!... And those Spice Pigs! WOW! Fluffy is a lucky fellow.
Then on to San Diego, Ca ...
to visit Jan Robertson and then off again to check out Alexandria, Va...
to visit with Raleigh Romine and Helen Kafka.
Since then he has been seen in Decatur, Tx...
with Joy Zinn...
then to Kansas City, Mo 
with Shannon Griffin and Tatortot...
... and back to Austin, Texas...
... to visit Kelly Wagner and her family...(See Kellys webpage below, too!) Kelly and family took fluffy on vacation to Corpus Christie, and just wait until you see the photos they sent! ( Fluffy even got to be on one of Christopher Columbus' ships!)
Fluffy had a ball in Eagle River, Wi visiting with Tarilyn Anderson. She sent us some wonderful dried cranberries, and cool Native American keepsakes along with great photos and postcards!
...Then on to see Kristi Evans in Gahanna, Oh.! What a lucky pig!...Had lots of fun with Kristi, too!
Most recently Fluffy went through Hurricane Floyd with Amy Snyder in Aberdeen, MD. Fluffy even got to go to court to see what Amy's job is like, and even met the Judge. Fluffy is thinking he might like to be a Lawyer when he grows up!...or a Judge..."The Honorable Fluffy Guinea Pig"...yep. Sounds good!
Our map is looking so colorful! It's full of pins and string and lots and lots of postcards! This is getting to be a real treat for the whole school, as everyone looks forward to when the next postcard or package will arrive from Fluffy!
Come back soon to check on Fluffys progress, and see more photos of Fluffy as I get them scanned.
