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Props and Memories
I packed up the usual props and headed off for another School Days Theme. I think I heard at least 2 entertaining stories for each prop. Most of these shared thoughts made us chuckle or smile, but there were a couple of stories that made me just plain sad. The Old School Desk Everyone always loves the little school desk. So many remember sitting in a similar one as a child. A few went to 1-room school houses.
Marie said she she started first grade in a small school where the eighth graders sat in front and with the youngest in the back row. Her inexperienced teacher started each day with the oldest students in front and never got to the back row. Sometimes Marie would sleep at her little desk and by the end of first grade she couldn't read. "My family moved and I had to repeat first grade in my new school." The Apple
We all remembered the apple as a gift you might give your teacher... to get on her good side. Few of us remembered ever really giving one. School Lunch Many remembered "taking" lunch to school. Some had lunch boxes or pails.
Very few bought lunch in a cafeteria. Naomi remembered when her school started a hot lunch program for the first time. "Children had to bring their own spoon and bowl from home." She remembered the first hot lunch that was served. "It was an alphabet soup, that made the lunchroom so quiet! She laughed and told why. "All the kids we so busy trying to spell out their names in their soup!" Friends and Bullies There are big camp gains to stop bullying in schools these days. Even in the good old days, school kids dealt with bullies. The subject came up with my group at the Center and I was sad to hear Adelle share how she had often been the center of much teasing, because her family was poor.
Adelle threw her head back and laughed, "They made fun of me because I wasn't clean and I just laughed back at them. I told them I didn't really care what they thought about me!" Adelle has always had a playful sense of humor and I asked her if humor helped her deal with those kids. She hardly paused a moment to answer. "No." She answered softly with no hint of fun in her voice. School Clinics Dorothy told a touching story about her rural school in Mississippi. A medical bus arrived one day and the children were given of exams. The concerned doctor called her mother and she remembered the frightened look on her mother's face when the doctor shared news about her lung condition.  I've known Dorothy for 2 years now and I don't even notice the tubes that give her oxygen. What I had never realized was that her health had been dependent on that oxygen since childhood. But Dorothy smiled as she remembered the doctor's kind words, giving her courage to not be afraid of her condition. "This is just the way I am." She said, with the same positive tone she always uses. What did I learn?
Both funny and sad stories were shared about school days. Sometimes we get caught up with our nostalgia and think the Good Old Days were always better. Not always so.
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Cooling Off With a Seashore Theme!
I do this theme every summer. It's just too much fun. Especially when I have a mix of adults and kids!Hanging Loose  I finally found someone small enough to fit into the grass skirt I purchased from the bargain bin! We got a little silly with Hawaiian tunes and lais. A few of us got into the Hawaiian spirit with our "hang loose" gesture. However we ended up with some confusion since we had some UT Longhorn and Houston Texans fans in the bunch. Helping Grandma
Sometimes the kids have to help out... like when they're afraid Grandma might cheat with our shell game. Most of us were able to find our own shell with eyes closed. Music!
We made a lot of music...and noise with the red steel drum... Ukulele!
In one of my groups the sight of a ukulele had us off on a very long tangent about Tiny Tim and his famous Tip Toe Through the Tulips uke song. Shells and Starfish
We explored the textures and sounds of the giant conch and starfish. What did I learn? Every year I'm reminded that we all seem to crave some connection to the ocean. It's refreshing to just talk about the surf and warm breezes.
This year I took the old ukulele home and fooled around with it. I was inspired to purchase a real instrument a few days later. (The old tourist souvenir in the photo is pretty weary) I figured if we can this much fun just strumming unturned strings, then it will be a lot more fun next year when I've practiced and can play an actual tune! I can't wait for next year's seashore theme!
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The QuiltFor 20+ years children have called it the Magic Quilt. They've danced and pretended all over these colorful squares. I've dragged it to schools, shelters and studios where children have climbed on top to hear Magic Quilt Stories and to act them out. Archives
September 2021
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