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We just finished week 3! The 1st week was just 2 days for Kindergarten students, and now we have had 2 5-day weeks. Things are going really well!! He loves school, but especially loves riding the bus, which makes me feel better about making that choice. Thinking of all the mamas and kids starting soon!
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@jhd: yay! I’m so glad to hear from someone who’s started already. And I’m glad it’s going so well for your son! Did you have anything that you did that you think really helped?
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@JennyPenny: we visited the school for meet the teacher night and that really helped us all to see the space and meet his teacher before he went. we have tried to be really positive and upbeat about it. he occasionally tells us kindergarten days are too long (he only did half day preschool) but i think he's starting to adjust. i was nervous and emotional about his first day, but didn't let him see it!
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@jhd: Nice! Our meet the teacher is this Friday and I'm very much looking forward to it.
Today was the first day of school for our county, so I took DS down to the bus stop to meet the other kids and just get a feel for how long it takes and everything like that. It went nice and smoothly. There's actually only 1 other kid at our stop, which is our neighbor that we kind of know. He's in 5th grade so hopefully he can help DS a bit if he needs it
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@jhd: So glad to hear he's doing well!
@JennyPenny: We're not taking the bus and I don't see how it will work out for now but I def wish we could go to the bus stop to at least say hi to everyone!
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@JennyPenny: such a great idea to go talk to kids at the bus stop! When is your DS’s first day?
@graceandjoy: Thank you!
I had been a bit worried about the transition!
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We’re supposed to get our teacher assignment/class list today (first day is next week) and I’m so f’ing impatient!!!!
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@jhd: It was today! And it went great! DS was totally ready. Just walked right into the classroom and started working and talking to the teacher like he'd been doing it for years. No tears at all from him, and only a few from me. The big suprise was that DS2 (2 years old) was very upset. He cried when dropped DS1 off at school, and again when I told his daycare teacher (who had been DS1's teacher too) that he had started Kindergarten today. It was such a big sad cry, too. The daycare and preschool buildings are next to each other but I don't think they saw each other at school much. I guess he just noticed that it was a big change...
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@JennyPenny: Wow, you just totally tipped me off to making sure I can/will be sensitive to how DD2 is feeling too then! She already doesn't like it when/if DD1 is sick and doesn't go to daycare with her, plus she is starting pre-school, so it seems like I really have to pay attention to my younger instead as I really think DD1 will be ok!
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DS1 had a great first day! All smiles and excitement telling us about his day! Yay!!
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@JennyPenny: that is so great to hear!
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@JennyPenny: this is great!!
our back to school day event is this afternoon. I am excited to meet dd's teacher and see her classroom. I am also a little nervous, I really hope DD likes everything and is excited and happy!
DD's first day of school is next weds!!!
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Has anyone adjusted sleep schedules since starting Kindergarten? DS used to have lights off at 8:30 and then he would come get us in the morning when his alarm clock turned green at 7:15, but lately he's been sleeping in past the clock lighting up. He looked super tired last night so I did lights off at 8, and he still slept in till 7:30. I'm wondering if I should go ahead and try and make this a permanent shift...
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@JennyPenny: Yep, I think we're going to have to push lights out at 8pm. Apparently he had a hard time sitting up during carpet time. He kept trying to lay down, so I asked him what was going on and he said he was tired...
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Not really because our schedule hasn't really changed. Lights out around 8:10-8:15, she is asleep by 8:30 and wakes up 7-7:30. We don't leave the house till 8:45-8:50.
Btw, first day of school was yesterday! We went to drop off DD2 first at preschool, then got on the car line at school and was def emotional watching someone take her in! She unfortunately had a pee accident (she has had maybe 3 total since she was potty trained), but nurse reassured us that it happens a lot during the first week.
I'm STILL trying to get bits and pieces from her about her day; can't believe it's already her 2nd day~
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@JennyPenny: We do not have to adjust bedtime bc it kind of happened naturally a few months ago when we transitioned DS into his big boy bed. We started going up, BOTH DD and DS and doing potty/brush teeth together and then we all lay in DS's bed, read books and lights out. DD ends up falling asleep before DS and then I just move her to her bed. It's not ideal but it's getting her to sleep earlier. We go up between 715 and 745.. so I'd say on average she's asleep by 8. Most days she'll wake up on her own by 630, some days I wake her up around 645/7
She seems to be ok. I do notice that by the end of the week some nights she's asleep faster so I try to get us upstairs earlier.. like 715 vs 745!
@graceandjoy: trying to get all the info from them is torture! LOL.. I wish I could just be a fly on the wall all day
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@JennyPenny: we started last month and are still in the process of adjusting bedtime!
our guy has always always been a night owl. we are aiming for 8pm bedtime and will try to gradually move that forward if we need to. his preschool started at 9am the last two years so there was never a need to get him up early. both DH and I work from home so we've been able to be more flexible.
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@graceandjoy: i have gotten more info as the days go on, but it's usually not when i'm asking questions. it's often when we're doing something else and he thinks of things. our teacher also sends home a newsletter each week with info about what they are learning so we try to ask questions about that. we didn't get one this week with the holiday or the first week, but that's understandable.
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@Ajsmommy: Yesss me too! DH mostly works from home/for himself so I keep telling him to volunteer for stuff and to spy on her haha!!
@jhd: I agree! I get info randomly, seldom when I ask haha. Or I have to be super specific with my questions!
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@graceandjoy: yes I have to stop asking yes/no questions
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@jhd: @graceandjoy: @Ajsmommy: @JennyPenny: OMG you guys are making me feel so much better, thank you. I thought I was like the only mom with a kid who didn't word vomit about their day. It's like pulling teeth!
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Is anyone's kid just a total downer about K? Full disclosure, mine has always had grumpy tendencies. But he never has anything positive to say about his day (that doesn't involve recess). Today there was a morning event and as we tried to leave he was sobbing and screaming that he hates school while his teacher had to hold him back.
I'm hoping he'll adjust sooner or later, but it's just so hard to not let it get to me. Especially because we pay a ton for this school, and he gets way more play/hands-on learning here than he would elsewhere.
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@Mrs. Yoyo: Oh I can totally relate. My is always the debbie downer haha. After we do something fun for the day and I ask if she had fun, she'd say no lol. She gave 1st day of school a thumbs down, and said this morning kindergarten is boring and takes too long. I'm like okkkkkay as I know her tendencies and I don't think that's really how she feels.
I am sorry that you feel so bad from his crying/screaming, outright disdain for school right now. Do you think it's just part of the transition? Maybe this is how he is voicing going through this change and he doesn't really mean it?
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@graceandjoy: I hope so. And I've seen smiling pics of him from school so I know he's not sitting there like a stick in the mud all day. He's just my hard one when it comes to transitions ... and I think part of him thinks that if he says he hates school it helps prove that he loves me more, or something. But it was just a gut punch hearing him scream that this morning and I can't concentrate because I keep thinking about it. Ugh.
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@Mrs. Yoyo: Aww, I think every kid reacts/expresses their feelings towards big transitions different; I know it's so hard to hear/see him like this, but have hope that it's not his actual feelings about school! I mean, mine peed herself the first day....!
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We just finished our first (short) week of school and I am so pleasantly surprised by how well it’s going! C seems to really enjoy it, she hops on the bus happily every morning and is so excited to go to school that mornings are actually way easier than they used to be. I don’t get a whole lot of info from her (and nothing from the school or teacher), but I feel like a detective putting together the clues from little things she tells me. And she’s definitely tired at the end of the day and needs to just chill, but she hasn’t been unbearable or throwing tantrums and such.
The only negative really was yesterday she told me a 1st Trader was teasing her and another Kindergartener on the bus, and may have pushed her getting on the bus (I definitely believe the teasing, not sure about the pushing). We talked about how she can respond and I think it is a good learning opportunity.
It’s so hard not getting more info from the school! I know it’s just how it is at big kid school but I’m used to dropping off and picking up and talking to the teacher. I’ll prob email the teacher next week just to check in on how she is settling in.
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@Foodnerd81: I agree that it's very hard to not be in the "know" anymore. I went from having video check ins (7 x's a day) and a verbal and email update daily to a non kid specific email at the end of the week
As for us DD got sick already. She missed Friday, her 2nd day. SO today is her 2nd day.
She was fine on her first day but the following day (she was off bc they stagger k here) she went to our old daycare and she started to cry to the lady that she didn't like the before and after care at the school. She doesn't like it bc she is mixed in with the older kids. She had this same issue at summer camp. Summer camp was also mishandled IMO BUT I think she is worried this will be a similar experience.... we talked to her that she has to give it a chance and to try to make a friend or two. I also called the director and asked that they maybe pair DD up with someone or something so here's hoping today goes better... it's very hard to not worry.
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@Foodnerd81: Uggh that's terrible! In our districts there seems to be a set # of bus aides and they rotate between the buses... Maybe send in a request to school or transportation and see if you can get someone check on that bus?
@Ajsmommy: I agree, it's so hard to not worry about every little thing when it come to these precious babies of ours! And I am sooo not looking forward to the public school germs lol!
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Hey all---- has anyone had their first teacher conference yet?? We had ours last night and I am soo happy that DD's happy personality is shining through in K!! The first thing the teacher said was wow, DD, she's a happy one isn't she!?!? Makes me feel so good. So far she's doing great and loving school. She already has all of her math and counting down to move onto 1st but she has to learn all 40 sight words. She only has 10 now. Teacher said she probably really has 12-15 but mixed a few up. So anyway that's basically what she needs to work on for the rest of the year to be moved onto 1st... sooo we're very confident that she'll master them shortly with some work at home.
How are your kiddos doing? Any conference updates? How many sight words do they need to have and how many do they already have? Would love to hear some other updates.
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@Ajsmommy: That's so great to hear! We don't have ours till next month. I think she's up to like 5-8 sight words? I can't remember. Me, This, The, See, And, a few others I probably missed. But I noticed she has randomly learned to spell/read some other words too like I Love You, Look, etc. I honestly don't pay THAT much attention to the academics; I know she's learning and absorbing, so I'm usually more concerned about her social/emotional state since she's the youngest in school.
We started K on buying lunch one day a week (Friday is pizza day!), it's crazy how big/mature they've gotten. I went to school to volunteer for picture day yesterday; it just amazes me how with it she is, how well she listens, etc. We continue to use Class Dojo so I'm able to see her earning points and it's a great convo starter at home. Overall she seems to be adjusting so well which is a big relief since she has a Dec birthday!
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@Ajsmommy: We had our first conference a few weeks ago and it went great for us too. Somehow DS is a magic well-behaved child when at school and saves all his nastiness for us at home. I was surprised because he did not get good behavior reports from his pre-school.
As for academics I don't know what specifically they're supposed to have done by the time they finish K, but I know on the reading assessment they gave at the start of the year, DS is already where he's supposed to be by the end. We got a hand out with 100 sight words that I suppose we should be practicing - maybe I'll take a look at that. Basically, our teacher said to keep him reading at home and she'd recommended him for some special pull-out activities.
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@graceandjoy: Oh, man, the maturity change is unreal. I picked DS up early recently for a doctor appointment and the way he cleaned up his work area, grabbed his belongings, and then showed me around the school on the way out just blew my mind.
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@Ajsmommy: @graceandjoy: @JennyPenny: excited to hear these updates!
we had our first conference a few weeks ago and a report card last week. i knew he would not struggle at all academically, but i was worried about interactions with teachers and students. he goes to speech therapy for help with articulation and anytime we have a big change like this i get all worried that people won't be able to understand his speech. it hasn't been a concern at all, which the teacher very kindly sent me a message about the first week to set my mind at ease!
T is in the advanced reading group and has been bringing home little readers to read to us Mon-Thurs every week for the last few weeks. i am not tracking sight words, but i think he's doing well. our biggest challenges have been eating lunch at school and getting him in to bed on time. lunch has really improved lately. he was so proud earlier this week that he had eaten every bite of his lunch! i went to eat with him one day this week also and it was so fun to see him with all his little friends. bedtime is still a struggle at times. he is just a night owl! i also wonder if sometimes he gets overtired and has trouble settling. it's a work in progress!
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Homeschooling update! Things are going pretty well. There have been a few times where she resisted doing her lessons, and it’s been difficult for me because I don’t want to be a mean mom who makes schooling a drudge, BUT I’m also sure that she’s testing the boundaries to see how much she can get away with. I think it’s the relationship dynamic of homeschooling that is the most difficult part. Not that I regret our choice—overall, it’s been great—but it puts an extra strain on my role as mother, and extra pressure on her, too.
My strategy is going to be consistency (so she knows what to expect and realizes that arguing about it is fruitless) plus extra time for just her and I to have fun together. Like date nights once per week. I’m also enrolling her in ballet this spring and fencing this fall.
We’re doing phonics, math, poetry, science, art, and piano. But I’m not pushing her hard on the reading—I’ve seen several studies that show that early reading doesn’t give a long term advantage over learning to read at age 7, so while we plug away at our curriculum doing a little bit everyday, I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t learn to read this year. As I said, that doesn’t bother me at all (Finland has the best education system in the world and they don’t begin teaching reading until age 7), but it does make me uneasy knowing that we will be judged for it. When people learn you homeschool, they immediately want to interrogate your kid to see if they are actually learning anything.
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Our parent teacher conferences aren’t until December, which seems SO far away. But as far as I can tell, C is doing really well. No bad reports from school which is a big change from the last two years. She’s the oldest in her class and is really bright, academically, so I know she isn’t necessarily learning a ton of academic stuff, but she’s learning about managing her time, working on the assignment instead of fooling around, getting along... those are the things she struggles with.
We haven’t gotten a list of sight words or anything, although I know they are a thing.
@Hypatia: I totally understand what you are saying. It’s not exactly the same but I was just talking about my 3, almost 4, yo and how she doesn’t know her letters. Her preschool is play based which is what I want, but then I get nervous that she’s falling behind her peers. It wasn’t an issue with my older because she just picked up on the stuff easily, but the younger will need a little more of a push I think. But she’s 3! It’s fine! But her big sister knew all that stuff much younger!
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@Hypatia: lurker with a 5 year old that I'm homeschooling. Solidarity on everything you said! We're slowly working through a phonics/handwriting curriculum and I constantly have to refocus on my kid and not what everyone else can do. With patience and persistence it will come.
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@Foodnerd81: Yes, that’s exactly it! I secretly thought that if we had very little screen time, read to her lots, surrounded her with educational games, etc. that she’d just be one of those very early readers you hear about. Nope. It’s hard to reprogram myself from our culture’s prevailing sentiment that earlier is better... Kids don’t need that kind of pressure at an age when, like you said, three should be honing their social skills and engaging in free play.
@brownepiano That’s so true. The whole point of homeschooling is to tailor education to each individual child, and yet we as parents feel like we have to prove ourselves by keeping up with the Joneses. Social media seems to make it worse... I mean, that’s great if little Johnny can read and I get that people want to brag on him, but for some reason early academics sometimes feels like a competitive sport.
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@Hypatia: kudos to you for homeschooling!! My cousin does and she loves it and it is amazing for her and her kids. I'm not gonna lie I was shocked at all the stuff the teacher was telling us at DD's conference. How much stuff they have to know to be passed onto 1st! It is way more than when i was in K. I'm pretty sure all we did in K was learn the alphabet and take naps
But they expect DD to do so much more.. not only read but to do all this comprehensive stuff along with the reading and to "infer" things... to hear the teacher talking about it was mind blowing. School has certainly changed a lot since my go round. I truly hope it doesn't start to become a pressure or stress inducing thing for DD bc that'll really upset me. I like more of a play based learning atmosphere.... I am more concerned with how DD interacts with others and that she has compassion and empathy and knows how to help others. My cousin has told me often that i should look into homeschooling...
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@Hypatia: Ugh I am so sorry! I totally you receive unfair judgement when people know NOTHING about you/your family!
I am extremely relaxed about academics. I totally get that public education now just pushes everything too early. I know she's learning and absorbing and doing super well so I really just try to focus on free play, cultivating her imagination, etc. I try to make-up for what she doesn't get from home schooling or alternative schooling. But I hear you, it's hard because I feel like general society still just care more about academics, grades, being advanced, etc.
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We just had our parent teacher conference! Super positive and found out she is reading above level, which is great! Just being able to hear more about how she is at school is so fun! Has anyone else had theirs?
I had been a bit worried about the transition!
But they expect DD to do so much more.. not only read but to do all this comprehensive stuff along with the reading and to "infer" things... to hear the teacher talking about it was mind blowing. School has certainly changed a lot since my go round. I truly hope it doesn't start to become a pressure or stress inducing thing for DD bc that'll really upset me. I like more of a play based learning atmosphere.... I am more concerned with how DD interacts with others and that she has compassion and empathy and knows how to help others. My cousin has told me often that i should look into homeschooling...
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