Partnering in Our Learning and Growth

 Third graders have been having a wonderful time with our partners in Early Childhood classrooms.  Each of the upper grades in the Lower School partners with a younger class and becomes their "buddies" over the course of the year.  This year, our class has connected with the Cardinals class, and every minute has been a true delight!  Third graders take their responsibilities as the older partner seriously and love explaining projects, showing their partners how to do new things, working together in fun activities, and playing together during our get-togethers.

It's been a joy to watch third graders remember their own experience in Early Childhood and be able to make connections to when they were younger.  Third graders are also often surprised by how much their junior partners know and can already do!  Often, as we work together, there are shouts and exclamations of "Wow!  That's amazing!  I couldn't do that when I was their age!"  It's important for third graders to learn how to guide their younger partners.  In class, we talk about how to help them and also give them room to try things on their own.

This year, I've been in awe of how nurturing third graders have been and how invested they are in helping their Cardinal buddies grow.  They have been magnificent guides for Meeting For Worship and in the different times we've gotten together.  We've also spent class time preparing different activities and also helping each other think about how to care for our partners. So far this year, we've played, done several art projects, had recess, read books, eaten lunch, shared stories, and many other things together.  We're really excited to continue to get to know our partners and have lots of fun together this year!