School Year Stuff

Right before Christmas, Monkey2 came home from preschool with a paper grocery bag full of Christmas art projects. As she showed them to her sister, Monkey1 recognized many of them; she had the same teacher two years ago.

"Mommy, where's my clothes pin baby Jesus?"

"I don't know."

"You threw it out!"

"No I did not throw it out. I put it in a box. I put all your preschool stuff in a box."

"Can we find it?"

"Not right this minute." I knew it was in the basement somewhere, but mostly I did not want a year's worth of preschool art projects strewn all over the floor right before supper. However, I did have a plan for them... "How about after Christmas, during the school vacation week, we find the boxes of your school stuff and we make a scrapbook of your favorite things?"

This idea was greeted enthusiastically.

When I had boxed up Monkey1's preschool year papers, I intended to let them sit for a year before I sorted through them to pick out a few favorites to keep. Two and a half years later, why not let the Monkeys do their own sorting?

So after Christmas, I folded and sewed several large sheets of thick art paper into big books. I gave Monkey1 her preschool year box and Monkey2 her year without big sister box, put a strip of colored tape on the floor to keep them from mixing their papers too much, and let them pick out "four pages worth" of favorite items. While they picked through their boxes, I quickly taped a photo from that year into each book. Then we arranged their selected favorite drawings, paintings, etc. on the pages and taped them in. Any item that was too big or too lumpy, I took a photo of, so it could still be included. Monkey1 did her preschool (age 4) and kindergarten years, and Monkey2 did her year without big sister (age 2) and preschool year (age 3).

The photos arrived in the mail a few days ago. I realize now that opening a photo developing envelope of actual prints is an unusual experience for my Monkeys, children of the digital photo age. Sure I print out photos on our home printer, but getting an envelope with a pile of pictures in it that you know what they are but can't exactly remember because it was more than a week ago that you took the pictures, this was a novelty. We taped in the photos, and the Monkeys delighted in looking through their school scrapbooks, which we can add to each year.

That they can add to each year.

I am relieved that this project turned into something they can do most of - the sorting and selecting is the hardest part - and they are proud of their scrapbooks. For once, my procrastination made the job easier. Ages four and six is so much nicer than ages four and two.

So of course, I'll soon be dealing with the tiny years again soon.