A Party With Friends

This year our class made special friendships with the Club Room class children. They would come visit us at our back door in the mornings. It was very special to hear their interactions with each other. In the beginning, all the children were shy and didn’t speak much, but as the year progressed, they started forming connections, relationships, and friendships. We observed children talking about their birthdays; “I just had my Thomas birthday. It was so fun.” They were excited to tell their age to each other; “I’m four-years-old and I’m strong.” They also talked about their families; “I have a baby sister and I love her.” In addition, some of our children going to the Club Room in September are now very familiar with teacher Nastasia. Through their interactions, the children developed language, learning social skills, self-esteem, and developed pro-social behaviours.

Throughout the year, the children learned the importance of caring and how to show kindness to one another. And what better way to practice this than to invite our new found friends to our Rompers classroom for a party! During circle-time, the teacher asked questions to prompt the children’s thinking and creativity. “What is a party? What do we do at a party? What do we eat at a party?” The children had many great ideas. “We can have Jello and cookies.” “I like juice and pop!” “We can have chips.” “Popcorn and balloons!” In the end, we all agreed on popcorn and lemonade. The children were so excited! First thing they did was make an invitation and delivered it to our friends in the Club Room.

To extend the children’s learning experience, next class during circle-time, the teacher asked “what do we need to get ready for a party?” Some children suggested “decorations!” We discussed what we might need and gathered the items: table cloths, cups, flowers, and paper towels. The teachers were so happy to see that a lot of the children wanted to help with this party. So how can we get all the children involved in this special moment? The teacher asked, “Who wants to make lemonade?” “Who wants to help decorate?” The children knew exactly what part they wanted to do. They all had a special job to do. Some helped to make the lemonade, and some decorated the tables. By allowing the children to have their own job built a sense of responsibility, leadership skills, confidence, and sense of pride. The best part was that we all made popcorn together as a team while singing one of our children’s favorite songs this year—Popcorn Kernel.

Popcorn Kernel (Tune: Frere Jacques)

Popcorn kernel, popcorn kernel. In a pot, in a pot.

Shake it, shake it, shake it. Shake it, shake it shake it.

Til it pops, til it pops!

When our friends arrived, we shared the lemonade and popcorn we had made. All the children were enjoying their new friends. Everyone was having a good time and they didn’t want it to end! “This was sooo fun!!” “J. is my friend.” “Food so yummy!”