Alex's second grade class had their Thanksgiving performance this morning. His school tries to develop performing arts skills in students, so periodically the kids put on a show. This one was a combination of poems, songs and individual recitations of what the kids are thankful for.
Each of the three classes had one child welcome the audience at the beginning, and Alex was chosen for this part. He had to say, "You are all special to us. We hope you enjoy our time together." He practiced several times the night before, and I drilled him on it while he was eating his cereal. He was a little nervous in the morning, but did his line just fine.
The highlight of the show was when each child went to the microphone and said what they were thankful for. The first class said pretty much the same thing. "I'm thankful for my family, my house, and my toys" or some variation of that.
After they performed a poem in unison, the second class had their turn. This group decided to bump it up a notch. They said, "I"m thankful for my family" and gave some specific examples. Nearly everyone liked their mom's cooking, and spending time with their dads. One kid said, "I'm thankful that my mom makes kielbasa every night, just like I like it, not too burned."
Another boy said, "I'm thankful that my dad tells the same annoying joke over and over. It always makes me laugh and I know he loves me."
They did a poem, then the entire group did a hearty rendition of "Over the River and Through the Woods."
Last up was Alex's class. Alex's class must have conspired to make this into some kind of comedy competition. One boy said, "On Thanksgiving, I'm thankful I'm not a turkey."
A girl said, "I'm thankful for my family, because when they go on trips, they remember to take me with them."
I wondered what Alex would say when it was his turn. Would he say he was thankful for traveling? For having a home? For having a zillion toys? I knew it wouldn't be my all-too-infrequent cooking.
Alex said, "I'm thankful that there's no homework on Thanksgiving," and then, "Oh, I'm thankful that my parents are taking me to Legoland!" We are going to Legoland but not until the end of the year, so I think he was just reminding us.
The big finale was a song and dance called "The Turkey Tango" that the kids have been performing since kindergarten each year at Thanksgiving. The words are something like, "Every turkey can tango/Every turkey can dance/Every turkey can tango/If he has the chance!" accompanied by a lot of clapping and jumping around, but not a lot of tango.
As for me, I'm thankful for family, friends, community, and second grade performances.
Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for?