Family Tree | Diary of an Adventurous Retiree

To those of you who faithfully follow my blog I have to apologise for posting this week’s episode late. I have been fighting a cold for a couple of weeks and not been quite with the programme. I fear I have been a grumpy teacher and not given my girls my best either. But thankfully the little people are very tolerant and have put up with me in spite of my moodiness.

This last week was a fun week and exciting one for the Grade Ones. Our topic this term is all about our families. Constructing family trees helped us learn about the importance of each person who makes us who we are. And boy were we proud of our trees. For a few weeks now we have also been preparing for our first ever performance at Assembly. Each grade in the school has to take their turn to demonstrate at an assembly what they have been learning in class. The Grade Ones have been watching in awe as the others have been the centre of attention and now on Tuesday it was their turn.

Parents are always invited to our assemblies a score or so turn up each week. But on Tuesday – wow – every chair was taken. The four Grade 1 teachers were hugely proud of their little stars. They performed to perfection – it was a thousand times better than the rehearsals. It was as if having an audience got them to pull out all the stops. Well done Grade Ones – Your teachers are proud of you!

To end the week we entertained our classes at a Pyjama Party on Friday Night. What an excellent turn out we had. Of course the object of this is twofold – to raise funds for the school and to give our parents a ‘date night’. The little ones had a ball and from the comments I had from my parents they seemed to appreciate what we did.

It was a pyjama party so did I wear my pyjamas? Of course – and my little girls loved my Hello Kitty PJs.

Snuggling into our cosy rugs

Looking for ‘monsters’ in the dark

Bonding

We were allowed to bring siblings and cousins

Even the teacher wore pyjamas

We have been learning about families. Our own nuclear families, of course are the most important. We have learned that there are different kinds of families – single parent families, grandparent headed families, extended families and so on. The most important thing in a family the girls believe is that each member cares about the others. The girls certainly have a strong sense of family.

We have also focussed on our ancestry and yesterday the Grade 1s constructed family trees. They all brought a bottle filled with sand, a branched twig and loads of photographs and bits and pieces to decorate the end product. They cut out leaves and pasted on labels. It was an Expo Day so many visitors wandered in and out while all this was going on.

I will let the photographs speak for themselves.