Jack and Tycco at classmate Sasha's birthday party

I love Jack and Tycco's relationship. They really operate like twins. Sometimes I can picture them as little old balding men cracking each other up.

We're looking into switching Jack from his current daycare for preschool next year and I have to say that in spite of all the reasons to move him the idea of taking him away from Tycco (and the school he knows) breaks my heart.

I thought I posted these earlier, but maybe I didn't

When we still lived in the Sunset district we would occasionally walk to the farmer's market on Sundays, eat some strawberries and listen to the bands. Jack loves strawberries. As god is my witness, Jack did not pose for these pictures.

combining digital formats

This blog is the only way I post Jack on the internet. Too many crazies out there. But sometimes I post what he says on facebook. Then I forget to post it to the blog.

I also seem to take a lot more pictures with my below-average cell phone because it's handy than I do with an actual camera. Then I have a bunch on my phone and when I'm riding the bus or something I send them to myself, so there is generally a backlog of old pictures. Not to mention the stack of comments from last summer daycare.

Ah well, you do what you can.

These couple of pictures are actually really recent, just last Thursday out at Heron's Head park, walking the dog. Jack kept running towards me laughing and saying he was going to catch me. Then he'd grab my legs and laugh uproariously.

Jack is very preoccupied with working as a fireman these days. The fire department is about three blocks from our house so we frequently drive by on our way to school and whatnot to see if we can see the trucks and the firefighters. Jack is very excited about the fire poles right now. And I was kind of marveling the other day at the fact that in spite of all our technology the fastest way we as a species have figured out to get from one floor to another is still a pole. Kind of beautiful in its simplicity.

Here's a couple of Jack quotes. One is a story that he dictated to me and the other was just one of the many glorious moments of hanging out with him.

"My story is about Fireman Jack with a helmet and his fire coat on and his boots on. And he slide down the pole and he got in his fire engine and he drive to the fire. And then I put out the fire. And THEN everybody clapped their hands for the brave Fireman Jack. He took off his helmet and his boots and then he took a break. He rest on his pillow." -Jack Simon

Jack and I put two straws in a smoothie and while we were drinking he looked up at me from over his straw and said with a mischievous grin, "no laughing!"

Fall 2010 Assessment by Christina Sosa

Social Development:
Jack engages in both parallel and cooperative play with his peers. He will seek to include particular peers in activities that interest him. "Come on Tycco, let's go outside," he says running outside with his friend. Upon arriving at school, Jack benefits from close interactions with his teachers or solitary play before joining the group and exploring the various activities. He has established strong relationships with his caregivers and seeks them out when in need of quiet interactions or comfort. His imagination continues to expand as he uses several different props from around the room and leads his friends in play, taking a train ride, going to the grocery store, and pretending to put out fires. "We are firefighters" Jack says as he points his block in the air and pretends to put out a fire.

Cognitive Development:
Every morning around 11:15 the children come together for a short group time, in which they participate in various activities, identify concepts, match objects, read books, sing songs, etc. Jack is always very excited and eager to join his friends on their red circle mats. "I wanna sit with Tycco," he says. His attention span continues to grow as he sits and listens to Olive, our storyteller, who tells stories from around the world. Jack spends a lot of time constructing in the building area. He is able to stay focused and engaged in a building project for quite some time, constructing fire hoses, buildings, and towers. "Look Megan. It's a big one!" he says proudly.

Areas your child is currently working on include...
Emotional Development:
We continue to help Jack learn appropriate ways to express himself when he experiences conflict with his friends. When upset or frustrated, Jack will often scream or cry. We continue to encourage him to use his words and work out conflicts with his peers independently. "I'm using that" or "I need space" are just a few of the phrases we are working with Jack to remember when he is communicating with his peers.
Self-help:
Jack is working on completing two to three-part instructions independently. For example, after lunch Jack will put his dishes in the dirty dish bin, put his lunchbox in his cubby and wash hands before engaging in play. We continue to encourage him to complete tasks independently within the classroom such as-cleaning up after using materials, opening and closing his lunch box, and taking care of his personal belongings. Towards the end of the semester Jack has become less resistant to using the potty. We are continuing to help him feel more comfortable with this process.

We (teachers, caregivers, families) can help your child learn and develop in the program by...

• Continuing to provide opportunities for the development of independent conflict resolution, with suggestions and appropriate dialogue
• Providing opportunities for Jack to further develop his self-help skills and independence.
• Continuing to provide dialogue that Jack can use to express himself when he's upset or frustrated.
• Continuing to provide verbal prompts and reminders when asking Jack to follow a two to three-part instruction.

You can help your child learn and develop at home by...

• Continuing to support Jack's growing desire for independence, offering opportunities for him to develop self-help skills.
• Providing Jack with dialogue to use to help successfully express his emotions.

Jack story

"My story is about Fireman Jack with a helmet and his fire coat on and his boots on. And he slide down the pole and he got in his fire engine and he drive to the fire. And then I put out the fire. And THEN everybody clapped their hands for the brave Fireman Jack. He took off his helmet and his boots and then he took a break. He rest on his pillow." -Jack Simon

Story of Fireman Jack by Jack

as dictated to Nancy:
"My story is about Fireman Jack with a helmet and his fire coat on and his boots on.
And he slide down the pole and he got in his fire engine and he drive to the fire.
And then I put out the fire
And THEN everybody clapped their hands for the brave Fireman Jack!
He took off his helmet and his boots and then he took a break.
He rest on his pillow.

Jack tells stories

Jack has been requesting new songs and stories on topics of his choice for a couple weeks now. Most recently he started telling us stories which used to involve a melding of events from school, recently obtained owies, the antics of Thomas the Train and Fireman Sam and trying out new words. Today he started a story out with "Once upon a time there was a fireman named Jack..."

There has been an incident

Child's name: Jack Simon
Date: 10/4
Adult Reporting: Megan Parkinson
Time: 11:05
Incident: bumped his head
Description: Jack was building with blocks outside and he slipped and bonked his head on a stool

If this is an injury, first aid: I offered ice and gave lots of TLC but he wanted to get back to playing.