Father’s Day is fast approaching, and while it’s a difficult day for my personally, I wanted to be able to share a project that you might want to take on for your own Father’s Day celebration. I’m generally not THIS personal in my blog posts, but it has somehow evolved to this and so I hope you’ll humor me and my ‘sharing.’
My own dad passed away five years ago, having only really known my two oldest boys. My oldest son was only 3 when dad left us and my second son was only 9 months old. Boy did he LOVE my boys. My little baby boy number three wasn’t even a thought yet, but he often tells me stories about him and his ‘Grandpa Harold’ as does his brothers. I don’t know if they make up these stories from looking at old pictures or dreams or from hearing me talk about him, but it is somehow comforting to know that they have some kind of relationship with my dad even if it is imaginary.
With my dad being gone, grandpa duties in our family have really fallen solely on my father-in-law, Papa. He has been a source of great joy for my children and I am always looking for ways to capture the special relationship they have with him. When my oldest son, MacKale, was only just 5, I had a conversation with him about his Papa who had recently remarried a woman named Lucy after my mother-in-law passed away (yes it was a rough time in my home loosing a Grandpa and a Nana within only 9 months time). I recorded the conversation, printed it out and placed it on the back of some original artwork by three artist brothers for my father-in-law for Father’s Day. The art looked like this . . .
and the conversation, like this . . .
The fish I can tell you how to make and I will. It’s simple. The conversation, the priceless piece of this gift, is something you’ll need to develop on you own, but feel free to use some of the questions I did with my own child here.
Children have such an amazing view of the world and the people they love. I hope you will take an opportunity to preserve those views and the words of a child for a special man on Father’s Day this year.
As for the fish art . . .
Have the gift giver child paint a watery back ground or just blue or add some weeds if you prefer . . .
Next, have the owner of a grubby little hand choose three colors for the fish and then paint one of those grubby little hands in three to four colors vertically.
Next press the hand on a separate piece of paper and let it dry along with the watery background.
When the fish is dry cut it out and give it an eye or any other details you would like to add
You will be placing the fish, thumb down on the background paper. Add bubbles or whatever kind of details you wish to make it how you want it to look. Make sure to date and label it somewhere. I choose to frame mine to make a bit more special and mounted the ‘conversation piece’ on the back of the frame. Ta-Dah! It’s done and you have a keepsake that will be treasured. Ours is in Papa’s office where he can see it everyday. I hope your Papa or Grandpa or Dad enjoy their gift as much as ours does.
With nearly 20 years of experience as a full-time kindergarten teacher, I’m committed to creating a classroom where learning is joyful, engaging, challenging, and fun. Each day, I work to ensure that my students feel successful through instruction that considers their unique interests, learning profiles, and readiness levels. I believe that students should be excited to come to class and enjoy a myriad of hands-on activities that encourage exploration and discovery.
While I continue to teach full-time, I find so much joy in connecting and building friendships with teachers worldwide. It’s why I started this blog back in 2012. My hope has become a reality as I have been able to forge relationships with teachers, sharing ideas and building friendships beyond my little neck of the woods through professional development sessions and this blog.
So by all means, take some time to look around and explore A Differentiated Kindergarten. Gather some new ideas, fun tips, and most importantly, don’t forget to reach out and say, ‘Hi!’
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