The Gingerbread Man Hits the Gym!

There are a lot of fun ways to exercise in our community. We have many parks, gyms, and hiking trails. Taking a long walk on the beach is a great way to exercise and enjoy our world at the same time!

One super fun place the Gingerbread Man got to visit is KT's All-Star Gymnastics.

Photo Courtesy of Coach Katey. 

At KT's the Gingerbread Man learned how to stretch and warm up his muscles. It was little touch for such a stiff cookie.

He also did a little tumbling, but had to be careful not to leave too many crumbs behind. His favorite part was jumping on the trampoline!

What is your favorite way to get exercise?

What are some other things we can do to stay healthy?

The Gingerbread Man Visits the Chamber of Commerce

After many busy days, the Gingerbread Man took a weekend to recuperate. He was enthusiastic about getting back out on the town.

His first stop, the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce helps businesses do well in our community by providing connections, visibility, resources, and events to our local business owners. One goal of the Chamber of Commerce is to bring new business to our area. When travelers visit our city, they might go to the Chamber of Commerce for information on things to do.

The Gingerbread Man met the people that make the Chamber of Commerce run!

Photos Courtesy of Marcy Maretti

He checked out some brochures about our community. 

The Gingerbread Man spend time passing out buttons for one of the Chamber's shopping campaigns. 

He even got to practice for a ribbon cutting! Those are some big scissors. 

The Gingerbread Man enjoyed learning about our great city.

If you could own a business, what type of business would it be and why?

What business or store do you wish we had in our community and why?

The Gingerbread Man Visits a Law Office

After an exciting visit with the police, the Gingerbread Man made a stop to visit a local lawyer. Check it out:

Dear Class,

It was a pleasure to meet with The Gingerbread Man. He was the best client I've ever had. He listened carefully to my legal advice and he asked great questions.  He can come back to my office anytime, and he smelled really tasty too. 

Regards,

Gerardo D. Camacho, Esq.

Lawyers can help people understand laws. Who do you go to when you need help understanding something?

Lawyers spend many years in college studying the law. What would you like to study about when you go to college?

The Gingerbread Man Visits the Police Station

The Gingerbread Man sure had a busy weekend. And he's not done yet! Check out his newest adventure:

Mrs. Giboney and Class,

When the Gingerbread Man came to the police station, he met the night shift squad.

When we asked for a “bite” he got nervous and started running away so our station K-9 had to take him down.  

After a “short” investigation, he was found guilty of not sharing his goods, so he was temporarily incarcerated.  

Once he explained he was not gluten free, he was released with another interesting story to share with the kids.

Rick Soto, Sergeant 

Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department 

North County Operations Division 

What are some ways that police officers help the community?

Why do you think it is important for us to have laws?

The Gingerbread Man Visits the Discovery Museum

Hi there!

Thank you so much for sending the Gingerbread Man to the Discovery Museum. We had so much fun giving him a tour! 

He really liked meeting the fish in the fish tank and making crafts at the Creation Station. 

He was very brave and asked Mr. Charlie if he could say “Hello” to our T-rex, who ended up being very friendly. 

We hope students from your class will come visit us soon, too!

Sincerely,

Amy Asman Blasco

Program Director 

Discovery Museum

The Discovery Museum is all about hands on exploring. How do you like to explore the world around you?

The Gingerbread Man enjoyed the Creation Station. What types of things do you like creating?

The Gingerbread Man Visits the Animal Shelter

Hello 1^st grade class,

The Gingerbread Man has been quite busy since he arrived at our shelter. Thank you for sending him to us. We hope he thoroughly enjoyed his trip to the Santa Maria Animal Center and we hope that you will follow in his footsteps and come visit us too. 

The Gingerbread Man participated in our morning meetings and took a group photo with all of us.  These are most of the people that work at the Santa Maria Animal Center. 

The Gingerbread Man drove our Adoption Train.  He was a great conductor and we had several wonderful adoptions while he was here. 

He posed with our Pit Crew Chief.  Our Pit Crew Chief helps bring recognition and attention to the Pit Bulls that are waiting to be adopted.

Freddy, the cat, came and sat on his lap.  They spent a bit of time together and the Gingerbread Man told Freddy that he will be home before Christmas. 

The Gingerbread Man met a rat, named Buddy.  He was happy because it was the one animal in the shelter that was much smaller than him. 

He met our beautiful Rio.  She did not try to eat him.  She was rather pleased to have his company.  She has had a rough road and still has one more major surgery ahead of her before she can find her forever home.

He met Officer Avalos and Officer Jones.  They tried to give him a badge but it would not stay.  Instead they decided all of you needed a badge to wear.  The Gingerbread Man will bring some to your school. 

He drove the Animal Control Officers Truck.

He helped answer phones when we got really busy.  He is very polite and has great customer service. 

The Gingerbread Man met Vasan, a Palomino mix rabbit, that is waiting for his forever home. 

The Gingerbread Man met our largest rooster.  He was afraid to go in because the roosters haven’t been fed yet today and he did not want to be pecked. 

He met Pumpkin and Patch, two young kittens.  Pumpkin was curious about us and Patch just wanted to play with him. 

He helped with some veterinary exams.  Actually, he provided great moral support to the dogs that were frightened. 

The Gingerbread Man signed up to volunteer. 

He played with this adorable purr machine.  He was fascinated by the noise this kitten made just by being close.  To him, it sounded like a rumbling car engine but we reassured him that it was just the kitten purring.

He worked on the computer for a while. 

The Gingerbread Man learned all about what we look for when we recruit Search and Rescue Dogs.  He found out about their special qualities and that they are trained to work with firefighters and search and rescue personnel to find people in scary situations.  The shelter has had a few successful Search and Rescue dogs over the years.

 He stocked up on candy before hitting the field to respond to animal issues.

We have thoroughly enjoyed having the Gingerbread Man at our shelter.  We hope that he will visit us again sometime and hopefully, when that happens, he will bring you all along too. 

Stacy Silva

Community Outreach Coordinator

Santa Barbara County Animal Services

Have you ever visited the animal shelter? Tell us about it.

Do you have any pets at home? How many, what kind, and what are their names?

The Gingerbread Man Visits a Vineyard

Agriculture is a big part of our community. Agriculture is a fancy word for farming. In addition to farms that grow fruits and vegetables, we have many vineyards in our area. A vineyard is a farm that grows grapes.

Jaclyn and Kathryn's Dad works at a local vineyard. The Gingerbread Man took a trip to work with the girls' dad.

Photos courtesy of Jaclyn and Kathryn's Dad

Can you see the grapevines in the background?

The Gingerbread Man even got to see some of the machinery used at the vineyards. I'm sure he got to ride inside too! 

What crops have you seen grown in our area?

What is your favorite fruit or vegetable?

Have you ever planted your own fruits or vegetables? Which ones? How did they turn out?

The Gingerbread Man is Loose!

Back in October we read The Gingerbread Man Loose on the Fire Truck by Laura Murray as part of Fire Prevention Week. We did various activities and families were encouraged to take part at home. reviewed the exits in the house and different situations that might happen. I got his great message from Brandan's Mom about how their family got involved:

Hello, Brandan and I reviewed the exits in the house and different situations that might happen. We discussed two different meeting places and to stay calm. We will be practicing this weekend getting out of the windows safely and what to do if they don’t open. We will actually be climbing out of the windows. We discussed all of our family members and to make sure we had a head count of everyone. I quizzed him on everyone and he named everyone!!! I asked him three times are you sure that is all of our family members? He said “YES” I replied, "Brandan, our dogs? Rookie and Sky!!!" He said, “Oh yeah!" and starting laughing so hard. He said, "Oh yeah, we can’t forget them!" as he smacked his forehead.

The Gingerbread Man is back! 

Well, sort of. 

He has escaped from our classroom and is on the loose in our community.

His first stop was our school office. He spent some time helping Mrs. Perez with some very important work on the computer. After his work was done it was play time...on the copy machine! Bad Gingerbread Man! 

A visit around our campus wouldn't be complete without stopping by and saying hello to Pastor Bloom and the amazing church staff. 

Where else might the Gingerbread Man want to visit at our school?

Where do you think the Gingerbread Man should go in our community?