by Florence B.
Florence: Thank you, Angela, for joining me on the blog today with an interview! Outdoor play is such a valuable component of Bothell Family Cooperative Preschool, and I’m thrilled to continue with another outdoor play post with you, our fabulous Outdoor Instructor!
Florence: After reading your brief biography on the BFCP website, I was delighted to discover you have quite the history in the school! How did you become a part of BFCP back when you were in high school?
Angela: When I was a senior in HS, I took a child education class from Shorecrest HS that required 4 days a week in a child facility working with children, i.e., daycare, elementary school, co-op. The then HS teacher I was taking the class from was friends with Nola who was the LFPC teacher at the time. I helped with two of the classes for half of the year. One of the classes included Teacher Kathy’s daughter Jamie.
Florence: Why did you decide to come back as a parent, and how have you and the school changed since you were in high school?
Angela: From my brief time helping out in HS, I knew that a co-op was something I really wanted to be a part of. One thing that is different for me, is that I finally learned what goes on in that magical parent ed room. ; ) The biggest change is that the school moved from their house in Lake Forest Park to the newly remodeled house in Bothell. Also that they thankfully now have an outdoor teacher.
Florence: Was there a certain moment that made you go “A ha! I want to be part of BFCP as a teacher!”?
Angela: I was getting tired of working in accounting and wanted to go back to a more rewarding job as I had in the past working with children. I also really liked the school and comradery with the teachers. It was about this time that the opening for an outdoor teacher became available. I am so happy that I have been able to be a part of the team of teachers, parents, and children.
Florence: In your different roles over the years at BFCP, are there any favorite moments that stick out in your mind that you’d like to share?
Angela: Nothing particular as there are so many, but that I love watching the children grow over the few years I have them. Not just in size, but more how they relate with each other.
Florence: What are your main goals as the Outdoor Instructor at BFCP?
Angela: My main goal would be to have fun with the kids and hope that they learn about nature while they’re here.
Florence: Building off the last question, what would be your ideal day for outdoor play at the school (e.g. weather, activities, a genie popped by and granted you a wish for the school and you went with ___!)?
Angela: My ideal day would be snow and cold enough weather that we could make ice sculptures to color or sled.
Florence: Do you have any advice for families struggling to find outdoor activities for their little ones?
Angela: Pinterest has some great ideas.
Florence: Any advice for outdoor rainy day fun as we hit the rainy season?
Angela: Other than finding some great puddles, maybe taking a walk and look for banana slugs.
Florence: Switching back to put the focus on what you love to do outside of BFCP, I loved reading about some of your hobbies! Tell us about those chicken of yours and how did you get into that?
Angela: Funny thing about the chickens, I didn’t want them, my husband did as he had them as a child. Our first batch was 6 roosters, (no hens) that we got from a lady who got them from her daughter’s school that bought eggs to hatch in class and raised them for a week. Then she took them home after they had been hand fed and continued to hand feed them until they started crowing and the neighbors and city said they had to find a new home. Since they were hand fed they were very sweet and followed us everywhere in our yard like chicks following their Mama hen. When we had one left after feeding the local wildlife, his name was Eagle and he would even follow us into our mudroom and sit on a bench to watch us. When he got sick we were quite sad and had to leave town that night. I don’t know how, but we talked my Mom (chicken Grandma at the time) into taking him to a vet. $125 after they tried to fix him and he lasted until a little after we got home. My husband’s coworkers joked that they could get chicken for $3/pound. We had to remind them they were pets, like a parrot. Ever since then we have had chickens, including a lot of hand me downs. I’ve decided since then that they can be quite nice, fun to watch, and they eat most of our food scraps.
Florence: What is the most elaborate item you’ve made with your sewing skills?
Angela: I like to sew, but am not really that good as I have a good old fashioned machine and have had no lessons. I did have the opportunity to make my daughter a dragonfly costume last year, complete with sparkly foam double wings, all without a pattern since I couldn’t find one. ;)
Florence: What kind of board games do you like, and how competitive are you?
Angela: Clue is my favorite. I’m not really competitive for most games, I just hope to win. ; )
Florence: How much of a green thumb do you really have on a scale of: me (where I manage to kill any plant of mine by looking at it) to 10?
Angela: Haha, on a scale of brown to green, probably black. I do have a few plants that I’ve held on to for a few years that are doing well. I love to look at them in my window sills.
Florence: Finally (last but certainly not least and most likely best), tell us about that wonderful family of yours!
Angela: My husband named Jason who is also the BFCP lawnmower has a fun imagination like me and will dress up for fun to attend events line Goonies weekend in Astoria, OR. When we got married he wanted to dress up as a knight to be my “knight in shining armor” with a bonus of keeping the armor for display at our house, but we couldn’t find one, so we rode off on a white horse instead. My son Greyson is now 9 and loves to put things together, like legos or anything using tools. My daughter Elora turned 7 on Halloween and loves being a Halloween baby. She likes being at school all day this year and playing with her friends. She likes organizing things, whether it’s little toys or getting everyone in the family together to tell them anything she can think of.
Florence: Thank you so much, Angela, for doing the interview and letting us learn a little bit more about you! I’m sure I speak for the rest of the younger classes by saying that I can’t wait to have you as a teacher for my little one!