because i’m waiting on a new battery for my camera and to figure out some funky iphoto glitch, all my photos are stranded on my camera. but thanks to spencer’s mama, we have some pictures of circle time on the first friday of the school year!

we had some name writing, some birthday celebrating and lots of general “getting to know you” time as a new school family.

we don’t have photos of the preschoolers yet to use with name tags as they arrive, so i’ve been writing names as we sit around the circle (and i take this opportunity to throw in a little clock-wise and counter-clock-wise talk).  if you are a current family, ask your preschooler what i draw if a preschooler isn’t at school that day.

the birthday chair is up and running.  we use it at circle time for the birthday child and then it is available all day for play.  this might be children taking turns in it or some lucky teddy bear.  this day it was “big baby” who took a trip out of his cradle to get a ride…i think there is a picture stranded on my camera.  i hope!

sweet babies.  this class of 13 has 7 children in it who have older siblings in kindergarten this year.  this means that all of a sudden they are on their own here!  no big brother or sister!  tender stuff.  there is a saying in response to a mess left behind or a jacket on the floor that is something like, “i’m not your mother, clean up your mess…i’m not your mother, hang up your jacket….i’m not your mother, remember to bring back your homework…”  well, at preschool i actually say that we teachers ARE like your mothers and fathers.  we ARE the ones who take care of you like that.  so, while i get the intent of the former phrases, especially when trying to teach responsibility, i just think of these little ones needing to be parented while away from home.

again, i recognize that this may be a case of semantics…but, words are words.