Yet Again We Have Escaped the Public School System for Two Entire Weeks! | Do Try This at Home: Yet Again We Have Escaped the Public School System for Two Entire Weeks!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Yet Again We Have Escaped the Public School System for Two Entire Weeks!

Ok, so we haven't totally shaken it - they sent my boy home with a homework packet.

Over break! Isn't there a law against that?

Still, conversations such as this will be way less frequent:
Me - "You need to stop working and go play!"

My boy - "Why?"

Me - "You've been doing homework since we got home! You're not going to have any time to play!"

My boy - "I've got two big projects due!!!"

Me - "When are they due?"

My boy - "Monday."

Me - "Okay. Well, you can work a LITTLE more. But then you've got to go play."
My boy's as playful as they come, by the way. It's just that fifth grade has been a LOT of homework.

And of course, no school for two weeks means no carpool for two weeks. That means no more fun games like, "How can a ______ kill you?"

In this delightful game my boy and his friend take turns naming an object. The other boy then offers some intricate scenario where that object causes an untimely death.

The game is played like this:
Friend - "How can a bottle cap kill you?"

My boy - "You open a bottle and put the bottle cap in your pocket. Later when you're at the gas station parking lot you reach into your pocket to get out money to buy a pack of gum. The bottle cap flies out of your pocket and hits the pavement. It causes a spark which lights the gas tanks on fire and you die from the explosion."

Me - "Couldn't you just choke on the bottle cap?"
Or something like that, because generally I don't take (too many) notes on their conversations. But the scenarios are very intricate and totally bypass some simple and more common ways to die. I'm sure all that exercise of their imagination is good for them. Somehow.

And since I never did put up any pictures from Thanksgiving:
It turns out that for the price of a few cockroaches, interminable traffic, no mountains, a hurricane or tropical storm every now and again, and what some people consider intolerable summers, you may also get to eat outside on Thanksgiving day. Sounds like a fair deal to me.

This is my favorite Thanksgiving photo:Why isn't my grandfather's wheelchair in the trunk? This was the subject of a couple of conversations, ending in one of my cousins calling my aunt's sanity into question. Let's just say that in my family we do things the hard way. Apparently. Or at least I do.

Happy first night of Hannukah!

18 comments:

Cecelia---Sis---Mom said...

Your son sounds like my youngest. They can really come up with the most amazing stories and circumstances. LOL

Both of mine (9th grade and 4th grade) have reading assignments during Christmas Break.

Cece

Anonymous said...

omgosh, this post made me laugh! Especially that bottlecap game! I can only imagine what my youngest would come up with.

And WTH is the wheelchair doing in the back with you? LOL!

Wendy said...

That sounds like my youngest son too. I know if I mention it to him, we will be playing it ALL THE TIME.

And yeah, what is the wheelchair doing in the back?

Anonymous said...

Your boy knows a fun game. Wish I knew it as a kid.

I am guessing the trunk was full so that's why the wheelchair is in the back? Or maybe Grandpa is in the trunk because he couldn't fit in the back?

delmer said...

Happy Hanukkah.

My son came home with a project -- he has to make a molecule or something similar out of marshmallows. I'm of the mind that over-the-holidays projects should be outlawed.

A Free Man said...

The intricacy of those kind of games is what makes them fun. And kind of what makes boys fun as well!

Unknown said...

Sounds like me and my bro - back when we could tolerate each other - always staging train accidents.

John C said...

I remember when one of my kids started coming up with strange games. At first I was worried, then over time I started to realize and appreciate the thinking and logic behind them being able to do so.

This holiday break I was luckily spared from having to worry about projects, most of my son's work is scheduled to be undergone AFTER break...thank you thank you THANK YOU!

Happy Hannukah, Jill. Warmth, care, and wonder be you and yours.

Anonymous said...

That is quite an imagination.

I always ended up with projects over the holidays, but more becaus I had put them off and less because of a last minute assignment.

Jill said...

Cece - See, now that's just a crime! How the heck are they supposed to learn anything over break if they're stuck doing homework?!?!? Ok READING not so back, but packet of worksheets?!?!?!?

Creative Junkie & Wendy & Ms.Q - Well, it's like this: my guy told my aunt (that's actually my aunt & cousin in the back seat, not me) that we DIDN'T need for her to bring TV trays. He told her we had enough seating for everyone. So that's why she filled the entire trunk with TV trays and had to have a wheelchair smoosh her face the whole way to and from our house!

Ms.Q - Where the heck is your blog?!?!?!? I'm only getting an error! And of course, you're right on the trunk - see above comment. :-)

Delmer - I am SOOOOOO with you. I'm sure it must be already outlawed. It MUST be!!!! Although my son's Hebrew teacher really was afraid they'd forget a lot. She said the class in general forgot a lot over Thanksgiving. So I could see her point if she wanted them to practice a little because it's a language and all. But everything else - I mean, it's their JOB to forget over winter break!

A Free Man - Yeah you're in for that kind of fun soon yourself! My son started with the intricate description games at age four, spending twenty five minutes describing the various buttons on the Halloween costume he was planning (a lion who drives a jeep). So, couple more years, maybe less! :-)

SJ - Train accidents, huh? We were always trapped in lava from a volcano. You don't tolerate your brother anymore?

John - Lucky on the homework!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I don't think it's anything to worry about. I mean, I played in imaginary hot lava all the time as a child and I came out fine. Sort of. Thanks for the Hanukkah wishes! Same to you & yours this holiday season!!!

Kristine - Bummer. :-( They should all be due right BEFORE break!!!

Unknown said...

Well yeah these days we have agreed to disagree on everything in the universe. Anyways I didn't come here to rant about my bro I came to wish you ...

Happy holidays and Hannukah !!!

Anonymous said...

Your kid and his friend's game made me think of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxrfk7mxi-I

Good seeing you today!

Bruce Johnson said...

You should ask the question: "How can blogging kill you?".....just so I can be prepared for the inevitable.

Jill said...

JUST everything in the universe SJ?!?!? That's ALL?!?!? I expected more... Kidding. Of course. At least you've agreed to disagree...that must be a start. and thanks on the Hanukkah wishes!

Jeffery Thames [King of Grief] - Oh that is EXACTLY their game!!! Except, they didn't sing theirs. I have to show that video to my boy! I've been wondering if you get that a lot at work - people getting whiplash while pawing through the CDs, wondering if somehow the cash register is channeling Sound Awake...

Bruce - I'll have to ask tomorrow. The little booger is already asleep. But I'll let you know as soon as I find out. We might as well all be prepared...

RW said...

Your so funny! A Happy Monananana to you and your family! (pssst I can't pronounce that word right sorry)

ALF said...

That game sounds like fun. I want to play!

Unknown said...

A happy Hanukkah to you my dear Jill. Sounds like it is a bit much to be dumping homework on kids over the Holiday break but is this due to all the time lost from the Hurricane? that could be why it's so out of hand.

Sounds like your son is dedicated to his studies. Smart. I was not. LOL!

As for the wheelchair, that does look mighty cramped back there.

Jill said...

Thanks Roger! And I hope you're happy in Montana too!!!!!!!! Or something...

Alf - I'll pick you up for carpool when school starts back up on the sixth! :-)

Ricardo - I guess that would make sense. The boy did miss three weeks of school. Still, he got quite the education on surviving without electricity & running water and stuff... :-) Happy Chanukah to you too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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