Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Did your kids have a Valentine's Day party at school last week? See how you do on our quiz about the joy that is the classroom party.
Valentine's Day came and went last week, which means that sugar-fueled Valentine's Day class parties have come and gone as well. After attending two of them last week, I got to thinking about these parties. I have been to something close to six million and four of them, so I feel like I am something of an expert. Are you? Take the quiz! 1. Classroom parties should consist of: (a) a snack, an activity, and some mayhem (b) goodie bags and organized activities (c) at least one child under a desk chanting, "more sugar, more sugar, more sugar..." Answer: (a) If we're being honest here, you could also have answered with option (c) and I would have counted you right. I've seen it happen at more than one party. 2. Snacks at a classroom party …
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
One of the great joys of sending your child off to school is volunteering in class so you can find out what they're up to. If you're really lucky, you might get to help them learn as well.
Because I am mostly a stay-at-home mom, I am lucky enough to be able to volunteer in my kids' school classes. This is nice because I get to spy on them at the same time that they think I am there just because I love them. I started volunteering when my kids were in a cooperative preschool and part of the deal was that I had to help in the classroom two or three days a month. It was a pretty easy gig, mostly involving reading to kids, cutting apples for snacks, and trying to be out of the room when someone in the 2-year-old class needed a diaper change. Once I started volunteering at elementary school, the teachers would tell me what to do and I would do it. Sometimes I would help kids at reading centers while the teacher taught small …
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The first day of school could well be my favorite day of the whole year.
Is it just me, or have the last couple of days been especially wonderful? That's right; it's back to school time. MCPS students headed back to class on Monday, and parents across the county breathed a sigh of relief. My husband and I were out with our kids on Sunday night. We were getting into our car in a parking lot, and the woman getting out of the car next to ours had a bunch of kids and a huge smile on her face. She saw the joy on our faces as well, and we spent about a minute high fiving about school starting on Monday. The joy in the air was palpable last weekend. It's not that I don't love spending time with my kids. I do. I really do. It is just that we have had a lot of togetherness over the past couple of months. We could all …
Jean Winegardner
8:10 pm on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
It does get complicated when you have to dash around to more than one class, doesn't it? Especially for things like parties, where they happen at the same time. more ›