School Christmas Brunch

Braden's class had a Christmas Brunch on the last day of school before Christmas break.

While the kids were in a morning assembly, some volunteer parents set up the room and started cooking the food.

Each of the 4 tables were covered with white paper with a piece of red and green construction paper on top. Each table also got a poinsettia and two mason jars with a tea light inside each one. They also sprinkled red and green gumdrops around the middle of the table. The kids made their own place mats the day before using a marble dipped in green, red and white paint. Then they sprinkled tile glitter on the wet paint and when the creation was dry, the place mats were laminated. Each child also had a place card with their name on it and a menu of their brunch choices. The lights were turned off, so they dined with the light of their table tea lights and 3 reading lamps around the room.

Out in the hallway, we began cooking the food. We had a small electricity problem, so it took us quite a while to get things going. The school janitor was a great help in getting us some extra power from a nearby classroom. We (the cooks) made waffles, pancakes, and pre-cooked sausage. There were all kinds of toppings - butter, syrup, strawberries, and blueberries. They could get pears or sliced oranges on the side. The drink choices were milk or white grape juice. One of the moms brought in a great Belgian waffle maker that rotates and it made the prettiest waffles ever!

After the assembly, the kids were taken into another class room where they were called by their table's waitress one by one to come to their table.

Here is Braden giving his order to his waitress.

Almost the whole class! Lots of parent volunteers!

Braden enjoying his yummy waffles with syrup and pears on the side.

Our power problems delayed the brunch so long that the kids missed the 1st recess because they were still eating. They didn't mind a bit.

After the brunch, they did a used book exchange. Each child placed a wrapped book under their chair and did a musical chair game of sorts. The chair they sat on when the music ended after two rounds - was the chair they got to get a book out from under. Braden got The Poky Little Puppy and loves it.

This cute paper fire place was out on the wall in the hallway, so I grabbed Braden out of class to take his picture in front of it with his book and a stocking that a class mom had made.

After the book exchange, the kids performed Grinch's Readers Theater. Here's a short video of the first part of it - then I ran out of memory on the camera. Braden was Max the dog.

School Gingerbread House

Braden got to make a gingerbread house at school last Wednesday. They pre-made the houses by hot gluing the graham crackers onto empty milk cartons. Easy for the kids to decorate, not so fun to eat afterward. I love all the fun candies they used, my favorite being the ice cream cone covered with green frosting and m&ms for the Christmas tree!

Just Fine

(pics from a recent camping trip - I have a lot of blog catching up to do)

I was so nervous about sending Braden off to school this year. We knew it was the right decision and he was excited about going, but for the first few days I thought several times a day about pulling him out and homeschooling again. Then I pinched myself and remembered how HARD it was and how NOT fun it was for either of us. Yes, he learned the things he needed to learn and we did have bits of fun here and there, but it was just so so hard on both of us.

Things have been going pretty well so far. He comes home everyday, excited to tell us about the things he's learned, the friends he's made, the funny things his teacher says, and about the girls that chase him around the playground at recess (ALREADY?!). I almost cried the day he came home and recited the Pledge of Allegiance to me. Wow, he sounded so grown up and sure of himself.

Back to School night was tonight and Bob and I were able to attend while his mom watched the kids for us. We were very impressed. The night wasn't about Braden, but about the class as a whole and the things they're learning, but we heard and saw several signs that he is doing just fine there. We looked through his papers on his desk - loved the stories he's writing, the pictures he's drawing, his first "love" note from the girl that sits next to him (complete with at least a dozen red and purple hearts...), the sentence in his planner telling his teacher that he wants to be a "Plc Ovsr" when he grows up.

As the teacher walked around the room we got to see bits and pieces of Braden there too. He was one of 3 kids chosen to write something on a card that was hung on the wall. (I asked him when we got home how he was chosen and he demonstrated how to "raise a quiet hand".) He was chosen at the end of the day today to sit in a special desk, the "dynamite desk", tomorrow. The teacher pointed it out as "currently Braden's desk". We walked to the back of the room to find his cubby where we were able to look at his recent book choices and a paper that he'd been working on and obviously got bored at the end and had just started coloring instead of filling out the worksheet.

There are still a lot of things that I don't like about public school and some of the experiences he's already having there, but for now he seems to be doing just fine and I am just fine with that.

Braden's 1st Day of School!

Braden's 1st day of school was on Monday! My little boy is now 6 and in 1st grade, it can't be. But it is - and he LOVES it!

These pictures were taken outside the house before school. He said that he woke up in the middle of the night, got dressed and then got back in bed to surprise me when I came in to wake him up in the morning. He was so excited though, that he didn't wait for me to wake him up, he came in to wake me up instead.

At School

Walking in the parking lot to the school - so excited!

Listening to teacher's instructions while waiting in line outside the classroom door.

Ready to walk into the classroom.

Off they go.

Good bye!

Everything happened so fast that I didn't have a chance to cry like I thought I would. It was the perfect timing - we walked up to the school, past the playground and heard the bell ring. We got to the classroom door just as the teacher was giving them instructions, they (kinda) posed for a picture for all the parents, and then they walked into the classroom. I hung around to see Braden get into the classroom, peaked at him through the door, and walked to the front of the school.

He had a great first day and kept saying that he was so excited to be in school. Then all evening long he kept remembering fun things that they'd done during the day or that the teacher had said and would tell them to Bob and I with a huge smile on his face.

"Meet & Greet"

Was just that. Oh and we got to sort the school supplies, put them in their appropriate bins, and fill out some forms (emergency contact, describe your child in a million words or less {seriously}, ethnicity, and school policies).

Braden's teacher seems very nice and it turns out that we went to school together in Junior High. Savanah's cousin is in Braden's class - I hope that is a good thing - I'll let you know.

It just wasn't what I expected. No activity for the kids to do while parents are filling out paperwork and of course Braden was holding back because he didn't know anyone.

I just needed some one to say "Hey, You're new to the school?!" Lemme show you how everything works. None of that and yes, I did mention a few times that we had home schooled last year and that this was all new to us. Bob finally asked the teacher where exactly we need to come on the first day of school and where we need to be to pick him up.

I was also disappointed that straight out his classroom door is a playground - that he is not allowed to play on. He has to go around the corner to play on the "little" playground. A little playground is fine, but why did they choose to put the first grade class rooms right by a playground that they can't play on?

We know nothing about how lunch time works, the library, etc... There was a little PTO booth set up out in the hallway, but by the time I was done with everything in the hallway - it was gone!

Why is there nothing for students/parents that are new to the school? Yes, I know that everything will work out and be fine, but it sure would ease my mind just to have had everything mapped out for me.

Ugh. I am a whiner.