Keeping the World Safe

You have to sign in on a little time sheet when you drop off your child and when you pick him up at CSUN Lab School. Other things are posted on the board where this time sheet resides. Various announcements. The theme of the week. Snack menus. Occasionally the teachers will post a class project. The above photo shows the class project that greeted the parents as they came to pick up their children today.

I don't yet know the details. All I know from Kiernan is that they did not do this today. I can't wait to talk to Teacher Stephanie (Kiernan's excellent lead teacher) about it.

Not that I really need to. The list is fairly self-explanatory.

Today was an interesting day. As you know, if you check the daily picture, Pap-Pap is visiting. So our routine is a bit different.

We all rose a little early this morning so that we could take Wendy/Mommy to the airport as she has a couple of days of work in Texas. We drove directly from the airport to school, getting there just in time to be on time. And by 'directly' in the sentence above I mean, "With a stop for a donut and coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf." Of course.

Pap-Pap wanted to spend time with Kiernan in his class, so at his behest I cleared this with Kiernan's teacher and the principal of Kiernan's school, the wonderful Teacher/Principal Christa. They were both cool with this, so Dad slapped on a nametag and settled in for a day of preschool with Kiernan. The two of them enjoyed themselves immensely. Pap-Pap even made a couple of new friends: as we prepared to leave I witnessed Kiernan's friend Kyle pointing out Pap-Pap to his mother. I didn't hear what he said, but I heard her ask, "Oh...that's your new friend?"

[Picture Note: This is an awkward shot through the observation glass at the school. Keep in mind it's a lab school, so observation is key. Parents can observe, as well as students. Here I am observing circle/story time, the last part of the school day when a teacher sits before the class and reads a book and leads the class in the final songs and rituals of the day. In this picture you see Kiernan on Pap-Pap's lap, watching a student teacher complete a lesson.]

After school we headed to Trader Joe's (the best store on the planet) for supplies. Our Trader Joe's is in a strip mall with a bunch of stores. One of those stores is Baskin Robbins. Kiernan, for some reason, recognizes Baskin Robbins whenever he sees it. As we pulled into the parking lot, he convinced Pap-Pap that it would be a good idea for the two of them to stop there while I did the shopping. The word "convinced" in that sentence is a bit misleading. Saying Kiernan "convinced" Pap-Pap that getting ice cream was a good idea is a bit like saying I convinced you breathing would be a good idea today.

The two of them got their ice cream, and I had some lovely precious moments at Trader Joe's. And I say that without sarcasm. I love that place and enjoy shopping there with Kiernan, but getting to venture in and do my shopping on my own was nice. Trying to compare products and do Planet Heroes voices simultaneously does tend to take something from the experience.

After that we headed home. Kiernan and Pap-Pap had lunch together and played with the Planet Heroes. All in all, a lovely day.


[Picture Note: They both chose the same flavor, Mississippi Mud. This lead to many hilarious discussions later in the day. No...they saved nary a taste for me. But then I did get free samples at Trader Joe's (coffee and fish sticks), so I suppose it balances out.]