Back to school

It has been many years since I attended junior school and today was a blast from the past as I went and volunteered in several first grade classes at Providence Hall. First graders are aged 6-7 and as Easter is approaching, were participating in a centers activity which is where they go around to different stations and make crafts! I was on the Easter basket station and the baskets were made from brown lunch bags. The children really enjoyed making them and some of them were very creative! I even made one myself.

After lunch was science! I LOVE SCIENCE!!!! It was a sink and float activity. As you can imagine 12 containers of water and 25 1st graders can make for a very wet room! Some of the pupils used their worksheets as paper towels until I stepped in and started to mop down the tables! I had a nostalgic moment, back to my own experiences of sink and float activities! Happy times! Once a scientist, always a scientist!

This day was also designated for fire and earthquake drills. Being from England, where earthquakes are a rare phenomenon, I had never taken part in an earthquake drill before. However, the procedure is not rocket science. If indoors, you merely find a place of safety, preferably under a desk or in the corner of a room and as far away from windows as you can possibly be. I for one would have preferred to have been in an older age classroom as the desk I was under barely covered my torso!! At least it as better than nothing and this was, after all, merely a drill! Had it be a real earthquake I may have opted for the corner of the room!! Following the earthquake drill came the fire drill. The alarm was of such an ear piercing pitch that one could not fail to want to be outside and away from its sound waves!! Fortunately it was not a long drill and we were back inside within ten minutes. Better to be safe than sorry!!