'Polar Express' on its way to mystery destination at Pumpkin Patch Academy

Jen Cowart
Posted 12/18/14

Everyone knows that in Chris VanAllsburg’s book “The Polar Express,” the children on the train end up at the North Pole for a special visit with Santa Claus.

At Pumpkin Patch Academy, …

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'Polar Express' on its way to mystery destination at Pumpkin Patch Academy

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Everyone knows that in Chris VanAllsburg’s book “The Polar Express,” the children on the train end up at the North Pole for a special visit with Santa Claus.

At Pumpkin Patch Academy, however, the Grey Elephants class is in for a great surprise as they travel the world on a very special “Polar Express” journey of their own, ending up at a surprise destination at the conclusion of their trip.

“For one week, we are traveling all across the world, making stops, but where we will end up is still a mystery,” said teacher Cheryl Martin.

Martin’s father, Ed Bouvier, created the handmade set for the classroom, and creates the sets for the mystery destination each year as well. Past destinations have included scenes from “Toy Story” and “Charlie Brown’s Christmas,” among other surprises.

On Dec. 5, the students enjoyed a very special part of their journey, “traveling” in their pajamas, enjoying some waffles as a snack and viewing the movie “The Polar Express.” The watching of the movie coincided with the reading of VanAllsburg’s story throughout the week, as part of the thematic unit that revolved around trains and geography.

“It’s a little bit of math, a little bit of reading and writing and a little bit of geography,” Martin said.

As part of the unit, the children earned special tickets for completing the activities, and the tickets allowed them passage onto the train two weeks ago.

“Next week, they’ll be very surprised when they see our final stop,” said Martin.

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