Happy Belated Package Day!

I am not a fan of the way some companies insist on using oversized boxes and way-too-much packing material.  However, this particular day, the children capitalized on the excessive packaging that came in the mail to ceremoniously create and celebrate Package Day.  This was certainly a "holiday" worth celebrating!

These traditions have become ever more meaningful as the children grow and begin to graduate.  Recently, we are seeing a lot of turnover in our enrollment as our original Beansprouts move on to kindergarten. During the last week as new children start their Beansprouts journey, we have witnessed old Beansprouts passing along traditions (games, Beansprouts slang, "rules", jokes, chants) to our newer members of the community. It's a beautiful thing to watch as these almost-kindergarteners, once toddlers and young twos, rise into the role of mentor.

Package Day probably won't become a tradition, but it got me thinking of how culture and traditions are formed. These kids do what is in their hearts (usually something that is universally "fun"), and it sticks and it spreads to other group members. It's so much more rich and satisfying to watch this type of play unfold than to enforce a teacher-driven agenda.  These are children who absolutely own their preschool experience, and it shows.

So, in Ha's words...

Happy Package Day!!!