A walk onTHE WILD SIDE...

...who ever said, that the bonds of blood are stronger...don't know my friends...

Life is about spending time together,

walking...talking...holding hands,

or just being quiet together.

Doesn't have to be glamorous...

just time well spent in each others presence.

Yesterday I got to spend time, with some of my most favorite people in the world...my Little Learners.

I had planned on talking about Zoo's and the marvelous places they are, where we can go and look at the wonderful creatures, animals...birds, reptiles.

Boy was I in for a surprise!

The youngest in this class is 3 yrs old, the oldest 6.

Not one of them knew, what a ZOO, was!  

They knew the animals, and made the appropriate noises for each...but "Teacher, what is a Zoo?"

Oh, goodness...when I started down that path, the only boy in the class piped up, "Why would anyone put them in cages?  They need to let them critters go, so they can live in Yellowstone!"

That's all it took, for each of them to transform to THE WILD SIDE! 

I kept expecting a "Hall Monitor" to open, the door and see what all of the commotion was about.

Then, maybe they were afraid of what they would find...

I had brought a bag of those cutouts you  get
with sticky backs...peel and place, ya...right!

My six year old, saw immediately, that teacher needed help.

What was supposed to be a 20 minute project at the most, ended up being 55...which was only accomplished when we gave in, and used glue sticks for the animals who did not give up their paper backs easily.

I believe and support ALL individual creativity...so when the scissors were asked for, Mr. Myles, cut all of his animals off the board they were glued on...because his critters were heading for the mountains.

3yr old Missy: was sucking her thumb, plumb wore out, her baby animals needed bottles to feed them, and  I did not have time to draw them for her.

We had grass, trees...flowers, sunshine...and fruit loops for all of our friends in the Zoo.  No boxes, no cages, nothing with bars.

We practiced those MAGIC words, PLEASE & THANK YOU...we shared bags of treats, (literally, when I realized I had not brought enough for each one to have their own, I placed a plate between two kids to share, and went around the class doing the same.  Every two, paired off, and became BETTER FRIENDS.

I was amazed at the courtesy of most...and the implementation of FAIRNESS, when left to the device of the "pairing off".  Only once did I have to remind them WE are not the animals...don't stuff your mouths so full, that you cannot smile at the teacher...at which point, I was graced with sticky, crumbly, earnest grins~

How beautiful a day can be, when kindness touches 

IT.

What's a ZOO?  A place to view goodness in abundance, according to 

LITTLE LEARNERS,

Animals, are just like us...they have feelings too.

Where 'er thou art...act thy part