into the second week of preschool

Jack has had some ups and downs with full time preschool.

He's very hesitant when I drop him off and he doesn't openly engage with the other kids. By the time I pick him up in the afternoon, he seems to always be playing with other kids but is ready to run over to me and get going when he sees me walk in.

He says a lot that he doesn't like his school. Last week it was because somebody was hitting him, but Sean reminded him to use his strong words and say "NO! I don't like that! give me some space!" and it seemed to improve things.

Yesterday I was talking to him in the car about how things were going.

He told me in this "I've seen it all" kind of way that "things are working out on the playground, we're not having problems out there anymore. but today me and Isaiah were not communicating under the loft."

As good of a talker Jack is, lately he's been resorting to grunts and hitting to get what he wants. We're trying hard to impress on him how important it is to use words.

Job training

I heard this great story on NPR about how preschool is the best job training for kids because it gives them the tools they really need to make it in the workplace: ability to work with others, resolve conflict, etc....
anyway, as I look towards entering the workplace full time and face not getting to hang out with Jack during the week, it was reassuring to know that Jack will benefit from the time he spends at

keeping up with Jack

It gets really hard with kids at this age to keep track of the amazing things they do because so much of what's amazing is how they cross-reference things and build connections.
Jack is very fascinated by signs right now and especially signs that have the NO-slash through them. He asks over and over, "what does that mean?" and I tell him "that means they don't want you to..." or "there aren't any .... allowed"
he's also preoccupied with the sign on his car seat that says it shouldn't be installed in reverse in the front passenger seat. He looks forward to the day he is as tall as a grown up and can sit in the front seat.
Lately I've been really able to visualize how Jack will eventually take up the space of an adult. It's incredible and exciting. The only consistent with kids is change. It's such a good reminder for life.

Last week of summer Toddler One

This isn't a picture of Jack, but featured here is his great teacher from the summer, Indica and guess which kid we call "Ambassador Paloma"?
Climbing the hill---once Jack got the hang of it, he helped his friends up!
Working with blocks, that little white-blonde boy is Parker John, he and Jack hit it off right away.

This letter from Jack's teacher:

Dear Toddler 1 Families,

What’s been happening in Toddler 1?

I can’t believe it’s the second to last week of summer, it truly has flown by. The first week of August is now behind us and the last week of summer is upon us. This week the children participated in small group activities inside and outside of the classroom; from going visiting the Preschool classrooms to working on art projects. Another stand-out part of the week was the children’s interest in dramatic play that allowed them to explore their imaginations. Despite the cooler temperatures we as a team made it a point to let the children still have their quality time outdoors through walks and trips to the front grass area.

I noticed over this week during art activities that children were very interested in mixing and making new colors. We daily make a strong effort to provide an opportunity for the children to have access to paint, this week it was set out daily as a small- group table activity. On Monday morning it was painting with Q-tips; Wyatt dipped his Q-tip in red and then smeared blue on top of it. As he blended the colors together he said,” Look,” Paloma glanced over and said , “Hey purple.” This conversation then sparked Evelyn to mix white, red and blue together; as she mixed her colors she loudly explained, “I made purple!” This type of conversation and realization was very present in the classroom during art activities. On Thursday the children spent time mixing water colors together in the morning; Parker discovered he could make a brown/black color by mixing all of the colors together.

The children’s play this week also involved their imaginations greatly. During the mornings the dramatic play area of the classroom was bustling. The children prepared several meals that were distributed among their peers and teachers. The clothes in this area were also put to use; Paloma brought in a hat from home that she explained was her “cowgirl-hat” which sparked an interest in all of the hats in the classroom. Diego and Parker wore construction hats but announced that they were also cowboys. The new and improved sandbox was another setting for dramatic play, it was also transformed into a kitchen. Isaiah baked several dozens of cupcakes. Wyatt also prepared a large cake with aid from Ruby. Through dramatic play the children are able to explore they creativity and incorporate their friends into the imagination.

As the summer is ending Preschool is approaching, this week a few trips were made across the hall to their future classroom and yard. Bonita took a small group on Monday morning after snack and the children played in their future yard until lunch time. They’re always very excited to go to Preschool! Tuesday afternoon provided another opportunity to let Toddler 1 explore the yard, the children seem to becoming more familiar with the space. On Friday morning Ruby, Gus, Isaiah and Ryka were able to spend a significant amount of time in Preschool 2 classroom. Gus and Ryka built with their various block materials and Ruby and Isaiah had a tea party in the kitchen.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Alli

good times in Charleston

The first week of August Jack and Papa went to Charleston to visit Nana. They met up with Uncle Scott, Cousin Annie, Cousin Charlie and suprise guest Uncle Mark!