The end of school...THEN...and NOW...

Back when I was a kid...WAY back when...the end of school was pretty much celebrated on the last day or two. That was it. We had a big "play day", where we would do fun activities outside all day. Things like relay races holding an egg on a spoon (I wonder how many dozens of eggs they went through in a day, and who got to clean up after all that), dodge ball (who doesn't love having a bunch of balls thrown at your head--really hard), wheel barrow races (one kid holding the feet of another, while they walked on their hands), or the "Lost Shoe" game--taking everyone's stinky dirty shoes and throwing them in a pile, and racing to see who could find their shoes the quickest, put them on, and run to the finish line (if that's not the perfect activity for hand,foot,& mouth disease, or injuries of some sort, I don't know what is!) Who came up with these things anyway?! I never liked "play day" much, because I wasn't coordinated or into sports at all, and would usually be the one to make the team lose the sweet victory. :) Then the very last day, would usually be a half day, and we'd just sign year books and play games, and that was it.

NOW they have big bouncy houses of every kind, bungee pulls, face painting, water games, popcorn, snacks, and lots more. It's quite a day! The kids love it and have so much fun. And NOW it's a bigger deal and lasts a lot longer. Between the last 2 weeks of school, the kids have had (or will have): bowling parties, bubble parties, pizza parties, field trips, barbeques, fun & field days, watch videos, awards ceremonies, water games, beach day, poetry slams, talent shows, yearbook signing, and more! Very busy and lots of fun.

We also never had "kindergarten graduation" when I was a kid. It was the end of school, that was it. No big deal. Now there's a HUGE production with pictures in caps & gowns, a big program with all the kindergartners, parties, etc. We went to Jonah's graduation on Friday, and it was PACKED! I was there almost a half hour early, and was still stuck on the 2nd to last row, and couldn't really see anything. And not only that, there were probably 40 more people (or more) standing on the sides of the auditorium, trying to watch. There were parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles--pretty much everyone & their dog! People had big boquets of flowers, big stuffed animals for "the gradutate", and more. GOOD GRIEF! It's KINDERGARTEN people!! Of course I like to see the kids do their little songs and all that, and it's cute & fun, but HOLY COW, it's a little bigger deal than it needs to be!

Jonah looked so handsome in his white shirt & tie, and the songs were adorable. Then they showed a slide show of all the kids doing various things throughout the year, while they played songs that made me a little teary-eyed. Then after the big program, we all went back to the classrooms for individual class award ceremonies. They had awards for everything imaginable. Jonah was given the award for the best smile! (Yep--that fits him--he's always so happy!) There were awards for the best snack eater (yes, really!), and the best artist, the prettiest eyes, and one who was the most wiggly like a worm. Hmmm....Funny.

Anyway, after the celebrations, parents could sign their kids out of school to take them home or out to lunch or whatever. I asked Jonah in the morning if he wanted to be checked out or stay at school (he LOVES school and his teacher--he's kind of sad that school is over because he wants to stay in kindergarten with Mrs. George), so I wasn't sure what he'd want to do. He said he'd like to come home. So I checked him out afterwards, and then on the way home he changed his mind, and wanted to go back. So we went home and he changed out of his nice clothes and I hurried and made a lunch for Clay, and we headed back to all eat lunch together. Then Clay & I stayed to have lunch with Tessa too. It was a lot of fun. Then right after school, PJ had a big pool & pizza party for all the kids that were in the Art Club this year (he had such a fun time doing that this year), at his Art teacher's house.

Anyway, that's all our fun for the last 2 weeks of school! I'm looking forward to summer--having the kids home, and having a slower pace with lots of fun & relaxation! I've told PJ & Tessa that this summer, they get to learn how to do the laundry (from washing, drying & ironing), as well as plan and cook one meal a week, and PJ is now mowing the lawn. They are actually really excited about it (me too!) And then, at the beginning of August, we are flying back to Utah for a visit to see family, play on the beach at Bear Lake, and do some waterskiing, etc. Fun! Fun! Fun! :)