When in distress, turn the wheel ...

In a way, being back at school after my two-and-a-half-week trip to Germany is like having woken up from a dream. Was I really gone??

I am back in the swing of things, including the newly developed two-year-old program that my school has begun this year. It is absolutely amazing to me what a difference just six months to a year makes at this stage of childhood. Several of the kids are still struggling through the separation from Mama, which breaks your heart, yet also serves to remind that if we never learn - and trust - to say goodbye to Mama at age 2, we'll never have the confidence to become independent adults.

One of the ways I'm trying to support those who struggle more than the others is to ease them into the day with a ritual, of sorts: a book. It's not a story, in the sense you might be thinking. It's a good-sized cardboard book with a different theme of items on each page: Foods, Animals, Clothing, etc. The catch is, there are cut out circles in the book, whose edge sticks out the top of the book, so you can turn the wheel and change the picture that emerges. The goal is to turn the wheel until you find the picture that fits the theme, e.g. the butter in the kitchen, the piglet in the farm, and the sock with the pants, not some other combination thereof.

The children are learning how to turn the wheel, and there is certainly something about the anticipation of the picture that engages them enough to realize: "Hey, if I say bye to Mama, I get to discover this!" Well, they may not have reached that point yet, but I have noticed that the more familiar they become with it, the more they trust it and me.

My hope is that they will reach the point of not needing the book, but for now, I have to admit: I am enjoying this little morning ritual.