The Mulberry Bush

Storytime today was ruled by the South Bend Tuellers! What do I mean? Well, first, Chayce kept asking for specific songs, and I think it flattered the librarian (this is due to the fact that the last time this particular librarian taught storytime, she had an umbrella covered with "blueberry" print fabric, and we sang, "Here we go round the blueberry bush" and read "Blueberries For Sal"--great book, by the way--in honor of blueberry season). Anyhow, today the lesson was on colors, and we sang "This is the way we find the --orange, blue, yellow, etc--" instead of playing the game that was planned since Chayce kept asking for the Mulberry Bush song. Very cute. Might I add that Chayce also stalks the regular storytime librarian, and calls her the "Icky-Sticky Bubblegum lady" and will NOT leave the library til we've hunted her down and said hello. It's kind of cute. Oh, Icky-Sticky Bubblegum is a song. A fun one that my kids enjoy all too much. Zachary also ruled the roost, as the activity was color mixing (and can I say I was proud?) and when the story called for purple, he was armed and ready with the red and blue! Funny part, and the reason I was proud, is that we attended at the same time as a local preschool, and the teacher who had brought the kids as a field trip couldn't figure out how my son knew his color mixing when I wasn't putting him in school (it was the local preschool). Funny how people compartmentalize learning...it must take place in a class room. NOT. I won't rant and rave here (why not? It's MY blog...) only because most people reading this already know I have my pet peeves. Of course, this is the perfect tie in to a book I've been reading about the education of inner city kids. The teacher gives specific stories of each student to show how each child needed him differently. Anyhow, one of the biggest themes is that the kids never could connect real life with what they were learning. For example, one child never realized that the story of Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims SHOULD mean something to him, that he lived on the same coast they landed...it was all just a story to him. Then, when the teacher pointed out that he was going swimming that afternoon in the same water the Pilgrims landed in, the child was amazed! These people were real! Great book, I probably won't finish it due to time constraints, but what I did learn was helpful. Made helping my kids put 2&2 together a bit easier. Not that they are inner city street walkers, but I think most kids have a lot more in common than we give them credit.