Pumpkin centers

Last month Xander's class had pumpkin centers. They needed parent volunteers so, of course, I volunteered. :)

It was so fun! The kids were split into groups and each group had a pumpkin. They had a booklet where they recorded all kinds of information about our pumpkin. We measured its circumference, put it in water to see if it would float or sink, measured its weight and height, and then each child got to share what kind of pumpkin face they liked. In my group, I let each kid pick one part of the face. They were all very agreeable. We cut off the top, pulled out the seeds and insides, and the kids counted the seeds by 10s. Xander would absolutely not touch the pumpkin insides. I already knew this about him from carving pumpkins at home, but I was hoping seeing his peers do it would encourage him. No such luck. :)
We carved the pumpkin with all the features the kids chose and then the kids drew their own picture of our pumpkin.

I love kids and I loved being in the classroom. Seeing my own kid in the class was a fun and surreal experience. I don't think Xander was thrilled that I was there at first. He's quite the compartmentalizer - I think it's really hard for him to see someone in a place he's not used to seeing them. But by the end he was totally into it and so excited I was there. I really try to make things fun and I think the other kids in the group were having so much fun that Xander forgot I was his mom. ;)

Here are the pictures of the final products. Ours is the second from the left, the "scary" pumpkin. Our pumpkin was the best. I'm not biased or anything. ;)

Mrs. Sullivan asked me to be the room mom. She was so cute. I have a tendency to take over (ahem, it's definitely not my controlling nature coming out) and I have a pretty good handle on kids, keeping them on task and in line. I do have a lot of experience working with children and the kids I typically work with at the library can be a bit of a discipline problem. The kids in Xander's class were a piece of cake compared to what I see on a daily basis at work. Anyway, she was so sweet about it, asking if I would organize parties and special events in the classroom. I was so honored for her to ask.

Probably needless to say, but kindergarten is going great!