Little Bunny Foo Foo at the Zoo!

You may remember that I mentioned this month's Zoo class. In addition to great exercise in advance of the class it was really a good experience for B. B has typically been quiet and shy with most people. He is much more reserved than some kids his age. He has been particularly resistant to group activities including "circle time." This class marked a shift in that behavior that I was so delighted to discover.

We had a different teacher this month, but the format was largely the same as in October. We were, as you would guess, learning about rabbits this time. As the teacher showed the small group of children pictures of rabbits and asked questions about their characteristics B actually answered questions and was possibly the most active participant. This is a big shift from his usual refusal to sit in the circle and tendency to want to wander off. I was so excited. It may have helped that about 1/2 the kids were the same from last month or maybe he is just maturing. We had a great time hopping around the room and identifying all the animals on the wall, particularly other ones that also hop. Yes, I attempted to do some gentle hopping with Miss M in the Bjorn:)

This month the craft was rabbit ears and I boldly let him do the cutting and to color them however he wanted. Many other mothers were a bit less liberal, but I think it is fine to have multi-hued rabbit ears that are slightly imperfectly cut out. We were learning and doing things together. He seemed to love the stories, crafts, snacks, and group activities generally. The only thing he wouldn't do, oddly, was pet the rabbit. I did pet it and it was amazingly soft. The class itself was good, but I was more amazed and delighted by the developmental milestones. I'm so happy to see him more comfortable in these situations. I'm not sure if it is just age or more experience with MDO situations like these. Whatever the reason, it opens the doors to all sorts of fun new activities that we can try and I'm excited to see how he continues to progress!

Ps. Yes, they really did sing the song. I had sort of imagined it was gone from the land of childrens' songs. Apparently, not quite yet.....