Nancy and I get a nice view of Medtronic Child Care Center as we drive into the roomy parking lot on Tuesday, August 17, 2010.
We unload our equipment quickly, and Janet, the assistant director, greets us at the door to show us the performance area.
We learn that the facility provides child care for children of Medtronic employees only and has been doing so for decades.
After we complete the set up and I am prepared to begin my story called If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure, I take the opportunity to chat with some early arrivals who readily explain their ages, 3-5. One young man assures me, "No one here is as old as 6."
Note: The images on the screen appear bright and colorful to the audience, but a photo does not capture the screen image accurately
Kids always enjoy the bit about "why farmers wear bibbed overalls." They watch intently as I show them the pliers in the tool pocket.
When Nancy, the little girl in the story, says that bulls are dangerous, a little girl in the audience immediately asks, "Why are bulls dangerous?" I point to the picture and say, "Because they are big and may knock you down." This seems to satisfy her.
The children stay focused on the story and laugh when little Nancy squirts milk at her kitty Dusty as she milks Suzie the cow.
After we complete the set up and I am prepared to begin my story called If I Were a Farmer: Nancy's Adventure, I take the opportunity to chat with some early arrivals who readily explain their ages, 3-5. One young man assures me, "No one here is as old as 6."
Note: The images on the screen appear bright and colorful to the audience, but a photo does not capture the screen image accurately
Kids always enjoy the bit about "why farmers wear bibbed overalls." They watch intently as I show them the pliers in the tool pocket.
When Nancy, the little girl in the story, says that bulls are dangerous, a little girl in the audience immediately asks, "Why are bulls dangerous?" I point to the picture and say, "Because they are big and may knock you down." This seems to satisfy her.
The children stay focused on the story and laugh when little Nancy squirts milk at her kitty Dusty as she milks Suzie the cow.
During the introduction to the story, I had told the kids that after the show, they could stick their hands into the coffee can of oats. After the show some kids hurry over to take me up on the offer.
Others go right to the book table and start paging through the books.
A concerned staff member asks my permission and I assure her that I am comfortable with the kids paging through the books on their own.
The fact is that I am delighted with their desire to touch and view my books.
I notice that the kids treat the books with great reverence as they carefully turn the pages and delight in the illustrations. Their affection for books is surely the result of parental influence and good practices at Medtronic Child Care.
We enjoy a few more minutes of watching the children look at the books before we begin to pack up.
I did not inquire about the cost of child care for employees, but the convenience and quality of the facility are big perks for Medtronic employees, who can go to their jobs just a few hundred feet away knowing that their children are in a safe, loving, learning, environment.
Here's one more shot. Aren't they precious?
Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson
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