I promised to try to keep this updated and I am once again failing to perform! I think it is largely because I want to be clever or funny or meaningful. alas, there are some days, and even weeks, in which I do not feel funny, clever, or even meaningful...
I will however, blog about our recent field trips...I signed Handsome up for the homeschool program at the Science Center and we attended two classes so far. This last one had to do with magnification...using all kinds of magnifiers...water, lenses, microscopes, etc. It was really fun!
But we went to the AZ Museum of Natural History a few days ago. THAT was really fun! We got to see scenes from the Old West, pan for gold, lock ourselves in a jail cell, examine a stage coach, put together a Native American pootery puzzle,toured a mine shaft set-up and much more! And that was all just in the Old West section.
There is a section on Earth Science where we met Elivs, an alligator, and an alligator turtle who snapped at us through the glass aquarium. We saw the Universe models and the star system. We saw how houses were built before bricks and plaster.
The only "bummer" was that the fantastic dinosaur section was down for repairs. We got to see the "life-size" dinos, but they did not make their noises and movements like they advertise. Oh well. they were awesome anyway! And there were plenty of skeletons too!
I would post pictures, but I forgot my camera and had to buy a one-use type at the gift shop. Not sure if I can scan those or not. This new computer has a different photo program than I am used to, which is why I have not been posting. I will figure it out and get some up soon!
Anyway, life is interesting and different with just Handsome and Girlfriend. Hunky is in regular Kindergarten and doing quite well. Girlfriend misses him. It becomes a delicate balancing act to keep her occupied while Handsome receives instructions for school. She doesn't want to miss out on anything! I need her to self-entertain somewhat, with things I provide of course, and yet, I don't want her to feel lonely or left out. She needs some 1:1 time too. Getting all the topics and proper instruction done AND meeting her needs is quite the challenge. So far, we are managing it...I hope fairly well...
She loves going with us to the field trips and Science classes. So far, she is doing well with it all. I bring along her own special activity box to the classes, which helps a lot. These are things she does not get to play with elsewhere, so they are fresh and exciting!
Hunky comes home before I leave. He gets a snack...or two...or three! Sometimes the neighbor children, with whom he rides to and from school, stay to play for awhile.
All in all, I love my job! I love being with my grandchildren. I love the learning opportunities I have. I love passing on knowlege. I think I should have been a full-time teacher years all along! But then, I loved doing ALL the things I have done in my life...career-wise anyway. What a way to "retire" (which is what my last job called my departure)...AND NOW WE HAVE NEW ADVENTURES DAILY!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Somewhere Over the Rainbows!
Aren't children great? If only we could harness their energy and their imaginations to release for them later in life. I realize that not all of the energy is directed in the most appropriate places. Nor are the tales they spin full of accurate details. But what fun they are!
I have been substitute teaching the Rainbows...3 year olds through Kindergarten on Wednesday evenings at church for about 13 weeks. Last night was my last class. They made me promise to visit and bring some of my puppets back too. We had cupcakes and Capri Sun drinks and made some messess. The great thing here is that the janitor comes on Thursday mornings. He told me to just surface clean and he would do the rest. What a guy!
Actually, last night, we made more noise than mess. We made maraccas out of two plastic cups partially filled with beans, and duct-taped together! Works pretty well, but it can get loud! Especially with more boys than girls. So I told them a story and every time they heard the word "God" in the story, they got to shake their maraccas. One boy got a little carried away and I had to limit the amounts of shakes. Some of the other children got so enrapt in the story that they forgot to shake their maraccas! All in all it was a good night!
This class has made me laugh more times than I can count! Children say such amazing things. One night we were talking about listening and were playing a game where I made two statements about something...one of which was true and one of which was not. I said silly things to keep them laughing, but one girl totally cracked me up! I had said..."girls are pretty but they have purple eyes" and she corrected me about the eyes. So my next statement was "boys are strong, but they smell bad", to which she repleid "That's not right! Boys are not strong!" I couldn't help it! I lost it! But even the boys thought it was funny. Of course, they then wanted to inform us about HOW they get smelly...but that's another story!
I have delightful pictures of them showing me their muscles when the lesson had to do with being strong and healthy. I have silly pictures of them wearing a multi-colored wig...well they story was about Joseph's COAT of many colors, but I didn't have a coat...a wig, I DID have! They loved it! We have painted with paint rollers on butcher paper, painted with jello and glue, gone rock hunting in the parking areas, picked up trash on a "hike" in the parking areas, and made many interesting crafts! And oh, the stories I heard!
Don't worry! If your child was in my class, I did NOT believe everything I heard! In fact, on several occasions, I mentioned these tales to the parents who set the record straight and got a good laugh at the same time! Such stories like..."I have four dogs, three cats, a lizard, a frog, two rats, and fourteen fish at my house!" She actually has two dogs and that is all!
I shall miss these children. But I am also glad to return to the world of the adults. It will not be so entertaining I am sure! It will have a different set of challenges and delight. And I shall visit these children often...along with puppets Ezra, Bubba, and Thing-a-ma-jig! And I might even show up in that Rainbow wig!
I have been substitute teaching the Rainbows...3 year olds through Kindergarten on Wednesday evenings at church for about 13 weeks. Last night was my last class. They made me promise to visit and bring some of my puppets back too. We had cupcakes and Capri Sun drinks and made some messess. The great thing here is that the janitor comes on Thursday mornings. He told me to just surface clean and he would do the rest. What a guy!
Actually, last night, we made more noise than mess. We made maraccas out of two plastic cups partially filled with beans, and duct-taped together! Works pretty well, but it can get loud! Especially with more boys than girls. So I told them a story and every time they heard the word "God" in the story, they got to shake their maraccas. One boy got a little carried away and I had to limit the amounts of shakes. Some of the other children got so enrapt in the story that they forgot to shake their maraccas! All in all it was a good night!
This class has made me laugh more times than I can count! Children say such amazing things. One night we were talking about listening and were playing a game where I made two statements about something...one of which was true and one of which was not. I said silly things to keep them laughing, but one girl totally cracked me up! I had said..."girls are pretty but they have purple eyes" and she corrected me about the eyes. So my next statement was "boys are strong, but they smell bad", to which she repleid "That's not right! Boys are not strong!" I couldn't help it! I lost it! But even the boys thought it was funny. Of course, they then wanted to inform us about HOW they get smelly...but that's another story!
I have delightful pictures of them showing me their muscles when the lesson had to do with being strong and healthy. I have silly pictures of them wearing a multi-colored wig...well they story was about Joseph's COAT of many colors, but I didn't have a coat...a wig, I DID have! They loved it! We have painted with paint rollers on butcher paper, painted with jello and glue, gone rock hunting in the parking areas, picked up trash on a "hike" in the parking areas, and made many interesting crafts! And oh, the stories I heard!
Don't worry! If your child was in my class, I did NOT believe everything I heard! In fact, on several occasions, I mentioned these tales to the parents who set the record straight and got a good laugh at the same time! Such stories like..."I have four dogs, three cats, a lizard, a frog, two rats, and fourteen fish at my house!" She actually has two dogs and that is all!
I shall miss these children. But I am also glad to return to the world of the adults. It will not be so entertaining I am sure! It will have a different set of challenges and delight. And I shall visit these children often...along with puppets Ezra, Bubba, and Thing-a-ma-jig! And I might even show up in that Rainbow wig!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
