Vacation at Nanny's / Lunch Rehearsal / X Starts Kindergarten / A Starts a Three-Days-a-Week "Pre-School" Program
August is a relatively slow month for us (other than the record number of kids appointments), but mainly because we are preparing for going back to school!
Friday, August 12th - Sunday, August 14th - We take a three-day trip to Nanny's house in Nacogodoches for the last of the summer swimming at her house plus lots of other fun with Nanny! This is the last visit of the summer. Jack starts back to work on Tuesday.
Tuesday, August 16th - Friday, August 19th - Jack does his annual "inservice" training and prepares for teaching the new school year. He will teach engineering, robotics, technology and reading dyslexia this year and is very excited about the classes!
Wednesday, August 10th - Lunch rehearsal for X and A. Last year X was in a half-day, afternoon pre-kindergarten program. That meant that he always ate lunch right before he went to school. This year he will be on his own for lunch for the first time at his all-day kindergarten. Melinda came up with the brilliant idea to have lunch rehearsal. Jack would make X and A's lunch every day and put it into their respective lunchboxes. When the alarm goes off at Noon, Melinda simulates a school bell (which is great fun to watch) and then the kids come in, sit at their Little Tykes Picnic Table and eat their lunch. This proved to be very, very valuable. Quickly we figured out that X had no idea how to work a thermos (since he had never needed to do it before), and needed to learn how to open the string cheese packages. Melinda also taught them how and WHAT to throw away in the trash and we tested out the brand new dinosaur cookie cutters. Jack makes both X and A peanut butter and jelly sandwiches each day and uses the cookie cutter (that has two opposing long-necked dinosaurs) to perfectly cut the boring square sandwich into two fun shapes. X and A both thought they were rock stars with such cool food. We did this all the way up until the first day of school. Of course, Jack HAS to make the lunch box for A as well as X so A does not feel left out. A carries the lunch box in the car just like his older brother and then brings it home. Guess what happens each day for A, Melinda "rings the bell" and A pulls out his lunch box and eats it at the table.
Thursday, August 18th - We get to meet X's teacher for the first time. Ms. Utterback's room looks like loads of fun and learning. She has X's name on a placard and placed on a table where he will sit in class each day. He was very excited, as was A (who just wanted to play with all the toys while we visited with her).
Monday, August 22nd - Melinda drops off X at school for his first day in Kindergarten (and his first full day away from her). When Melinda picks him up in the afternoon he is excited to tell her all about his adventures and new "friends." We were worried about this being an all-day adventure (and he is pretty tired when he gets home), but it looks like this might be O.K.
Wednesday, August 24th - We get to meet A's new teachers. A is only two years old (just about to turn three), but he has been by X's side since he was born except for the week-long stay in the hospital several months ago. We know he also needs regular socialization with OTHER children - especially his own age - so we enrolled him in a three-day-a-week "pre-school" program at a very nearby church that meets from 8:45 to 11:45, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We think this should provide the right balance. This is a true educational curriculum that is faith-based. It is NOT a daycare or play center. We wanted him to start developing a bit of structured routine. All the therapists / doctors that we see think this should help.
Monday, August 29th - A's first day of "school." After a bit of apprehension about going to his class, A jumped right in and had lots to talk about when he got home when eating from his lunch box - yes - at the kitchen table.
The end of a month, but the start of a school year!
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