Ready, Set, Grow Preschool in Woodbury

Photo: Emily J. Davis

Teachers Colleen Long, Tracey Nyvall and Pam Price "go to Hawaii" with the 4-year-old Black Bears preschool class at King of Kings Lutheran Church Ready, Set, Grow preschool.

Ready, Set, Grow Preschool at King of Kings Lutheran Church has been taking kids around the world for 25 years. The little ones travel to Africa, Asia, Europe and South America through the use of cultural classroom decorations, costumes, themed stories and activities. Program director Andrea Villanueva says that since the preschool’s founding in 1986, families have especially valued their world travel unit. “We teach kids about the world and their place in it,” Villanueva says. But what is offered is more than social studies. It’s an experience that few children ever forget, particularly the unit finale: a trip to Hawaii.

Four-year-olds begin their Hawaii adventure at a mock-up airline ticket counter inside the main entrance. Rolling their little suitcases up to the counter, the preschoolers receive a pretend boarding pass and proceed to an awaiting plane, a hallway transformed by rows of numbered folding chairs on either side of an aisle. The children match the number on their boarding pass to their assigned seat, and settle in. A volunteer dressed as a pilot sits in the cockpit made life-like with an authentic cockpit poster. The imaginative flight is complete with safety instructions, some minor turbulence and scenic pictures providing views through make-believe windows.

Pam Price, an early childhood educator at Ready, Set, Grow, says, “My 16- and 10-year-old children both went to preschool here and going to Hawaii is one of their best memories.” Price says she delights in her students’ excitement when they roll in those suitcases. “Older siblings tell them how great it is and get them excited for the big trip,” she says. “Even though they know it’s pretend, it feels real to them and they love it."

Upon landing, the kids are escorted to classrooms converted to Hawaiian hotels where they reveal resort wear hidden under their Minnesota garb. Rooms are decorated with their bright and colorful art projects; mermaids, turtles, crabs and dolphins are displayed among fishing nets and inflatable palm trees. Students update the calendar, check the weather report and practice dialing home to say hello on laminated cellphones labeled with a phone number their parents want them to learn.

Then it’s off to the beach and a wading pool filled with sand, buckets and shovels. There are shells for exploring with magnifying glasses and a sensory table with water, rubber ocean creatures and moldable wet sand for building sand castles.

Five-year-old Tommy Fenn ‘went’ to Hawaii last school year and says he liked the cave crawl and the five-foot volcano built for playtime in the large motor exercise space. Earlier in the Hawaii week, students observed a vinegar and baking soda volcanic eruption as an associated science segment.

Snacks are gathered from a beach combing table stocked with themed fare. Students bring their own lunch, but get to enjoy it Hawaiian luau style. Hawaiian terms are taught as well as an authentic hula. Then it’s back to Minnesota to awaiting parents eager to hear about the trip.

Scott Aikins’ son, Parker, also ‘went’ to Hawaii. “He’s never really flown,” Aikins says. “So we really played it up before his imaginary trip. He loved it.” Aikins appreciates the time and energy put into teaching kids about the world. He sees passionate teachers with an engaged teaching style. “And it’s all done in a religious environment. That’s important to our family,” he says.

All seven of Jim and Kathy Richardson’s children (ages 12-20) went to preschool at Ready, Set, Grow. “It’s great preparation for school,” Kathy says, “but they also teach kids to be loving, kind and to clean up after themselves.” She chuckles, then adds, “Our kids still burst into the Johnny Appleseed prayer song before meals.” Going to Hawaii obviously isn’t the only thing the kids remember.

Ready, Set, Grow

Mission: To serve the members of King of Kings Lutheran Church and the community by nurturing and educating young children, guided by faith and God’s love.

Founded: 1986

Term: September-May

Teacher/student ratio: 1:7

3-year-olds: Sun Bears, Teddy Bears, Pooh Bears

4-year-olds: Koala Bears, Panda Bears, Black Bears, Brown Bears

Young 5s: Polar Bears

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