Days of the Week

My job this year is with an organization called Jumpstart. An Americorps partner, Jumpstart works with Pre-K children to develop social and academic skills to prepare them for Kindergarten. So on Tuesdays and Thursdays I work with a team of UVA students and 4 year olds in a two hour session where we sing songs, make plans, read books, and just play!

One of the girls in my Jumpstart group-- we'll call her Mary-- is incredibly smart and so I try and find things to challenge her each day... lately I have been writing her a message on our white board for her to read and add on to.

Yesterday my message to Mary said,
Good morning friends!
Welcome to Jumpstart! Today is T_____, February 24, 2009.
Today we will make puppets.

I asked Mary to read me the message and fill in the blank. She read it and promptly told me that Today is Tuesday. Then her sweet little face squished up in confusion and she asked, "Miss Shannon, why is it Tuesday? It's the third day of the week... Sunday, Monday, TWOsday... so why is it Tuesday?"

It took me a minute to realize how hard she was thinking about this and why she had gotten confused. I laughed and wrote out the number 2 and TWO-sday and explained that it sounds the same as the word Tuesday. What a thinker!

A little while later I was playing in the housekeeping center when Mary and her partner Lanita came walking by whistling. I explained that I can't whistle and Mary promptly gave me a lesson on the proper placement of your tongue when you are trying to whistle. I practiced and proved that I am indeed incapable of whistling. She smiled, patted me on the shoulder and said smugly, "It's ok. You just need a little practice." :: collapsed in giggles ::