December 29.
We have now been involved in the Chinese school system for seven years, starting when Sophia was three years old. And every 'event', especially in kindergarten is a big deal, because with only one child (for the Chinese) and one chance to make it special, you must go all out, every time.
I was burning out on these monthly events by Tobin's Kindergarten days for sure. And for Gabrielle, I have no tolerance or time for all the frills (it's an honest confession). She entered Kindergarten midway through the year and therefore has already had less chances (this is only her second semester). So when her teacher approached me about a sports day, and said that she would need to come in the mornings to participate, I decided to make it work. And it did work perfectly for our December.
I absolutely did not regret participation in this. I told David that this was the best event I have been to in my whole career as a Kindergarten mom of four kids. It was well planned, on time, not too long, very entertaining, not overcrowded (they specifically said only one adult could come), and even with comic appeal. Not to mention the food fair at the end, which was also well coordinated and delicious. I was so pleasantly surprised by this, as it had not been my previous experience at this school, ever.
There she is, preparing to go downstairs for her turn to 'dance' with basketballs.
These kids were hilarious...they are taking their job seriously, can you tell?
well, maybe the kid in the shades really was..
Six different classes had to do a different routine to the same song.
At the end, a group of dad's did a skit/performance that was hilarious, acting like they were in kindergarten and different groups dancing to famous Chinese kids' songs. I loved this aspect and had not seen this included in any event before.
They then moved tents to the courtyard and set up all the food.
Gabrielle's class had the best fare: fried rice and dumplings!
