It has been a full on week, but particularly yesterday so let’s start with that! Yesterday was the big ‘Race Around Minyerri’ loosely based on The Amazing Race.
The four of us had stations where the teams had to complete a task before receiving their next clue. The favourite of these seemed to be Rita’s blind obstacle course and Georgi’s apple bobbing. There were also ‘speed bumps’ involving riddles or animal maths to solve before moving on to the next activity.
Despite the soaring temperatures and running all around town the kids had great fun.
The busy day was topped off by a very successful movie night we held in a classroom. We had about 60 kids show up (some of our lot plus their younger and older siblings) to watch Bran Nue Dae. We preceded the movie with a showing of film clips of the kids from the last two weeks that Georgi expertly cut together to their favourite (but of questionable taste) songs. Watching the kids’ faces and hearing them crack up with laughter when they saw themselves on screen was a highlight of the night – as of course was the popcorn.
Another exciting moment was the arrival of our first rain (some wet season, I know!). After several hours of threatening dark clouds looming over town, we were treated to a huge downpour and a spectacular lightning show (and not just the short-lived Melbourne kind, the lasting-all-night-kind. The four of us Southerners sat outside once the kids had all been delivered home to watch the novelty of this different kind of storm. It was definitely a relieving feeling after two scorching weeks (clearly we are all whimps!).
Today was fairly low key in comparison, but thankfully so, seeing as we have now got two sickies in the group. I have recovered from the Lurgy Jim gave to me, but I passed it to Rita who has passed it to Georgi. Ah the joys of room-sharing!
Anyway, lurgies aside, today we did some science with Rita and Jim making volcanoes and lava fizz and some story-writing and comic strip drawing with Georgi and I.
Still getting really good numbers every day which is great, and we’ve all but mastered the names on the list - although we’re all still having some trouble with brothers KeirAN and KeirON.
Though exhausting, I genuinely look forward to each day, and they are all a great bunch of kids. The four of us are getting better at planning and discovering which things the kids like and dislike doing. My favourite part is still photographing the kids. I have my camera with me all day every day, and they love posing for photos and seeing the result. But the best ones usually come from situations like one I had this afternoon, when they are so deep in thought or engaged in an activity that they don’t notice the shot.
That’s me for now, off to surprise Jim with some stuff for his Birthday! (the third birthday we’ve had in two weeks after Alan the Principal and mine).
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