It is
February 1964, I must be "nearly grown up" as today I am off to my
first day at primary school. Mum walked me the 3-4 blocks to the
school. Leaving me in the care of my teacher, Miss Brown took us to
our classroom, we filled in the first morning using "Cuisenaire
rods", a system of coloured rods used for teaching mathematical
principles, we played with them like building blocks, we were given
a small bottle of milk just before morning tea, a ritual that
lasted right through my primary school days.
The wooden coloured rods
are named after their inventor, Georges Cuisenaire, a Belgian
primary school teacher, who published a book on their use. The set
consists of 10 rods measuring 1 cm to 10 cm. Rods of equal length
are assigned the same colour. Most Cuisenaire rods follow this
system:
White rod = 1 cm, ,
Red rod = 2 cm, Light green rod = 3 cm,
Lavender rod = 4 cm,
Yellow rod = 5 cm,
Dark green rod = 6 cm,
Black rod = 7 cm,
Brown rod = 8 cm,
Blue rod = 9 cm, and
Orange rod = 10
cm.
The
next thing to come around was lunch time, I wandered out into the
playground with not a clue what was going on. Seeing a stack of
kids heading out of the school,I asked someone what they were
doing, the answer was "Going home for lunch" so i did even though
Mum had packed my lunch for me. Over lunch I explaining to Mum that
school was no big deal as I could have done everything we had done
so far at home. I think at the time I had some delusion that she
was going to let me off going back, I had no sooner finished lunch
and I was back off to school for another 45 plus years of
learning.
The
cache is a micro bison container, it is approximately the same size
and colour as a Number 3 Cuisenaire rod. It is a log only cache so
please bring your own crayons, colouring pencils, pencil, or if you
are a grade 3'er or an older "big kid" you can use your fountain
pen.
The
cache is located where not so long ago, another group of people
remembered their school days too.
The
cache now pulls out of the hide.
When writing up your computer log, why not share your first day
of school memories.