Two By Two

 This was Degen's first year attending VBS. I wanted him to have the experience, but I knew that he would not make it in a classroom without me. (A few weeks ago I left him in the church nursery, and he was fine for about 10 minutes and then screamed & cried (& more) for the rest of the time. Yikes!) So, I volunteered to work in the two-year old classroom so that Degen could go to VBS.

 WOW! Degen's class consisted of 10 boys all around age 2. It had been a long time since I was in a classroom full of toddlers, and the first day was a shock to my system. Even with 4 adults in the room, we just didn't seem to have enough hands to keep everyone wrangled, and the time seemed to drag on as the schedule on the wall went ignored or became inapplicable. And I will admit that not being the one in charge didn't make anything easier for me.

 Thankfully, I got back into my teacher-mode quickly. The second day, I came armed with a big box of toys from home (and brought in a new box everyday). I also made sure to speak up when I had questions, suggestions or observations. Things went much better- whew! The boys loved the new toys and the morning's activities went much more smoothly.

Every day, the boys had a simple Bible lesson. We played inside with toys and outside with bubbles, chalk & beach balls. There was coloring and crafts, quiet time and snack time. Snack time was always a highlight of the morning! By the end of the week, I was really loving the time we spent with our new friends every morning. A toddler classroom was sometimes a challenge for both Degen & me, but it was a good challenge.