A while back I went to Grandparents' Day at the school where one of our grands is a student. They had different times for different grades to assemble in the gym. Then, grandparents were led from the front door of the school down to the gym to see the grands. I was glad to see Luci and she hopped up and came over to greet me with a hug as soon as I entered the gym.
A couple of her friends did not have grandparents who were able to come; so, I adopted them on the spot and they tagged along with us for the activity. The activity was to make friendship bracelets. The school staff had done a good job of preparing. There were two rows of tables lined up down the middle of the gym floor and a couple of spots decorated to serve as backdrops for photos on either end of the gym. Atop the tables were pans of beads and the students reported to a staff member to get a strand of cording for stringing the beads onto in making a bracelet.
Luci and her friend, Natalie, have made bracelets a lot and they quickly began sorting through a couple of the pans to find different beads that they liked. They chose a color pattern and selected beads with letters and laid them all out into a row. Then, began stringing them onto the cord. When they had their cording full, they reported to a teacher who added a clasp and they were done. They returned to the table to help a couple of their friends find specific beads and lay them out for stringing. I loved how they demonstrated lining up the beads in a desired pattern or row and then threading those onto the cord. The concept came pretty easy for some of their friends and was a struggle for a couple of them.
Near the end of our assigned bracelet-making time, Luci and Natalie circulated round the gym and picked up stray beads that had dropped and little bits of cording that had been cut from the bracelets. They were tidying up the space for the next grade of students and grandparents who would participate.
It was a fun experience to watch Luci in her daily environment and how she interacted with her peers. It sort of made me puff up with pride about the job her parents are doing to guide her toward adulthood. I'm sure that the school staff learns a lot about students on days like this that can help them to be better teachers, guides, and mentors for these young folks. Seeing them interact with family members or friends' family members can be eye-opening. It also gives the community an opportunity to see the school and their family member's friends and peers.
Just another perk of retirement for me! I had the chance to enjoy time with one of the grands and to see how things happen in their world.
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