On Monday, she returned to school. At 11am, I turned up with goodies bags for 24 children and was immediately swarmed by at least half of them. But before they could lay their hands on the goodies bags, they were called away by their teachers for her Montessori birthday ritual.
Teacher N placed a cut-out picture of a sun on the floor, then surrounded it with 12 cards, each stating the month of the year.
She handed a globe to the birthday girl and told her to stand at June. Grasping the globe in her hands, she was then asked to walk around the sun and months formation while her teachers and friends sang
The earth goes round the sun tra la
The earth goes round the sun tra la
It take 12 months to go round the sun
And Toffee turns 1!
At the end of the song, she had walked 1 round and was back at June. Teacher N asked, “What did you do when you were 1 year old?” She looked utterly bewildered at the question. Probably there were so many things she did when she was 1 year old, and everything’s a milestone for a 1 year old. Teacher N prompted, “You walked?” She nodded uncertainly (probably because she certainly didn’t walk at 1 year old).
She was then asked to walk a 2nd round while still holding on to the globe. Her teachers and friends sang again
The earth goes round the sun tra la
The earth goes round the sun tra la
It take 12 months to go round the sun
And Toffee turns 2!
Back at June, Teacher N asked again, “What did you do when you were 2 years old?” She was still as bewildered at the question, probably because there were even more things she did at 2 years old and almost every one of those things were still milestones for a 2 year old. Teacher N prompted, “You talked?” She nodded, a little more certainly this time (probably because she knows for certain how much she talks), and repeated, “I talked.”
And so she went a 3rd round with the globe while her teachers and friends sang
The earth goes round the sun tra la
The earth goes round the sun tra la
It take 12 months to go round the sun
And Toffee turns 3!
Going back round to June for the 3rd time, she was posed a slightly different question. Teacher N asked, “So what do you want to do now that you’re 3 years old?” She thought for a while, and answered, “Clap.” (She was probably thinking of her Kindermusik class where she’s asked at the beginning of every session what she’d like to do… tap, stomp, jump, clap, etc?) Now it was Teacher N’s turn to look puzzled. But she obliged and asked everybody to clap for the birthday girl, who looked pleased as punch.
The children were then asked to find themselves a seat at the tables while Teacher N took out the chocolate cake gifted by the school. She stuck in 3 candles and placed the cake in front of the birthday girl, who suddenly found herself surrounded by a crowd of like-minded children whose eyes never left the cake, and whose fingers were inching towards it, even as the teachers kept reminding and cautioning, “No touching!” Luckily, Teacher N found the box of matchsticks before the cake got too messed up. She lit the candles, and led the children in singing the birthday song. The birthday girl was asked to blow out the candles and she tried valiantly twice, blowing as hard as she could, before I decided to help her out on her 3rd try (too much of her spit can’t be good for her friends).
She made the 1st cut on her cake. Then Teacher N took over and handed her the 1st slice of chocolate cake with extra pieces of chocolate to go with it. She grinned in delight.
When she and her friends were all done with the chocolate cake, she gave them their goodies bags one by one.
She sat down dazed on the floor after handing out all the bags.
Her friends, on the other hand, got more and more excited, squealing as they rummaged through their loot.
The teachers herded the children out for lunch afterward. I stayed on through her lunchtime because she was unwilling to let me go, and I didn’t want to risk her melting down into a puddle of tears on the day of her school birthday party. After lunch, I walked her back into her classroom, promising to be return at 1.30pm to bring her home. She hesitated, but waved goodbye in the end.
Read also:
3rd Birthday (Part I)
3rd Birthday (Part II)
3rd Birthday (Part III)
3rd Birthday (Part V)
3rd Birthday (Part VI)
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