School Days

I knew that the fall would bring many changes to our lives, London would begin Kindergarten and Zoe would start preschool. Our lazy mornings would suddenly take shape around a clock and lunches would be packed in Hello Kitty and the Littlest Pet Shop bags. We savored our beach days and readily accepted pool date offers from friends in an effort to stockpile the fun and sunshine into our very beings. As we transitioned into our new schedules, we discovered exciting new things, people and opportunities.

London met a great friend the very first day of school, Keira. They began talking outside the classroom while hanging up their backpacks. It was a sweet moment as I watched my daughter make her first new school friend and I was proud of how she introduced herself and took on this unknown territory with a shy confidence and strength. Kindergarten turned out to be her total cup of tea. London loves the wheel program that teaches her computers, sports and music. She comes home with stories about her teachers and classmates, as well as tons of facts and figures that she learned. It's exciting for me to experience with her in so many ways.

Helping out in London's classroom gave me a better idea of what her day is like and what she is learning. Pre-reading, beginning addition and subtraction, and sorting of patterns were some of the items being taught. I particularly enjoyed working with small groups and helping the students fill in their word sheets with silly games and crayons. These five year old's are magical, funny, and endearing. One of my favorite moments was when London walked up to her class in the morning and a group of girls came up, said hello to her and gave her good morning hugs. She had a big smile and it made me so content for her.

Zoe began preschool and found herself at home with the cinnamon play dough and art supplies. She was a little quiet and careful about investigating her environment and the children around her. Zoe wasn't going to dive in and be her zany self right off the bat, it would require some acclimation. As the weeks went by, she found her comfort zone. One day when I arrived a few minutes early to pick her up, I watched from the door while crouching down and to the side to avoid being spotted by her. I was not the only mom doing this.  She was holding hands with two other girls and jumping up and down laughing her head off as they played a game together of "dance to red light green light". That's the Zoe we know and love!

To be continued...