Now I get it!

One great phenomenon to me is kids and their light up shoes.  At school, a child will run up to me stomping their feet saying" look at my shoes" as they burst into flashes of light.  It is not uncommon to have a child on any given day at school sporting a pair of light up shoes. The more the child dances, jumps and runs, the more they sparkle.  And it appears the more the shoes sparkle, the more the child sparkles too.  

As a parent and a teacher, light up shoes do not always produce joy.  Children are easily distracted by the lights on their shoes.  Teachers can often be distracted by the lights on their shoes!  I remember Peter having a pair of light up shoes when we lived in Uganda. There were times at night that I could see flashes of light coming from the shoe shelf in the hallway and no little feet were in those shoes.  Earth quake tremors? other unknown explanations?  Whatever it was, shoes lighting up on their own in the hallway is just a little unnerving. So needless to say I have not been one to champion the inventor of the light up shoe.  It just seems so unnecessary and pointless.  That is until recently.

When Peter told me he was going to participate in track we went shoe shopping.  In order to maximize our dollar and take advantage of a store promotion we each got a pair of running shoes.  I knew that I would need a new pair soon so decide I might as well get a pair to put away for later.  We were shopping at the end of a long day, at the end of a long week and my feet were tired.  Therefore I bought the shoes that provided the most comfort and relief. They just happened to be neon yellow and green.  I put my lemon-lime Saucony running shoes in the closet and told myself that after my 10 K road race in March, I would get them out.  So the other day having completed the 10 K, I decided to take them for a spin. Okay so in-spite of being taught to look ahead as I run, I couldn't help but look down at my glowing kicks. It really is kind of fun to watch your feet sparkle underneath you. That's when I finally understood why kids like light up shoes.  So next time a child comes into class with his new sparkling kicks, I hope to roll my eyes less and rejoice with them more because now I get it!

My boys

In the afternoon I am the zoo keeper, oh I mean teacher of an after school program for a local church preschool.  I meet 5 little boys (ages 5 to 7) at the bus stop and try to keep them alive until their folks pick them up sometime before 6 pm.  Four of them are kindergartners and one is a first grader. They have spent the day saving up all their energy to unleash when they see me.  Needless to say, our afternoons can be quite an adventure. They often make me want to pull my hair out, oh maybe that is why it is turning gray!!! But I love them and oh they can make me laugh.  Following are a couple of humorous stories.

It wont Last
One of our weekly activities is to pull out the bucket of Legos.  Most of the boys have seen the new Lego Movie so it has been a recent topic of discussion.  There is evidently a girl character named Wild Side in the movie. This is the conversation I overheard the other day.

W- I am in love with Wild Side!  I am in love with Wild Side!
J - She isn't real.
W - So, I am in love with Wild Side!
J- It wont last.
W- It will too!
S - Yeah, it's going to be on DVD!

Act your age
When correcting J of inappropriate behavior I told him, "That is not how 6 year olds act."  J looked at me and said, "I'm 5."  And I started scrambling words to tell him it was also not how a 5 year old should act either.

One person's to-do list, another person's treasure map

So we were playing outside at school today.  A child from another class was running around with a piece of paper in his hand.  He was talking about his Treasure Map and how he was looking for treasure. First I was amused at his imagination and enthusiasm.  Then I thought that treasure map looked somewhat familiar.  I made a comment to my co-work about what he had.  She said that it was a sticky note, someone's list.  I responded with "I think it is my to-do list."  She inquired if I was going to Publix?  Yep, the little fella's treasure map was my to-do list that had evidently fallen out of my pocket.  When asked if I needed to retrieve it, I said no.  So often I never actually look at the to-do list anyway.  Yet having my to-do list become a treasure map made for a good excuse if things went undone.  So I may not have gotten everything needed done today yet I can take heart in knowing that someone else did enthusiastically search for treasure.

The Snow Globe Phenomenon

Here is another excerpt from my preschooler's "how to" manual,  How to be an Emerging 4 year old.  (see March 2 post)

To maximize your entertainment at preschool, try this.  First of all, never get quiet or listen to your teachers.  Use your outside voice in the classroom and climb on the furniture Then as a group chose a random object and fixate on it when it is presented. For example chose a Christmas snow globe.  For even more effect, chose it in March.  When you see it, beg your teacher to play it.  As the snow swirls and the Christmas carols trill out of it, freeze and go absolutely quiet.  Beside the joy of watching the snow whirl inside the globe, you will get to watch the dumb founded look come across your teacher's face.  She too will freeze in amazement. When the music and whirling stop, go back to the business of being crazy. Throw in a few pleas for the snow globe to be played again.  She will do it because she like the quite and she is hopeful.  When she plays it you again, freeze and utter not a peep.  Her amazement will soon turn to power.  She will start using that snow globe to get you to do things.  She will say things like, "If you all quickly make a circle at the carpet, I will play the snow globe."  She might even say, "The table with the children who are quiet will get to have the snow globe turned on and sat on that table."  She will feel triumphant and think she has found the magic key to ordering chaos. That's when you stop.  Let her play that snow globe and you start arguing about how you can't see it because of someone's head or you try to touch the snow globe hollering "my turn! my turn!"  That is when you get to watch your teacher scramble for a new object to "control" you with.  If you are lucky she might just pull out the Singing Easter Bunny!

How To Be An Emerging Four-Year-Old

In my third year as a teacher of a three-four year old preschool class, I have made some discoveries.  I am seeing patterns in behaviors of emerging four year olds that I do not recall having read about in child development lessons.  If I was to create a manual for "How To Be An Emerging Four-Year-Old," these are points that I would include.

As you embark on turning four, you learn the term "best friends."  As you are learning this, so are your friends.  Conversations frequently revolve around who is your best friend, who is not your best friend, and how you can't be so-and-so's best friend because you are already someone else's best friend.  Along with this discussion comes tears and occasional physical assault. You may mimic your teachers words of "we are all best friends in our class," when it seems to be to your advantage but you don't really believe it.

Along with discovering best friends, almost four-year-olds begin discovering the opposite sex.  During this time if you are a girl, you begin to fight over who is whose boyfriend.  Such words as "I went to so-and-so's house and you didn't," will be tossed out along with a toss of curls.  Downcast looks begin to appear as a favorite boy is playing with one of your female classmates.  As a girl you tend to show more evidence of staking claim, while what begins to emerge in boys is a strange sense of loyalty.   If you are an emerging four-year-old boy you may begin carrying back packs for female friends, being the daddy to their baby dolls and even being lead around by the collar like a puppy. As a little boy you may just as likely hit the object of your affection as well as to hold hands with her.  It is the beginning of a life long roller coaster involving how to relate to females.

Another three year old characteristic is the obsession with pretending to be a dog or a cat. As a three year old you often cannot resist the urge to crawl on the floor and bark or meow. Sometimes this is preferred to walking.  Smart teachers will learn to capitalize on this phenomenon. Sometimes your teacher will let you crawl like a dog to the destination as a quicker mode of transportation than trying to get you to hold the rope and walk in a line. If you are lucky your teacher will host a dog show.   Providing dog tricks you are to complete and rewarding  you with Scooby Snacks has the potential of keeping you from bouncing off the walls for as much as thirty minutes.  If you want another dog show just run around without listening and she will likely conduct an impromptu dog show for the sake of her sanity.

Turkey Trot 2012

Last year I had the idea to introduce my 3 year old preschool classroom to the Thanksgiving tradition of a foot race.  We had the first Classroom L Turkey Trot.  It was such a fun event that it was declared to be an annual event.  These are just a few highlights from the 2nd Annual Classroom L Turkey Trot.

The kids were prepped with coats, T-shirts and race numbers.  Everyone paired up to take the little walk from our classroom to the race sight.  As we came down the hall to the front doorway, administrative staff and even a few visitors lined the way and cheered the kids on as they walked out of the building.    It made me think of  the Olympic's opening ceremony. Very cute! I think it was one of my favorite parts of the race.

 This is the banner, hand painted by the children in my classroom.  It hung in the outdoor area where we held the race.  The race had been scheduled for Thursday.  However when greeted by rain and cold, we decided to postpone it until the Friday.  Look at what a beautiful day God gave us!

The race is a 5K (5 kind of laps around the Outdoor Learning Center).  

  

                                               

All the kids in classroom L participated whether for all the laps or only one or two. 

 They all participated whether they walked, ran, or were carried!

 The race had some great sponsors.  My boss at my 2nd job donated the race numbers, safety pins, and  award medals.  Some parents donated refreshments.  A friend (and fellow staff member) was our photographer.  A couple of staff members in the Marketing department talked a local company into creating and donating the awesome  race T-shirts for the  kids and classroom staff.

On the shirt the turkey is holding a sign that says 2nd Annual Classroom L Turkey Trot. 

Under the turkey it says "Run for your Life." 

 The kids really seemed to have a good time. 

It was a great day!  We are now looking forward to the Classroom L Jingle Jammie Jump in December!