Pre-K Update

So I have been meaning to do this forever, but you know...life.

First of all some background:
When Hannah started kindergarten last year, I told Olive we would do our own school.  She named it "Mama School."  But she really didn't want anything to do with school, so I tried to sneak the learning into play. We would be building with blocks (her favorite activity) and I'd ask her to find three blue blocks.  She'd look at me and immediately figure out that three was a number...and say "nope."  Any mention of letters or numbers was not allowed.  Fast-forward to the end of the school year and Olive was begging to do pages in a workbook!  Somehow the more we helped out in Hannah's kindergarten class and the more she saw Hannah learning...the more she wanted to do school things.

So I was optimistic that her outlook on school had changed she would be willing to attend preschool.  Even though I don't think preschool is that important (academically), I do think it is very important that Olive starts out with a positive school experience.  With Olive I've learned she is much happier if she can decide things herself and she doesn't feel "forced" into anything.  She went with me to tour four different preschools so she could be involved in the decision.  And luckily the one she liked was also the one I liked!  I think she chose it mainly for the playground equipment and toys.  I liked the teachers and it had the smallest class sizes (maximum of 10).  Ironically I think it is a little more academic than most preschools.  For instance, they have a handwriting workbook.

On the first day of preschool she said she was a little nervous, but no tears.  On the second day of preschool she said, "I had another great day!  I'm ready for kindergarten now!  Is it soon?"  I had to explain that it wasn't really soon, but she didn't mind.  She absolutely LOVES preschool.

Her teacher has taught preschool for almost 20 years, which is exactly the kind of teacher I'd choose for Olive.  She has seen it all and can deal with anything!  There are only 7 kids in Olive's class- 4 girls and 3 boys.  She goes to school Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12:00-2:30.  They do music/movement class every day and library on Wednesdays.  They study one letter per week and do activities related to that letter.  The letter D was all about dinosaurs.  They read fiction and non-fiction books about dinosaurs, made a dinosaur fossil in clay, drew dinosaur defenses (spikes, teeth, etc.) and had a dinosaur buffet where everyone brought a vegetable or meat to see if they were an herbivore or carnivore.  I am really impressed with their curriculum!  Now Olive is very interested in letters and is always asking how things are spelled.  Olive's teacher said she is way ahead academically and she especially excels at fine motor activities like writing.

Every time I pick her up, Olive is in a great mood.  She tells me about what they had for snack, who she played with at recess, and what project she did in class.  She is always super excited to show her work to Hannah.  She loves that she is "big" like Hannah now and has her own friends and her own teacher and her own stuff.  Olive's favorite friend at school is named....Olive.  I thought Olive was a very unusual name and it turns out there are THREE Olives at preschool (although not in her class, she plays with them at recess).  Meanwhile, we don't know any other Hannahs.

Steve and Olive going to "Dad's Night" at preschool.  Olive made the tie for him.