P365 - Day 224 - parent help (12/08/2011)

Slabs and I did parent help at Juniordwarf’s school today.

Last term we both did a morning each, and I really enjoyed my time with the class, so I was looking forward to today. This time we thought it would be a fun thing for both of us to do together – a team effort!

Our first task was to cut out cardboard circles so we could help the kids make pom poms. Our other job was to help them finish off their fire fighter helmets that they’d made to go with the fire fighting theme they’d been learning about after their school was visited by a fire fighter (and we've been told an endless number of times since then, ‘water and electricity DON’T MIX!’).

We were lucky enough to go with the kids to see another class’s dress-ups for some work they’d been doing, after which the class was informed that it would be Book Week dress-up day in two weeks and that the kids should start thinking about a favourite book character to dress up as.

Time to put my Crafty Mama skills to the test!

But back to school . . . we had a great time. It was cool to see what goes on in the classroom, and to see for ourselves what Juniordwarf is actually doing when he acts out his school days at home.

Juniordwarf was a lot less clingy than he had been the first time I was there. He kept turning round to look at us while they had ‘mat time’, but didn’t sit right up against my legs like he 'd done the first time.

He’s a lot more confident in the classroom now. I think most of the kids are. They were quite fascinated by us, and most of them were very keen to work with us. Slabs called one girl over to finish her fire fighter helmet, and she was amazed that he knew her name.

‘How did you know my name?’ she said, in this absolutely flabbergasted voice. 

‘Magic,’ was his response.

She couldn’t get over it, and we both thought it was hilarious.

Slabs was fantastic with the kids. He seems to really enjoy interacting with them, and seems to know exactly how to talk to them. In contrast, I’ve got no idea what to say most of the time, and I have to try really hard not to freak out when they talk to me.

We were kept very busy, and at one point I ended up with three girls making pom poms, while I was trying to fix up Juniordwarf’s which he’d half done and left with me, saying he’d finished. I wasn't going to do it for him, so I handed it over to the teacher aide for Juniordwarf to come back to later on.

I marvel at how the teacher and the aides are able to calmly deal with the demands of so many kids all at once. They are brilliant! I enjoyed myself today, but I think part of that enjoyment came from the fact that I knew that at half past ten, I’d be out of there and back to my relatively quiet day job, where I (sort of) have some idea of what I’m actually doing.

I can’t wait to do it all again next term.