My first grader is so over first grade… and I’m right there with her, as is more than half the parents I hang with at the school pick-up/drop-off line.
Today marked the second day in a row that my kid has exited her class at the end of the day in tears. Yesterday the class bully decided she hadn’t picked on my daughter in a while, so she got in some end of the school year jabs. Then, today, there was drama in gym regarding a “final” which was reformatted at the last minute.
First of all, who gives a written gym “final” to a bunch of first graders? And, what is the point of reconfiguring a test format after a bunch of six year olds spent the weekend memorizing the one that was passed out last Thursday?
So, yeah, summer vacation can’t come fast enough around here.
My daughter can’t wait to be free of school uniforms, early wake-up calls and seven long hours spent inside a stuffy classroom. We’re headed to the beach in a few short weeks, and believe me; the trip can’t come soon enough. In fact, just the other day, my daughter and I made a list of fun activities we are planning to partake in once we get there. However, the list has nothing to do with top-rated restaurants we want to dine at or cute shops we want to shop in; rather, my little craft queen is plotting out her next masterpieces.
Since I do a fair amount of scrapbooking I always bring along a few extra Ziploc bags or plastic storage containers to collect memorabilia during family vacations. I use the items to embellish my layouts and give my daughter a few extras to add to her memory box. However, this year, instead of adding trinkets to her memory box my daughter has big plans for her beach-related souvenirs.
If you are planning a trip to the beach this summer with your kids, you too might be interested in this simple seasonal craft project my daughter found in a Weekly Reader:
Sand Art: I suppose you don’t have to make a special trip to the beach for this project, but it’s much cheaper if you do. Simply scoop up some free sand at your local beach and place it in a plastic bag. When you get home, divide the sand into smaller bags and add a few drops of food coloring to each. Next, seal the bags and get your kids to shake them as much as possible. Be sure to knead the sand so the food coloring gets distributed throughout. Then, pour the colored sand onto dry newspaper and let it dry. After an hour or so you can use the colored sand in various art projects. My daughter is planning to draw a picture with glue and top it with her colored sand. I am also going to clean out some jelly jars so she can fill them with layers of different colored sand. She can then top each with seashells or create a sandscape complete with seaweed, beach grass and colored glass.