1st grade program

The first graders have been working towards their end of the year program since the beginning of the year.  In music class they have been learning a plethora of dinosaur songs.  I had the privilege of hearing these songs everyday after school.  I actually enjoyed hearing them and watching Rachel's excitement over them. If you know Rachel you know that she LOVES dinosaurs.  

When I say love I really mean obsessed.  

Since she could talk she has talked about dinosaurs and being a paleontologist. When I was in the hospital having Benjamin (this would make her only 22 months) she was talking to her grandpa about her favorite dinosaur the triceratops.  She could say the name exactly right, she told him facts about the dinosaur and said when I grow up I'm going to be a paleontologist.  In the last almost 5 years now the only thing that has changed is her favorite dinosaur. She still professes that she will be a paleontologist.  Is this borderline obsessive? Maybe. Am I slightly worried? Maybe.  Do I think she has a problem? Not at all, I LOVE it.  I love that she is so enthusiastic about something. I am happy that she finds joy in something.  So does her teachers.  Now, when she acts like an animal/dinosaur in public or in school then I get worried, embarrassed and slightly annoyed. We are working on that though, it is getting better.  We give her 'animal time' everyday and it helps.  

So back to the program.

For the program the kids made dinosaur t-shirts to wear.  They spent a couple days making them in class so we, as parents, didn't know what they looked like.  I heard all about hers - from her - and could wait to see it.  She put a lot of detail into her shirt (again something she is very good at) and her teachers were quick to point it out.  They said she worked really hard on it and took more time than others but they didn't push her to finish or go faster or to be done before she was ready. That is one thing I truly loved about her teachers.  They saw her strengths, pushed her, encouraged her and let her develop them.  Because of them I know that is the reason she has grown up as much as she has this past year.  I'm so excited to see how much she grows this next year in 2nd grade!

Mrs. Adams, Rachel and Mrs. Thomas.

As a little side note: Mrs. Thomas lived and taught school in Brazil for several years. As a result she taught the kids some phrases in Portuguese.   LOVE IT!!

For your viewing pleasure (and so you can have some of these songs in your head too) a couple of the 14 different songs about dinosaurs. Didn't' know there were so many did you!?