I've been working at a preschool since the beginning of September. I have stories upon stories piled up about the crazy things my kids have done and the silly things they've said. It is literally never a dull moment. Even nap time can be exciting!
This group of 3-5 year olds have taught me SO much in such a short time, so here is part one of the lessons I have learned from playing with kids for hours on end.
Lesson 1: Kids Have Two Speeds
Slow as molasses or lightening fast. And they use these two speeds at the most inopportune of times. You tell the kids to put on their coats for outside play and there is ALWAYS one kid who grabs his coat off the hook and just drags it around behind him. And then there are the kids who are practically Olympic sprinters; impossible to catch. They always keep me on my toes...like seriously, I almost never get to sit down.
Lesson 2: Children are Brilliant at Hiding
The possibilities are endless for kids who are three feet tall and only weigh 36 pounds. And, you see, the preschool I work at is in an older house. There are literally hundreds of places those kids can fold themselves into and I would never find them. I have found kids behind the radiator, in the cabinet under the sink, in a cubby behind a jacket, in a shelf behind a box of blocks, and inside a play kitchen stove. They are extremely creative and can have me stumped as to their whereabouts for minutes on end. And one kid even just flew the coop one day, sprinting out the front door...that was interesting.
Lesson 3: No Matter How Perfect Your Classroom, Kids Will Destroy It
The staff doubles as the cleaning service at our preschool/childcare. I spend quite a bit of time cleaning (kids are nasty!). And those kids spend almost no time at all making a massive mess. Books all over the floor, dress up clothes in a massive pile, emptying their shoes of sand on the carpet, cutting tiny pieces of paper, and don't get me started on their occasional bathroom accidents...
Lesson 4: Playdough is Your Best Friend
It is seriously the best distracting device for preschoolers. They will sit there and make dinosaurs or pizzas or people for quite some time. It gives me plenty of time to do my cleaning or to rotate new clean toys into their play areas. It's fantastic.
Lesson 5: It Takes Two Teachers to Trap a Kid Outside
We have this wonderful hill outside in our playground. It's really fun for the kids but torture for the teachers. You see, if you need to stop a kid (for instance, he hurt someone & needs to be talked to), that kid can just run up the hill. If you try to get the kid by yourself, he'll just run down the other side when you walk up...you always need two people to trap a kid outside. Always.
Lesson 6: Boring Things for Adults are Exciting for Kids
Exhibit A: they sat and watched for 30 minutes.
Lesson 7: Kids are Sweethearts.
We made a Thanksgiving Tree this week, with the kids each making a couple leaves saying what they were thankful for. One of the leaves said they were thankful for Miss Jessica & Miss Jenna (that's me!). I love these kids!
More lessons to come...
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