During Physical Education classes on Thursday, May 2, and Friday, May 3, early childhood students will participate in our own version of the Kentucky Derby, an annual horse race that is run the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. We will have the singing of “My Old Kentucky Home,” stick horse races, lemonade mint juleps, a grandstand, homemade binoculars, the winner’s circle, fancy attire and, of course, red roses.
We have been talking about the upcoming Kentucky Derby in PE. Students watched a video of last year’s race and classes have chosen a horse, based on name alone, that they think will win the Derby. If their horse wins the real “Run for the Roses” on Saturday, May 4, I will bring roses to the class. Students are excited and hopeful that their chosen horse can pull off the big win.
Fun hats, for both men and women, are a tradition at Churchill Downs, so to help make this event more festive, I am inviting each child to bring a hat to school for our Kentucky Derby. In past years, we have had some wonderfully decorated and beautiful hats for both boys and girls. The creativity is inspiring and it’s fun to see the students in their special hats when I take their class photo. I’m looking forward to seeing your child at this event.
