Songs and Rules

That is apparently what preschool is made of.

We don't usually get much out of Nicholas when we ask him what he did at school that day, but the boy does randomly break out into songs and recitations of various school rules. And if you listen carefully and piece it all together, you can get a lot of information about what is going on.

The songs are the most impressive--he seems to have a new one every day. This weekend he sang us songs for days of the week and months of the year. In fact, any time you mention a day of the week, he starts singing. On cue. Every time. Funniest part? We were at a friend's house for dinner and she asked him if he wanted an ice cream sundae for dessert and he immediately began his rendition: "Sunday, Monday . . ."

And while it is sort of impressive that he knows the months (heck, who are we kidding, I'm impressed the kid can say "November" let alone that he can put it in the proper order), what actually impresses me more is his musical ear. I have never heard most of the songs they sing at school and yet I can confidently sing most of them because he does such a good job on the tune.

The rules are not nearly as cute but often more informative about what is going on at school. "Rules" may actually not be quite the right word because these are not the set list of 10 things on the wall. It is more like Nicholas recites every lecture the teachers gave them to correct behaviors all day. And his teachers apparently give very thorough explanations for the reasons behind each chastisement. And you know when he is parroting something from school because it almost always involves the word "friends" or "bodies" and often both.

For example: "When we sit criss- cross-applesauce we put our hands on our own bodies. If our hands are on the floor our friends might step on them. Our hands go on our own bodies when we sit criss-cross-applesauce." I may not have that quote exactly verbatim, but it is pretty close.

Another school-ism (said as he falls down): "I just threw my body on the floor. We don't throw our bodies on the floor when we play freeze dance. Our friends will trip if we throw our bodies on the floor."

I appreciate the explanations of rules, but I have to stifle a laugh over the phrasings. "Throw our bodies on the floor?" Really? Did I miss the memo where saying "fall down" will destroy children's development?