There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom
Several of our kids lately have been peeking into the opposite gender's bathroom at school, and though I don't want them to be looking in at the other bathroom while people might be using it or changing, I know that it is natural to be curious and also can be happening because it is the allure of the forbidden. After two girls told me that this had been happening again, I decided to copy a tactic used by one of my own teachers when we read the book, There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom, in third or fourth grade. We lined up and I told them that I was- just this once, going to let the boys check out the girl's room and likewise for the girls. They all began laughing and a few actually cheered. We walked to the bathrooms and the scurrying to get inside was out of a cartoon. Feet running in place, only later followed by actual body movement. The boys were amazed at the confinement of all the stalls and the girls couln't get over the openess- and the messiness. Its funny that even at this age the girls notcied that boys are messier. I told Miss Betsy about this because I almost immediately had to turn them over and clean out this theme from the School Age Room. She congradulted me on my tactics. I don't know what the books would say, but the kids enjoyed it, and time will tell if it has stemmed the curiosity.
Our new theme, by the way, is Roaming the Desert, and in the theme area I have built our very own Oasis complete with sand (carpet squares) grass (an indoor/outdoor carpet creatively cut) a palm tree, sand table and lawn chairs. I'm going to try to get a few cacti and some other things- like desert animals. I think this will be my hardest theme, because I know the least about it before coming in to teach it. By its very nature a desert is sparse and it seems like there'd be less obvious teaching tie-ins. Maybe it will end up being the most interesting just because I'm learning along with the kids. Sometimes its funny how the most memorable things the kids learn are not at all related to the theme. What they've been most interested in is getting better at drawing hte human figure. We got on this recently because I was doodling a picture of a woman and they began asking questions and experiementing on their own. Its flattering and funny how they like to impersonate whatever I am drawing, and its fun to get to do art- as opposed to center after center of practicing writing names. (No offence to my preschoolers- I love them all!)
Several of our kids lately have been peeking into the opposite gender's bathroom at school, and though I don't want them to be looking in at the other bathroom while people might be using it or changing, I know that it is natural to be curious and also can be happening because it is the allure of the forbidden. After two girls told me that this had been happening again, I decided to copy a tactic used by one of my own teachers when we read the book, There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom, in third or fourth grade. We lined up and I told them that I was- just this once, going to let the boys check out the girl's room and likewise for the girls. They all began laughing and a few actually cheered. We walked to the bathrooms and the scurrying to get inside was out of a cartoon. Feet running in place, only later followed by actual body movement. The boys were amazed at the confinement of all the stalls and the girls couln't get over the openess- and the messiness. Its funny that even at this age the girls notcied that boys are messier. I told Miss Betsy about this because I almost immediately had to turn them over and clean out this theme from the School Age Room. She congradulted me on my tactics. I don't know what the books would say, but the kids enjoyed it, and time will tell if it has stemmed the curiosity.
Our new theme, by the way, is Roaming the Desert, and in the theme area I have built our very own Oasis complete with sand (carpet squares) grass (an indoor/outdoor carpet creatively cut) a palm tree, sand table and lawn chairs. I'm going to try to get a few cacti and some other things- like desert animals. I think this will be my hardest theme, because I know the least about it before coming in to teach it. By its very nature a desert is sparse and it seems like there'd be less obvious teaching tie-ins. Maybe it will end up being the most interesting just because I'm learning along with the kids. Sometimes its funny how the most memorable things the kids learn are not at all related to the theme. What they've been most interested in is getting better at drawing hte human figure. We got on this recently because I was doodling a picture of a woman and they began asking questions and experiementing on their own. Its flattering and funny how they like to impersonate whatever I am drawing, and its fun to get to do art- as opposed to center after center of practicing writing names. (No offence to my preschoolers- I love them all!)
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