People Finder
Pink Piggy Word Hunt
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Frostwood kindergarteners hunt words and social distance on a neighbor’s driveway. Mark Fenn, Bennett Wegmann, Jameson Ross and Hollis Lanham (from left) can all cross the word “is” off of their lists.
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It was hard for Keller Caldwell to miss this giant, multi-colored “I” emblazoned on a neighbor’s driveway.
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After biking through the neighborhood, Max Lawson stumbled upon the pink piggy word “like,” boldly chalked on a driveway.
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Hunting pink piggy words is tiring work, so Jon Root took a break to admire a pig sketch and mark some words off of his word-hunt list.
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Making progress! Jameson Ross is all smiles as he checks off the words on his Pink Piggy word-hunt list.
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The word is “IT!” Hollis Lanham proudly identifies another pink piggy word while riding her bike down the street.
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Say what?? Katherine Kilpatrick admires a giant pink “what” and sidewalk chalk rainbow with her younger sister.
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Emily Wilmoth’s pink pig crown is the perfect accessory for hunting pink piggy words.
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Shelby Lawson found the word “you” on former Frostwood parents Molly and Karl Holub’s driveway.
Early one quarantined morning, my 12- and 15-year-old daughters went out to the end of the driveway, armed with sidewalk chalk, and began to create a masterpiece. Well, maybe not a masterpiece. It was just a single word: “THIS,” decoratively written in broad strokes of pale pink chalk. It was our family’s contribution to the Frostwood Elementary Pink Piggy word hunt.
Pink piggy words are staples for Frostwood kindergartners. No one seems to know where the moniker originated, but pink piggy words are the label given to reading sight-words. What are sight-words? Think of them as building blocks for learning to read. Words like: a, and, at, my, we, on, is, am….the list goes on. So why not call them pink piggy words? It’s a fun tradition that has been around for as long as anyone can remember.
Each May, the kindergartners have their annual Pink Piggy picnic to celebrate the end of the year and acknowledge how far they have come with learning to read. When the pandemic canceled this year’s event, some Frostwood moms, led by Melissa Wilmoth, created an alternate event: a word hunt through the neighborhood.
The children (some donning pig-themed crowns) took their list of sight words and began walking around the neighborhood, searching for pink piggy words on driveways. Frostwood mom Alicia Ross was appreciative of all the families who participated. “Neighbors all over helped, and some don’t even have Frostwood-aged kids anymore,” she said.
Neighbors in the Frostwood-zoned subdivisions all got involved: Memorial Forest, Whispering Oaks, Frostwood, Fonn Villas, Memorial Pines, Lakeview, Sandalwood and Tealwood. Personally, I haven’t had a Frostwood kindergartner in seven years but I jumped at the chance to participate in the tradition that all three of my kids loved.
The kindergartners looked like sleuths roaming the neighborhood in search of words to proudly cross off their lists. It wasn’t the picnic they had looked forward to, but the word hunt helped restore a bit of normalcy to the kids’ routines, and they practiced their reading skills in the process. Next stop: first grade.
Frostwood kindergarteners hunt words and social distance on a neighbor’s driveway. Mark Fenn, Bennett Wegmann, Jameson Ross and Hollis Lanham (from left) can all cross the word “is” off of their lists.
It was hard for Keller Caldwell to miss this giant, multi-colored “I” emblazoned on a neighbor’s driveway.
After biking through the neighborhood, Max Lawson stumbled upon the pink piggy word “like,” boldly chalked on a driveway.
Hunting pink piggy words is tiring work, so Jon Root took a break to admire a pig sketch and mark some words off of his word-hunt list.
Making progress! Jameson Ross is all smiles as he checks off the words on his Pink Piggy word-hunt list.
The word is “IT!” Hollis Lanham proudly identifies another pink piggy word while riding her bike down the street.
Say what?? Katherine Kilpatrick admires a giant pink “what” and sidewalk chalk rainbow with her younger sister.
Emily Wilmoth’s pink pig crown is the perfect accessory for hunting pink piggy words.
Shelby Lawson found the word “you” on former Frostwood parents Molly and Karl Holub’s driveway.
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