Paper Butterflies
E, 5 years old
15 August 2008
Wire and Assorted Papers and Markers and a wicked sense of symmetry
E made these paper butterflies using a kit that I purchased at Paper Source in Boston. I covet their stuff, but have only purchased it locally at our art store or ordered it online before I stumbled across the store on our Boston trip and wandered back out deliriously happy an hour later. The butterflies were parting gifts to the teachers and staff at her school and we tucked them into the big fruit arrangement we brought in that morning to share. The last photo shows a few of the kids in her room crowding around one of her teachers – eight “graduated” from her preschool on Friday and are all off to their new school adventures elsewhere. She came home Friday afternoon with some goodies, the entire contents of her cubby, and even her name tag off her coat hook and her cot. We were heartbroken to leave, but we do have a picnic there in a few weeks and I’m sure we’ll catch up with the kids and the teachers every once in awhile. It’s the only school that she has known in her short / long little life, and it was a grand one.
That evening we had a welcome / welcome back picnic for her new school in the park right next to her old one. Walking up towards the crowd she sort of tucked in close and told us that she was really feeling quite a bit shy. She watched the other kids run and frolic for awhile, and sat close by during dinner. As we were wrapping up with the eating she suddenly announced that she was through, and if we didn’t mind, could she be excused to go play? We said of course, and off she went, hurling herself full force into a group of kids who were scampering in, and around and up a tree. Suddenly we were the ones sitting at the edge, not knowing many of the new faces, and watching the crowd of parents and teachers who are soon to become some of our closest friends and partners in this whole educational journey. And we were a bit shy at the prospect. The kid took the plunge, didn’t look back once, and we coaxed her away an hour and a half later. She’s ready, so ready.