counting to 7

I spent today counting to 7. Many many times over.

I accompanied the kindergarten classes from our school on an excursion to the Botanic Gardens for a Teddy Bears Picnic. I was assigned a group of 7 six-year-olds, consisting of the X-man, a boy who can't sit still, another who can't stop talking, and four girls who wanted to hold my hands, and it was my job to keep track of them for six hours. 1-2-3-4-5-6-where's J? Over here J!

We had a great time. Perfect weather for walking through the gardens, searching for creatures and colours and secret hidden things, and playing teddy bear games. Warm enough to really appreciate the cool shadows of the rainforest paths. And when we arrived back at the Education Centre and found all the children's teddy bears had tired of waiting and run off with our lunches to set up the picnic somewhere else, the looks on the kids' faces were priceless!

I was a bit concerned with the conversations while we were following the clues the teddies left for us. I was told several times by certain children that they hated their teddies because they ran away, and that they intended to smack their teddies very very hard. I know things are black and white at this age, but there were some very strong words coming out of these children's mouths.

But they were all very pleased to find their teddies waiting with lunch set up when we arrived at the picnic area, and the harsh words were soon forgotten in the excitement of a picnic lunch and the opportunity afterwards to run around like complete maniacs under the trees.

We had a sandbox story a little later, and planted some seeds to take back to school, and by then it was time for a final meandering walk to the bus, where more than one child nodded off on the way back to school.

And we finished the day with the same number of children :)

What did I learn from today?

1. I admire our teachers. I had fun today, but I couldn't do it every day. I find being around that many children, who all want something from you, very draining.
2. Being silly with kids is great fun (especially when there are furry teddy bear hats involved) 
3. In every group there are a few who wander off to do their own thing, either because they're a bit vague, because they're the type who will always push boundaries, or because the main group just doesn't move at the speed the individual wants to go at. None of these are necessarily bad things, but they make tracking everyone a bit tricky.
4. I love walking, but I need a purpose to really enjoy it, otherwise it's 'exercise' and I don't particularly enjoy that. I think this is the key for getting fit for me. Incidentally, one of the other mothers mentioned geocaching this afternoon. Something like that might work for me. 
5. A day in the outdoors, with most of it spent on the move and in the sun, with the constant noise and demands for attention from lots of children, is exhausting! I had a nice little nap this afternoon ;)