On this last official day of public school, the kids kicked off their Summer Break at Gaang and Sahn’s house. Countless water guns were involved on a perfectly breezy afternoon, followed by ice cream, cloud watching and a few quiet moments inside. We’re off to a great start!

In his most recent Kinder Surprise Egg, Tobin got a magic drawing out of red and green lines, along with a red viewing tool. At plain sight, red lines would dominate the drawing and show obvious animals and plants. Viewed through the red lens, the red lines would magically disappear. Now only green lines would be visible, as black strokes, revealing previously “hidden” artwork. Tobin lost the original magic drawing, but came up with his own, using red and green markers. It works! As Tobin explains: the spiky dinosaur in the bottom left corner turns into a turtle through the red lens. The elephant (bottom right), who is thinking of another dragon-elephant (in the bubble), suddenly gets to play with a real elephant friend.

Inspired by our origami meetup sessions these past months, Mika and i checked out the public exhibition at this year’s origami convention, and met up with our Brooklyn friend and folding instructor. This year’s centerpiece, a 7-feet long red dragon, was folded over the course of a week out of one giant sheet of paper. There were impressive modulars in all shapes and sizes, classic folding pattern, and some very advanced organic shapes. Check out the grim reaper’s detail … he was only about 12 inches (30 cm) tall! On his way to teaching a workshop, our friend folded a flapping bat for Mika on the fly. We’ll have to learn that pattern at the next meetup…

Tobin and his best friends graduated from Pre-K with a big bang. Although this is the fourth time we are witnessing a graduation play at this school, the productions have grown on so many levels! In 2008, the story was based on a favorite picture book and brought to life with love and imagination. The school has since included teachers with backgrounds in professional theater and music, and productions are entirely planned, written, and brought to life by the children.  In 2009, when Mika and Gaang graduated Pre-K, the class performed their first self-written play. This year’s story was the best i have seen so far: “How the Planets Got in Order” answered the nagging question why Pluto got kicked out of our Solar system – with preschool logic and imagination. It was a bullying story, with Pluto being the bad guy who intimidated all other planets and trapped them in a big cage. Many interesting facts and side stories illustrated the dilemma, but ultimately the sun could melt down the cage and set all planets free. Pluto showed remorse and was allowed to tag along – if he played nicely – on the outer edge of the solar system.

Not one eye stayed dry, especially once the kids sang their favorite songs and received their diplomas. The international parent community brought together another, legendary ‘around-the-world’ potluck buffet, and everybody frolicked in the garden until the sun took over (it was the last full day of the heat wave … 96°F/35°C). We will miss this place dearly, which has been such a fantastic start to both our kids’ school experience.

Here is my favorite song of the 2012 graduation CD – a John McGrew (aka Mr. John) original: Three Little Leaves
[audio:http://www.minitosu.com/audio/04 Three Little Leaves.mp3]

… and of course, Pomp and Circumstance, preschool style:

The rest of the day, Mika and Tobin spent playing with Gaang and Sahn – fellow graduates of 2009 and 2012, respectively. They have known each other for so many years, and now they have a preschool bond for both older and younger siblings. Furthermore, Tobin admires Gaang since he could walk, and Sahn is a huge fan of Mika:

Thanks Sabine for taking our family pic :)

Tobin and his friends are ready to graduate – tomorrow is the big day, and Mika will be skipping school just to see the performance and celebrate in the garden afterwards. I can’t believe how much they have all grown, and how much this school has given our kids. It was Tobin’s (and Eli’s) idea to hang out in the cubbies, just like Mika in her last days 3 years ago … and on her very first day of preschool, in 2007.

On our last visit to the office supply store, Tobin begged me to get him some popsicle sticks from the craft section. Tonight, right before bedtime, he revealed his latest project: labeling all plants on our little balcony. In the opener, you can see moss and climbing vine in the foreground. First row: strawberries, moss (closeup), morning glory, mint. Second row: basil, flowers #1, #2, and #3. (Apologies to team Song-Dusoir for the lack of knowledge … maybe they can help identify the last pictures? Is #3 some sort of carnation?)

The kids designed a sheet of temporary tattoos to celebrate Sung on Father’s Day. We printed some designs in matching sizes, but due to a turbulent morning, it was impossible to get all three of them posing together. Here are Sung and Tobin, sporting Mika’s design … and a view of the whole sheet:

Today, after their usual early morning snack, the kids played peacefully for a very long time. Long enough for me to fall back asleep … and then wake up to the scene above: every single stuffed animal they accumulated in the past 7+ years pulled out of bed (and out of their closet). There was hardly any carpet visible in their room – just two happy kids in a sea of plush. What were they playing? 101 Dalmatians, of course! In their version, any stuffed animal qualifies as a dalmatian and Cruella De Vil drives a tow truck…

Much to Mika’s dismay, we forgot to buy golden hair color spray in time, so she couldn’t color her hair like last year. She didn’t want any funky, wire-supported hair sculptures, so we settled on stuffed bunnies and over-sized bows for her pigtails.

Mika’s and Tobin’s “Summer Fun Schedules” keep me on my toes for the remainder of the school year. Every day, there are two crazy challenges to keep in mind when getting ready for school … as if getting two kids to school on time wasn’t challenge enough. I have dropped a couple of balls already (for example, i forgot to buy hair color for Mika’s Funky Hairstyle Day tomorrow), but last night i whipped up Tobin’s desired superhero costume, The Flash, from his favorite t-shirt, yellow duct tape, and two plastic lids. He has been loving – and wearing – the shirt for more than a year now, but this is by far the happiest he has been with it. (Note to real fans: i went by the drawing on the back of his t-shirt, which didn’t show the belt or arm cuffs in an obvious flash shape … and Tobin added the cape this morning)

Mika and her fellow second graders had one last excursion on their to-do list: a walking trip across the Brooklyn Bridge. These hardy kids didn’t just walk across the bridge once, but twice. And they walked all the way to and from the bridge as well. That’s 5.5 miles (9 km) altogether – with very little shade – on a hot day (!)  Thank goodness for peer pressure, which kept the whining at a bare minimum. The chaperones had to buy a few extra bottles of water though, to keep the gang hydrated. On each crossing, the class took a break under the stone arches to take in the views and work on their assignments. Mika pointed out the countless padlocks that are fastened to the bridge, and none of the adults had noticed them in the past. Turns out it’s a new(ish) fad from Europe, where couples lock their eternal love to a bridge and throw the keys into the river below…

It wasn’t as hot as last year, but we put Mika’s day off school to good use again: in the morning, we had scheduled her passport renewal appointment at the German Consulate General. At age seven, Mika is old enough to sign for herself and have her fingerprints taken. We strolled past the United Nations, had a girls’ lunch back in Brooklyn, and spent the rest of the afternoon with her BFF Mica.