Preschool Prep

Taking every opportunity I can this summer to prepare Grace for preschool has proved far more fun than emotional. Don't get me wrong it has been emotional but the "high" and the excitement for both Grace and me has outweighed the hesitation and anxiety of the unknown. It started with a small, ongoing "science project" just before going off to VBS. The next step was an "organized" activity for our play group here yesterday and today was story time.


Finding out that Grace has a better grasp of her world than I sometimes give her credit for, has been a wonderful discovery - I think for both of as! I raved about her intellect for the first 2 years of her life, but the last 9 months have been so much about what Lily can and cannot do that poor Grace has grown up, quite unnoticed into such an amazing little girl. I still tell people I have 2 "toddlers" when in fact I have a toddler and a "young lady".



At VBS we learned that she is quite capable of participating in an activity or classroom setting without me. The separation is still a challenge, but once the program begins the tearful good-bye is in the past and forgotten allowing Grace throws herself into the mix full bore; as is evident from the photos taken of her by the VBS staff; the wonderful letter sent home from her teacher; and the amazing staff who knew and adored my child even before the week was half over.



Knowing that school this Fall means organized activity. Like Grace had at VBS where there is a time and a place for everything. {i.e....Now is snack time, next is arts and crafts, after that is story time} I needed to bring a little more of this to Grace's daily routine. With the exception of meal and nap or bedtime, Grace & Lily can do whatever they want all day long {provided we are home} They can start coloring and decide to have a tea party after 2 minutes. They can be watching a show, putting together a puzzle and playing with the train set all at the same time. They might ask for a story and decided to play dress-up while I am trying to read or want to play Duck-Duck-Goose randomly and in the middle of any activity. This is not going to be allowed when Grace starts preschool - Art time is art time and not story time. Story time is quiet time not puzzle or Duck-Duck-Goose time. I'd always assumed that Grace was too young to impose such "rules" on. It was okay that she was a bit of a free-spirit, she's only 2 or only 3 she would not understand if I said to her "No, that's not what we are doing now". Not the case at all. In fact although I am well aware that children crave boundaries and discipline...Sometimes you forget to put theory into practice.



We will get to the science project in a bit. Yesterday was our weekly Wednesday Play Group. I love Wednesdays - the play date is always at my house. When we started this little play group Lily was a baby and napped in the morning. I knew if we just held the play group here she could nap and I wouldn't have to worry about Grace having to miss out on play time with her friends just because Lily needed to sleep. It's always been toddler mania though. Outside when the heat permits and inside when it's far too hot. The kids just run around and play with everything. The kitchen, musical instruments, dolls & strollers, whatever we have - all over the living room or loft, everything out at once chaos. But the kids have fun. My living room is gated so all the kids have a safe space to play or the loft is gated so again a safe and reasonable sized area for small children to play in - but - Chaos. I cannot complain. I don't mind the chaos. The group is made up of really good kids who range in age from 14 months old to 3 years old. They get along well and for the most part share. I am not so in denial to say that's it's perfect - There are a few fights over toys every now and again and 'Time Out' is used or threatened by at least one parent every week, but it's a great group.



This week in my quest to prepare for preschool I planned a "Play-Dough Play Date". I made play-dough over the weekend and it had been a big hit, so why not try again? But since I did not have many tools or cutters to manipulate the play-dough with I invited the moms to bring something along, any item that might be fun to use with the play-dough. It was once again a big hit! The kids all sat around the kitchen table. No one ran off to play something else - We just played with play-dough for a good 30 minutes. I was tickled pink that the kids from youngest to oldest, were able to focus their energy for as long as they did!



Today we returned to story time at the library for the first time in months. I really enjoy our local library's Thursday program. The children's librarian does a great job of getting the kids to sing, and move around and be loud to they get it all out before reading her first story. Then getting them up and moving for another few songs, and gets their "sillys" out before reading her second story. And ends with a few more songs and the "Hokey Pokey" before sending them off into the library where they will need to be quiet again. Last year Grace loved the singing part but had trouble focusing and listening to the story. With so many kids and distractions it was hard for her to listen when so many other tings were grabbing her attention. Last summer I had to sit on the floor with Grace on my lap at the edge of the carpet because she would not go sit amongst the kids, in front of the Librarian by herself. This summer Grace went right for the carpet, picked a spot to sit down and tried for a few minutes to explain to Lily & Rylan that they needed to sit too. In the end the pull of running around with Rylan and Lily proved too much and Grace, much to my chagrin joined the party. She did however pick a spot back on the carpet when story time began and actively participated with the librarian right down in front when they began singing the songs. Last year if the librarian looked at her or tried to engage her Grace would have come running to me and hid behind my leg. This year Grace was doing all she could to be noticed. It was like watching a butterfly emerge from it's cocoon {Our next "science project" by the way.} If Rylan had not decided to sit in Monica's lap for the story parts and had remained on the carpet for all of it, not just the singing parts, I think Grace would have too. And I think Grace and Rylan would have listened to the story more closely if they had been on the carpet, but where they were today compared to where they were a year ago... Those two are so ready for preschool!!



Lily on the other hand - Well this was Lily's first story time not strapped to a stroller. Lily was sure that the kids sitting on the carpet were there waiting for a giant game of Duck-Duck-Goose. She also thought that their laps were there for her sitting pleasure and tried a few out. At one point she hugged a random little girl and then wandered across the room to "dance" in front of a group of older kids. Lily has no idea that she's not a big kid and is seen as a "baby" by 4, 5 & 6 year olds. Lily thinks she's just as big as they are AND that everyone wants to hang out with Lily. She cannot imagine whay anyone would not want to hang out with her. Lily and I left story time half way through so that Grace & Rylan {and the rest of the moms and kids} could enjoy the second story free from Lily's antics.



The 'Summer Science Project' needs it's own post so keep an eye out - It's coming soon!