Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Gymnastics & Gymboree

After not seeing Abby for four days, Shawn was thrilled to have Abby back!

Shawn must have really missed Abby- he didn't seem to mind when she sidled up next to him & 'got in his space' in Gymnastics today!  During warm-ups, it looked like they were working hard when asked to hop backwards and crab-crawl.  They were tricky!  In small group with Coach Enrique, they started at the obstacle course.  They also worked on handstands, the ladder wall, foam pit, jump track, rings and bars, and balance beams.

After a lunch/snack in the car, Shawn walked into Gymboree and wasn't being very cooperative for some reason. He was fine all morning!  When Music Class started, he hid behind me and wouldn't participate. Arg.  Anyway, we started a jazz & swing unit.  We LOVE the song Boogily Woogily Piggy and look forward to singing it each time this unit comes up!  Suddenly, a pair of hands and feet appeared from behind my waist so Shawn could 'boogy woogy all the way home!'  When the jingle bells came out, I received an impromptu back rub as Shawn used them as props! (Hmm... maybe it's not so bad he's back there!)  Abby had a great time dancing with other girls in a circle to It Don't Mean a Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing!  Shawn danced along too, but only from behind me.  Shawn also started answering vocab questions from his hiding spot.  In addition to knowing ‘crescendo’ and ‘decrescendo,’ Shawn and Abby did a great job answering questions about ‘forte’ and ‘piano.’  By the time the instrument box came out, he was more than ready!  We also sang Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree, Three Little Fishies, and a few others.  During another swing dance, I kneeled on the floor and swung Shawn and Abby around with (fake) swing dance moves, including spins and (their favorite) backward dips!  Finally, Shawn had lots of smiles, though I don’t know what the issue was earlier!  Finally, Ms. Michelle read/sang What a Wonderful World by Ashley Bryan (one of my all time favorite songs).

During Open Gym, Shawn played with friends on the equipment while Abby tried to poop again.  (She had tried earlier this morning, but was unsuccessful.  She hasn’t gone since she was at our house on Friday, so… it was time.)  At one point, she asked for some privacy, which was great because I could stand outside the door to see if anyone else needed to use the bathroom – she was in there for a verrrrrry loooooong time!  (I actually did bring her out once so another family could go!)  At one point, when I checked on her, she had taken off all of her clothes “to make it easier!” LOL  Whatever works!  Eventually, she did it!  PHEW!

In School Skills, they worked on letters X, Y, and Z today.  They played Hide & Seek (Abby’s favorite part) and with play dough.  For their science lesson, they talked about ‘evaporation’ (Shawn’s favorite part).  They learned that it means ‘drying’ and watched the process by drawing with water-color markers on a paper towel, wetting it, watching the colors spread out, and checking on them throughout class as they dried.  They also watched a puddle of water on the floor as it dried throughout class.  Plus, they felt hand sanitizer evaporate on their hands.  They had to be careful listeners during a ‘sneaky song’ and change from tiptoeing to hiding places around the gym during quiet music to running around in circles during loud music.  In a similar game, they listened as the teachers called out “Giants awake!” and stomped around the room or “Giants asleep!” and pretended to drop to the floor asleep.  For their art project, they decorated hearts in honor of Valentine’s Day, which lead to a few discussions about their heart beat (or ‘heart BEEP,’ as Abby called it). Finally, they read the book How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague.

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