February 15, 2009

Show and Tell

There is an unwritten rule in our house that whatever object is selected and put into the school backpack the night before Show and Tell day must be swapped out at least five times before 8:00am the next morning.

Cortlen's failure to complete the ritual in a timely manner this morning resulted in him chasing my car down the driveway.

"WAIT FOR ME!" Cortlen screamed at the top of his lungs.

"I'm bringing something very special for Show and Tell today," he announced once his seat belt was securely fastened. "Do you want to see?"

I didn't even have to look to know what made the final cut.

After five swaps, a lengthy consultation with his brother, and an inner struggle that almost pushed him over the edge, Cortlen decided to bring to the same object to this Show and Tell that he has brought to every single Show And Tell for the past five months: a die cast Lightening McQueen car.


Way to branch out, Cortlen.

***
What's your favorite show-and-tell story?

29 comments

Carrie said...

This story isn't fabulous but it always give me a little chuckle. When my 8 year old was in preschool, his class had show and tell once a month. On one particular show and tell day, a classmate forgot to bring an item. Upon realizing he forgot something to share, the little boy cried, "It's the end of the world"!

My 8 year old (now in 3rd grade) still talks about this occasionally. And I laugh...it's amazing what will make a small child think something equals the "end of the world"!

Bugs said...

What's with all the homework assignments lately? I dropped out of high school for a reason. As for show and tell I think we are a little behind the times out here in no mans land. My children haven't yet had the opportunity to participate. It could be that all the children bring objects that are inappropriate, much like your picture of Camber.

Makayla Steiner said...

I have an idea... get him a puppy. I bet if you did that, and bought a Lightning McQueen collar for it, Cortlen would branch out in a hurry. :)

Emily said...

My kid brings his McDonald's Bumblebee transformer every single week. I hate it.

Jenny P. said...

Are you kidding me? To have a show and tell story, my kid would have to agree to take ANYTHING to show and tell. He adamently refuses, stating that if he takes something to school, he would have to stand up in front of TWENTY kids to talk about it. And that would not be fun. Way to b shy there, buddy....

Anonymous said...

My 4 y/o took an old set of keys last week for his Share Day...I asked him why they were special & what he would tell his class he said (please note that this was in NO way stated by a sad greiving child, it was all matter of fact & Grandpa passed 4 years ago) "These are my keys now, my Grandpa gave them to me. He's dead. He's in heaven bc he's dead & he doesn't need keys bc he's dead. he can see us right now bc he's dead. He's dead, he died & now the keys are mine since he's dead & now they open my spaceship." there was no note in his folder when I picked him up from school so I'm hoping his story was a little more, I don't know, less HE'S DEAD than it was that morning.

Anna P. said...

Buffalo Hair...YES BUFFALO HAIR! My daughter's Great-Uncle has a Buffalo farm and she wanted to bring one in to show-and-tell, but we finally talked her into a picture of one, and some hair! YUCK, but what we won't do!

Anna P. said...

Buffalo Hair...YES BUFFALO HAIR! My daughter's Great-Uncle has a Buffalo farm and she wanted to bring one in to show-and-tell, but we finally talked her into a picture of one, and some hair! YUCK, but what we won't do!

Diva Ma @ Mommy Fabulous said...

I left you an award on my page because I think being a MEAN MOM is awesome!

Anna P. said...

Buffalo Hair...YES BUFFALO HAIR! My daughter's Great-Uncle has a Buffalo farm and she wanted to bring one in to show-and-tell, but we finally talked her into a picture of one, and some hair! YUCK, but what we won't do!

Tami said...

That is so funny! At least you know what toy to bring if you're stranded on a desert island with him.

We don't have show & tell here. I think they're afraid toys will get lost and they will have small children crying their eyes out all over the place.

Anna P. said...

I have NO IDEA how that posted a million times...only sent it once! SO sorry everyone, Computer has a mind of his own today

Anonymous said...

When I was in kindergarten my parents took us on a vacation to Washington D.C. When I returned my teacher asked me about the trip as part of show and tell. I told her that my favorite part of the trip was when the "pigeons pooped on Abraham Lincoln's head." My parents were so proud.

Amy C.

Unknown said...

Our daughter Morgan, now age 9 3rd grade would not participate in Show n Tell in Preschool. She was terrified that she would have to share her toy and that other kids would touch it. She seriously went the whole year (full days) of pre-school without taking any show n tell items. Our Son Josh age 4, now in Preschool does not get Show n Tell but on very rare occasions he gets to take a special toy from home to school. He is more than happy to! He spends most of the night and the next morning trying to decide. IF Daddy forgets the sacred toy, he HAS to drive all the way back home to get it(about a 20 minute drive one way)! What a difference between boys and girls!!

Andy said...

How about genuine deer brain? When I was in elementary school, I was doing a report on brains (for whatever reason, can't remember now). Being in a hunting family, and having a report due right after my dad's successful hunt, I thought a little show-and-tell would be awesome. So, my parents being the supporting type let me bring a little tupperware container of the grey stuff to school. I don't think it went over too well.
In retrospect, it's not too surprising that I was a very less-than-popular kid during my elementary career.

wannabee free said...

So what happened to yesterday's post? Why did you remove it? just curious.
my 6 yr old's teacher doesn't have show n tell. problem solved before it started!

Liz said...

One day I picked my son up at the exact same time they were about to do show-n-tell.. so he starts to cry b/c he didn't get to show his. Well, the teachers says if we can wait until all the kids clean up and sit down he would get to show his first.
Well, all of the sudden.. he has NO interest in sharing now, wanted to go home! I tried.. but no luck.

(at least his school has show-n-tell based around his weekly theme, otherwise every single time he'd bring a Thomas train for sure!)

Call me Hehaw said...

So I have to tell you when my oldest was in the big K she had show in tell every friday. She had one friday that I will never forget.This certin Friday morning she spent a lengthy amount of time in the bathroom My bathroom, with the door locked. We have 2 bathrooms but her other two sibling were using it and she had just started the I want to be private stage.

When she left the bathroom I noticed that she had her backpack with her....I asked her why and she gave me some excuse that made since so I let it go. Later that day I found out why...

For show and tell that day she brought her mommy and daddys "toys"...
Ie our special box???The box to which only huband and wife should see......
Which made the whole thing worse was, that this year I had gotten my husband for christmas "naughtey stocking stuffers" including one called "nympho creme"...a few that made buzzing noises, and a few edible ones that were alot like pop rocks, pudding and so on...
(we have 5 kids, but we are not freaks, it was more of a joke, that would be why most were not opened yet...but we do have 5 kids)
We live in a VERY LDS community...
and I found out that she had show n telled this in front of the head of PTA, her teachers x 2, and just for the heck of it her bus driver...(someone I have to see twice daily)

I now check backpacks, pockets pretty much anywhere something can be shoved. and we have a no locked door rule...

Unknown said...

I say encourage this behavior. Maybe - just maybe - when he grows up he'll be one of those rare men who isn't afraid of commitment! lol

Anonymous said...

I love it, that made me laugh. If they had show and tell in daycare, my 3 yr old would bring his imaginary big brother (that by the way he says "God gave back to him" - how do you argue with that) and his imaginary pet lizard, named frickie. (as he giggles, thinking frickie is a potty word.) Oh and he sleeps with the mcqueen car and begged for a red semi for christmas and for his b-day he wants "chtick-ets" what?! then finally, stupid mom - he wants Chick Hicks!

Ally in Wonderland said...

We do show and tell in my classroom every Friday and student #5 has brought the exact same truck to show and tell every week for the last 4 years. The best part is, when we pull it out of his backpack at S&T time, he freaks out like he's never seen it before. It's AWESOME. (Have I mentioned I'm a special education teacher?)

LeAnn said...

When my now 24 yr old son was 7 he was very disapointed that he could not bring his new baby sister to show and tell. In a box.

Cami said...

I once subbed a first grade class for a few weeks and they had show n tell twice a week. One little guy forgot his turn EVERY SINGLE TIME, and EVERY SINGLE TIME, he improvised. He would hold up his dirty little jacket and show a broken zipper, a torn cuff., a hole in the collar....etc. He was so proud! I bet his mom would be mortified. It was funny though and I could hear little comments all around the room...."here comes the coat again.." lots of sighing, grunting, ...then "any questions about so and so's show and tell kids?" One little boy could stand it no longer...."how many times do we hafta look at your coat?!" Lol! I'll bet he brought it again the next week. Wonder what he brought when it was warm outside and he didn't have his coat? :)

Cindy said...

I teach second grade and my kids are always trying to one-up each other. I have had lizards, hornets' nest, talking parrots, puppies, and, my personal favorite, baby brothers and sisters.

Anonymous said...

One of my 8th grade, 14 year old students brought her iguana to school. She put it in her sweatshirt for the whole day. She revealed it to us at the end of school....show and tell never dies!

Anonymous said...

Mommy and daddy's special toys beats my story but this is the best I've got. When I was eight my mom was expecting a baby. THE baby I prayed for. I already had two older brothers and younger twin sisters so I wanted my very own sibling. About halfway through the pregnancy mom thought she was probably having twins again. So the doctor took x-rays of the babies when mom was about eight months along. I took the x-rays to school and showed everyone. I was a weird little kid. And before everyone freaks about the evil x-rays on the unborn children, it was 40 years ago. And two more little girls were born on their twin sisters' birthday, happy and healthy.

Brossettelewis said...

We rock show and tell!

For U day Grace took her uterus and a unicorn.
http://brossettelewis.blogspot.com/2009/02/u-day.html

For K she wanted to take a killer bear.
http://brossettelewis.blogspot.com/2008/11/k-day.html

V said...

I cringe when I see the little "show and tell" card in one of my kid's boxes at pre-school, because I know of the struggle that will ensue. You'd think such a minor thing would be light, easy, fun....ha! It's a guaranteed meltdown waiting to happen with those suckers when the perfect object cannot be found or is not allowed to accompany said kid to school. My 5 year old son always tries to talk me into letting him bring one of his giant Lego creations to pre-school....ya know the one with 1,000 tiny pieces precariously held together just waiting to be dropped and shattered at pre-school.

Janee said...

Got your box of tissues yesterday. You are probably still crying over the loss so I think I'll send them back to you.