Oh Boy! I've got joy!!

Any Joy School veterans out there who read this title probably started singing the song that goes along with it. That's right, we're doing Joy School this year. Spencer and me. And so far, it's been really fun. Here's Spencer's little group, posing so sweetly for one of the other Joy School moms (who also happens to be a great photographer, obviously.)

Aren't they soooo cute?!?

Unfortunately, our lone girlie in the group just moved away. So now it's just the boys. For those who aren't so familiar with the Joy School program... it's a preschool group that focuses on values and principles, rather than academic learning. The moms in the group take turns teaching the lessons. We've set it up so that each mom teaches four different lessons at a time, over the course of two weeks.

I just finished my first week, and really enjoyed it. Our focus over the next few weeks is "Finding joy in the earth around us." Nature walks, seasons, planting seeds, harvest, etc. The first session, we made nature scopes and talked about the difference between nature vs. man made.

And yesterday, we talked about seeds and plants, and how things grow. And apples. The boys really loved talking about apples. We made apple sauce, sliced apples into stars, painted with apples, shared their seeds, read an apple story, etc. 

The applesauce was a real hit! But then, what three-year-old-boy wouldn't like banging, smashing, splashing apple goop all over a jellyroll pan?!

We also read a story about rain, then used our "nature scopes" that we made on Tuesday, to look at the back yard in the rain. They stood at that window with their scopes with very little prompting for a good 3-4 minutes. I was surprised!

 

Okay, so dumb blogger has changed its format and now I can't figure out how to just type my stuff and add my pictures like I used to.

Anyway, the most loved activity was playing with Thomas the Train during free play time. Can you blame them, really? I didn't get great pics of it, but what I got shows how cute they all were, working together to build the track, taking turns with the different engines, etc.

There was only a little weeping and wailing when Thomas had to be put away before they left to go home.

We also made seed collages, which went well, except for the fact that they wanted to eat the seeds. I tried to steer them toward the sunflower seeds, but they were determined to sample all of them. Here are Spencer's finished crafts and applesauce...

Well, so, Joy School has been a good thing for us, so far. Spencer seems to enjoy the interaction with the other kids, and he has especially loved having it at our house. I was a little nervous about teaching -- mainly because things have just felt so hectic ever since Samantha started school. And with Brian's unpredictable schedule, I've felt... well, overwhelmed, I guess. Plus, we went camping this past weekend (pictures to come), and didn't get home until 11-something, the night before my first day of teaching. It takes some good prep time to make it run smoothly, ya know? But anyway, so far, so good.

Things I've been learning from Joy School, so far:
-- Masking tape Xs on the floor are not good "places to sit" for 3-yr-olds, but make great things to pick at while adults are talking/teaching.
-- "Guessing games" (I'm thinking of...) are out, and Joy Boy puppet figures are IN! Picture books are also IN, especially ones with lots of details in each picture. Wow! 3-yr-olds LOVE the tiny details. Who doesn't, I guess?
-- Bibs are a REALLY good idea when working with red paint. Red bibs are even better. Edible red paint would probably be even better, if you put it on apples. If it's not edible, you may find yourself saying "don't eat the paint" multiple times. To multiple kids.
-- If the kids make a craft, they want to take it home with them -- even if they're supposed to leave it for the next time.
-- I better be comfortable singing solos, if I plan to use music. They love to listen, but getting them to sing is like pulling teeth.
-- Bathroom breaks work best if they're allowed to bring one toy with them.
-- Expect some tears at clean-up time. And expect some of the kids to look at the ones who are crying like they are total freaks. (As if the onlookers have NEVER had a meltdown over a train set.)
-- It's handy to have four green cups, when four boys need drinks!
-- Outside play better be conducted in a contained area, or I better invest in some leashes. The phrase "it's like herding cats" comes to mind. ha!

Next round, we're doing a nature walk in the woods. Fun! I'm just happy to be doing something fun and good for my little Spencer boy. I feel like a good mom for doing this with him.

Next step. Potty training. For real. Stay tuned...  ha!