I know I should have "school days", but after this morning I feel like I'm in more of a daze. Two other mothers and I got together and decided that it would be a good idea to start our own little preschool for our preschoolers. Since none of us can afford to send our little ones to actual preschools around here, why not? The group includes all boys and one poor little girl, but she's a trooper. There's Austin (4.5), Mya (4), Dalton (3), Keegan (almost 3), and Garrett (almost 3) so there's a pretty good range of ages and definitely a range of personalities. (Oh, and btw, I teach sunbeams on Sundays too...Austin and Mya are in my class.) There are three of us moms involved, but only three of the kids belong to us. The two youngest are watched by the other two moms everyday. Today was the first day of "school" and it was here. Let me share...
Austin is a really good kid, most of the time. The poor guy is the oldest of the group and his other friends all just started kindergarten. Needless to say, he wasn't too excited when I told him that school was going to be at home this morning. He tested my patience the whole time! Luckily, he's sleeping right now....much needed nap time.
Mya is great! For being the only girl, and rather quiet, she holds her own. She did have one little breakdown, but I can't even remember what it was for because it lasted for a whole 15 seconds. She's a pretty smart kid and really wants to learn whatever I'm teaching...and she wants the boys to listen too, but that didn't happen much.
Dalton is the cutest kid in town! He's such a little fireball and does whatever Austin does...there's trouble. But, he is a leader in his own right which is impressive considering his size (he's a little guy). His favorite parts of the day were eating his apple slices and throwing the peel on my grass and singing the "apple and banana" song. What a crack up!!
Keegan has a rhythm all his own. He's SUPER smart, especially for being not quite 3 yet (Nov.), but he's definitely walking to the beat of his own drum. He was one of the boys that I watched for a week so I'm familiar with him, and I expected a tantrum (or two) but he just went right along with the flow. With one exception....he didn't want Austin to push him in our little car outside. There were a few tears but we worked it out by running a few races. (Oh, and Garrett starts with us next week.)
I do have to confess that I was a little under prepared! We decided to have it be a 3 hour block, 9-12, and I felt like I had plenty of things to do to fill up my 3 hours....close, but not quite. I didn't really think through that they would be done with their crafts so quickly. I either need to do harder, more involved crafts, or break things up just a little better. Live and Learn!! Next week will be GREAT! I felt like we covered a lot today, had a lot of fun, and I wore them out for their moms....my job here is done.
Now I have to figure out what to do for next week. *whew*
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Good Job- You'll be glad that you did this once...I predict Callie will go to a private pre-school.. JK! I'm glad to be the first to comment!
That's so cool! I would love to do something like that. How fun for those kids...they're lucky!
Sounds chaotic and fun. Can't wait until it is my turn on Friday!! Mya said that she had lots of fun and couldn't wait till Gerald came home to show him everything that she had done.
That's cool. I would have never thought to start something like that. I might though. There are a lot of little kids here! Thanks for the idea! :)
What a great idea! Do you do it every day, or just a couple days a week?
I'm sure it will get easier as everyone settles into the routine.
i always knew you were a brave woman, but i had no idea how brave until now.
good for you... are you accepting enrollment for next year?
Sister Ricks is doing school here. I've thought about enrolling Michael, but he's not quite 2 yet. She suggested maybe trying it out at the beginning of the year and see how it goes. My nephew, Jarom, goes, so it may be trouble putting those two together! Good luck! I don't think I could do it!
Thankfully we are only brave enough to do it three days a week, which is nicely divided into once a week per mom...I was nominated for Mondays, thanks!
I'm just glad I got the first day out of the way and I know more of what to expect for next week.
And Mish, if you're close by, you're in too, definitely!!!
And Kareena, Cali will either go private or not go at all. I don't know if I can handle her myself, why would I hand her to another mom for such drama? j/k ;)
I wish I would have read your blog before I taught the kids today! I would have planned a little differently. It is funny that we had the same experience with the timing. I alloted much more time than necessary. Overall though, I really enjoyed the morning. Taking yours and Megans little ones for a few hours is totally worth being able to drop mine off at your house on Mon and hers on Fri. Totally worth it.... totally.... Did I mention How worth it it is?
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