AMINALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hola! Today was awesome. I got to play with the kids that I haven't seen in like, forEVER (meaning about.....*counts* a week). The morning class was VERY out of it. That's one of the things I've noticed. The morning class is far less playful as the afternoon class and they don't really seem to want to do anything. Especilly today. They were WAY out of hand. Some of the kids were so tired and some of them were angry because they were tired and hungry (or something. That's what happens with my little sister, so I guess it happens with other 3 year olds). Anyways. so I got there roughly around the same time as the kids were getting there. They wanted me to play with them. Some of the kids were excited to see me. Some of them didn't really care either way. The kids wanted me to build things with them and to play with play dough and color and play house with them. After a while of that, it was time for circle time. I've come to love circle time. It's a small break to write things down that's going on and to watch the kids without them wanting me to come and play with them. Don't get me wrong. I love playing with them, but it's also interesting to just sit back and watch them interact with the teachers and fellow students and how they deal with their surroundings.

This week's theme is "on the farm". They talked about the different animals on the farm and what the baby animals are called and what they sound like and what the mommy and daddy animals are called. Then they talked about what they would be doing as their daily project, which was making cows and putting "hay" with them. They were to put all the parts of the cows were they were supposed to go and make a face and spots for the cow. The kids were really whiney during circle time actually, which really stressed the teachers out. So while they were helping the kids with their daily projects, I kind of kept an eye on the kids and broke up some arguments and helped to make things right until it was time to clean up and go to the rumpus room.

While at the rumpus room, the kids didn't really want to do anything with me, so again, I just kept a watchful eye on the kids, taking them to the bathroom and to get drinks of water, comforting some kids who fell. That sort of thing. Then it was time to go back and I stayed behind with a little boy who needed to go to the bathroom before we left and I took him upstairs to the room and played some more with the kids. While I was making some notes in my notebook, two of the kids came over and wanted to talk to me. They sat next to me and asked what I was doing and all that other stuff. And I told them that I was making some notes for school and they asked why and I told them so that I could tell my teachers about them. They seemed to like that idea.

After that, it was time to clean up and get ready for circle time and for snack. They read the story "Barnyard Banter" by Denise Fleming. The kids really seemed to like the book. Then the helpers helped to get the snack ready and the kids went to eat their snack and get ready to go home. Then it was time for the lunch bunch.

After lunch bunch was over, the kids started coming in. There was a little girl who came in first, before the teachers came in even (I like to eat in the room that I'll be in during the afternoon classes so that I can get there on time and so that I can have my time to look at the stuff that I wrote down and yada yada yada). Her mother seemed very pleased with the fact that I was there (judging on the "Thank goodness you're here!"). Apparently, her daughter had talked about me constantly for the last 3 days straight. She wasn't the only one. The twins wanted to play with me too. And another little girl who seems to have grown an attachment for me (she is small, but when she hugged me, she almost knocked me off my feet). They wanted me to color with them and play with the play dough and do all kinds of stuff with them. And me being me, I couldn't deny. Then it was circle time.

They talked about the month, day, pattern (shamrocks and kites) and the helpers and all that other good stuff. They talked about the baby animals and the fact that goats have twins. This brought up that there where twins in the class and that one of the little girls had twin brothers or sisters or both or something. There were twins related to her. Anyways. After all that, they talked about what they would be doing for the day and how to do the project and then they were sent on their marry way. The kids who weren't doing their projects wanted me to come and play with them. I loved it really. The littlest girl who has grown the attachment for me wanted to do everything with me. She was telling me about what she was making and how she was making it and what color she liked the best and why there was a sticker on my jacket (duct tape). Then it was time to clean up.

The littlest girl asked me to help her take off her little play dress thing (she was a pretty princess like Cinderella and Ariel). Then she thanked me and walked off, saying something about "Ms. Annie". Now I mention this because it leads to something I found very interesting. When she walked away, one of the teachers was asking if she was talking to me and if she had been talking to me all day. I told her that she had been talking to me a lot (because she had) and she just gave me this "hm." look which, of course, made me ask why. She said that the littlest girl didn't really talk to anyone. She's the youngest of three and everyone talks for her or something, so she doesn't really talk. But it's interesting that I've only been there a few weeks and she's already talking to me and interacting with me a lot. That got me thinking what would make her comfortable to be talking to me so soon. But I didn't really have time to ponder this because she came back and gave me a huge hug (I'm feelin the love dudes and dudettes). Then it was time for the rumpus room.

The kids wanted to play the normal tag and hide-and-seek and tackle Ms. Annie. But while I was playing with them, I was keeping an eye on the other kids because the teachers seemed a bit frazzled and I wanted to be actually helpful to them other than entertaining the kids. After that, we came back and got the snack ready and I had to say good bye. It was very sad. The kids all said good bye and I got a lot of hugs. The littlest girl made me promise to come play with her again, along with some of the other girls and even some of the boys (the boys seem to be really warming up to me, now that they know I like more than just playing with the house and princess dresses and stuff).

Pictures: Um....*counts* 20....woah!
Notes: When finished, put pictures on the site thinger of doomfull doomness

Until next time!
Annie
~Thursday March 6, 2008~