Today is full of so much win.
It's Red-Ribbon-Week to celebrate drug-free lifestyle and awareness of things drug related. I guess. (My grandma Jane liked to point out how hard it was to NOT say Wed-Wibbon-Reak" when busting through some important elementary school announcements.) I just like reasons for us to do fun stuff that's slightly out of the ordinary. Today's theme was "Put a cap on drugs" or "Hats off to drugs"-- but that didn't make sense to me. Don't you take your hat off in deference to someone?
Kids were in all varieties of hats-- baseball caps, knit caps, fedoras, pimp hats (yes, with jaguar print and purple velour)-- my favorite was a Goofy one. One teacher even had this beautiful flapper-esque hat that was teal with feathers. So cute and fitting of her! They had to remind the kids to take off their hats during the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance. Come on, like these kids haven't been to a baseball game!
Anyway, I was wearing this awesome Sherlock Holmes hat. I told my colleagues that I would NOT be washing my hair, so the hat would stay on all day. I stayed true to my word. All throughout the day, I was greeted with, "Are you a detective?" "What's that guy's name? He's from Australia and solves crimes." "Are you a sleuth?" By the end of the day, I was Mrs. Sherlock Holmes. Interesting if you've seen the BBC show...don't think he's looking for a missus!
I contacted a friend from my mom's church whose husband works with Clayton County Police Department K9 unit couple weeks ago to see if we could get some real-life drug-enforcers to come and do some cool stuff for the kids. Because it was a training day...5 officers and 3 dogs were there for demonstrations about narcotics and bad-guy-busting. It was impressive. Since we had the kids on the black top on the playground, it was really awesome to see this huge German shepherd sprint off after the officer in a stuffed safety suit. (I've seen similar demonstrations in an enclosed space and it really scared me because the dogs are so big and so strong.) Nearly the entire school was out there-- over 500 kids. Captive audience though-- when you have a German shepherd jetting around.
Getting back to my classroom, 5th graders and I were discussing the differences between service dogs and pets. I wanted them to write some decent thank you notes or reflections about the week. I described how my dog knows lots of commands and routines, but I'd never be able to train her to attack me. I went through her list of commands and the kids stopped me at "Yoga dog." (It's really just bow, but when she started stretching like that, we called it "yoga dog-yoga dog!" in a high-pitched voice and she got it. So, I hopped onto my Ikea area rug and demonstrated what downward-facing dog is in yoga. The kids have an enlightening time in my class...lots of variety.
Also on the fun list of things I do in a day...I have a story book that is Halloween themed called "Shake Dem Halloween Bones." If you teach Elementary age or have small ones, this is a goodie. (My childhood story book favorite is Morris and Boris's Halloween. They wear funny costumes and Boris is terribly frustrated with explaining the finer points of Halloween to Morris. Along the same vein as Amelia Bedelia. Puns. How do you go wrong?) It has a little song that the kids can sing/rap along with you and rhymes that reference fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Thanks to Shrek and all the inherent parodies, kids know lots of obscure fairy tales that they didn't necessarily recognize before. Sing-rapping-bankhead-bouncing with 26 8-year-olds and then making symmetry-spider creatures from their fingers with googly eyes? So. Much. Win.
Slow-talking 3rd grader: Mizz Geeee, do you like arts and crafts?
Me: (interrupted)
Gifted kid: No, she doesn't like arts and crafts, she likes music. She just sang us a book.
Slow-talker: But we're always making creative things.
Me: Yes, I like arts and music. We should do them every day.
So, the other fun thing I like to do when I have time to kill with a station or an over-zealous kid who completes all required tasks: Make 8.5 by 14 hall posters announcing whatever's going on. So far, we've had ones for Hispanic Heritage and now Red Ribbon. Some of my favorite typos-to-be:
Red Riddon Week!
Hugs Not Dugs!
Drugs are for Lossers.
Oh yes. Thank goodness spelling doesn't count for much in this world.
The appreciation notes also had some insightful (or maybe inciteful) phrases:
...I hope you catch all the drug attics out there.
...I don't want to be a cop when I grow up, but you're doing a good job letting that dog bite your arm.
...Thanks for teaching our school about narcotics. We already new alot. (yikes!!)
...I am scared of dogs and that really showed me to stay out of the way if the police and a bad guy are there.
So...drugs are bad, mmkay? And kids are really full of win.
Back in Colorado, I've been on fun-tradition-mode with my Chris and my kiddos I nanny for. We've made tons of cookies, including star-shaped cookie trees that turned into bricks upon setting. Shrub-shaped bricks, but bricks no less! We had a more grown-up theme with some of the sweets-- Chris made caramel shortbread with dark-chocolate peanut butter on top and I made Muddy Buddies with dark chocolate and almond butter instead of the usual. Peppermint- white chocolate covered pretzels, Swedish Cocoa Balls, and Peanut Blossoms rounded out our sweets. I was pleased and I think our friends and coworkers enjoyed! My 10 and 8 year-old kiddos and I went shopping in downtown Louisville shops and they gave me lots of gift-giving advice. (For example, "Soap? Nobody wants SOAP as a gift, I promise.") I loved picking out the gifts I gave to my tween and teen kiddos-- they're both artistic and I think I got some gifts that will inspire their creativity. The younger kiddo even exclaimed, "I've wanted one of these!!" about a pot-holder weaving loom. I'm pretty sure I made at least a hundred thousand potholders to people-- glad that I could pass the tradition on!
