DGS1 is in year 6 and, at his school, they have an entertainment-and-tea show at Christmas for the year 6 Grandparents. Or, rather, for one grandparent per child. I was really touched that DGS1 decided to invite us, and then I was slightly panic-struck when I realised it was for me not DH.
DD lives a fair distance away, takes a good couple of hours to get there. DH came with me so that he could see DD and DGD while I was at the school. DD walked me to the school and left me there. I felt like a child dropped at the school playground for the first time (which is completely unfair exaggeration as I was actually in the school's reception, but I did have to ask her to "come and collect me" at the closing time).
The 3 classes had held auditions for who was going to be in the show. Not everyone had to audition, so there was no coersion. Of the 90 children in that year, they had 12 acts interspersed with single/pair/or trio comperes (or "compares" as they put on the programme, tut tut) telling jokes.
It was really good. We had sketches, lots of singers, a wide range of musical instrument playing (clarinet, guitars, trumpet, flute), and some gymnasts. The quality was, of course, variable, but each one was fantastic just for having a go. There were 180 people in the audience, plus teachers, so quite daunting.
And then we had tea. Some nibbles, some cakes, some tea. An individual cracker, made by grandchild,complete with gift. There was a bit of a competition to see who had travelled the furthest. I thought it would be me...but I was pipped at the post by a grandma from Portugal. I take my hat off to her.
Then the children were sent to run around in the playground and we were invited to go with. So I did. DGS wanted to play "it" but, as I chased him, I tried (pantingly) to explain that it was inherently unfair because I was unlikely to catch hime and even if I did he'd catch me back within seconds. So we spent the next 15 minutes or so playing jumping games with my DGS.... they have squares with letters in, so we were jmping letters to make words, and then we were doing the alphabet backwards. They also had a grid with the numbers 1 -100, so we were playing "times table" jumping. In the end DGS decided the Table, did the jumping, and I told him which numbers to jump to. He was most impressed that I knew the 12 times table. One of his friends wanted to join in (how bizarre is that?!), so for a few moments until the whistle blew we had a bit of a competition.
I was so pleased to hear the whistle. I was shattered, I was cold. DD, DH and DGD turned up to collect me, we went to the other part of the school to pick up DGS2, and then back to collect DGS1.
On our walk back I walked on the otside, explaining that I needed to keep my sword arm free to protect them. "What if you're left handed?" asked DGS after some thinking. I explained that in the olden days, people weren't allowed to be left handed, that my Mother had been forced to learn to write with her right hand. DH (or DGD in their case) was left handed; DGS2 was left handed; DSiL was left handed.
DGS then said that they didn't have roads in the old days. I explained that they did have roads - how else did people get fromone place to another? - but of course they weren't tarmaced and pavemented roads.
"What about in the desert?" was the next challenge. I agreed that there probably weren't roads in the desert.
DD lives a fair distance away, takes a good couple of hours to get there. DH came with me so that he could see DD and DGD while I was at the school. DD walked me to the school and left me there. I felt like a child dropped at the school playground for the first time (which is completely unfair exaggeration as I was actually in the school's reception, but I did have to ask her to "come and collect me" at the closing time).
The 3 classes had held auditions for who was going to be in the show. Not everyone had to audition, so there was no coersion. Of the 90 children in that year, they had 12 acts interspersed with single/pair/or trio comperes (or "compares" as they put on the programme, tut tut) telling jokes.
It was really good. We had sketches, lots of singers, a wide range of musical instrument playing (clarinet, guitars, trumpet, flute), and some gymnasts. The quality was, of course, variable, but each one was fantastic just for having a go. There were 180 people in the audience, plus teachers, so quite daunting.
And then we had tea. Some nibbles, some cakes, some tea. An individual cracker, made by grandchild,complete with gift. There was a bit of a competition to see who had travelled the furthest. I thought it would be me...but I was pipped at the post by a grandma from Portugal. I take my hat off to her.
Then the children were sent to run around in the playground and we were invited to go with. So I did. DGS wanted to play "it" but, as I chased him, I tried (pantingly) to explain that it was inherently unfair because I was unlikely to catch hime and even if I did he'd catch me back within seconds. So we spent the next 15 minutes or so playing jumping games with my DGS.... they have squares with letters in, so we were jmping letters to make words, and then we were doing the alphabet backwards. They also had a grid with the numbers 1 -100, so we were playing "times table" jumping. In the end DGS decided the Table, did the jumping, and I told him which numbers to jump to. He was most impressed that I knew the 12 times table. One of his friends wanted to join in (how bizarre is that?!), so for a few moments until the whistle blew we had a bit of a competition.
I was so pleased to hear the whistle. I was shattered, I was cold. DD, DH and DGD turned up to collect me, we went to the other part of the school to pick up DGS2, and then back to collect DGS1.
On our walk back I walked on the otside, explaining that I needed to keep my sword arm free to protect them. "What if you're left handed?" asked DGS after some thinking. I explained that in the olden days, people weren't allowed to be left handed, that my Mother had been forced to learn to write with her right hand. DH (or DGD in their case) was left handed; DGS2 was left handed; DSiL was left handed.
DGS then said that they didn't have roads in the old days. I explained that they did have roads - how else did people get fromone place to another? - but of course they weren't tarmaced and pavemented roads.
"What about in the desert?" was the next challenge. I agreed that there probably weren't roads in the desert.
