chock-a-blog

Preschoolers cope with stress in much the same ways adults do. Most of the kids in my class are secure in their families, but two of them are dealing with major life changes. Paul's parents are in the midst of a messy divorce. Lisa's grandma, recently diagnosed with cancer, has moved in with her family and stolen some of the attention to which Lisa, an only child, is accustomed. Paul and Lisa, though never social butterflies, have withdrawn completely from participation in class activities. I understand how they feel. Withdrawal is my main coping mechanism when I'm feeling the weight of my world's stressors. Maybe I should try some of the other coping strategies I've seen Paul and Lisa use. Throw things. Paul lets off steam by chucking play food over the bookshelf into the reading center. Lisa hurls foam blocks at other children. I wish I could condone the behavior and channel it into a nice game of catch, but mostly I have to explain to them why we don't throw...

usually means a donward mood swing... I've been feeling blue, despite the warm weather, the glorious Easter holiday, a delightful visit with family... can't get motivated to post when I feel this way

Here's Brazey modeling my nearly finished carousel hat (free pattern from Lion Brand's website). I need to polish my fledgling crochet skills before I attempt the bobbled trim. The yarns are from my scavenged/thrifted stash. The yellow and purple were a much thinner weight than the green and the red, and I didn't realize it until I was well into knitting it. And when I chose the colors I didn't think what a rasta look the combination has. Still, it's fun to come close to finishing a project, and even more fun playing "Where's Brazey?" with it. There he is!

In science they talked about fabrics and made this "quilt" project. Here's Jack's description: translation: I wore (weareded) my jacket in the rain. I got wet a lot. My jacket had a house and two burlaps. I love it. I can't believe my baby can write.