well, the classroom is ready.
as it should be.
i’ll welcome the first 14 of 45 kiddos on friday.

there is fresh chalkboard paint almost everywhere you look.  so fun.
(that is a post in and of itself…to come)

i made a new cozy corner.
{and when we had open house noticed that i better pad that pole.}

 

i finally cleaned out our drying rack
so we can use it as a drying rack (instead of storage).

and, glory be, finally turned our books into a rainbow.

the mailboxes have arrows reminding families to look under the names.

our science display case is now a chunk of nature drawers.  
inspired by the local museum.

we have a new preschool tshirt design in honor of our clean up song
(thanks to mr rob AKA new music friday man).

and i think it fits:  
with 45 preschoolers,
new teacher helpers (3 of them new)…
we will be
hard,
hard
workers
everyday!

 

this is a fantastic group of people.
people who respond to a request for help.
i got many, many emails of ideas and offers,
well wishes and few silly notions.
in then end, it only took a few grown ups,
a bunch of kids and the right tools
to get the shed up the hill.

(and i know my husband was grateful not to be coordinating this effort. again.)

there is no doubt in my mind that children learned by watching today.
you could almost see them memorizing where the strap went,
what button was pushed, how the jack went up, why the trailer was moved.
they noticed how people held tools and jumped off the truck bed.
they watched their faces as the dads called instructions back and forth.
it was cool.

{i may have screamed a little at this point}

and now the shed is at the top of the hill,
inside our fence, next to the circle sidewalk,
ready for easy access to the bikes and big blocks,
hula hoops, plastic bones and shovels.

and now we have 3 walls (!!!) to use.
outdoor easle? more gutters? a basketball goal?

oh, thank you, families!

well, i’ve written the same 44 names several times by now.
smiling often, wondering who they are…
or, knowing exactly who they are.

as i got the files ready, i noticed one label peeling back.
looking under i saw a name from several years ago.
through that name i could see another name.
from our first year of preschool.

1995.

with a previous preschooler coming back as a teacher helper,
i can’t help but dive into the swirl of memories.

look at this:

way back in 1999 we were doing X marks the spot!
we wore pirate head coverings.
we found a treasure box.
i had my own baby on my hip.
she’s 13 now.

blessed be.