Not A Baseball Fan, But Getting Ready For Opening Day~

When my two oldest boys were about four and two,

I started a tradition.

I took them outside on April first to play a game of baseball in the yard in honor of Opening Day.

{Opening Day for Major League Baseball-}

I got out a couple of their baseball hats,

and

I got out their plastic bat, ball, and the tee-ball stand.

And we headed outside for a bit to lay ball in the yard.

In Michigan,

this day has the potential to be filled with snow flurries,

or rain.

Maybe some sunshine,

but not generally the warm kind-.

The kind when the sun is shining, but it still feels like it is only twenty degrees out

even while you sit trying to bask in this "sun".

That is what Opening Day is like here,

here in Michigan,

here:

in the home state of the Detroit Tigers.

I don't watch, listen to, or follow baseball at all.

I have been to maybe a handful of games.

The boys have been to an even fewer number of games.

(Tin Man gave up baseball when Major League Baseball went on strike when we were kids-and literally gave away all his cards he collected over his entire childhood.)

But on Opening Day,

I find myself excited every year.

I have always made a big deal out of this day for my boys.

We have gone outside,

and played baseball in the yard

(in our boots, coat, and mittens at times-)

regardless of the weather.

Then we would come in,

and I would turn the game on

while we went on with our afternoon.

So this year,

I will be at school-

But inside of me,

I still felt myself starting to get excited for Opening Day.

{?}

I know,

weird,

considering we are not any kind of baseball fans here-.

So I found a way to celebrate this day this year.

My students will be wearing their favorite baseball caps,

and we are spending the afternoon in the classroom

playing "Baseball Math".

The teacher draws a baseball diamond on the chalkboard,

and gets out lots of math fact flash cards.

You divide the class into two teams,

which are asked to come up with a name for their team,

which you write on the chalkboard.

Each team can go through the roster once, and then it is the next team's turn.

Or,

it is considered a 'strike' when someone answers a math fact wrong.

Three strikes and your team sits out,

and the second team is up to 'bat' the math facts.

It goes without saying,

but say this I must-

In first grade it is very important to set the ground rules,

as feelings get hurt,

and tears can be shed if this game playing gets too intense.

So,

We will spent a long time setting ground rules for our baseball game.

We will even role-play

how we congratulate others,

and how we encourage someone who misses a math fact answer.

There will be winners and losers;

but,

we will speak kindly and encouraging;

and everyone will celebrate at the end of our game.

I ran this idea by my two oldest boys,

and they thought this math baseball game was the best idea I have had yet this year.

They even thought to tell me

that I need to bring some of their baseball caps

in case anyone forgets their caps at home.

And don't worry,

I assured them.

we'll still be play a few rounds

[periods? innings?]

of baseball when we get home.

Because I cannot stop this tradition just yet...

For some reason,

I  still and always find myself excited it is Opening Day yet again~

(...who doesn't like baseball, but always loves Opening Day...strange, I know-)