Last month (yes, I suck at updating right now) Logan graduated from Primary school. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning he went to school for a few hours, learning about bugs and books, the farm, shapes and the alphabet. He sang songs and played with friends. He grew by leaps and bounds.
Being Agnostic/Atheist (whatever the hell we are), my biggest fear of needing to have religious discussions with a 4 year old were never a reality. Despite saying prayers (which were sing-song type rhymes), his only explanation to me was that they were thank you's. Not even to God or Jesus. Just 'thank you'. That worked for me! He will be attending again next year, moving up to the Pre-K class, so we'll see if that trend continues.
On the last day of class, we all met at a park to play and have a picnic. Logan was sweet handing his cards to his teachers (all three of them), signing his own name to each one. He played with a friend who seemed to be one of his best friends in class, and his mom and I talked about meeting up over the summer to get the boys together again. I handed her my business card and haven't received an email. Maybe I shouldn't be handing out my business cards when I lack a pen? Tacky, maybe. But it's better than writing my email address in spit, blood or the playground sand.
I'm so proud of Logan and all that he learned in school this last year. I hope I don't screw it up over the summer. So far, I've only made him write his name once. Mommy FAIL.
Here is a video of Logan's Spring performance. It is freakin' funny watching him up there, twisting around, bored out of his mind, singing songs that he learned this year (although, I'm taking credit for the ABC's. We worked HARD for that one!) It really shows how sweet and cute he is. Fair warning, this video is long and only appeals to my family. Everyone else couldn't care less. Unless watching random school performances is your thing.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Monday, June 21, 2010
Monday, November 02, 2009
Halloween bust
This year Halloween was a bust. Well, not totally, but it was cold and snowy. Many of our plans were canceled because we got a record-breaking snowfall that shut down the city for a couple of days.
We were able to go to the pumpkin patch for Logan's school field trip and pick out some pumpkins together. We got to go trick-or-treating at The Farm the day before it got really cold, which was great. Logan got to knock on doors and Carter got to come along, all the while we didn't freeze our fingers off. On one of the snow-in days, we were still able to make it out to a Halloween party with Logan's friends who are also classmates. We all had a great time there too.
We missed out on Logan's preschool fall festival where they were going to dress up in their costumes and play games. I was going to do face painting for the class (I have no face painting skills, so that would have been interesting). On Halloween, it was still cold and even though the snow melted, it was too cold for Carter to go. Bill and Logan went out in the neighborhood and Carter and I stayed home to hand out candy.
It wasn't a horrible holiday, but it could have been so much more fun without the snow. Yuck. I hate winter.
The best part of the season this year was Logan's interest in being scary, spooky and having the creepiest costume an almost 4 year old could have. He really got into it. At first he wanted to be a Sleestak from the Land Of The Lost. We found a swamp monster costume at Target that would have been perfect. But, when we went to get it, he changed his mind and wanted to get the Grim Reaper costume with glowing red eyes. Whatever works!
So, here is this little kid in a creepy costume walking around with glowing eyes. When we were at The Farm, it was designed to be a "not so scary" event. I later heard that the kids weren't supposed to wear scary costumes. Oops! While the other kids were dressed up like pirates, princesses and super heroes, Carter was a super cute and cuddly frog, here comes Logan dressed as Death. Awesome.
Logan is getting more brave as the months go by. Not only did he want to dress in a scary costume, but having a mean mom moment, I wondered if he would be traumatized watching a scary video clip online. You know those pop out and scream monster videos that go around? Well, there was a Ghost of Michael Jackson one and I let him watch that (with the volume turned down). He thought it was funny and wanted to watch it three more times. I got this on camera too. Hilarious!
We were able to go to the pumpkin patch for Logan's school field trip and pick out some pumpkins together. We got to go trick-or-treating at The Farm the day before it got really cold, which was great. Logan got to knock on doors and Carter got to come along, all the while we didn't freeze our fingers off. On one of the snow-in days, we were still able to make it out to a Halloween party with Logan's friends who are also classmates. We all had a great time there too.
We missed out on Logan's preschool fall festival where they were going to dress up in their costumes and play games. I was going to do face painting for the class (I have no face painting skills, so that would have been interesting). On Halloween, it was still cold and even though the snow melted, it was too cold for Carter to go. Bill and Logan went out in the neighborhood and Carter and I stayed home to hand out candy.
It wasn't a horrible holiday, but it could have been so much more fun without the snow. Yuck. I hate winter.
The best part of the season this year was Logan's interest in being scary, spooky and having the creepiest costume an almost 4 year old could have. He really got into it. At first he wanted to be a Sleestak from the Land Of The Lost. We found a swamp monster costume at Target that would have been perfect. But, when we went to get it, he changed his mind and wanted to get the Grim Reaper costume with glowing red eyes. Whatever works!
So, here is this little kid in a creepy costume walking around with glowing eyes. When we were at The Farm, it was designed to be a "not so scary" event. I later heard that the kids weren't supposed to wear scary costumes. Oops! While the other kids were dressed up like pirates, princesses and super heroes, Carter was a super cute and cuddly frog, here comes Logan dressed as Death. Awesome.
Logan is getting more brave as the months go by. Not only did he want to dress in a scary costume, but having a mean mom moment, I wondered if he would be traumatized watching a scary video clip online. You know those pop out and scream monster videos that go around? Well, there was a Ghost of Michael Jackson one and I let him watch that (with the volume turned down). He thought it was funny and wanted to watch it three more times. I got this on camera too. Hilarious!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Parent-Teacher Conference
Last week Logan's preschool had their first parent-teacher conference. I was actually a little nervous. What was he doing while he was on his own? Was he being respectful and listening? Or was he dishing out the sassy attitude that he gives me when I pick him up from school?
I sat at the table with me on one side and Logan's three teachers sitting on the other. They smiled and handed me a pile of items - his bright green school shirt that I had ordered and a stack of papers that listed skills 3 1/2 year olds are learning and what they were doing in school. "Well, our first parent-teacher conference. Nothing like that to make you feel old!" I joked.
The teachers said that Logan was doing great and there was really nothing to talk about or be concerned with. They said he has a lot of friends in the class and got into the routine very easily. They laughed about how much he likes dinosaurs and race cars, telling me that he growls like a dinosaur on the playground, gets the other kids to play dinosaurs together and talks about them so much that some of his classmates are asking the teachers why he talks about them so much.
God, he's the weird kid, isn't he, I thought to myself. They assured me that he wasn't excessive or disruptive and that they were impressed with how much he knows about them. I laughed saying that I'd get him to expand on his interests and hopefully he'll have more to discuss on the slides.
I looked over his report card where skills were rated as R = Ready, P = Progressing and NY = Not Yet. He was doing quite well with most of his sheet filled with R's. He got a few P's on "carries on a conversation with an adult" (not a big surprise), "holds a book correctly" (which is a shocker since we read every night at bedtime), "situates self in space: in-out, over-under, front-back, etc" (which I figured because he's always been this way). At the bottom there was a space for notes where the teachers wrote that he especially enjoys building toys and outdoor play. Sounds like Logan to me!
The whole meeting lasted about 5 minutes with another 5 minutes of chatting, mostly about my restaurant review blog since one of the teachers is a big fan and reads often (I did not know this!)
It was a fun meeting and I'm so happy that Logan is doing well in school. I'm also still in shock that he's old enough to be in school and have parent-teacher conferences. Wow....
I sat at the table with me on one side and Logan's three teachers sitting on the other. They smiled and handed me a pile of items - his bright green school shirt that I had ordered and a stack of papers that listed skills 3 1/2 year olds are learning and what they were doing in school. "Well, our first parent-teacher conference. Nothing like that to make you feel old!" I joked.
The teachers said that Logan was doing great and there was really nothing to talk about or be concerned with. They said he has a lot of friends in the class and got into the routine very easily. They laughed about how much he likes dinosaurs and race cars, telling me that he growls like a dinosaur on the playground, gets the other kids to play dinosaurs together and talks about them so much that some of his classmates are asking the teachers why he talks about them so much.
God, he's the weird kid, isn't he, I thought to myself. They assured me that he wasn't excessive or disruptive and that they were impressed with how much he knows about them. I laughed saying that I'd get him to expand on his interests and hopefully he'll have more to discuss on the slides.
I looked over his report card where skills were rated as R = Ready, P = Progressing and NY = Not Yet. He was doing quite well with most of his sheet filled with R's. He got a few P's on "carries on a conversation with an adult" (not a big surprise), "holds a book correctly" (which is a shocker since we read every night at bedtime), "situates self in space: in-out, over-under, front-back, etc" (which I figured because he's always been this way). At the bottom there was a space for notes where the teachers wrote that he especially enjoys building toys and outdoor play. Sounds like Logan to me!
The whole meeting lasted about 5 minutes with another 5 minutes of chatting, mostly about my restaurant review blog since one of the teachers is a big fan and reads often (I did not know this!)
It was a fun meeting and I'm so happy that Logan is doing well in school. I'm also still in shock that he's old enough to be in school and have parent-teacher conferences. Wow....
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
First Day of Preschool
Today marked a big milestone for Logan - his first day of preschool! He woke up this morning very agreeable, ate all of his breakfast at the first request after I told him that he couldn't go to school with an empty stomach. He didn't bat an eye when I told him that he needed to get dresses and to brush his teeth, another anomaly in our home. It was a happy, calm start to the day - everything went perfectly and we even got there on time! (those who know me know how much of a shocker that is).
We got to school and hung up his backpack on the hook with his name, and then I made him a name tag. We walked in and he said "Hi" to a couple of his friends that he knows from playgroup. One of his teachers had him place a sticker by his name on a chart. After that, he was off! I was so happy that he was comfortable and excited to go. I thought I would cry, but didn't get choked up too much.
Today's class was only an hour and then the next class is the full two and a half hours. Since today was so short, Carter and I went to Starbucks and ate a little breakfast together - coffee, muffin and a banana for him. It seemed to fly by.
We came back to pick him up and chatted with come of our friends while we waited. The teachers let the kids out of class one by one. When it was Logan's turn, he came out running and gave me a big hug, excited to tell me all of the fun things he did in class. It was so cute!
We stayed and played on the church lawn while he ran around with a couple of his buddies. I'm so glad all of the preschool-prep classes were worth it and that school is something that he looks forward to!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Preschool picnic pony rides
The preschool that Logan will be attending in the fall had their end of the year family barbecue and fundraiser last night. All of the families that are currently attending and those that will be were invited, as well as friends if you'd like them to tag along. There was food galore; hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, pulled pork, potato chips, fresh pineapple, buttered rolls, orange drink (you know the stuff they have at McDonalds that is scarily similar to the drink you need for the gestational diabetes test), donuts, cupcakes, brownies - it was a great spread. There were fun things for the kids; balloon animals, face painting, a bounce house and pony rides.
Logan with his orange spider painted on his face. Orange is his favorite color.
We had a great time. It's kind of funny because we know so many people who currently attend and there are so many of our friends enrolled for the fall that the school had to open up a third schedule to accommodate everyone and still keep the classes small. The family barbecue was just like hanging out with our friends with a few strangers mixed in.
With Carter strapped to me in the Bjorn, I tried to make my way around to talk to everyone (and missed a lot of people) while Logan and Bill did the fun stuff. We sat down to eat at just the right time, where Logan ate more sugar in that one meal than he's ever had in his entire life. He was on a sugar/fun high afterward running around like a cracked out 3 year old with a smile from ear to ear. It was good that the picnic was outside where he could jump around and scream about how happy he was.
The school had a pony there for the kids to ride, this being Logan's first-time ride. He saw the horse and was thrilled that he could actually have a chance to sit on it. He waited patiently for the 35 other kids signed up before him to take their turn. Once he finally got his chance, he loved every minute of it. He was calm and relaxed and just elated. Carter loved it when the horse came back after every kids' turn, kicking and jumping in the carrier, squealing away. The two of them were freakin' cute.
After the ride, I chatted with friends some more while Bill took Logan to the bounce house again. I think I might have even picked up a new client while hanging out. By the end of the night, it was getting dark and cold, so everyone began to pack up and say their good-bye's. It was a fantastically fun picnic! I can't believe Logan is going to be in school in a few short months, but I know he will enjoy every last minute of it. I just hope he doesn't expect pony rides every day when he starts going.
Logan with his orange spider painted on his face. Orange is his favorite color.With Carter strapped to me in the Bjorn, I tried to make my way around to talk to everyone (and missed a lot of people) while Logan and Bill did the fun stuff. We sat down to eat at just the right time, where Logan ate more sugar in that one meal than he's ever had in his entire life. He was on a sugar/fun high afterward running around like a cracked out 3 year old with a smile from ear to ear. It was good that the picnic was outside where he could jump around and scream about how happy he was.
The school had a pony there for the kids to ride, this being Logan's first-time ride. He saw the horse and was thrilled that he could actually have a chance to sit on it. He waited patiently for the 35 other kids signed up before him to take their turn. Once he finally got his chance, he loved every minute of it. He was calm and relaxed and just elated. Carter loved it when the horse came back after every kids' turn, kicking and jumping in the carrier, squealing away. The two of them were freakin' cute.
After the ride, I chatted with friends some more while Bill took Logan to the bounce house again. I think I might have even picked up a new client while hanging out. By the end of the night, it was getting dark and cold, so everyone began to pack up and say their good-bye's. It was a fantastically fun picnic! I can't believe Logan is going to be in school in a few short months, but I know he will enjoy every last minute of it. I just hope he doesn't expect pony rides every day when he starts going.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Preschool predicament
Crazy as it is, preschool registration is going on right now. Last year we went to the preschool fair to get an idea of what schools were out there and what they offered. At the time I had no idea what kind of school Logan would do best in. It was an overwhelming experience, but I'm glad we went when we didn't have to make a decision.
Over the last year many of our friends have enrolled their kids in preschool. In our Club, there seems to be an even split between two schools, one is a co-op the other is not. Both are run by churches and are Christan based curriculum. This was a problem for me, so I continued my search for a non-faith based school that was affordable. Because, let's face it. It's preschool, not college. It soon became apparent that "non-faith based" and "affordable" were not an option. The schools that I liked that I thought Logan would do well in were EXPENSIVE. Anywhere from $400-$600 a month and some were more. The university has an amazing early childhood development program, but it's $40 a day, $28 for half day. Yeah, that's not in our budget. None of the schools that I liked fit into our budget. This really rubbed me the wrong way.
I'm a believer that religion and school shouldn't mix. If a family practices a certain faith, wonderful. Keep the teachings at home or at church as it is the responsibility of the parents and the family to develop those values and practices. It has no place in school, even private school. Preschool is a place to learn the foundation of education - reading, science, math - not a place to learn about how Jesus loves them or that they are a child of God. That is what church is for. At this age they have no idea what religion really is, they are just accepting what they are being taught. In my eyes, teaching children religious practices without them truly understanding isn't right. If they still believe in Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and monsters under the bed, they are unable to discern them from deity.
Never in a million years did I think I would begin having discussions about religion with my three year old. It's my philosophy that religious beliefs are such a personal choice, nobody should try to influence or convert anyone one way or another. This includes me teaching my kids about different religions. Just as I have issues with others indoctrinating my children, I can't in good conscious tell them that any religion is wrong. Even with my experiences with the LDS church and organized religion. Spirituality is a journey they must go on on their own to discover for themselves. It's my job to help them with that discovery by letting them experience everything possible so they can make the best choice for themselves.
So, even though Logan only knows Jesus from when I stub my toe, find that he's thrown cat food all over the playroom or I'm about to staple his pants to his butt ("Jesus Christ! Put your pants on NOW!"), I talked to all of my friends in great detail about their experiences at one of the two schools. Everyone raved about the non co-op school, about the education, the teachers and the experience. I asked about how much Christianity was taught, and was assured that it wasn't much. There was a Christmas pageant and they learned about how Christmas was Jesus' birthday (ehhh, hmmm, ok) and that they said a simple blessing before snack time. Whoa. Blessings before snack? Not for us! When that was mentioned, I stopped considering the school and even began to think that if we couldn't afford a non-faith based school, then maybe we wouldn't send Logan to preschool at all.
Over the course of a few weeks, most everyone in our playgroup had chosen this school to go to. I was still stuck in my decision. I started to feel anxious about it all, not knowing what we were going to do. I continued to talk to everyone about their choice and what influenced them. At the 3 Boys Turning 3 birthday party, one of my Jewish friends told me that she switched her daughter to this school. I talked to her about the religious differences and she said that this school was actually pretty relaxed compared to other preschools that she had toured. I really appreciated her opinion and decided to go ahead and tour the preschool myself.
When I called yesterday morning to schedule a time for the tour, I briefly talked to one of the teachers about my agnosticism and Logan's current lack of religious teachings. She told me that there were students of varying faiths - Jewish, Atheist and Hindu to name a few - and that while the teachers may be Christian's themselves, they all attend different churches. I felt a lot better after speaking with her. It seemed that they had a well-rounded environment where the kids were taught about all different faiths rather than being force-fed The One And Only.
This morning we all went to check it out. We got there just in time. They were just getting ready for snack time. All of the kids were lined up to go wash their hands and one of the three teachers invited Logan to join the class so he could have snacks with them. He readily ran off, fitting right in. While the kids were preparing for snacks, Bill and I spoke with one of the teachers about the class activities they had done that morning and I noticed that they were eating glazed donuts for snack today (because it was someones birthday) and talked to them at length about food allergies. When the kids came back, they all sat at their tables (Logan ate crackers and milk) and Bill, sleeping Carter and I stood back and observed. They said a quick blessing, which was very informal and pretty innocent.
Logan LOVED being in school. He had a few friends in the class already, but that didn't even matter. He knew exactly what to do, what was expected of him and he was SO FREAKIN' CUTE! After snacks, the kids sat down to read books for a little bit, with Logan wiggling his way to the front and quietly sitting on the floor. Then they all lined up to go into the next room for circle time with Logan at the front of the line. I was impressed to see how his preschool prep classes had truly prepared him for this experience. I am so glad we did those for him. It was amazing to see how comfortable he was in the environment and he seemed not only to fit right in, but ahead of the game in some aspects.
While the kids went with one teacher for circle time, Bill and I stayed back and spoke with the other two teachers for a while. We talked about the curriculum and discipline and then I talked to them some more about the religious aspects. It turns out that some of the teachers had been either atheist or agnostic at some point in their lives and knew how I felt about it all. All of my concerns were easily put to rest as I felt comfortable with him learning about these practices in class since it was so relaxed and not a central focus of their school day. It was very well-rounded and as long as he had the opportunity to learn about ALL different faiths, I was fine with it.
Bill filled out the application and wrote the check for tuition. It was a done deal. We found the preschool for Logan and lucky for him (not that it really matters), he will have at least five friends from playgroup and The Club, if not more, in the same class with him. We gathered our things and were getting ready to leave just as the class was about to start a craft project. Logan was very upset that we were leaving. "I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE SCHOOL!" he protested. I had to bribe him with chocolate milk at home to get him to leave without a massive melt down. Really, this is a good sign.
Over the last year many of our friends have enrolled their kids in preschool. In our Club, there seems to be an even split between two schools, one is a co-op the other is not. Both are run by churches and are Christan based curriculum. This was a problem for me, so I continued my search for a non-faith based school that was affordable. Because, let's face it. It's preschool, not college. It soon became apparent that "non-faith based" and "affordable" were not an option. The schools that I liked that I thought Logan would do well in were EXPENSIVE. Anywhere from $400-$600 a month and some were more. The university has an amazing early childhood development program, but it's $40 a day, $28 for half day. Yeah, that's not in our budget. None of the schools that I liked fit into our budget. This really rubbed me the wrong way.
I'm a believer that religion and school shouldn't mix. If a family practices a certain faith, wonderful. Keep the teachings at home or at church as it is the responsibility of the parents and the family to develop those values and practices. It has no place in school, even private school. Preschool is a place to learn the foundation of education - reading, science, math - not a place to learn about how Jesus loves them or that they are a child of God. That is what church is for. At this age they have no idea what religion really is, they are just accepting what they are being taught. In my eyes, teaching children religious practices without them truly understanding isn't right. If they still believe in Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and monsters under the bed, they are unable to discern them from deity.
Never in a million years did I think I would begin having discussions about religion with my three year old. It's my philosophy that religious beliefs are such a personal choice, nobody should try to influence or convert anyone one way or another. This includes me teaching my kids about different religions. Just as I have issues with others indoctrinating my children, I can't in good conscious tell them that any religion is wrong. Even with my experiences with the LDS church and organized religion. Spirituality is a journey they must go on on their own to discover for themselves. It's my job to help them with that discovery by letting them experience everything possible so they can make the best choice for themselves.
So, even though Logan only knows Jesus from when I stub my toe, find that he's thrown cat food all over the playroom or I'm about to staple his pants to his butt ("Jesus Christ! Put your pants on NOW!"), I talked to all of my friends in great detail about their experiences at one of the two schools. Everyone raved about the non co-op school, about the education, the teachers and the experience. I asked about how much Christianity was taught, and was assured that it wasn't much. There was a Christmas pageant and they learned about how Christmas was Jesus' birthday (ehhh, hmmm, ok) and that they said a simple blessing before snack time. Whoa. Blessings before snack? Not for us! When that was mentioned, I stopped considering the school and even began to think that if we couldn't afford a non-faith based school, then maybe we wouldn't send Logan to preschool at all.
Over the course of a few weeks, most everyone in our playgroup had chosen this school to go to. I was still stuck in my decision. I started to feel anxious about it all, not knowing what we were going to do. I continued to talk to everyone about their choice and what influenced them. At the 3 Boys Turning 3 birthday party, one of my Jewish friends told me that she switched her daughter to this school. I talked to her about the religious differences and she said that this school was actually pretty relaxed compared to other preschools that she had toured. I really appreciated her opinion and decided to go ahead and tour the preschool myself.
When I called yesterday morning to schedule a time for the tour, I briefly talked to one of the teachers about my agnosticism and Logan's current lack of religious teachings. She told me that there were students of varying faiths - Jewish, Atheist and Hindu to name a few - and that while the teachers may be Christian's themselves, they all attend different churches. I felt a lot better after speaking with her. It seemed that they had a well-rounded environment where the kids were taught about all different faiths rather than being force-fed The One And Only.
This morning we all went to check it out. We got there just in time. They were just getting ready for snack time. All of the kids were lined up to go wash their hands and one of the three teachers invited Logan to join the class so he could have snacks with them. He readily ran off, fitting right in. While the kids were preparing for snacks, Bill and I spoke with one of the teachers about the class activities they had done that morning and I noticed that they were eating glazed donuts for snack today (because it was someones birthday) and talked to them at length about food allergies. When the kids came back, they all sat at their tables (Logan ate crackers and milk) and Bill, sleeping Carter and I stood back and observed. They said a quick blessing, which was very informal and pretty innocent.
Logan LOVED being in school. He had a few friends in the class already, but that didn't even matter. He knew exactly what to do, what was expected of him and he was SO FREAKIN' CUTE! After snacks, the kids sat down to read books for a little bit, with Logan wiggling his way to the front and quietly sitting on the floor. Then they all lined up to go into the next room for circle time with Logan at the front of the line. I was impressed to see how his preschool prep classes had truly prepared him for this experience. I am so glad we did those for him. It was amazing to see how comfortable he was in the environment and he seemed not only to fit right in, but ahead of the game in some aspects.
While the kids went with one teacher for circle time, Bill and I stayed back and spoke with the other two teachers for a while. We talked about the curriculum and discipline and then I talked to them some more about the religious aspects. It turns out that some of the teachers had been either atheist or agnostic at some point in their lives and knew how I felt about it all. All of my concerns were easily put to rest as I felt comfortable with him learning about these practices in class since it was so relaxed and not a central focus of their school day. It was very well-rounded and as long as he had the opportunity to learn about ALL different faiths, I was fine with it.
Bill filled out the application and wrote the check for tuition. It was a done deal. We found the preschool for Logan and lucky for him (not that it really matters), he will have at least five friends from playgroup and The Club, if not more, in the same class with him. We gathered our things and were getting ready to leave just as the class was about to start a craft project. Logan was very upset that we were leaving. "I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE SCHOOL!" he protested. I had to bribe him with chocolate milk at home to get him to leave without a massive melt down. Really, this is a good sign.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Getting his learn on
Logan has been back in his preschool prep class since the beginning of the month (the next "grade" up from this summer). I've noticed how much he learns in the short time he's there. Everyday he comes out of class talking about something new and throughout the day comes up with the most random conversations.
They've been learning everything about winter the last few weeks and he constantly talks about snow and what it's made of. He describes every part of it: white, cold, wet and the articles of clothing he needs to wear while outside - scarf and "glubs" (gloves). He talks up a storm when he's in school and I've noticed that while on his fall break, we got a little lazy with making him respond to conversation. I might have to find a way to keep him going until he actually enrolls in preschool.
The other day we were driving home from dropping Bill off at work. There's a grassy field that we drive by and in the summer it's full of prairie dogs. He noticed that they weren't there and asked what had happened to them. "Well, they are in their beds", I told him. "Oh, in their beds in the holes?", he asked. "Yep. In their beds in the holes because it's cold outside", I replied. "Prairie dogs need jackets", he told me. It took everything I had not to laugh hysterically while driving and getting us in to a car accident.
He's also growing up every single week, I swear. Last week he had show & tell at school and Bill thought letting Logan take his camera was a great idea. It was! He came out of class telling me about taking pictures of his friends. He turned on the camera and gave it to me to look through. It looked like they had a great time taking pictures. It gave me the warm fuzzies that he had so much fun while learning.
This morning was his last day at school for this session. They ended it with a big holiday party complete with a little program that the kids put on. Logan's first assembly! It was so cute! They came out into the gym where the parents were seated shaking their bells while they all lined up. Logan wandered around looking for us at first and after Bill redirected him back "on stage" Logan smiled and smirked. I couldn't help but laugh. While they sang "Jingle Bells", Logan walked off to the side almost in the audience to participate. Hilarious! They sang a couple more songs - something about snowball fights and "Animal Actions" where they imitated elephants, birds, snakes, cats and monkeys. Again, Logan was so funny to watch.
After their program the parents and kids went back into the classrooms to do craft projects together. Bill was able to take the morning off from work, so he was the lucky guy to do the project with Logan since he doesn't get a chance to otherwise. They made pine cone ornaments, snowmen made out of socks and reindeer out of Popsicle sticks. There was a gift exchange and Logan received a pretty cool present - a couple of balls that light up when they hit the floor.
After the party, Logan and one of his favorite friends, Little A (I guess they aren't so little anymore!) ran around together in the gym throwing the balls that Logan got and wrestling. They had a great time and it was a really fun way to end school for winter break. I don't think we'll go back for January, but maybe in the spring (depending on how the whole preschool thing works out. God! Preschool!)
*I have video of the assembly uploading and it's taking FOREVER. It's also out of focus in some parts because we were in the back row and too far away. The video is like the ones people torture their friends with ("hey, look at my kid!") when the parents are the only people who find it interesting. So, there's a boring warning for you. The family reading this will get a kick out of it though.*
They've been learning everything about winter the last few weeks and he constantly talks about snow and what it's made of. He describes every part of it: white, cold, wet and the articles of clothing he needs to wear while outside - scarf and "glubs" (gloves). He talks up a storm when he's in school and I've noticed that while on his fall break, we got a little lazy with making him respond to conversation. I might have to find a way to keep him going until he actually enrolls in preschool.
The other day we were driving home from dropping Bill off at work. There's a grassy field that we drive by and in the summer it's full of prairie dogs. He noticed that they weren't there and asked what had happened to them. "Well, they are in their beds", I told him. "Oh, in their beds in the holes?", he asked. "Yep. In their beds in the holes because it's cold outside", I replied. "Prairie dogs need jackets", he told me. It took everything I had not to laugh hysterically while driving and getting us in to a car accident.
He's also growing up every single week, I swear. Last week he had show & tell at school and Bill thought letting Logan take his camera was a great idea. It was! He came out of class telling me about taking pictures of his friends. He turned on the camera and gave it to me to look through. It looked like they had a great time taking pictures. It gave me the warm fuzzies that he had so much fun while learning.
This morning was his last day at school for this session. They ended it with a big holiday party complete with a little program that the kids put on. Logan's first assembly! It was so cute! They came out into the gym where the parents were seated shaking their bells while they all lined up. Logan wandered around looking for us at first and after Bill redirected him back "on stage" Logan smiled and smirked. I couldn't help but laugh. While they sang "Jingle Bells", Logan walked off to the side almost in the audience to participate. Hilarious! They sang a couple more songs - something about snowball fights and "Animal Actions" where they imitated elephants, birds, snakes, cats and monkeys. Again, Logan was so funny to watch.
After their program the parents and kids went back into the classrooms to do craft projects together. Bill was able to take the morning off from work, so he was the lucky guy to do the project with Logan since he doesn't get a chance to otherwise. They made pine cone ornaments, snowmen made out of socks and reindeer out of Popsicle sticks. There was a gift exchange and Logan received a pretty cool present - a couple of balls that light up when they hit the floor.
After the party, Logan and one of his favorite friends, Little A (I guess they aren't so little anymore!) ran around together in the gym throwing the balls that Logan got and wrestling. They had a great time and it was a really fun way to end school for winter break. I don't think we'll go back for January, but maybe in the spring (depending on how the whole preschool thing works out. God! Preschool!)
*I have video of the assembly uploading and it's taking FOREVER. It's also out of focus in some parts because we were in the back row and too far away. The video is like the ones people torture their friends with ("hey, look at my kid!") when the parents are the only people who find it interesting. So, there's a boring warning for you. The family reading this will get a kick out of it though.*
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Back to school
Spring break is over & Logan went back to school yesterday morning. This session is a bit busier than last because we have added another class to our schedule: swimming lessons. It was a very busy day that was both fun & exhausting.
Last session Logan was going to school in the afternoons. This session we had to switch to mornings to make room for swimming lessons. Two days a week, our schedule looks like this:
So, Logan was excited about starting school again after the break, went right into class & began to play with toys. There's another mom from The Club who's brining her son to the same class (we used to be in the same playgroup before the split), so it was nice that Logan already had a friend that he knew. Plus, it's great to chat with a friend while the parents all wait for class to start.
After class was over, I talked to Logan's teachers about his speech & language in class, asking questions about how often he spoke & if he used two-word combinations. To my surprise, he doesn't really speak at all in class (I thought he would be more likely to talk there) & his teachers thought he was still getting used to the classroom environment. I told them about his speech evaluation & how he was a little behind in expressive skills & explained some of the techniques we are starting to use at home. They are more than happy to help us out & continue working with Logan using his words in class. It will be interesting to see how he progresses over the next 4-5 weeks (he's already made some great progress over the last 7 days).
The next part of the morning was the first day of swimming lessons. Holy smokes, was this kid excited about that! He really didn't start getting excited until we were in the water, but out of 8 or so kids, Logan was by far the most excited & happy one there. You would have thought it was the best day in the world if you saw him. As the swim instructor was getting class started, Logan just kicked & laughed already trying to swim off on his own, making not only the swim instructor laugh, but all of the other parents couldn't help but smile at his complete & utter joy.
During the class the kids jumped into the water (into our arms) from the edge of the pool, practiced kicking their arms & legs & at the end, picking a floating toy to throw out into the pool to swim to. Although the toys are a great idea, it was really distracting for Logan since after a few tosses he wanted to choose another. We rotated between four or five different pool toys & he totally lost focus on actually trying to swim. He was supposed to be practicing his arm strokes, but at this point only kicked his legs & reached for toys. It was still loads of fun though. And afterward, I felt like I had run a mile. My arms & legs were nothing but Jello since this was the most activity I've had in almost 3 months.
Now is the time of the year where we really get to enjoy life, getting out to class, going on walks in the neighborhood & playing in the park. I am more than thrilled to be this busy again because it makes up for all of the fun we missed out on while I was sick. It also makes me feel so much better just seeing Logan so happy to go out & about.
Spring break is over & Logan went back to school yesterday morning. This session is a bit busier than last because we have added another class to our schedule: swimming lessons. It was a very busy day that was both fun & exhausting.
Last session Logan was going to school in the afternoons. This session we had to switch to mornings to make room for swimming lessons. Two days a week, our schedule looks like this:
- 7:45-8:00am = Take Bill to work
- 8:15-8:45am = Come home to do a few things unless there are errands to run outside of the house
- 9:00am = Logan's class starts
- 9:00-10:00am = I run errands while he's at school (or grab something to eat that I've been craving)
- 10:00-11:00am = Come home for a snack & to get ready for swimming lessons
- 11:30-12:00pm = Swimming lessons
- 12:30 or 1:00pm = Lunch
- 1:30 or 2:00pm - 3:00 or 4:30pm = Nap
- 5:00pm = Pick up Bill from work
- 5:30 or 6:00pm = Dinner
- 7:15pm = Bath time
- 8:00pm = Bed
So, Logan was excited about starting school again after the break, went right into class & began to play with toys. There's another mom from The Club who's brining her son to the same class (we used to be in the same playgroup before the split), so it was nice that Logan already had a friend that he knew. Plus, it's great to chat with a friend while the parents all wait for class to start.
After class was over, I talked to Logan's teachers about his speech & language in class, asking questions about how often he spoke & if he used two-word combinations. To my surprise, he doesn't really speak at all in class (I thought he would be more likely to talk there) & his teachers thought he was still getting used to the classroom environment. I told them about his speech evaluation & how he was a little behind in expressive skills & explained some of the techniques we are starting to use at home. They are more than happy to help us out & continue working with Logan using his words in class. It will be interesting to see how he progresses over the next 4-5 weeks (he's already made some great progress over the last 7 days).
The next part of the morning was the first day of swimming lessons. Holy smokes, was this kid excited about that! He really didn't start getting excited until we were in the water, but out of 8 or so kids, Logan was by far the most excited & happy one there. You would have thought it was the best day in the world if you saw him. As the swim instructor was getting class started, Logan just kicked & laughed already trying to swim off on his own, making not only the swim instructor laugh, but all of the other parents couldn't help but smile at his complete & utter joy.
During the class the kids jumped into the water (into our arms) from the edge of the pool, practiced kicking their arms & legs & at the end, picking a floating toy to throw out into the pool to swim to. Although the toys are a great idea, it was really distracting for Logan since after a few tosses he wanted to choose another. We rotated between four or five different pool toys & he totally lost focus on actually trying to swim. He was supposed to be practicing his arm strokes, but at this point only kicked his legs & reached for toys. It was still loads of fun though. And afterward, I felt like I had run a mile. My arms & legs were nothing but Jello since this was the most activity I've had in almost 3 months.
Now is the time of the year where we really get to enjoy life, getting out to class, going on walks in the neighborhood & playing in the park. I am more than thrilled to be this busy again because it makes up for all of the fun we missed out on while I was sick. It also makes me feel so much better just seeing Logan so happy to go out & about.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
First day of school
This morning Logan went to his first day of preschool-prep. He had so much fun! We got there a few minutes before class started (unlike being 5 minutes late for everything as usual). It was interesting how timid the parents seemed as they all brought their kids into class, as if they were more worried about the "first day of school" since our 2 year olds don't have the slightest idea what school's all about & were freely running around & playing with toys. I filled out some paperwork while Logan got comfortable (which didn't take long) & talked to his teachers about his food allergies. They have snack time & will be having a Valentine's Day party in the next class, so he won't be able to have any cookies.
I finished the paperwork, kissed Logan good-bye & left to run errands. It was strange doing stuff without Logan by my side. I mailed off his birthday party thank-you's (finally) & went to get a smoothie (since this is one of the few things I can keep down right now). By the time I was finished, it was time to go pick up Logan from school (it's only an hour class).
I got there a few minutes early & listened to them play ring around the rosie. I could hear the teachers trying to get Logan to join the circle & I could hear him trying to give "knuckles" to someone. It was pretty cute. After they were finished, the teachers opened the door so the kids could come out to greet their parents. Loan had the biggest smile on his face & gave me a huge hug. He kept talking about the things they did ("stickers", "music") & he just beamed with happiness.
The teachers took some of us inside the classroom to show us what the kids made. Logan got to show me his Valentine's Day bag that he decorated for the party later in the week. He was so proud that he did it all by himself. He gave some of his new friends hugs good-bye, gave his teachers hugs good-bye & he left without having a massive meltdown (which is unusual). When I got him in the car, I asked him about the things he did & learned about at school. He was chattering away with his one-word answers, excited about everything he did. It was awesome. I am thrilled that he had such a good time.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
It reminds me of getting ready for college
This weekend our town had a pre-school fair that all of our MOMS Club friends went to. Some of our little friends are a tad older than Logan & ready to go to pre-school, but we decided to go so we could be familiar with the different schools & options available to us when we're ready. I'm so glad we went.
We walked through the door to a room filled with parents & kids doing activities at all of the schools lined up in booths. It was a little overwhelming & a bit of a sensory overload. We sifted through the booths to find non-faith based schools. This is the only thing I know I want in a pre-school right now. Since Logan isn't baptized, we don't read the Bible or pray & the only reason Logan knows "Jesus Christ" is from me stepping on his match box cars, I'd rather not have him indoctrinated when he doesn't really understand what religion is all about.
We found a few non-faith based schools & were given information packets on the curriculum & tuition fees. First, let me say that I had no clue how expensive pre-school could be. Holy crap. Some schools have tuition fees of close to $700 a month! Unless we win the lottery or Bill lands a miracle account or I decide that the stay-at-home mom thing isn't for me (fat chance), we will not be sending Logan to those schools. There are some other options we can look into, one of them being a co-op pre-school. I think this is a fantastic idea. It's a great way for the parents to be involved in their child's education process & get to know teachers, classmates & other parents on a very close level. I'm not sure how it would work for us since I would have to find a sitter for the baby on a regular basis, though.
So, we met representatives from potential schools, listened to them talk about "core curriculum" & were invited to attend tours or sit in on a class one day. I think after we narrow down our choices to a few, we'll go check them out to see if they would be a good fit for Logan. This totally reminds me of when we were in high school looking for potential colleges to attend. Seriously. And this is just for pre-school.
It's comforting to know we have a while to make our decision since Logan is just starting pre-school prep next month. This will give me a chance to see how he does in a class setting with teachers in a structured routine. I'll pick the brains of my friends who are sending their kids to pre-school this next year to get their opinions & see what it's been like for them, too.
I just can't believe we're doing this already.
This weekend our town had a pre-school fair that all of our MOMS Club friends went to. Some of our little friends are a tad older than Logan & ready to go to pre-school, but we decided to go so we could be familiar with the different schools & options available to us when we're ready. I'm so glad we went.
We walked through the door to a room filled with parents & kids doing activities at all of the schools lined up in booths. It was a little overwhelming & a bit of a sensory overload. We sifted through the booths to find non-faith based schools. This is the only thing I know I want in a pre-school right now. Since Logan isn't baptized, we don't read the Bible or pray & the only reason Logan knows "Jesus Christ" is from me stepping on his match box cars, I'd rather not have him indoctrinated when he doesn't really understand what religion is all about.
We found a few non-faith based schools & were given information packets on the curriculum & tuition fees. First, let me say that I had no clue how expensive pre-school could be. Holy crap. Some schools have tuition fees of close to $700 a month! Unless we win the lottery or Bill lands a miracle account or I decide that the stay-at-home mom thing isn't for me (fat chance), we will not be sending Logan to those schools. There are some other options we can look into, one of them being a co-op pre-school. I think this is a fantastic idea. It's a great way for the parents to be involved in their child's education process & get to know teachers, classmates & other parents on a very close level. I'm not sure how it would work for us since I would have to find a sitter for the baby on a regular basis, though.
So, we met representatives from potential schools, listened to them talk about "core curriculum" & were invited to attend tours or sit in on a class one day. I think after we narrow down our choices to a few, we'll go check them out to see if they would be a good fit for Logan. This totally reminds me of when we were in high school looking for potential colleges to attend. Seriously. And this is just for pre-school.
It's comforting to know we have a while to make our decision since Logan is just starting pre-school prep next month. This will give me a chance to see how he does in a class setting with teachers in a structured routine. I'll pick the brains of my friends who are sending their kids to pre-school this next year to get their opinions & see what it's been like for them, too.
I just can't believe we're doing this already.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Early Education
This morning began registration for classes through the Parks & Rec department. Ever since we joined The Club, we've heard about the kids getting enrolled for all sorts of fun lessons & classes; swimming lessons, pre-school prep, art classes, gymnastics, ballet, cheer leading & farming, just to name a few. Logan is now old enough to start going to some of these classes.
After dropping Bill off at work, we came home & I started calling in to register. These classes fill up very fast & the line was busy. I got through a few times only to get a recording from the operator, "Your call cannot be completed at this time. Please try again later". One of the registration locations is just down the street from us, so I got Logan's coat on, threw on a hat & out the door we went - in our pajamas.
We got there & stood in line with a bunch of other moms & kids in their pajamas. They were all like us; tried to register some other way & couldn't get through. Standing in line with impatient kids, we all talked about & hoped that the classes we wanted to enroll in weren't filling up as we waited. After a 15 or 20 minute wait, we were finally able to register. It was really easy & we were able to get into all of the classes that we wanted.
Mid February, Logan will start his pre-school prep class: This class will direct your child’s attention to games, crafts, and stories while providing a positive “first time way away from Mom and Dad” experience. Although Logan hangs out at the gym daycare almost every day for 2 hour blocks, I thought this would be a great class for him. It's a structured learning environment where he will get to do all sorts of fun stuff. Considering he listens to instruction from others better than from me, he should have a great time.
At the end of March, he will start his swimming lessons: Parent participation class for children who are walking. Designed to introduce the child to deep water and to the wading pool at (name of pool) and shallow end at (name of another pool) while introducing beginning swimming skills. After Christmas vacation with swimming at the hotel pool, Bill & I knew that we had to get Logan in swimming lessons soon. He was already trying to swim on his own, kicking his legs & doing front strokes while Bill held him up in the water. The boy will be thrilled to learn how to swim (or so I hope).
I can't believe Logan is going to start "school". This is just insane. My baby is going to have teachers! And schools days! He's going to make new friends & have fun learning new things. This is happening all to fast.
This morning began registration for classes through the Parks & Rec department. Ever since we joined The Club, we've heard about the kids getting enrolled for all sorts of fun lessons & classes; swimming lessons, pre-school prep, art classes, gymnastics, ballet, cheer leading & farming, just to name a few. Logan is now old enough to start going to some of these classes.
After dropping Bill off at work, we came home & I started calling in to register. These classes fill up very fast & the line was busy. I got through a few times only to get a recording from the operator, "Your call cannot be completed at this time. Please try again later". One of the registration locations is just down the street from us, so I got Logan's coat on, threw on a hat & out the door we went - in our pajamas.
We got there & stood in line with a bunch of other moms & kids in their pajamas. They were all like us; tried to register some other way & couldn't get through. Standing in line with impatient kids, we all talked about & hoped that the classes we wanted to enroll in weren't filling up as we waited. After a 15 or 20 minute wait, we were finally able to register. It was really easy & we were able to get into all of the classes that we wanted.
Mid February, Logan will start his pre-school prep class: This class will direct your child’s attention to games, crafts, and stories while providing a positive “first time way away from Mom and Dad” experience. Although Logan hangs out at the gym daycare almost every day for 2 hour blocks, I thought this would be a great class for him. It's a structured learning environment where he will get to do all sorts of fun stuff. Considering he listens to instruction from others better than from me, he should have a great time.
At the end of March, he will start his swimming lessons: Parent participation class for children who are walking. Designed to introduce the child to deep water and to the wading pool at (name of pool) and shallow end at (name of another pool) while introducing beginning swimming skills. After Christmas vacation with swimming at the hotel pool, Bill & I knew that we had to get Logan in swimming lessons soon. He was already trying to swim on his own, kicking his legs & doing front strokes while Bill held him up in the water. The boy will be thrilled to learn how to swim (or so I hope).
I can't believe Logan is going to start "school". This is just insane. My baby is going to have teachers! And schools days! He's going to make new friends & have fun learning new things. This is happening all to fast.
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