High Tea

It is high tea time at school ! After helping with balloons and decorations with flags, I am curious how everything is going to be. Last year, in order to celebrate the summer arrival the kids performed in a musical. I didn't help because I don't like/cannot sew. This year I have prepared many sandwiches.

 Well, the opening: two grannies were playing popular songs to welcome the guests...

And the parents started to arrive and enjoyed the music while waiting for the kids. Big expectations.

There they come bringing to the long table some extra cookies, sandwiches and cakes, helped by their teachers.

Some waiters were wearing self decorated aprons...

...while the chefs were wearing appropriate self made hats.

The grandparents didn''t have to do a thing, just enjoyed the good weather while having a chat and were pampered by the cutest and helpful waiters.

For the grand finale there was a chocolate fountain. (=lots of little dirty hands giving their family members sweet hugs) 

The Dutch educational system also demands more participation from the parents and family than as usual in other countries - at least that's what I have deduced from bombarding foreign parents with questions my conversations with other foreign parents from America, France and Italy. These same parents also mentioned that the Dutch have a very strong sense of community/doing things together and putting the kids in the center of their lives.

This educational system for the small ones is not boring at all. The lessons are very playful, and demand creative solutions/response from the kids. I have noticed that with all the preparation for the high tea event some kids retained some of the English words they have learned (such as: tea, cake, hat, pie) even days laters. Some retained more difficult/longer words such as biscuits, sandwich (es), cucomber and chef cook. (Hmmm, I bet you think it an easy thing, don't you ? Hey, we are talking about 4 and 5 year old kiddos !)