I go to school now!
Hi everyone! Well, it took me so long to narrate my Disneyland adventure to my mom, that I realized I hadn’t caught you all up on something equally exciting and big in my world - I’ve started school! Yup, now that I’m 3 years old, I am old enough to go to big kid school. On my birthday, Katil gave me my very own big boy backpack, just like Elmo wears to his school! Here’s the low-down on my time so far:
On the day after we drove back from Disneyland, my mommy and daddy woke me up early and I could tell something was up - they were both urging me to eat my breakfast, and making an extra fuss over making sure I was dressed ok and my hair wasn’t sticking out all over the place! I had been told that I was going to start big kid school today, but I still didn’t quite know what that meant! My folks had been reading me stories about going to school - so I knew there would be other kids there and a teacher - but I was still a little in the dark as to this whole thing! So, we got my shoes on and they put my big kid backpack on me and we went outside to take some pictures - I grinned ear to ear when they told me to say cheese! Then we got in the car and we drove about 3 blocks down the street and pulled into a big round parking lot with buses. I recognized it from earlier this year, when I’d gone with Mommy and Daddy to have my hearing tested and to meet with some nice ladies and play some games with them. Mommy must have stubbed her toe or something, because she kept doing that thing where she is trying not to cry in front of me, and put on a brave and happy face, but I can tell she’s kinda faking! Silly Mommy! We went inside a part of the school that said “Preschool” on the outside of the building, and then inside there are a cluster of classrooms, including mine! We walked into the classroom, and there was my new teacher, Ms. Lori! She is really nice and there were lots of really cool toys and things to look at in the classroom, so Mommy and Daddy talked to my teacher while I explored a little. I was sucked in when I realized that there was a rug like mine at home (it looks like there are streets and buildings on it), and a box full of cars right next to it! I sat down happily while Mommy and Daddy finished talking to Ms. Lori, and then suddenly they were bending down to give me hugs and kisses and told me that they would see me very soon. They promised me that Mommy would come get me as soon as school was over, and then we would go see Daddy and go to lunch together for a special treat. Then they left! (Daddy must have stubbed his toe too, because I’m pretty sure I saw tears in his eyes like Mommy’s!).
The first day was kinda scary at first, because it was the first time I’d ever been away from Mommy and Daddy (and I wasn’t being babysat by a family member). But my teaches are really nice, and Ms. Lori told me that Mommy would come get me, “now now, but soon”, so I knew I would be alright. And I was!
Now I’ve been going to school for a month, and I really like it! I always tell Mommy that I had fun at school when she comes to get me. We do all sorts of cool things - we get to play with toys in the classroom, do art projects, sing songs, hear stories, play on the playground, and have a snack before we go home! I’ve learned about apples, worms, bus safety, my five senses, and where I go to school. There are 5 kids in my class, and we each take turns getting to the be the class ’star’ - when you’re the star, you get to help take roll in the morning, and you get to line up first for playground and to go home, and you get a stamp on your hand that says ’star’ on it! Plus every day we get a new nametag, always a different shape - and some days we cook and other days we do pretending and other days we do sharing. I’m learning to sing all sorts of new stuff, like “Hello Neighbor” and “Take me out to the Ballgame” - if I’m in the mood, I sing for my folks! I even had my very first homework assignment (I had to color apples and then count them out loud, to practice my ‘p’ sounds and my numbers). It’s been lots of fun! School is great!