Singalong

Looking so solemn...ready to begin.

'Ya gotta love it when little kids sing! Today, we were invited to watch the Second Little Nguyen's class perform a song they have been practicing for their "First Thanksgiving" feast. Later this week, they will be gathering with another preschool class (we'll call them the Pilgrims) to celebrate Thanksgiving. Can you guess which characters the Second Little Nguyen's class will portray in this re-enactment?

Eyes on the teacher...thank you very much!

When the parents were invited to come in, the first thing that struck me was the absolute silence in this room full of 4- and 5-year olds! I am constantly amazed by (and in awe of) the clear control that Ms. Janet maintains with these little ones. I am also amused by how she regains control if she ever loses it, all done with a rhyme that the children happily and loudly repeat before silencing themselves: Tootsie Roll, Lollipop! We've been talking. Now let's STOP! But we heard none of that today. The Explorers were poised and ready to begin. One of them may have had some sweaty palms, though. "Lost" in song?

They were dressed in their Thanksgiving finery, adorned with pattern block headbands (notice the intricate point-to-point precision of diamonds that my normally-craft-spurning child used in his pattern!) and pony-bead-and-fun-foam-medallion necklaces. The Second Little Nguyen flashed a nervous smile before the song began. Then, it was down to the business of singing. Clearly, he did not like being watched -- or videotaped. The Second Little Nguyen is sort of the wallflower type, and to have been put in the front row to sing was probably his worst nightmare! In fact, at one point it almost looks like he is gagging! Hmmm...a bit of a nervous stomach maybe. But the performance was precious, and thankfully there were no breakdowns due to stage fright. I guess I expected a really loud, kid-like tune, but "Song of the Silver Birch" was exactly the opposite. It was a very quiet, sleepy tune, and was quite a contrast to the day-to-day busyness of these little preschoolers! So cute!

Playing his "flute"

Judging by the way he has been belting this tune out at home these last few days, I never would have thought that the Second Little Nguyen would be shy about performing! I guess it's just all of those eyes staring at him that makes him clam up. He is a lot like Chi -- he loves to sing -- just not in front of other people! To each his own!