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Saturday, June 18, 2011

Thanks Dad!!

For the past several years when Father's Day rolls around,  I always ask the children a series of questions about their dad.  This is not only a great keepsake for a father to treasure but also hilarious for me as I read the results. 

Here are some of the memorable responses I have encountered over the years....

What is your dad's job?
- "his job is to clean the dog poo"
- "to listen to my mom"
- " I don't know, but I hear him complain about it all the time"

What does he like to do?
- "anything hockey"
-  "play with me"
- "workout for big muscles"

What is his favourite food?
- "steak"
- "chicken nuggets and kraft dinner"
- " apples"

What animal does he remind you of?
- " an elephant"
- " a bear"
- " a butterfly"

What do you love most about your dad?
- " his hair"
- " he loves me ALOT"
- " he looks good in jeans"

How old is your dad?
- " 76 and a half"
- "I'm not sure... but old"
- " I think about twelve"

Does your dad clean?
-" hahahahh NO!"
- "yeah of course, my mom is too busy and besides all dads are suppose to"
- " no, he makes my mom do everything"
- " nope, my mom has another man for that"  (after further questionning I realized they had a male housecleaner)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

School's Out for Summer!

Well, the countdown until Summer if offically on.  Our school has 6 days left.  I find June to be one of the longest months!  There are no new lessons being taught, its just finish up,  clean up and pack up. The kids are pretty much wild- mostly because the weather is nice and there is less structrue in the class.  I seem to have about a hundred things on the go and its my own damn fault!!
1. I decided it would be a great idea for each of the kids to sew their own bag to take all their workbooks home in.  Two weeks later we are still sewing
2.  I  decided it would be cute if they could each make a little something for their end of the year gift for 2011.  So 3 buckets of clay later, 100 wipes of the table and over 20 minutes per child- they each have of their very own labryinth.
3. Of course then there is  Father's Day- we had to do a craft and card.
4. I  displayed all the lost and found items- funny enough all those mitts, sweaters, coats and other items still don't belong to anyone?!!
5. I cleaned out the collection of pencils, puzzle pieces, toys, bandaids, paints, and other random and miscellaneous items from your cupboards.
6. On top of all that-  I am totally freaking out about the end of the year performance.  Will they remember their lines, will someone fall of the stage, will everyone show up, what if there is a costume malfunction?!

Ahhh well, just breathe.  6 more days.  Well that is until next year!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

To Win or not to Win....

My husband always jokes that I only think I'm really good at stuff because I compare myself to kindergarteners.  For example;  I was bragging one evening that I was undefeated in chess, checkers and tic tac toe.  I however, forgot to mention that I had only played against 5 and 6 year olds.  This brought me to my next topic... winning. 

Should you let your child win every time?  I would have to stand up and shout and undoubtedly NO!  I can easily  point out the children in my class who have won every game of any sort at home.  They are the ones, who are poor losers, are crying or are refusing to continue to play if they see they will inevitably lose the game.  This is not a good character trait.  I can reassure you I also do not like to lose, I am a very competitive person but feel its essential to teach children that its okay to lose sometimes and to do it with grace.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

No Toys Allowed

As crazy as that sounds for a Kindergarten teacher to post a No Toy Zone on her door- its happened.  And I have to admit I agree.  In our school we seem to have the never ending problem of students bringing items from home into the classroom. 
This causes many problems....
1. It causes distractions
2. It could get broken, stolen or go missing
3. Children sometimes trade toys.  15 minutes later, one believes the trade was unfair and wants their toy back, the other child refuses. There are tears, name calling and pushing.  Before you know it- you have wasted 30 minutes of your lunch break mediating over some Bey Blade.  (for an example)

If a child is caught with a toy in the classroom it is taken away until the end of the day.We do have show and tell once a week and encourage students to bring items of interest.  Any thoughts?!!