A smile creases the face of Kari Hohansee as watches the cars and trucks slow, then stop to look at the colorful picket fence in front of her Geneva home.

“Sometimes they even turn around and come back for a second look. I get a real charge out of that,” Hohansee said.

The fence posts are painted to resemble multi-colored crayons, a perfect welcome to the day care business she operates at the home she shares with her husband, Jeremy.

The fence provides a change of pace from other scenes in the small town in northern Freeborn County.

Nine preschoolers are currently enrolled at Hohansee’s day care, which also features individual, and colorful, lockers to help the kids keep their belongings separate.

A road trip to Chicago a year and a half ago provided the inspiration for the fence motif, Hohansee said. A crayon fence graced the front yard of an Illinois day care, and was duly noted by the Hohansees.

“It really caught my eye as we drove past it. I wanted one just like it,” Hohansee said.

Her husband provided the technical know how, cutting down the fence posts from their previous size and shaping them to resemble giant crayons. The multi-colored paint job finished the new look. The ever handy Jeremy, who works as a diesel mechanic and for a recycling company, also built the lockers for the kids.

“The lockers help keep things organized and in the right place. The kids like having their own space for their stuff,” she said.

The day care kids range in age from four months to five years. Kari Hohansee, a licensed day care provider for the past 10 years, said she likes being with kids and helping them grow their minds with stimulating activities.

“The kids color, and play games, including parachute. I really enjoy watching them grow and learn,” Hohansee said.

When warm weather arrives, Hohansee takes the kids to the local community center or the city park for games of kick ball and other activities.

She said she feels the colorful fence has attracted positive comments from many people in the Geneva area where she spent her own childhood.

“We hear about our fence all the time. It helps us stay in touch with our community when we’re out and about.”