Oh how quickly the pictures do add up, when you are a compulsive photographer!
So these were taken a couple of weeks ago, when Amadea and Marcellus's parents had us over for some more gardening. The last time, they had helped the kids to plant. This time, it was all about picking some vegetables to bring home!
We got to pick and take home cucumber, zucchini, green onions, peas, beans and peppers. It really is so nice of them to let my children participate in the gardening experience. I am very grateful for this.
The kids also enjoyed eating cherries (not grown in the garden). Here, Amadea instructs Leila how to eat the cherry, but not the pit. :)
So, I never talked about Maryam leaving the daycare. She left at the end of June in anticipation of me closing the daycare to go back to teaching in September. Since I had not yet found a teaching job at that time, I was not absolutely certain I would be closing the daycare. I certainly felt (and still do feel) conflicted. I do so love these children, and it is very difficult for me to break the bonds that I've built with them, even though I desire to return to the classroom. So, in the back of my mind, I kept thinking "Well, maybe this isn't good-bye", and I had a vision in my head of me with my arms open, and all the children running back to me. I have since accepted a position teaching grade 4 students in the fall, and am very excited! Still, I want to maintain connections with these kids, whenever my schedule, and the parents' schedules, permit. I am even hoping to continue throwing those festive parties for the daycare alumni. Maybe a Halloween party? Of course, I have to see what sort of work/life/daycare-reunion balance time I can manage, once the school year begins.
Anyway, we are working to keep the friendships going. We had a play date at High Park with Maryam a couple of weeks ago. It was fabulous. :)
Maryam was so brave in the frigid wading pool water!
She even fell in at one point, and inadvertently went under water. Still, after a moment of regaining her composure, she was right back in there. That's the daredevil Maryam I love.
After the wading pool, there was a game of tag.
And then ice cream. Ice cream just seals the deal on a wonderful summer's day. Ice cream with friends trumps all.
This little cutie had a wonderful time hanging out with the big kids! Isn't he scrumptious in his wet suit? Adorbs.
We worked on our Reading Club books from the library. We had some accomplishments to fill in. Actually, I changed some of the expectations. The pre-reader booklet was too easy for these girls, but the higher level book was a bit too complicated for them. For example, they aren't ready to "write a poem with chalk outside" yet. We changed some to things like "Read a word on a sign outside", or "Read a word that Charla writes in chalk outside".
We explored a different area surrounding our buildings on this day.
I got the girls to read some of the words below. Amadea became overwhelmed when I asked her to read "Elsa", because they are used to me giving them 3 letter words. I showed them how to break the word into smaller parts. I covered up the "sa" and Dea read "El". Then I covered up the "El" and she read "sa". She easily read the word once she had both parts.Way to go, Dea!
I also showed them how you can use the exact same letters from one word to make a different word (gas, sag).
Drew was intent on holding Leila's hand the whole way home.
He refused to hold Dea's hand. He was focused on Leila. So they worked it out.
Here are the kids at one of our many picnics this summer, by the side of the wading pool. Leila and Dea were pretending to take pictures of me with their water bottles.
Now this is love. :)
Marcus loves the wading pool, and is talking like such a big boy now, at 2.5 years old! I'm not sure if he remembered us...perhaps somewhere in his mind we seemed somewhat familiar. Still, it's great fun to reconnect, and the daycare kids still talk about him all the time.
It's so nice to see Thomas too! He's quite the cool school boy now!
We went to the library drop-in this week. Amadea, always very focused on creating art, spent quite some time at this table, painting her pine cone.
I was mostly busy with Drew and Marcellus. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Amadea had made perfect little shapes with the play dough all by herself. When did she learn this?! Geez, these girls are more than ready for school. Really, the daycare cannot give them the amount of stimulation their minds are ready for. Kindergarten will be wonderful. I do think it will be a little difficult at first without naps. Leila especially seems to need her naps. I guess it will be very early bedtimes for her in the fall, while she adjusts, and grows a bit older. We can already name about 10 kids they will know in kindergarten though, maybe more. They've made a lot of friends/acquaintances during our travels in the neighbourhood. They are very excited about playing with their new friends.
Red sand! Drew's into it.
A rare moment when they are all doing the same activity. :)
We had some fun with my camera phone while having our picnic by the wading pool the other day.
I wanted to get the blue sky behind them.
I also love playing around with the sunshine in photos.
I took a whole bunch in succession and hoped for the best. I often can't see the details of the photos I'm taking outside on a bright day. There is too much glare on my phone.
I really love these photos though. Little summer sunshines. :)
My last summer as a daycare provider. Bitter sweet. Maybe I'll take on some kids next summer when I'm off from teaching, just for fun!
So far, the summer with the kids has been a blast! Here's to the 2nd half! We hope to work in a Fire Station visit (especially for Drew, who missed our last excursion but is absolutely crazy about fire trucks, or "wee-oh"'s, as he calls them), and the High Park Train.
