On our way to Janie’s school, Peanut fell asleep. He’s had an exciting day.
When we arrived, Janie was playing with the alphabet board with her buddy Vidit.
morning routine
We tried using a checklist this morning to get ready for school. Janie loved putting a stamp on each of the items on the list and we were out the door in record time today.
These are my terrible drawings in a hurry: eat breakfast, change clothes, Octonauts, brush teeth, put on shoes, get on the train.
Holiday Performance
This evening, Janie’s class had a special holiday performance. Unfortunately, our daughter decided to sit with the audience instead of standing with her classmates. She was a bit overwhelmed by the number of people in the room and almost cried when she saw Dada.
After the singing, everyone gathered in her classroom to give out the parent gifts they made.
She wrote her name with a little help with the A.
Here is the gift. It’s a bug made out of a rock that she painted!
urban kid
This kid is truly an urban kid. She takes the train to school and walks the streets like she owns them.
She’d probably know how to get to school on her own if we let her.
Soccer
We signed Janie up for soccer at the beginning of the school year and today was her last session. It was also her first day back to school after returning from vacation so Mama went to watch.
They kicked cones, practiced dribbling, practiced stopping the ball, and at the end made ice cream cones for clean-up time.
At the end of the session, all the kids received a certificate of completion and a sticker. Her instructor said that she will be remembered for her “creativity and imagination”. That’s funny.
Caterpillar Book
This past month, Janie was learning about the life cycle of a caterpillar. They had some in the classroom and watched them go from a caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. When the butterflies appeared, the class would take them outside to be released. She did observations of the creatures and drew pictures to make a book. Her teacher would dictate what she said about her observations too. Today, she got to bring the finished book home.
This is the cover of the book.
“Tiny caterpillars. There is one at the top.”
“They are climbing. They are eating.”
“They are sleeping. Then they will grow.”
“The butterflies are flying.”
oh no…
I guess Janie had a hard time transitioning to school this morning after she left the house. This is the photo that Dada took of her crying at the train station.
Harvest Feast
This morning, Janie helped Mama make corn bread muffins for the Harvest Feast at school today.
Corn bread mix requires lots of muscle power to stir.
She later went to school for a few hours and then Mama and Dada met at her school for the feast. What a nice set-up!
Janie sat at the long table with her fellow Alligators. They all waited patiently for their food and drinks.
She ate next to her friend Ami and they both gobbled up the mac and cheese right away.
After the feast, she got to go home early. We walked home today in the chilly weather.
morning donations
This month, Janie has been learning about sharing, taking care of their toys, and giving to others in need. Her teacher put out a donation jug for bills and coins that they will donate to a local shelter. This morning on our way out the door, Janie said that she wanted to bring her (hard-earned) pennies to school to put in the jug. I made sure to explain that those pennies were not coming back to her and she understood. So, she carried them in a baggy and placed them in the jug as we walked into school today.
We also collected empty containers and boxes at home to contribute to the pretend area in her classroom. This week, they put together a “grocery store” complete with cash register, shopping bags, and shopping carts. Today, we brought empty cereal and oatmeal boxes. Yesterday, we brought in an empty egg carton and yogurt container.
Tuesday evening
This evening, Janie and the kids were gathered around the teacher to count and sort coins.
When they were done, the coins went back into the donation bottle.
On the way home, Janie was so excited to see a cement mixer in action. This is one of the best things about being a kid in the city. There’s so much to see everywhere you go! As we walked away, she said “cement mixer sings his whirly song!”