“Truck!” one child screams and instantly everyone is scrambling.

As quick as their little legs will carry them, pre-schoolers climb dirt hills in their playground so they can peer over the fence that encloses them and begin pumping their arms.

They’re rewarded with the sound of a truck horn.

The children cheer and wave.

This scene is played out on repeat at the Spring Garden Child Care Centre on the outskirts of Westville, which neighbours a fueling station frequented by truckers.

Tanya Allen-Rodgers has been working in child care for more than 25 years and loves seeing the enthusiasm of the kids.

“Ever since Sullivan's fueling depot opened our kids have been on the hill pumping their arms and screaming with excitement when they get a honk-honk from a big truck,” she said.

Often the truckers wave back and smile.

“We hope we are bringing a little bit of joy to the trucker’s day as well,” Allen-Rodgers said.

She and her colleagues view it as a great learning opportunity.

The kids have learned everything from colours by describing the trucks, to numbers by counting how many tires they have. They’ve also learned to distinguish between trucks that carry liquids and trucks that carry dry goods by the type of trailer they carry. They talk about the places the truck may have travelled and how they deliver food to grocery stores. They know that a flat bed is used to carry excavators. A special treat is when they see a dump truck that looks like the toy ones they play with.

Those on the watch for trucks have also learned to distinguish between cars, vans and SUVs.

Recently, Allen-Rodgers decided to take a few minutes to thank the truckers and wrote a letter that was taped up at the pumps thanking them and telling them what the kids learn by having them drive by.

The thank you note was posted on Facebook where it seemed a warm response from those in the trucking industry and others who remember similar childhood experiences.

“I've seen people say, I remember when I was a kid, I pumped my arm and the truck blew the horn and the joy that you had as a child when that happened.”

What’s really blown Allen-Rodgers away is the amount of response from truckers themselves. The day after the post went viral on Facebook, the child care centre saw more trucks than ever stopping to fuel up and honk their horns for the kids.

In addition, The Nova Scotia Trucking Safety Association offered to give some things for the centre. A trucking company from northern B.C. also called the centre and said they also wanted to send a package for the kids.

She’s thankful for the response and happy that the truckers have a better sense of how much their visits mean to the kids.

“It gives them a sense of acknowledgment and value and respect because they know something that they're doing is getting a response. It's empowering to know that you can pump your little arm and have a big truck acknowledge you.”

Steven Daling is a trucker who stops in to fill up.

"The thank you note was very appreciated, and it was good to hear that the kids are learning about all the different industries that pull in to the fuel station," he said. "It always makes me smile every time anyone does an arm pump for the air horn, it’s great to see how happy it makes them when they hear it!"