The Pink Triceratops

Last week, we had Parent-Teacher Conference at Kayla's kindergarten. We are glad to report that she is doing well considering the language barrier she faces each day. Kayla tries so hard to get along with the other classmates even though she can't always understand what they're saying. The teachers have been accommodating as they try to speak in English and Tagalog whenever possible. Kayla's a real trooper.

Talking to the teacher, we found out the classes were having a Halloween party the following week, the last day before semester break. Here I thought I was home free from worrying about getting Kayla dressed up for Halloween this year because it was during her break but I was wrong. And because Kayla's class was learning about dinosaurs, Teacher Mia said that Kayla and her classmates had to wear dinosaur costumes. Not only that, each child was assigned a different dinosaur type, Kayla was to be a Triceratops. Oh yes, and the costume was to be handmade. Oh groan.

So for the next 5 days, I concocted something to resemble a Triceratops costume. After about a dozen bottles of glue, half a dozen of pink poster paint, a bag of newspapers and a balloon later, I paper mached a little head and a tail for Kayla to put on. I realized I was out of practice but then I thought, all this effort and time for a costume she's wearing once...

I didn't want Kayla to get too hot so I tried to keep it simple. I made it pink because most of her clothes were pink (as opposed to brown) so she was Kayla, the Pink Triceratops.

The Halloween party at the school started at 4pm (the kids didn't have classes that day) and so we get there and all the kids and their parents are waiting around outside. We didn't get in until close to 5pm and the kids by this time are sweating in their costumes because it's 35C (95F) plus humidity outside. Once the doors opened, the kids were divided up into their classes (3 yr.old class, 4 yr. old class and 5 yr. old class) and they did different activities at different stations. To my eyes, it was all very chaotic and disorganized but I think the kids were having fun. Kayla's class had to spell the different dinosaur names (like TYRANNOSAURUS... did I spell that right?). Okay, I know Kayla's smart but I didn't think this was an age appropriate game. These kids were 4 and 5 year olds and they're still trying learn to spell their last names and so trying to get them to spell a dinosaur name (which I can barely do) seemed unrealistic and not very fun to me. I'm thinking maybe it's a cultural thing.

We had potluck merienda (snack) and by the time it was candy time (where the teachers throw candy up in the air and the kids try to grab as many as they can) it was pitch black outside. It was pretty hilarious. People (the parents) were screaming with their kids trying to grab the candy off the ground like blind people. John and Kayla got knocked on the head with flying candy. I was in the back holding Keona and she got hit hard with a flying lollipop, poor baby.

Well, I have to say, there's nothing like a Filipino Halloween party. Kayla the Pink Triceratops came home happy with a bag of candy, what more could she ask for.