While walking to the Cape Girardeau Public Library for the weekly storytelling hour, preschoolers from Community Day Preschool expressed an interest in the baseball field behind St. Vincent's.

That resulted in a baseball game between two teams after the preschoolers' positions were explained and the rules of baseball were discussed.

The children chose to play only two innings; snacks were enjoyed after the first inning. Although some children ran the bases, others just ran.

Teams were named Cardinals 1 and Cardinals 2 because both teams wanted the name.

The game was an example of the Reggio Emilia approach to learning, practiced at the Community Day Preschool. The approach focuses on the image of the child in regard to their ideas, feelings, experiences and connections with their environment.

Director Janet Goodin learned about the approach at a National Convention for the Education of Young Children in 1990. This prompted her to visit a school in Italy practicing the Reggio Emilia method. She met the founder at The Diana School in Italy.

Goodin encouraged staff members at the preschool to visit Italy and learn more about the Reggio Emilia approach.

"They have such a respect for each child's competence and capability this moved me to implement it in our school," Goodin said.

To date about six staff members have visited Italy to learn more.