What Happened at the Airport, Nana?
Starring Nana, Parker
When Parker excitedly asks Nana to see airplanes, she takes him to the airport, where they watch student pilots inspect planes, fill their tanks, and check their engines. From Nana’s lap and beneath her umbrella, Parker counts eleven airplanes as they take off, soar away, and return safely to land. When lawn mowers arrive to trim the grass, Nana and Parker head home, and at naptime she helps him remember their special airplane adventure.
One sunny morning, Nana drove to pick Parker up from his house. The moment Nana buckled him into his car seat, Parker started saying with excitement, “Airplane! Airplane! Airplane, Nana!” Nana smiled and asked, “Do you want to go find some airplanes, P?” “Yes!” Parker said, clapping his hands. So off they went, down the road, all the way to the airport.
Nana found a special parking spot where they could see airplanes lined up in rows. Before they got out, Nana grabbed two important things: a big umbrella to keep the sun off of Parker and a bottle of cool water for her thirsty grandson. They walked hand in hand toward the fence that was between the airplanes and Nana’s car. Nana knelt down on one knee, and Parker climbed right up onto her other knee. She held the umbrella high, making a little patch of shade just for P. “There,” she said, “Now we can watch.”
Across the fence, student pilots walked from plane to plane, checking each one carefully. “What are they doing, Nana?”asked Parker. Nana responded, “They’re making sure every airplane is safe and ready to fly.”
Some airplanes needed their propellers checked. Propellers are spinning blades on the front that help the plane zoom through the sky. Nana and P pointed their fingers to make circles in the air showing how the propellers spin, spin, spin. Some airplanes were thirsty too! A big gas truck rumbled around, filling the planes tanks with gas so they’d have enough fuel to fly far and high. Some airplanes needed their engines checked so the pilots were looking under the hoods. Parker popped up off Nana’s knee. “I got this! I fix it!” he announced, throwing both arms in the air! Nana laughed and kissed the top of his head. “I bet you could, buddy.”
One by one, the airplanes were checked. One by one, they were found safe. Then something wonderful happened…. The airplanes took turns driving all the way to the end of the runway. “Let’s count them, Parker,” said Nana. Together, finger by finger, they counted. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven. “Eleven airplanes!” Parker shouted.
Then, one after another, the airplanes zoomed down the runway and lifted into the sky. Whoooosh! They watched every single airplane fly out of sight. They waited. They sipped water. They watched clouds drift by. And then, one by one, the airplanes came back — gliding down gently and touching the ground as they landed home safely.
Just as they were counting the last airplane landing, a truck rumbled up pulling a trailer. On it sat two big riding lawn mowers, ready to trim the grass right where Nana and Parker were sitting. “Looks like it’s time for us to go, sweet boy,” Nana said. Nana folded up the umbrella and Parker carried the water bottle all the way back to the car. They loaded up and said “Bye bye, airplanes! Bye bye, airport! See you next time!” And they drove off to Nana’s house.
When they snuggled up at nap time, Parker looked up at Nana and asked, “What happened at the airport, Nana?” Nana smiled and pulled the blanket up under his chin. “We watched airplanes get fixed, get gas, and watched all eleven airplanes fly way up into the sky and back down to land.” Parker yawned a happy yawn and Nana held him tight while he dreamed about airplanes.
