Carnival of Success

The lower grades (1st-3rd) at our charter school have a carnival at the end of each year. It is a reward for hard work and is the culmination of an account and money-based learning experience. About February, they start getting paid carnival bucks for turning in their homework on time, being good citizens, doing extra special things the teachers see them do, and so on. If they make bad choices or do not stay on task, they also may have to pay money back to the teacher. Each week, they add up their bucks, deposit them into their account, record their deposit into a bank book, and start earning again the next week. During the last week of school, they buy tickets for the carnival based on the amount of money they have in their account. It takes a certain number of tickets to just attend the carnival, and the other tickets can be used to purchase treats and play the games. It's a great learning experience for the kids and teaches them responsibility and the rewards of hard work. (Bryson did lots of extra mad minutes to get enough bucks!) They really do earn the privilege of participating in the carnival. It takes a huge amount of work on the teachers' part, the kids bring in donations to help pay for all the prizes and things, and many parent volunteers are also involved. Again, being lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom, and having my high-schooler done for the year, afforded me the opportunity to help and be with my 3rd grader at his carnival again this year. We had to move everything into the school, as the weather didn't really cooperate very well. But, as you can see, we had a really fun time.

Getting a totally cool tattoo

The bouncy castle, slide, and playground all crammed together inside our tiny gym - so fun!

Bryson and I played the "Mr. C Relay" game.
(Mr. Cde Baca is our principal.)
We raced, and I beat the "pants" off him!

Hooray for these wonderful moments of motherhood!