My 1300th post.
My daughter says I should do something . . . important.
But I don’t know anything important.
You’re getting the old and usual . . .
I was helping out in my grandson’s first-grade class.
An active bunch. (If any of you have seen the movie, The Lion King, you will
recognize the row of monkeys in the ‘future-king-presentation scene’. They were
modelled after any first grade class you find.)
Ahem . . .
The activity I was there to help with was an exercise in
caring for animals. Each student chose an animal, then was given materials to
build a little compound specifically suited for said animal’s needs. Food,
water, sleeping arrangements, toys, entertainment.
Because what animal doesn't need its big-screen TV, right?
Moving on . . .
As co-ordinator of my little group of four boys, I was
entrusted with the bag ‘o treats. The feathers, popsicle sticks, foam sheets,
paper cups, string, sticks, tape, glue and scores of other building materials.
It was a large bag.
And everyone was having a large time.
One of them asked for sticks and I dove into the mass of
materials and dug out a small container of bundles of sticks. Colourful little
bundles of sticks.
And just like that, I was transported back fifty-five years to
my grade one class.
And no, it wasn't held in a cave . . .
Our teacher, Miss Woronoski had laid out multi-coloured
sticks. Some singles. Some in bundles of five and ten.
And with a combination of those singles and bundles, we were
learning to count and add.
I loved it.
I especially loved saying the word ‘bundles’.
I would manipulate little packs of sticks, laying them out
in regimental order, and add them. Then re-arrange and add again.
Sometimes I would concentrate so hard, I would completely
miss what was going on around me . . .
“Your Gramma isn’t listening to me!”
“Gramma! Gramma!”
Like now.
Sigh.
