Spring semester is in full gear in our household. I am teaching three courses, Tyler is taking two, and Luca began Toddler Time at a church near our house. As much as I loved being on break, it’s kindof nice to jump back into the swing of things. Tyler and I were a little unsure how Luca would take to school. It took an entire year to get him to actually enjoy Sunday School (thank you to all who had the patience and perseverance to love on him during those difficult mornings). And gymnastics can still be a bit chaotic at times. But, Luca does enjoy structured activities. He loves being with other kids. And, we hyped up school for a good week before he went the first time. We even bought a book on the first day of school and read it the night before. So, when the big day came, he was ready!
We call it school, but it is really part of a mom’s day out program at a church a few miles away. I had scouted this church out as a potential preschool for next year (I know, that’s kindof obnoxiously early on my part but procrastination has never been my thing), but had ruled the school out because of the age requirement. Then a friend of mine told me they had a mom’s day out program in addition to the school. We had only visited for five minutes before I was hooked. Luca is going once a week for now, but will start going two mornings a week in the fall. He is in a room of 6 or 7 other two year olds. They play for a half hour, have a half hour story time/bible time, play outside, make crafts, and even have music time. It is very structured, which is great for Luca, yet also age appropriate in the sense they encourage lots of play time and hands on activities.
And…here is how it went. First, Luca didn’t think twice about jumping in and enjoying his first day. The boy didn’t even say good bye to me as he was too interested in the cars they had. According to his teachers, he actually sits for the story time (I’m not entirely sure I believe them). And, he hasn’t hit enough kids for them to tell me it is a problem. Yay!!! Last week, I got a chance to spy on him the last five minutes of class. Amazingly, he listened well, sat in his chair, participated in the activity….who knew? I’ve always heard that kids do better in situations such as these. In a sense they rise to the occasion. I’m so thankful Luca fell into this mold. For a kid that tests every single boundary in our house (just yesterday he (1) lost a toy to the toilet, (2) tried to throw his shoe onto the stage at Sesame street live, and (3) refused any drink other than Pepsi for lunch), Luca has transitioned great with his pre-preschool program.
Luca has now been three times and really seems excited each time we go. Let’s hope his enthusiasm maintains throughout the rest of the year. Much of his enthusiasm is related to his pride in his worksheets. He LOVES his artwork and how we oohh and aahh over it each week. Unfortunately I can’t find the pictures I took of his first day on my good camera. I did take this shot as he marched up the stairs. Luca never even said goodbye to me, but simply ran in and started playing with the cars.
And here he is working out with mommy. Lifting five pounds is sadly a workout for both of us these days.
