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!