Sally's First Day of School
I just LOVE this Montessori school we put Sally in. The people are so great, the school is small and cozy, the other kids are wonderful adn I love the teachers too. And it's only about 6 miles from our house, which is great.
Sally had a blast yesterday -- her first day! Of course I took pictures before we left the house, but daddy has teh card scanner, so when he gets back we'll post them.
Sally and I went for 2 hours, and I stayed to observe (their policy) for about an hour. Today she went for hte full time and just had a delightful time.
I am so impressed with what they are taught!
In addition to positive reinforcement potty training, the kids learn all sorts of "life skills." Of course, Sally can already feed herself, pull down her pants to potty, take off her jacket, etc., but the school focuses on so much more.
For example, at snack time, each child washes their hands, gets their own plate, cup and napkin. They receive a bowl of whatever the snack is that day (parents take turns providing snacks) and they serve themselves. They get their own water, and they can practice pouring from a small pitcher. They sit down the whole time, then when they are done, they scrape their plate into the trash, put it in the spot for dirty plates, throw away their cup and napkin, wipe the table, and then hang up the rag they just used to wipe the table. I love that! After just 2 days, it's remarkable to see that Sally is even MORE independent at home -- yesterday she finished her banana and just walked over to thte trash and threw away the peel, then she pulled her stepstool over to the sink to wash her hands -- all of this without my saying a word.
Additionally, the kids get to take turns feeding the class fish, watering the plants, and other stuff (like washing hte mirror with a spray bottle, squeegie and towel) that builds gross and fine motor skills. How cool.
NAturally, there's play elements involved too.
What amazed me most was Sally's level of concentration yesterday. I thought sure she'd be a bit overstimulated by all the other kids (I think there are 11 total in her class) and the toys and books. But I watched her spend 15 minutes on a single activity -- using tongs to move fluffy balls from one wooden bowl to another, one at a time. She looked up from time to time and never missed what the other kids were doing, but she was focused intently on that task. So cool.
Yesterday, when she got home from school, she played by herself with play-doh for almost an hour. I was amazed.
If nothing else, if this school teaches her to be able to sit and concentrate for extended periods, it will surely be money well-spent! The independence is a great by-product -- she got herself dressed (mostly) this morning, and put on her own shoes, on teh correct feet.
Today when I picked her up, we went to the library for an hour and a half (got her registered for the fall reading program), and then I took her to Applebee's. She was definitely ready for a nap when we got home!
We miss Daddy, can't wait for him to get back on Friday morning, and yet we are also having a good time. I admit, I was a little nervous about handling her for a week by myself, being 7 months pregnant at this point! But this week has really been surprisingly easy. I've even found time to get the new baby's clothing washed and put away plus some other things I've been putting off.
Tomorrow we have a play date with Marianna after school and tomorrow night Sally gets to spend a little time with Cory next door, while I conduct my conference call.
So that's what's up with us! :-)
Sally had a blast yesterday -- her first day! Of course I took pictures before we left the house, but daddy has teh card scanner, so when he gets back we'll post them.
Sally and I went for 2 hours, and I stayed to observe (their policy) for about an hour. Today she went for hte full time and just had a delightful time.
I am so impressed with what they are taught!
In addition to positive reinforcement potty training, the kids learn all sorts of "life skills." Of course, Sally can already feed herself, pull down her pants to potty, take off her jacket, etc., but the school focuses on so much more.
For example, at snack time, each child washes their hands, gets their own plate, cup and napkin. They receive a bowl of whatever the snack is that day (parents take turns providing snacks) and they serve themselves. They get their own water, and they can practice pouring from a small pitcher. They sit down the whole time, then when they are done, they scrape their plate into the trash, put it in the spot for dirty plates, throw away their cup and napkin, wipe the table, and then hang up the rag they just used to wipe the table. I love that! After just 2 days, it's remarkable to see that Sally is even MORE independent at home -- yesterday she finished her banana and just walked over to thte trash and threw away the peel, then she pulled her stepstool over to the sink to wash her hands -- all of this without my saying a word.
Additionally, the kids get to take turns feeding the class fish, watering the plants, and other stuff (like washing hte mirror with a spray bottle, squeegie and towel) that builds gross and fine motor skills. How cool.
NAturally, there's play elements involved too.
What amazed me most was Sally's level of concentration yesterday. I thought sure she'd be a bit overstimulated by all the other kids (I think there are 11 total in her class) and the toys and books. But I watched her spend 15 minutes on a single activity -- using tongs to move fluffy balls from one wooden bowl to another, one at a time. She looked up from time to time and never missed what the other kids were doing, but she was focused intently on that task. So cool.
Yesterday, when she got home from school, she played by herself with play-doh for almost an hour. I was amazed.
If nothing else, if this school teaches her to be able to sit and concentrate for extended periods, it will surely be money well-spent! The independence is a great by-product -- she got herself dressed (mostly) this morning, and put on her own shoes, on teh correct feet.
Today when I picked her up, we went to the library for an hour and a half (got her registered for the fall reading program), and then I took her to Applebee's. She was definitely ready for a nap when we got home!
We miss Daddy, can't wait for him to get back on Friday morning, and yet we are also having a good time. I admit, I was a little nervous about handling her for a week by myself, being 7 months pregnant at this point! But this week has really been surprisingly easy. I've even found time to get the new baby's clothing washed and put away plus some other things I've been putting off.
Tomorrow we have a play date with Marianna after school and tomorrow night Sally gets to spend a little time with Cory next door, while I conduct my conference call.
So that's what's up with us! :-)
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