A Mommy-Come-Lately Tackles Kindergarten

I never went to kindergarten as a child. Back in those days, most kids started school by going to first grade. Kindergarten was optional.

Thanks to my caboose kid, I'm enjoying kindergarten for the first time--not as a student, but as a parent-helper. I have to applaud Christa's teacher, Mrs. Jarboe. She is a teacher extraordinare! Her class is the "Lights, camera, action!" kind of experience--music, singing, cooking, painting, and reading lots and lots of outstanding books. (I find myself laughing and singing along with the kids. I hope Mrs. J. doesn't mind.)

Today I teamed up with another mom. She helped the kids make peanut butter Play-Doh. (Of course, this was the morning I skipped breakfast. That Play-Doh smelled scrumptious.)

I helped the kids sponge-paint fall leaves in bright oranges, greens, browns, yellows, and reds. "Use all the colors or use some of the colors or use one color. It's your choice!" was all the instruction I gave them.

Each child had their own special technique, their own special color design. And I learned something valuable from those freewheeling artists:

Creativity does not require perfection.

Each leaf was a delightful, vibrant work of art. This had nothing to do with painting inside or outside of the lines or using one color or using five. Rather, it was a creative and carefree expression of a child.

Beautiful.
Imperfect by some standards, but beautiful.