Treats for Kids
Have you packed the treats yet for your children’s Valentine Day class parties? I was packing K9’s this morning (yes, he’s going in for minor surgery in the morning, but I hope to bring him in for the party, and if he cannot make it, then I’ll just drop the treats off). I don’t know if it has ever occurred to you, but assembling these treats is not an easy task for someone that’s new to the country. Took me several years to get it right. When I11 was in elementary school, I used to send in some really weird stuff. No wonder the poor boy isn’t popular!
The biggest screwups, however, have been with K9. Here are the top three.
#3 – birthday, kindergarten
For a birthday treat, I gave K9 (who was then K6) a jar of gingerbread cookies from a Russian store. He brought it back with exactly. One. Cookie. Missing from the jar. There was only one girl in K9’s class brave enough to try the strange and creepy Russian food.
#2 – birthday, 1st grade
We had K9’s birthday party on a Sunday the day before his actual birthday, at a bowling alley. He invited all seven boys in his class. However, the bowling alley was a whopping fifteen miles away, so we had a massive no-show. Only one boy’s parents were brave enough to travel that far in the dangerous October weather. Of course, we had also invited his old friends from daycare, as well as our own friends with their kids, so the party went well, but at the end, we had ¾ of the birthday cake left over. I decided it would be a good idea to wrap the cake up and bring it to class the next day. On Monday, K9 came home from school carrying a small piece of the cake. His brother, I11, came home on the same bus. After dinner, I asked the boys if they wanted cake for dessert and I11 surprised me with a “No way!” When asked why, he explained, “I’m not eating the cake that half the people on the bus have stuck their fingers into”. Turned out that on the way home from school, K9, in his everlasting desire to be popular, walked around the bus with what was left of the cake and offered everybody to help themselves. Oddly, there wasn't any plasticware on the bus, so the kids ended up eating with their hands.
#1 – birthday, 3rd grade
Yes, this happened just a few months ago, just when I decided I was so experienced already, I could buy birthday treats for K9’s class with my eyes closed! Well, as luck would have it, right at that moment the school introduced new rules for what could and what could not be sent to class as a treat – no chocolate, no nuts, no unwrapped treats, no cookies… they banned pretty much everything except chewing gum and fruit snacks. That was what I ended up packing – some chewing gum and a couple of fruit snacks for each kid. That looked pretty pathetic, so I decided to throw a small toy into each treat bag. I went to a party store and bought 20 of these really cute, little shiny recorders for 25 cents apiece. You know, these things that are like a cross between a whistle and a flute? I gave each kid one of those.
When K9 came home from school, the first thing out of his mouth was,
“Mom, the kids loved your treats and they loved the recorders!”
“They did? Good!”
“Yes. The teacher didn’t like it, though.”
“She didn’t? Why?”
“Well she got real mad when everybody took their recorders out and started playing!”
Twenty kids. I can only imagine! To this day, the teacher looks at me funny when I come into the class. I also think this explains the twenty quiet room slips K9 got this year. I’m packing Rice Crispies and Fruit Loops this time. No musical instruments, thank you very much.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone, and remember to stay away from the recorders!
The biggest screwups, however, have been with K9. Here are the top three.
#3 – birthday, kindergarten
For a birthday treat, I gave K9 (who was then K6) a jar of gingerbread cookies from a Russian store. He brought it back with exactly. One. Cookie. Missing from the jar. There was only one girl in K9’s class brave enough to try the strange and creepy Russian food.
#2 – birthday, 1st grade
We had K9’s birthday party on a Sunday the day before his actual birthday, at a bowling alley. He invited all seven boys in his class. However, the bowling alley was a whopping fifteen miles away, so we had a massive no-show. Only one boy’s parents were brave enough to travel that far in the dangerous October weather. Of course, we had also invited his old friends from daycare, as well as our own friends with their kids, so the party went well, but at the end, we had ¾ of the birthday cake left over. I decided it would be a good idea to wrap the cake up and bring it to class the next day. On Monday, K9 came home from school carrying a small piece of the cake. His brother, I11, came home on the same bus. After dinner, I asked the boys if they wanted cake for dessert and I11 surprised me with a “No way!” When asked why, he explained, “I’m not eating the cake that half the people on the bus have stuck their fingers into”. Turned out that on the way home from school, K9, in his everlasting desire to be popular, walked around the bus with what was left of the cake and offered everybody to help themselves. Oddly, there wasn't any plasticware on the bus, so the kids ended up eating with their hands.
#1 – birthday, 3rd grade
Yes, this happened just a few months ago, just when I decided I was so experienced already, I could buy birthday treats for K9’s class with my eyes closed! Well, as luck would have it, right at that moment the school introduced new rules for what could and what could not be sent to class as a treat – no chocolate, no nuts, no unwrapped treats, no cookies… they banned pretty much everything except chewing gum and fruit snacks. That was what I ended up packing – some chewing gum and a couple of fruit snacks for each kid. That looked pretty pathetic, so I decided to throw a small toy into each treat bag. I went to a party store and bought 20 of these really cute, little shiny recorders for 25 cents apiece. You know, these things that are like a cross between a whistle and a flute? I gave each kid one of those.
When K9 came home from school, the first thing out of his mouth was,
“Mom, the kids loved your treats and they loved the recorders!”
“They did? Good!”
“Yes. The teacher didn’t like it, though.”
“She didn’t? Why?”
“Well she got real mad when everybody took their recorders out and started playing!”
Twenty kids. I can only imagine! To this day, the teacher looks at me funny when I come into the class. I also think this explains the twenty quiet room slips K9 got this year. I’m packing Rice Crispies and Fruit Loops this time. No musical instruments, thank you very much.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone, and remember to stay away from the recorders!
