Piper’s Bell-Before-Bell Game — Every morning, Piper reached the school path before the first bell and played Noticing Ninja: one point for a waving flag, two for a cloud shaped like toast, three for spotting Principal Bean’s squeaky shoes. Read the full story →
Every morning, Piper reached the school path before the first bell and played Noticing Ninja: one point for a waving flag, two for a cloud shaped like toast, three for spotting Principal Bean’s squeaky shoes. She wanted to find the strangest thing before the bell went ding-dong. Until one day, the bell went ding-wobble-wobble instead.
Because of that, Piper announced, “The bell is sending a code!” and six backpacked kids tiptoed after her across the dewy grass. Because of THAT, they found the swing moving with nobody on it, the flag snapping like applause, and a tiny gray squirrel sitting on the bell rope with a stolen cracker. Finally, Principal Bean held up a lunchbox crumb, and the squirrel scampered down, chitter-chatter! The bell rang properly, and Piper gave herself four points for curiosity that ran faster than recess. Next time you see that bell tower, check whether the secret snack thief is hiding nearby.
