Because I know that it is tops on everyone's mind, let me fill you in on the jello mold. It was a bit of a debacle. My big self-described "right-of-passage" and it was a wreck. At the big moment, I couldn't get it out of the pan! Ugh! Another right-of-passage I let slip through my fingers. Luckily I had some sage words of wisdom from some wise women to put the pan in water. Later one of my lovely teacher friends took it to the kitchen, ran the pan under hot water and finally got the stinker out. It didn't look nearly as beautiful as the one on Pinterest, but my friends ate it and said it was good. I think they were just being kind, but I'll take it! =)
All day long I teased the kids with an afternoon surprise if they were good and worked hard. Of course they did because they're the best class in the world, so I was finally able to reveal that we were having a visit from Healthworld. Our class went with another and again learned the importance of respecting self and others. Never a bad lesson to learn and never one that can be started too early (or taught too frequently).
When they got back from their surprise, I had just enough time to right yesterday's Abe Lincoln wrong. I read the kids one of my favorite books about him and had a Smartboard activity cued up and ready to go, but unfortunately, we never got to it. This class is so great at asking questions and having meaningful discussions during non-fiction stories, that I figured that was even better than the Smartboard part to the lesson. If I have time, I'll throw it up there tomorrow and use it as a follow-up. Somewhere in the discussion I told the kids that they should tell you guys to go to Springfield one of these days if you're looking for a little weekend get-away. It's sooo amazing there since they've built the new Lincoln museums and library. I went one weekend a few years ago and have been dying to go back every since. I needed much more time to take it all in. It is incredibly interesting, interactive and engaging. Have I sold it enough to you?? Also, there is a small town called New Salem, Illinois that I'd recommend you stop by as well. While in college I worked at a daycare center in Bloomington and in the summer I'd take the kids to New Salem as a field trip. It was AWESOME! You can see where Lincoln spent his early adulthood. There's a little "village" which is made to look as it did when he lived there. Very cool, very educational, very historic. When I was getting all riled up about how great New Salem and Springfield are, one of the girls asked how far away they are. I told her New Salem's probably about 2-2 1/2 hours and Springfield is probably about 3 hours in the car from here. She gasped at the 3-hours in the car and declared that she would just fly there. Kids!!! Never a dull moment! =)
If you need a pick-me-up at any time, you should really check out www.sandiegozoo.org/pandacam The kids and I watch it at the end of each day. There was a baby panda born at the end of July, so we've been watching him grow. Recently he's been let out into the general panda habitat and can often be seen napping while draped over a tree branch. It's so incredibly cute, your heart might burst. If you're really lucky, you'll get to see some interaction between the mama and her cub. You can almost hear the things she's saying to her baby by her actions. To be honest, it's not much different than how humans interact with their cubs, um... little children. Soooo cute!!!
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