international hats

Yesterday at school was "International Hat Day".

You make a hat that represents where you and/or your parents are from.

Great idea.

Lots of fun.

But we got the notices for it Wednesday after school - which didn't leave a whole lot of time to make hats!

Normally I really want the kids to do their own stuff.  I don't get it when a child has a project and the parents do most of the work.  I'm thinking that it doesn't teach the child a whole lot, other than "get someone else to do my work" and "I must not be good enough to do it myself."

And it really bothers me when that same kid gets a great grade when it is obvious that they didn't do their own homework project.....

I won't stand on that soapbox - I could go on and on.

Anyway, since we had little time, Lucy had a stomach ache (correction, a "stummy ache" as she so cutely calls it, and had a homework project (make an insect out of only recyclable materials), I made her hat.

 It was quite necessary to make it with dual nationalities.

I have to keep reminding the kids that they are half Canadian!

Lucy wanted her picture taken with the flower - of course, she is a sweet girly-girl.

But then two seconds later, she wanted a picture taken with a mad face.

 Okay.....

Cade did fortunately have time to make his own, complete with ginormous flag ears.

 He also put a key chain thing that had a Canadian flag on it on the hat, as well as a red rubber band - to represent the red of the two flags, and a piece of blue yarn to represent the blue from the US flag.

I LOVE his creativity and individuality.

In my books, those are the kinds of projects that deserve high awards.  Love it!

Mia, not loving having her picture taken, didn't exactly cooperate with the brief photo shoot.

 Ah, that's better.

She actually made her hat on the weekend with one of her closest friends who is from the city that is 45 minutes away from where I grew up.  How cool is that?

Yup, very cool.

(Had I known that this was an assignment for the entire elementary school, perhaps I could have started the other two kids on their hats that early!)

Being that her friend is Canadian and their teacher is Canadian, Mia was much more interested in going only for the Canadian side of things.

How can I blame her?

Well, that was yesterday.

Today my baby turned 6.

Let me say that again:

My BABY turned SIX.

I'm off to go drown my sorrows in chocolate.....

(I can do that now.)