CROSSWARD: A busy weekend... week... term!

It is hard to believe that the first term at RVA has come to completion. There are so many things to share so many wonderful memories. Here is a little bit of the last weekend at RVA.

I had been telling my 6th grade girls that I wanted to do something special for their birthdays. I decided on a term sleepover in which every girl who had their Birthday that term could come to my house for a sleepover celebration. This term there were 5 girls. A wonderful little group of girls from Northern Ireland, US, Kenya and Korea! I hung streamers and balloons and made cupcakes... the first batch decided not to rise. (Still working out the kinks of baking at high altitude with a finicky oven.) The girls came over after the school movie night. I whipped up some yummy buttercream frosting... which I have to say is better than even Betty Crocker. The girls picked colors and we even had some strawberries that I blended up and added to some of the frosting. Then we set to work. Frosting and sprinkling and EATING. It is pretty incredible how many cupcakes we put away.

Some time during the frosting a knock came a the door. I forgot I had ordered fresh made donuts from the seniors. Before the night was over the girls put away all 20 donut dots (like donut holes) too! By this point we were full of sugar, though no one was tired we all agreed it was a good time to put on our PJs and out came the stuffed animals. We played a few board games and a few of the girls made up games, then painted out nails and had another cupcake or 2. We were starting to slow down, at least I was. They asked for a bedtime story, since I am not good at making them up myself I looked up one of my favorites online, The Gift of the Magi. I think Oh Henry's big words put us all to sleep.

We all did a lot of this :)

So creative, my students.

The next morning we were all up bright and early for Pinewood Derby day! It was also senior store weekend so I took the girls to breakfast. Then on to the Derby. I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked into the gym. There was this crazy track, with all kinds or electronics to project each cars speed, super high tech with photo finish and everything thing! All the way out here in Kijabe! I knew this was a big deal, but I was blown away. I had the job of carrying cars up on trays to be placed on the track and directing the competing students. The cars the kids had made were amazing too! What a fun day/ weekend/ term to remember!