September is a busy month...

The first month of school is always crazy, but things seem even crazier in this after school program. Kids' after school plans are changing constantly, so we're never sure who's coming each day. In the first couple weeks of school, our attempts at routine were broken by back-to-school picnics, which of course happen during E.C. time, and impact our room because people are coming in and out to use the kitchen. The worst was the Middle School picnic, which was held right outside our door, so we could see the watermelon and lemonade.

Last week, my mom and I had planned lots of cool activities to celebrate the harvest moon and Chuseok. We ended up not being able to do most of them, because Monday and Tuesday were Back-to-School Nights, which meant that our numbers skyrocketed since parents needed childcare. Friday was Homecoming. That was actually a lot of fun, although crazy, since there were so many people around. Our kids painted a lot of the signs that were used, and we took them to watch the High School soccer and volleyball games. But it was very difficult keeping track of who was in the E.C. program and who wasn't, since practically every student in the school was hanging around the playground.

And then this week, after school classes (e.g., chess, choir, cooking) started, which means that our numbers and schedule changes all over again. This would have to be the week that we scheduled to hold the E.C. Olympics. You just have to go with the flow. Yesterday, the kids colored flags for their team's country and used fabric paint to make number badges to wear. And to make a mess. The events start today.