Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Santa Visits BPEC

Its that time, BPEC is closing down for the winter and the jolly old man in the red suit paid everyone a visit. This is my very first experience with the two and younger crowded with Santa and I didn't really know what to expect. Erik didn't start BPEC until after winter when he was 2 years old.

Of course let me preface by saying this day is a really good opportunity for me to catch up on BPEC photos for Elliot and Erik's book and to give you a glimpse of what is catching their interest these days.

For Elliot,  our routine at school is gone, but we definitely have some favorites. Elliot is way more interested in art than his brother was and really enjoyed this gluing project. He covered almost all of his stocking. He also loves dot art and does every project that has to do with with. He stacks the caps almost every time.

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He also loves the bikes and everytime he is riding them I always have a mom amazed that he can ride a bike already. He is 2.5 but I guess its not common for that age or at least in our class for a 2 year old to be riding a bike. He is one of about three kids who rides a bike there. Its definitely on his top to do list.

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Then there is circle time when the kids get to do silly things. Like crawl like a bug and hop like a frog which look almost exactly the same in a photograph.

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Then came our visitor and Elliot's instant reaction was to crawl into my arms and hide, laying down almost like a baby. He was not happy over his visit at all. I knew he just needed time to get use to him since he hadn't seen Santa yet this year. Unfortunately Elliot's present was one of the first to be presented and when I carried him to go to Santa he literally screamed and started freaking out so we sat back down and watch everyone else sit on Santa's lap. Elliot was probably the only kid who didn't sit on Santa lap or approach him in the entire class. I guess there is always one. By the end of class he warmed up and gave Santa a hug and by the ride home he was telling me how he wished he did "Santa ups" so we made progress.

The first hug which I didn't expect. See him hiding in there.

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Then he went for more hugs.

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The next day was Erik's class and his turn. Erik is funny these days. Whatever friend he favors in whichever class he is in, is his best friend. In BPEC he has called several boys his best friend and his current favorite is Connor who he was playing with this morning.

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Erik's class is a little different in that they aren't allowed to have free play. The kids have projects for the first 40 minutes which is honestly hard for Erik. He never wants to do the projects and more often then not we sit reading books or wandering the room because he is not interested. Today because it was Christmas craft he was a little more interested than normal.

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Today was cute because in his refusal to do a project he sat down here and pretended to be the teacher and talk about what is on the board.

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And he wrestled with one of the dad's instead of doing projects. Ironically Connor's dad, his current "best friend."

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Then all the kids sat down for circle time and their attentions were captivated.

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Finally our visitor arrived and it was time to pass out the presents and tell Santa what you wanted for Christmas. We were sitting right next to Santa and every kid in that room did a great job of telling him what they wanted. Erik's request was for Star Wars stuff, when prompted for specifics he said Luke Sywalker. He really has no clue when it comes to Star Wars and since his interest is persistent I think I have to give up and just let him learn about it.

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Lastly I love this picture because so many of the kids were working hard on making this structure. I was very curious how it was going to turn out. It was true 4 year old cooperation.

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About Heather

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I am a Los Angles based photographer and mom of 2 wonderful boys. Photography has been a passion of mine over 15 years now, ever since I picked up my first camera in journalism school and started developing my black and whites in a darkroom. The instant an affordable DSLR came out on the market in 2002, I had to have one and have been shooting digital since. Once I became a mom I realized how much I enjoy photographing children and how much better I could understand their nuances so it became a passion of mine. Their is such innocence and beauty in their pictures and I feel privileged to be a part of that. I am constantly trying new approaches and tuning my skills to create the art that is in my head, not just the art that I can create right now. I am very interested in off camera flash, and the depth and clarity it adds to my photographs. Sometimes I take breaks from my blog and photography, but it seems to never leave me completely. I always come back.