1st Day! So Exciting!

Okay so today was my first day at my walkabout site. I'm working at a preschool (working with the 3-4 year olds) and it's right by my house (A.K.A- really easy to get to). When I first got there, I was really slightly nervous. I got there before the teacher I would be working with got there and that was a little unnerving. What if the teacher didn't get there? What if I was all alone with a bunch of kids that I don't know! What if I left the iron on! The principle showed me around, introduced me to some of the other teachers (quite a calming thing really. Annie is not all freaked out!) and then when the teacher that I was supposed to be working with that particular day got there, everything was better. I helped to set up the tables, put everything out for the kids to play with and was getting ready to meet the other teacher I would be working with (I ended up working with 3). When she got there, we talked about the things that they liked to do with the kids and what time the kids would get there and all that other good stuff.

When the kids first got there, they seemed very...not liking of me (because I'm someone new and they didn't know what to think of me). That day was Valentine's Day celebration when the kids got to pass out their Valentines and make their Valentine's Day bags and all that other good stuff. After they were done making their bags, they were to give them to me or "Ms. Annie" as I was called. I was able to play with some of the kids and got to read some stories and play with some play dough (coolest stuff ever) and played house and all that other fun stuff until circle time.

Circle time was when they all met on a mat carpet thing and talked about the month, the day, the color of the day (the pattern is green, purple, pink), who was the helpers (who passed out napkins, who passed out cups, who brought the snack, who helped with recycling, stuff like that) and what they are going to be doing today. Today was very special because the kids got a new friend, Ms. Annie (me).

During circle time, they read a book called, "George and Martha" which is about these hippo friends and they like to do all kinds of things together. In this particular story (as Kid #1 told me) "Martha had a dance to do and George went to see it cause George is Martha's friend" (it was much cuter than you'd think). The other book they read was called "George and Martha and Pea Soup". In this one, Martha loved to make pea soup for her friend George, but George hated pea soup. But because Martha seemed to love making it for him, he ate it anyway. In the end, Martha finds out that George doesn't really like eating pea soup and Martha doesn't really like making it. I think it ended with them eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or something. I was distracted by all the stuff going on. Anyways. Back to the topic.

After the kids read and talked about the stories, they took turns washing their hands and helping to set up snacks. This day they had cookies and apple juice. The teachers even got a spot and some of the kids wanted me to sit with them, so I sat with them and ate the snack, then I helped with clean up. When that was all said and done, the kids got to go to the rumpus room. That's like an indoor play ground with bikes, balls, a jungle gym thing, and some other fun things. They were to stand in line behind the leader and walk in a single file down to the rumpus room while "holding a bubble" (poofing their cheeks out like they have a bubble in their mouths). There is a kid who is the "follower" who stands at the end of the line and follows everyone. They are to use the hand rail when going down the stairs and waiting until they get into the room and then they can run around and be slightly louder (but not screamingly loud).

The kids wanted to play games like tag, ring-around-the-rosie, hide-and-seek, and they wanted to play ball with me. I loved playing with them actually. During tag, the kids tackled me and piled up, which was more fun than you'd think (especially since 3 and 4 year olds don't weigh much). After that, the kids went back to the room and played a little more before having snack and waiting for their parents and guardians to come and pick them up.

Then started, the lunch bunch.

The lunch bunch is where the kids who stay long enough to eat lunch at the school and kids who come in just in time for lunch, meet in a room and they eat their lunches and play in the class room quietly until they go to the rumpus room (the rumpus room and I became very good friends). There they played until the afternoon classes started. Then it was time to start it all over again. The afternoon kids seemed to warm up to me and wanted me to play with them and asked me what my name was and stuff like that. The one little girl (lets call her...Sally) took my hand and wanted me to come with her and play with her and all this other stuff. It was quite fun really. The teacher introduced me to the afternoon class and we made the Valentine's Day bags and the passing out of the cards and the play dough and the merriment and the kids tackling Ms. Annie and piling on her.

All in all, it was quite the experience. I had a lot of fun playing with the kids and I got to see what it would be like if I persued this kind of thing in the future. I have decided that this would be something that I would want to do in the future because...

A ---> I love little kids (they're so cute!)
2 ---> Child care is almost second nature to me (being the motherly person I am)
and C ---> ....I don't think there is a C actually....>>

Anyways. I think that the first day went well and I hope that this will continue on in the future (with the kids liking me and the random hugging and all that fun stuff).

Until next time
Annie

~Thursday February 14, 2008~
(Man I wrote a lot...o.o)