Oh yeah!

I almost forgot!
Today is the International Day of Peace. Yay! Peace!

Since we are sooo ahead of the game at my school, we celebrated it... yesterday! Ok, really, it's because that's how it was on the school calendar, and who am I to argue with the school calendar? No Body, that's who.

Anyway. It is the very early and tender beginning part of the year for toddlers, and so our version of the Day o' Peace is somewhat modified. The primary classes light a candle at the given hour, pass it from child to child (it's all very safe, quit calling Social Services), and have various discussions about peace. I think. I've never seen it because, as I said, it is a very tender and early point in the school year for my toddlers and, well, if I leave the room they cry. Anyway, our school had a lovely picture in the paper of children carefully passing the candle around a few years back (like 12) and we still milk the crap out of that picture. It's in every piece of promotional propaganda we've got.

Since I can't link to the over-used old newspaper photo, I'll give you a couple pictures from the toddler version from last year. (I don't have pictures from this year, because I was so busy Being Peaceful, I forgot my camera.)


First, I make a big to-do about how fire is hot, and the matches are "my work." Only after we go over this a million times, do I light the candle and get to the goods, which is me saying, "Today is Peace Day. When you look at our peace candle, you can say, 'Peace'." And all (ok, a few) of them say "Peace." And some of them look at me like I am crazy. I get that a lot this time of year.

Then I show them the Peace Crane, and say, "You can hold the Peace Crane and then pass it to your friend. You can look at your friend's eyes and say 'peace'." Insert some version "the candle is *my* work/ the candle is *hot*" in there wherever you see fit, 'cuz you know I was.

See, they actually do it.
Lovely.
And no burns.
Don't forget to add your blog to One Million Blogs for Peace, if you haven't already.

Happy International Peace Day!