Thursday, October 18, 2007

Cycling, competition and clay - all in one day

Despite the fact that this is a crappy photo taken with my phone I think you can see the happiness bursting out of this child. All because he rode his bike to school yesterday for Ride to Work Day. This is a manufactured experience, we live too far from his school for him to really ride the whole distance. (Although once he is older we might give it a shot. I seem to remember riding my bike a fair way in my school days) So I took the bike for a drive to Cherub's creche, then Climber and I used foot-power to get to school. This photo is taken really close to where we used to live; the park just behind Climber is where his first 2 birthday parties were held because we had almost no backyard in our house. Fixit and I really miss living in this area, even though we now live in a perfectly good area with an enviable backyard. And I feel a bit wistful about Climber not being able to walk or ride to school, if truth be told. But it's having your cake and eating it territory. Climber could very easily ride to school if we sent him to the local one, but we wanted him to come here. So shutup whining already.

The same day we had the Prep to Grade 2 Sports Day in the park across the road from his school. Not a competition as such. I didn't get to barrack for the Climber's 'house', we just sat on a rug watching the kids rotate through a few different sporting activities like frisbee-throwing or net-casting-&-catching.

This lack of competition eventually made a couple of us decide to just get up and cheer the kids over the mini-hurdles. We cheered them if we knew their names. It made them run faster which was quite funny.

And then after all that extra fun, I took Climber to the first session of the pottery course he'll be doing, alongside Next-door-boy, for the next 6 weeks. Fun with clay at a Neighbourhood House, which is like a community centre I suppose. The new families among us stood round the edge of the room in that slightly nervous are we in the right room way. Eventually the teacher came in and fired a few questions at the middle of the room. How many children have I got? Hmm, dunno, seeing as I'm new here... Suddenly her gaze fixed on me, sizing me up as a new parent and presumably a potential trouble-maker because her introductory words to me were I get very testy if people are late so I'm going to give you my phone number. Make sure you call me if you're late or I get quite annoyed.

How on earth could she tell that I'm sometimes late for things?

Also when I get new students to my tap classes I generally say something along the lines of you must be ... hello and welcome, I'm Miss Caroline and I speak to both the parent and the new child and tell them helpful things like where the toilets are and where to change their shoes etc. And I never grump at latecomers, or if I do it's only to tease Astrid.

The boys really enjoyed the class of course. They never care about things like formalities.

14 comments:

  1. She sounds terrifying.

    I wonder, can you die from having clay thrown at you?

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  2. Teacher is scaring me already.

    I agree, a 'hello' and 'the toilets are over that way' is a much nicer way of introduction...

    I used to love working with clay. hell on the hands though - especially if you have a fear of handcreme, like I do, and naturally dry skin.

    I used to bleed for my art...

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  3. I remember when I was a kid my parents considered there was no distance that could not be travelled on a bike. Not by them of course.
    Invited to a party three suburbs away? On your bike.
    Also, there was the weekly request "ride your bike up to the shop and get us a packet of Winnie Reds, will you love?" I'd do anything for 20 cents of mixed lollies...
    I wish my son could ride to school, but between our place and his school is Warrigal Road and a railway line. Perhaps when he is in grade 6 I might let him.
    As for that teacher. Too scary for me, I'd never be seen there again.

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  4. Silly you. You thought that the lessons were about the kids. Obviously the teacher is the MOST important person in the room and the lessons are all about her.

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  5. Wow, old-school? I'd be a bit concerned, but maybe her bark is worse than her bite...

    Cute pix! Your boy looks very proud.

    - Heidi

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  6. Oh geeze, I just broke my pot out of fright.

    Actually, I didn't, but I would if I were in that class, I just know it.

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  7. I used to attend a neighbourhood centre to do pottery classes back in the dark ages! I have such great memories of it - I fell in love with pottery and it must have liked me a bit too a I remember being presented with a ribbon for one of my works. I hope Climber likes it too.

    Gets me to thinking I must chase up some of these childhood hobbies that I loved so much and mysteriously stopped doing - like singing lessons too.

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  8. The worst bit is that now you still don't know where the toilets are! Climber looks so proud on his bike.

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  9. That evil teacher would have had me in tears. I'm with Aunty, I'd never have a whole pot. Nothing like a scary teacher to turn you into a clutz. Luckily Climber and friend seem immune.

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  10. Oo, what a cool bike! He looks so grown-up! And blindingly happy!

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  11. Maybe her bark is worse than her bite?

    Happy boy-racer you have there!

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  12. Ha, that's funny! I thought she had bee-lined it over our way, because I had just turned up late, and she figured I was therefore proven unreliable, you just happened to be next to me, so we both got her number. She didn't give her number to everyone.

    Anyway, the boys had fun.

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  13. Oh my. The potter lady sounds too scary. Tell the kids to be very careful when she says she's about to "throw a pot"...she seems the type who may mean it literally.

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  14. Some people should NEVER be teachers!
    You sound like a dream teacher, the kind everybody loves.
    Lovely pic of Climber, so proud.

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