Facing your fears with a birthday hat

A group of children who are four came to the studio to support their friend, who was talking about germs a lot. He seemed both afraid and fascinated with germs and illness, especially throwing up. This came out during block play, play with toy animals, and in drawings and other artwork. So Elaine sent them to the studio to make a game about germs. Maybe they would make germ costumes, they said. I asked them what germs look like. As they talked John mentioned a germ that wore a birthday hat. Maybe they were thinking about the germ book!

You never know what will catch someone's fancy, or what seemingly innocent tidbit will stick around in someone's brain as a scary thing.

Every year teachers in the preschool read this book-

Disgusting-desagradables-detestables-completamente-asquerosos

We Teachers know that certain stories help people to revel in scariness with symbols like Abiyoyo or The Big Bad Wolf. These stories are a way to think about scary things in a safe context. Now we know that the story of the mean, nasty, dirty, downright disgusting germs can be used that way, too! As for the Rainbow room group, they came back later to make another game about germs who go to the beach.