Nearly every year when kindergarten teacher Cheryl Collins welcomes a new group of eager kids into her classroom, she finds that a handful of children are scared of something that should actually bring them happiness and joy – clowns.
And so, as a way to “bring the innocence back,” Collins recruits local clown Missy Piper to visit the Pakan School kindergarten children out at Goodfish Lake. Collins said that particularly this year, with kids hearing the reports of creepy clowns being out to scare people, the fun visit was especially welcome.
“Some people think that clowns are scary, but I think that people can be scary too,” said Missy Piper, as she chatted excitedly with the kindergarten students. Dressed in her colourful outfit, with a bright red nose and fun makeup, Missy Piper easily got all the children in the classroom giggling and participating in the fun.
She introduced kids to her pet giraffe, and shared stories from some of her favourite books. One of those books, Caps for Sale, got many of the children up on their feet, acting like little monkeys, and laughing loudly.
She also shared her clown album, telling students that when she was a baby, she didn’t look like a clown.
“We’re just people. We grow into being clowns.”
Along with sharing stories and giggles, Missy Piper also brought gifts and stickers for the kids, making sure each of the students was comfortable and enjoying themselves.
During the presentation, Collins noted that even the kids who had said they were afraid of clowns beforehand were having fun and smiling, making the visit another success.
