So it's been a while...

Yeah it's been a while since I've posted anything. I've thought about it, every day actually. Part of my reason for not posting is that I've been busy. When I got over being so busy, I just wanted to be lazy. And for the past several days, I've been sick. So, what have I been up to since I last posted? Where do I start? It may take me a couple of posts to get caught up.

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to help out one of the special area teachers at the school I used to work at, and now volunteer at quite often. They have a really great hands-on, kid's museum type of thing that they got a grant to for several years ago. It's called Kidzone. Inside Kidzone, there are replicas of a bank (with a teller counter, and deposit and withdrawal slips to help the kids learn about money), a Piggly Wiggly (with aisles full of artificial food, and empty boxes, and a cash register so the kids can grocery shop and play cashier), and a McDonalds (well sort of, the back wall is like a mural of what it looks like behind the counter, and there's a cash register and a bunch of empty food containers, also to help with learning about money). There is also a kitchen where the Kidzone teacher, or classroom teacher, can cook with the students. It's pretty impressive actually. In addition to the neat centers, the Kidzone teacher does three units a year on a Social Studies or Science theme, including lots of props, decorations, and hands-on activities. The teacher who taught it since it was started retired at the end of the school year last year, and they hired a new teacher for this year (I wanted the job, but that's another story for another time). But before she left, the retiring teacher helped the incoming teacher set up the unit for the beginning of school. The theme had to be changed at the end of November and the new teacher needed lots of help doing that. That's where I come in. This is turning into a much longer backstory than I anticipated! Sorry 'bout that folks.
So anyway, I spent the week before Thanksgiving helping her transform Kidzone from a Native American setting to Christmas in Germany (I'm supposed to be getting paid for this, but I don't know how much or when I'll actually get the money). It was a lot of work, but it turned out really well. I wish I had before and after photos of everything, but I don't. I do have pictures of some other things that I want to share with you though, so I'll resume with this tomorrow.