School Library Pumpkin Contest

Caleb's school library is hosting a Pumpkin Decorating Contest.  You know I love creative outlets, so we jumped on board.

A few of the ground rules:

Your pumpkin is to be decorated like a character from a book.

You may not puncture your pumpkin.

Pumpkins may be decorated by the child or as a family.

Caleb chose Clifford The Big Red Dog.

I let the kids paint the pumpkin completely RED.  This was a pretty tame activity, but we did have one mishap.  Dusty (our dog) stepped in a puddle of red paint!  Thankfully we caught it before he exited the tiled area.

I brainstormed about what to use for Clifford's snout and ears.  I settled on foam sheets.  They were easy to work with, but tough to attach to the pumpkin.  I think the slick surface of the pumpkin hindered their ability to stick.

I let Caleb help with the eyes and hair.  We used Sharpie and white paint.  Done.

Columbus Day

This was Caleb's monologue when he got in the car this afternoon.  We found it exceptionally humorous.  I hope you enjoy it, too.

"We don't have school on Monday.  It's because somebody lived a long time ago.  It's Christopher's birthday.  He wasn't looking where he was going and he bumped into America.  The other people thought the world was flat.  Christopher thought it was round.  He bought three ships.  He called the people Indians."

Maybe I should teach him this poem (who knew it was so long?):

IN 1492

In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.

He sailed by night; he sailed by day;
He used the stars to find his way.

A compass also helped him know
How to find the way to go.

Ninety sailors were on board;
Some men worked while others snored.

Then the workers went to sleep;
And others watched the ocean deep.

Day after day they looked for land;
They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.

October 12 their dream came true,
You never saw a happier crew!

"Indians!  Indians!"  Columbus cried;
His heart was filled with joyful pride.

But "India" the land was not;
It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.

The Arakawa natives were very nice;
They gave the sailors food and spice.

Columbus sailed on to find some gold
To bring back home, as he'd been told.

He made the trip again and again,
Trading gold to bring to Spain.

The first American?  No, not quite.
But Columbus was brave, and he was bright.

Show and Tell: The Letter S

What Am I?

Show and Tell: The Letter A

(Actually from last Friday)

What is it?

Show and Tell: The Letter M

Caleb's class will be having Show and Tell each Friday.  This is an optional activity, but I think it will be quite fun.  I'm not sure about Caleb, but it will be fun for me!

Each student is asked to find an item from home beginning with the letter of the week.  Then we are to put it in a bag and give three clues to help the class guess what the item is.

Let's see if you can guess what Caleb picked out for this week!

Caleb's First Day of Kindergarten

No pictures.

That was the first failure.

Or, make that the second failure.  The first was the batter in the minivan.  Thank goodness Jadie and I were leaving at the same time so he could give the van a jump start.

Sarah and I walked Caleb to his classroom.  He stopped at the door and turned around for good-bye kisses.  And that was that.  He was in the classroom in the blink of an eye.

What did I do with my time today?

• Sifted through some of Caleb's fall clothes from previous years to take to Smarty Pants.
• Worked on some hair clips for the Etsy Shop!
• Had the neighbor jump start the minivan (again).
• Spent an hour at Casey's Auto Shop getting the minivan's battery replaced.
• Made a quick visit to the hospital to take a friend our pack-n-play.
• Got some lunch.
• Decided to wait on Smarty Pants until tomorrow.
• Completed the hair clips for the Etsy Shop!
• Time to pick up Caleb...and try not to cry about it.  Why did I choke up when picking him up and not when dropping him off?

Caleb wasn't much of a story-teller this afternoon, but I got a few things out of him.

• He did get to go to the playground.
• He went to PE today.
• He ate a good lunch.
• He earned lots of "Best Bucks."
• He earned one of his "Best Bucks" by telling someone thank you for opening his applesauce at lunch.

Caleb Meets His Teacher

Caleb at his "desk"

Mrs. Fajardo and Caleb

Last night, he said she was the bestest thing in his whole classroom.

This morning, he said she was the bestest thing in the whole world.

Even though he's excited about his teacher, he says he's not excited about going to school.

Here's to hoping that will change!

Simple Addition