Fire drill discoveries

Friday's fire drill was not the best safety performance by the preschool class.  The first child opened the door, but stood holding it open instead of putting down the kick stop and heading out the sidewalk.  Other kids stopped to say "thank you" and wait for her "you're welcome" reply before going through.  That's all nice manners when we are going out for recess, but not fast enough for a fire drill.

We had to get tough.  "If you can't push the door open and put down the kick stop, it isn't safe for you to come to this school," our director said. 

When the going gets tough, even our smallest three year olds could push and walk the door open, then put the kick stop down.  We know, because every child practiced.  Some of them aren't as tall as the push bar on the door, but they could still do it.  Not only that, but they felt like superheroes when they did it.  Talk about empowered!

It was a great reminder why we need to back off on the things we do for our children.  Sometimes when we think we are protecting them from the Big World Where Bad Things Can Happen, we aren't letting them develop the common sense, thinking skills, and muscles to be truly safe.

The other discovery is blooms on this plant along the sidewalk.  I've never seen the plant bloom and make seeds in at least three years.  We don't know what it is, but some specimens seem to be male and others female.  The blooms are intergalactic, although it wasn't a good day for photography.

 



© 2010 Nancy L. Ruder