Friday, July 15, 2011

Transition and snack time - is there anything sweeter?

Is there anything sweeter than a dozen toddlers sitting around chatting over their snacks of edamame and fruit? I think not. 





After we get up from savasana we sing one more om and our namaste song, and then sometimes we'll sing a song or two in Spanish if the kids aren't too squirmy yet. Then, as with all things in toddler land, we make 'la transiciĆ³n' to snack time. Transitions are a huge part of our day, as I'm sure parents can relate to! Just picture twelve hungry toddlers, some of whom are still working on the concept of taking turns...we practice sitting up cross-legged to show they're ready to go get their snack, and as they do this I set up our mats into a pretend snack table. We talk a lot about not walking on the 'table' and treating our new mat arrangement as a real table. So that means we eat sitting up, keeping all snacks and drinks on the table, using our table manners (please, thank you, no grabbing from other kids' food, etc). 


This is followed by lots of amazing conversations, about dreams, superheroes, swimming, Mom, Dad, baby siblings, birthdays, favorite foods, play dough...you name it! And you can't rush little ones with their food, so snack goes on for a while. As kids finish, they clean up their place and put their lunch boxes away and they can choose to hang out with us at the table or read a book on their own until story time      officially starts. That happens when everyone (or almost everyone is done eating and has cleaned up). 


Story time starts and so does the Potty Parade...everyone goes to the bathroom and washes their hands and any snack off their face. This is sometimes a really fun time to interact with the kids one on one, and sometimes more of a time trial, depending on how many of them decide to tell me about summer vacation while they sit on the pot! Good times :)