My boys are about to graduate from the 1^st and 2^nd grades and I’m upset.  We're messing with tradition.  This is how it’s supposed to look…

At the end of the school year I make a scrapbook of all of the things they’ve seen, made, participated in, accomplished and experienced that had anything to do with school in the past year.  (I take LOADS of pictures throughout the year because you just can't keep everything.)  Then we invite all of our friends over for a huge Open House to celebrate graduating to the next grade.  The kids act as guides, explaining everything to their guests.  We put the scrapbook out for everyone to peruse.  We make appetizers and desserts.  The boys also alternate giving a presentation every year to practice their public speaking.  They have to research a topic, make a presentation board, memorize their “speech”, and then give it to the group (without fidgeting), which is usually between 20 and 30 people.  We've done it the same way every year for the past three years.

I normally love this time of year.  I love pulling out all of their projects and laying them out for everyone to look at.  I like displaying their artwork all over the house.  I love watching them explain to their guests what a certain thing is.  Sometimes during the year I question whether we’re doing enough or learning enough, but then Open House comes along and I see all of their hard work.  They’re proud to show their friends what they’ve done.  I am proud of them.     

This year all of the projects they completed before we left are in a box in storage.  I don’t have the pictures or the supplies to make the scrapbook (and I’m scared to death that it won’t ever get made).  There is no one here, besides us, to acknowledge their passing from one grade to the next.  No party.  No food.  No friends.  It’s all wrong.  I announced today that it was almost presentation time.  They wanted to know who was going to listen.  Good question.  The campground staff?  See what I mean?  All wrong!  Guess we'll just have to get creative. 

We do have a video camera with us.  Hmmm.  Let me think...