School AHA

I went to my son's school today and watched his class do a presentation on Colonial times. The class has about 24 kids in it, and they all lined one side of the classroom, holding their matching folders and facing the audience of parents. Each had a line or two about what it was like to live in Colonial times and how people used to do things differently than we do now. My son talked about food and how their main staple was corn. He listed 5 or 6 different ways they used and ate corn, then whispered "That's a lot of corn!" when his scripted speech was done. That made me laugh.

At the end of the presentation, the teacher invited the audience to join in singing some traditional Christmas carols. Although the class didn't seem too keen on singing in public, they collectively did a good job. My daughter was sure to point out to me, though, that her brother's lips were not moving. The teacher then thanked everyone for coming and offered us gingerbread and apple cider. As we ate some cake, my son showed me around the room and to his desk where he had a few projects the class had made together. One was a laminated placemat that was made to look like a woven mat and had a pineapple painted on it. He also made 2 ornaments, one from a cinnamon dough (that smelled REALLY good) and the other was created using a stencil to punch a shape into aluminum foil. He also brought us out into the hallway to show off his construction paper wreath hanging just outside the classroom door. He was obviously very proud of these, and I am very proud as well.

I do not remember much of what life was like in elementary school. I don't think I had a particularly bad run, I just can't recall very many things that are extremely memorable. I enjoy seeing my son, who's in 4th grade, interact with his friends and show off his projects because I can tell that he takes pride in the things he does. He likes introducing me and his Dad to that aspect of his life. That gives me great pride and AHA.