The Adventures of Art Lady: Kindergartners and Sticks

No, this isn’t a story about sword fights (though I have to admit I was nervous about that happening), it’s a story about making Garden Art Sticks with a group of fifteen 5- and 6-year olds.

I found this idea on this wonderful blog and thought it would be a great project for our Kindergarten class to make for the school's bi-annual auction.

My dear adventurous Mother, affectionately known as Cuckoo Grandma by my children, gathered a bundle of shapely beach sticks already smooth from being tossed in the ocean and sand. Once they were completely dry (let them sit in the dry place a few weeks), I painted them with a couple coats of white acrylic primer. After that, they were ready to cart to the school Art Room and let the kids slather on bright acrylic paints however they desired.

Here is how they looked after the first step:

And here is how they turned out!

The kids did such a great job. They seemed to take extra care since this was something special to raise money for their school. It was a bit messy but everyone did their best and I love how their Art Sticks turned out. Here are a few shots from my lesson that day:

Yes, getting more and more messy but most kids wore aprons

...except for this one

I was concerned that parents would be upset if their kids came home with stained clothes (acrylic paint doesn't wash out). As I was looking through photos from the lesson, I realized it was only my dear boy freely wiping his painted fingers onto shirt and pants... oops

"Look Mom, I put on an apron," after he was done... The ladies still love my little guy--this particular friend likes him so much she painted a spot of his hair blue (and he liked it). Kindergarten rocks.

The Adventures of Art Lady

This time around (only my second time teaching art in my son’s Kindergarten classroom) we made Oil Pastel Self-Portraits. Much to my surprise there was a substitute teacher so I knew things might get dicey. Thankfully, it was a pretty straightforward lesson.

I showed them the Mona Lisa as a famous example of a portrait then provided mirrors so they could really look at their own features, a pencil to sketch an outline, oil pastels to color the entire page (background too), heavyweight watercolor paper, and q-tips for blending.

Most of the kids dove right in, studying their faces in the mirror then drawing and coloring. One child was only interested in drawing “transformers,” another got a little lost in working with smudgy intense oil pastels for the first time. He covered one sheet of paper with a few patches of color then started on a new one with just black, telling me it was a rainbow. Finally, when everyone was done, this rainbow child refused to let me take his picture home with me so I could frame it for him. “I have like 29 frames at home,” he told me. Yes, this is where the presence of their lovely, calm and authoritative regular teacher would have come in handy…

Anyhow, here are some of the pieces the kids created and let me take home to mount onto construction paper for them. Few of them remembered to do the background work so I took the liberty of painting a light watercolor wash over them to help them look a little more finished (both sides needed to be painted in order to avoid paper curling).

I love the vivid colors on this one -- she really pressed hard to achieve that intensity from the oil pastels

This young lady was extremely detailed all the way down to the Puma logo on her shirt

This little guy didn't want a self-portrait without light sabers

This clever young lady remembered to do a background and also discovered she could blend multiple colors to get her hair just right

and for the grand finale... my darling son decided to do a nude

Chicks Dig Him

William has been hanging with Henry and Jack, Tobin and Nigel, and Benjamin and Maxwell for the past few years. His preschool classes were always predominantly boys. The small group of girls stuck together while the boys were coming up with elaborate rescue scenarios, endless super hero play, and generally participating in activities that included loud “kkkkrrrrsh,” and “vrrrrrrrrrrm” sounds.

Kindergarten is a whole new world with his classroom pretty evenly balanced with boys and girls. Sure, he has his favorite guy friends to hang out with on the playground but as I witnessed as a chaperone for the class field trip to Remlinger Farm last week, the ladies love that dashing young Will and he loves their affections. Girls were actually arguing over who got to hug him more.

The pictures say it best:

This photo breaks my heart... darling Leilani adores William. Her Mom told me that she came home and talked about the lovely time she spent with me and William adding "she likes you a lot but not as much as she likes William." :-)

A Homecoming of Sorts

If you are lucky enough to find a preschool with teachers that you and your kids love, stick with them as long as you can. Forget worries about travel times, throw away concerns about scheduling, give up any illusions that all teachers or preschools are created equally, just make it happen.

I had so many “good” reasons for enrolling Sara in a preschool 3 minutes from home instead of taking her to the preschool William attended, more than 30 minutes away. Being able to run home on days I wasn’t working in the classroom, being near William’s new elementary school so I could volunteer in his classroom, reducing our car/freeway time, and making local friends that Sara might go to elementary school with all seemed like good reasons.  Boy, was I wrong.

It took me a month to realize the error of my ways but I am beyond thrilled to announce that we’re back where we belong with our beloved Teachers Judy and Nancy. Back to a water table filled with shaving cream, glitter, gel, and water, back to a painting area where 4 to 6 kids can paint at the same time and the colors are always abundant and often sparkly, back to enough wooden blocks to build multiple fortresses, back to flowing fabrics the kids tie on as capes, dresses, and hair, back to caterpillars in lovely little habitats waiting to spin their cocoons, back to a mountain of boxes and recycled goodies that allow kids to build just about anything, back to a place where seeds sprout and carrot tops keep growing, back to a place where they always go outside and say “there is never bad weather just bad clothing,” back where we belong.

Sara at William's school last year, also known as her new school. This simple display of "five green and speckled frogs" captivated the children. Also note the snail habitat and sprouting carrot tops nearby (and don't miss the happy smile of my then just-turned 3 year old)

Getting Sara out the door to the old preschool was difficult. She wouldn’t stop asking “You stay with me, Mom?” Not wanting to lie, I’d say “No, it’s not my turn but I will stay until you say it’s alright for me to go.” That answer wasn’t good enough so my determined girl would always find ways to make it difficult to leave the house… so much for the benefits of being close to home.

Anyhow, tonight I heard Sara explaining to Daddy a million miles a minute “I go to William’s old school now, da one with Teacher Nancy. Dey have lots of paints and toys and things I like. Momma not have stay with me at my new school.” My happy heart nearly exploded (in a good way).

The Kindergartners On The Bus Go What?!

Kindergarten is in full swing and William still loves it. He doesn’t wake at dawn to get dressed and drag me to the bus stop any more (now I’m scrambling to get him and Sara out the door in time) but he is still very happy about going every day. He even loves the crazy bus ride, packed with all elementary grades in the morning then full of the entire two classes of half-day Kindergartners on the way home.

Momma, however, has not been feeling the love for the bus. After hearing William’s wild bus-ride stories of kids playing keep-away with his coat (he actually thought this was a fun game), someone removing his shoe (he found this totally hilarious), a “silly” hand slapping game between seats (yet even more delightful for my 5-year-old boy), and a kid blocking his way from getting out of his seat at his stop (OK, this he didn’t like), I was getting nervous. We had a serious discussion about keeping our hands to ourselves, “but Mom, we’re just play fighting,” and saying “Stop” in a loud voice when someone is doing something you don’t like. “But Mom, we aren’t supposed to be loud on the bus,” he argued as if he was the most meticulous rule-follower aboard (yeah, nice try Will-I-Am, but I know you better than that).  

Here is courageous Knight William, protecting himself from the frightening Super Sara (Momma knows that "play fighting" is a favorite pastime)

Anyhow, I was really concerned there was complete bus anarchy and feeling a little desperate (but not sure how) to change it other than talking to William and going over the rules repeatedly. Much to my surprise, the next day there was an aide on board helping to maintain the peace. In a voice loud enough for all the students to hear, the bus driver told me “students will sit in seats by themselves and this adult will stay until the behavior on this bus changes and everyone is following the rules.”  Phew! Big sigh of relief.

Watching William navigate new friendships and observing rules (or not, yikes) from the sidelines is a new experience. I’ve always been in the thick of every interaction at preschool but now that he's away part of every weekday, I have to trust that he has ability and desire to listen, learn, and follow instructions.

This excerpt from the famous Robert Fulghum book, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten” comes to mind: All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.

These are the things I learned:

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Flush.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Take a nap every afternoon.
• When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder.
• Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
• Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
• And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

A Welcome Weekend

Last week was one of those weeks… too much running around, a couple new classes to fit into our schedule, two evening meetings, and constantly feeling on the verge of dropping one ball or another. We welcomed this weekend with open arms and did our best to make the most of it.

September has surprised western-Washingtonians with warmth and humidity that we aren’t accustomed to. Veggie burgers for lunch on the patio on Saturday may have been our last meal outdoors for a while. Simple but lovely to sit outside and enjoy the beginning shades of fall and remaining flowers in bloom (including sunflowers which I never thought I’d be able to grow here).

Look at these beauties lined up in a row, grown from seed in our shady yard and not chomped by deer--amazing!

Then a kind neighbor friend invited our children for dinner so Rob and I could enjoy an evening out. We had early appetizers at a local wine bar then honestly, didn’t really know quite what to do with ourselves … it’s a little embarrassing how long it has been since a “date night” but it was so pleasant to just relax together with no demands or cries for help coming from any direction. Room to breathe and time to reconnect was lovely.

Pancake Sunday started with, you guessed it, pancakes. Then we hurried out the door for a bike ride before the rain came. The Preston-Snoqualmie Trail provided an excellent wide paved path for me and William to ride while Daddy ran alongside with Sara in the jogging stroller. No, he didn't have any problem keeping up, a testament to his running abilities (or my slow bike riding, I'm not sure which). A light wind floated yellow leaves from the trees and sunlight streamed onto our path. Only two miles of mostly flat trail led us to a view of Snoqualmie Falls then we turned right around to bike more--those kids didn't want to sit and look at waterfalls, they wanted the wind streaming past them!

Racer Boy wasn't even biking without training wheels a couple months ago--now he's unstoppable!

Besides zooming in the stroller, Sara enjoyed collecting colorful leaves...

...cruising on her scooter alongside Racer Boy

...and puddle jumping

As we dive into the coming week, my energy is renewed and I feel extremely grateful for all that is going well. Even when we’re busy, it’s alright. I’m adjusting to the reality that having a child in school doesn’t mean extra free time for Mommy, rather I’m busier making sure I’m where I need to be for pick-ups and drop-offs, frantically coordinating schedules and entering dates on our calendar, corresponding with teachers and parents of classmates, and making sure lunches and snacks are packed for busy afternoons once that Kindergartener is home at 11:30. Oh yes, and there is my lovely little Sara Bear, she has big plans for her Momma time while big bro is in school. Relaxing? What’s that?

Preschool has reignited her passion for finger paints

"Dat me...."

"and dat my curly hair!"

School for Sara

The highlight of our busy week was Sara starting her new preschool class!

She thoughtfully chose Hello Kitty socks with crocs sandals, a denim dress she had never worn before, and special hair bow to complete her look on the first day of school. Her sassy pink hair bow didn't last (she never lets me put clips or anything in those lovely curly locks) but it was fun while it lasted

Look at these wild, wonderful, happy girls! Sara is in good company with this bunch

There is a great little playground with slides, swings, bikes, wagons, a teeter totter, sandbox, climbing wall and monkey bars

"I love my teacher, Momma," Sara told me after that first day when I had stayed with her the whole time. Moms, Dads, and Nannies all stayed with the kids that first day but this is a co-op preschool so I'll only stay in the classroom when I'm scheduled to help out.

By the next class day she was hesitant about being dropped off. "You stay with me, Mom?" she kept asking. I knew she was nervous so I answered "I will stay until you say it's OK for me to go." We went back and forth like this for quite a while, "I want you stay with me all day, Mom," she kept insisting, "I will stay as long as you need me to but when you say it's alright to go, I'll go." Sara was convinced that she would not give me the green light to go off and leave her there.

When we arrived, she joined right in the singing and dancing when but I hung around to see how she felt after starting circle time (plus I don't believe in "sneaking" off even if they do seem happy). Anyhow, after circle time, it took less than 2 minutes for her to tell me "yeah, it's OK you go do boring stuff, Mom. I stay here."  YES!

Sara Bear

My bold, playful, fearless but sensitive girl… giggling makes her hiccup, she wears shorts in cold weather and cozy fleece pajamas on hot summer nights, she loves books more than any toy available, she sings in a high little voice while she plays, she can tell a fairly detailed story in one long breath, and she loves to goof around but prefers to only be called a silly name if it is accompanied by her real name, such as “Sara Bear.”

Opting for a preschool close to home this year, we are starting a new two day a week co-op preschool program next week. Today was our kick-off play date where the teachers and all of the kids and moms (and one dad) showed up to get to know each other. Looking so grown up and poised, she quickly befriended two classmates who shared her love of bouncing on the teeter totter, climbing, running around, and zipping down the swirly slide.

Spinning tall tales about why she needed a band-aid on her finger this morning (the real story is that she just plain loves band-aids, especially princess ones)--I think her new friends totally understand

Fast friends

My First's First Day of Kindergarten

Bright-eyed and bushy tailed at 6:30am, he brushed his teeth, got dressed in the outfit he chose carefully for this day, then rushed to my room and urged me to wake up so we could get his snack ready for school. That’s right, today was William’s first day of Kindergarten, the day I’ve been anxious about for months and dreading in so many ways. I thought I’d be a complete mess, crying and crumpled at the bus stop or worse yet, running after the big yellow bus screaming “No! No! No! This isn’t right, he’s my baby, he’ll always be my baby!” Well, I am proud (and more than a little surprised) to report that no such shenanigans occurred and I didn’t do anything to embarrass myself or my growing boy.

Daddy stayed home to walk to the bus stop with us on this momentous first day of school. Rob’s presence actually helped me keep it under control (and his reaction to Sara’s demand for a diaper change right as we were getting out the door didn’t hurt either—nothing like a prickly hubby to distract me from my feelings about William's departure). Anyhow, Rob stayed behind to clean Sara up while the boy and I headed bus-ward. Thankfully, they caught up before the bus came—nothing was slowing our boy down this morning.

The nervous energy at the bus stop was palpable. Parents were pretty quiet but the kids were giddy and eager. Before the bus came up our hill, I stole a kiss on the cheek from William and then we heard that unmistakable sound. The kids all stumbled into a loose line, the bus stopped and flashed its red lights, everyone piled on, and just like that a massive yellow school bus packed with children drove off with my sweet boy...

...the sweet boy that I’ve rarely let out of my sight for the past five years… on a school bus… driving away from me… and I didn’t drop to my knees and curse the day… amazing!

Undaunted by our remarkable morning and realizing William was out of the picture for a few hours, Sara asked “how ‘bout we have some play dates?” but she happily settled for quality quiet time with Mom. We read piles of books then decided to decorate for a surprise First Day of School lunch party for her dear brother, “EEE-Yum.”

He was downright exhausted when he stepped off the bus but mustered a smile for us

Balloons, ribbons, and his favorite "fancy" lunch helped restore his energy and keep him smiling

I'm still not sure why, but this really wasn't a terribly emotional day for me. The days leading up to it were much more tense. Perhaps it is that I really like his teacher and have had several opportunities to see her in action and visit the classroom, perhaps it is that we got lucky with a small class size of only 16 students, most likely it is simply because of William's enthusiasm and excitement about starting "real" school... he made this easy for me. Oh, and there is always the possibility that the sprig of pine tree clipped to our fridge has helped keep me calm.  William presented it to me a couple of weeks ago. He told his Dad, "this is for Momma for when I go to school. She can look at it when she misses me.” Dang, that boy breaks my heart with his sweetness sometimes.... uh oh, don't get me started.

Now for the really weird part:  we will get up tomorrow and do this again, and again the next day, then the following week, and so on, and so on. We've entered a whole new world.

Countdown to Kindergarten

Only 20 days until the first day of Kindergarten. “How many more sleeps?” William keeps asking.  He is eager beyond words, excited beyond belief and just plain ready. All of the things children are often nervous about (riding the bus, making new friends, a new classroom and playground, and learning about new things) seem to have my self-assured boy completely enthused.

This morning we went to “Kinder Roundup,” a day when all of the incoming Kindergarteners in our school district come to ride the school bus and learn about bus safety, rules, and etiquette. Big-kid William looked disappointed when I told him that his sister and I were coming along. After thinking it over (more like brooding), he asked “Can I ride by myself, Momma?” I told him that he may have to share his seat with someone but Sara and I won’t sit by him if that’s what he wanted. And yes (gulp, whimper, Mommy choking back tears), that is what he wanted.

Because of our difficulties getting out of the door on time, we boarded the last bus with about 8 other stragglers, leaving William plenty of room to sit far far away from his kinfolk. His desired distance was about a half a bus length but I chair-hopped closer to get some photos without undermining his independence.  I’d like to blame the caffeine coursing through my system but nerves are probably the more honest explanation of my numerous questions for the bus driver ranging from asking her to please explain the emergency door since William was sitting by it and its enticing big red handle, finding out what they do if a parent isn’t there to walk a child home from the bus stop, inquiring about what the driver does about behavioral problems and/or bullying, and a few more not worth repeating… (Gee, I wonder why William didn’t want to sit by his Mommy).

Anyhow, about 17 questions and half way through the ride, our bus broke down! It wasn’t quite that dramatic, just an engine warning light but wow, what a way to enhance the experience for a bus load of curious kids. Another school bus came right along to pick us up and we squeezed in to the back of this very crowded bus. I was secretly happy that we all had to sit together because there were no other seats. William was not amused. Thankfully, his pout quickly dissolved once we started speculating about what kind of truck the school bus mechanic would drive out there and what he might have to do to fix the other bus.

When in doubt, talk trucks with a 5-year-old boy and it’s bound to make them smile. Now if only I could think of the ways to keep me smiling during this major transition... Ideas? Anyone?

At least I have a couple more years before Sara is off to school five days a week but I think I better brace myself, she really enjoyed this school bus ride too!