summer fun

The latest news from Luke's preschool adventures:

This summer our class has grown in so many ways. In addition to the obvious physical growth, self help skills have increased, writing/drawing skills are strongly developing and everyone has been challenging themselves more by exploring new things. Our friends have been more open to trying new activities, engaging with a wider variety of friends and eating/cooking with different foods.

Snacks are continuing to be fun, new and delicious. One morning we made our own pizza dough from scratch. Once the dough was ready each child was given a ball of dough that they rolled out themselves. The personal cheese and pineapple pizzas were enjoyed by everyone. Believe it or not, many of our friends liked the butternut squash and apple soup we had one foggy afternoon. It was hilarious listening to two children discuss the flavors of the soup like future food critics. The yummy smells coming from our room has also been attracting curious looks and smiles from others walking by.

Kites have been all the rage in class. The creation of the kites has been just as much fun as flying them. Beginning from the hole punching, which can be quite tricky and often needing the use of two hands to threading the string through the hole and tying the knot requires a tremendous amount of skill. Once the kite has been completed children have been practicing writing their names and decorating their kites. We had a lot of fun flying the kites in the short grass in front of our school.

Reading and the love of books continues to flourish in our class. During a recent discussion about books, one friend mentioned some books come from the library. So, we decided to take a trip to the library annex right next door. We were given a tour of both “tents” by Lusia and Tommy’s moms who work at the library. Our tour started at the staff tent that houses all of the librarian’s offices. In the staff tent Mira and Bernadette invited us to their offices. The children enjoyed sitting at their desks and pretending to use their computers and headsets. In the staff tent we were shown the blueprints for the main library that is under construction on campus. Next we went to the public library where we had the opportunity to sit at the tables and read the children’s magazine, Cricket. For a short while it looked as if our class was having a serious study group. Before we left, Mira showed us how to check out a book using one of the Cricket magazines that had a recipe that we wanted to try in it.


Luke is in the black, front center of the picture, happily jumping, running and kite flying.




Luke is wearing his classic "school" face: one of slight skepticism.

preschool report

Luke's summer term has started, and it's a really neat vibe in the classroom. Relaxed and fun! Luke's head teacher, Antoinette, is on vacation during the summer, and the associate teacher, Jenny, gets to be in charge. She reorganized the classroom, has a great group of interns working with her, and is trying out some new curricula approaches. Here's her report from the first week ...

* * * *
We’ve had an amazing first week of summer! The children have been busy rediscovering our classroom and exploring new materials. All of the children seem to be enjoying the changes and additions to the room. At first some things took time to get used to. We still have some children walk towards the front door to get to their cubby or go up to the loft looking for a book. When they realize what they have been looking for has moved they chuckle and walk the other way. The new job list has been a huge success. Our revised list has sixteen jobs, so each child has a job for the entire week. The children have been good at reminding teachers of their jobs and checking the list before going home to make sure their job has been done. It has been great hearing about how the children have been helping with chores and now have jobs at home.

Our walks have been extremely exciting with all of the construction going on campus. Watching the road leading towards campus being paved has been exceptionally thrilling. It was interesting to watch two construction vehicles flatten out the dirt and the next day seeing them spray water on the ground in preparation for cement. On one of our walks we stopped at the soccer field and ran, walked, jumped, skipped, and twirled down the track.

On Friday, Sophie and Isabel’s mom, Tonia brought apricots and made fresh apricot jam with us. After talking about knife safety each child was given a cutting board, butter knife and an apricot. At first it was challenging to cut the apricots, but after cutting a few each child was an apricot cutting master. When the last apricot was chopped and put into the pot each child scooped a spoonful of sugar into the pot and the apricots were cooked down into jam. Our afternoon snack of apricot jam and crackers was delicious!

(Now you know where we got the idea to make jam!)

preschool report

From Luke's teacher:

This week we have been talking a lot about rhyming words.  One child asked if we could start reading a rhyme book we used to read which was full of short rhymes, Truckery Rhymes.  This book is full of nursery rhymes that have been changed to incorporate different kinds of trucks instead of people or animals.  The children enjoy trying to guess what nursery rhyme the Truckery Rhyme story is like.  As we read each rhyme we have been looking for the words that rhyme or sound like each other.  Some of the stories are easier than others but when the children can't hear the rhyming words they make up their own.  A few made up words; happy/glappy, dump truck/sump truck, and ice cream truck/piescream truck.  Although the words are not real words they are still getting the meaning of what rhyming words are and are practicing with them.  As the week went on, the children were finding words that rhymed in other books as well.     

As the children are growing and maturing in the class we have been adding two new elements to our classroom.  We are putting paint out on the easel on a regular basis now, the children remind us when the paint needs to be refilled.  We have also added the small Legos inside the classroom.  We always had them outside for a table top activity but we brought them into our classroom for daily use.  With the small Legos the children are able to build intricate structures and are staying with the building for longer periods of time.  While playing with the small legos the children are sharing the various pieces, sharing the space and building their language while talking about what they are building and creating.

preschool report

Here's what Luke has been up to at school (report courtesy of Luke's teacher, Antoinette). It's funny because Luke tells me about some things that he does, and doesn't mention others. He told me that he went on a walk on Friday, and I love getting these extra details from his teacher. It now makes sense to me why he slept in until 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning! That Friday walk was tiring!!

* * * * 

The children have really been exploring the sand in many different ways again this week.  They have been mixing sand with different materials; tire chips, leafs, rocks, water and sometimes bubble water to make the sand "bubbly."  They have moved their location for digging from the center of the sandbox to the far end of the sandbox.  When some of the children stand in the big holes most of their bodies disappear!  The children have made bridges, tunnels, lakes, ponds and "super big holes."  Some of the bridges they built have been strong enough to hold the kids so that they can walk across but after a few trips the bridge falls.  The children stay persistent when rebuilding their creations.  They have figured out that using various shovels and scoopers can help make the different holes.

This week we made playdough since all the children have had a big interest in the flour.  We made two colors, red and green, which the children help pick out.  Every time the playdough gets made the children always stand at the door in kitchen to see the playdough cook.  They are always so amazed to see the playdough turn from sticky and gooey to solid and mushy playdough.

On Friday we enjoyed a walk to the baseball field.  We had the pleasure of having Ezra's Opa, (grandpa), come join us on our walk.  Along the way he pointed out a red tail hawk lingering on a branch on a tall tree out in the parking lot.  At first the children had a hard time spotting the hawk but once they did they were all smiles.  Also along our walk we saw a cement mixer, a backhoe and a flatbed truck all of which were pointed out by the children.  Once we got to the baseball field the children were off and running.  They found some baseballs, started throwing them and pretended to run around the bases.  When it was time to go we came to a consensus to walk up the dirt trail.  Once everyone was back up to the top, they were proud of themselves and said, "WOW, we did it!"

luke's preschool class

Bottom left for our little man, on his "school" tricycle!

the may report

May was a month of preschool angst. The catalyst for our angst was that we had a "year-end" parent/teacher conference at Luke's school, Crayon Box. Some of the things that astounded, confounded, and made me sad:

• As developmental guidance, Luke's teacher advised us that we could help Luke develop his vocabulary by reading more to him at home.
• She told us that Luke's favorite thing to say in class was, "My Dada's coming to pick me up at 3:30."
• She asked us to tell Luke not to lay on the floor, because he sometimes laid on the floor during the day and stared at the clock, and the other kids made a game of jumping over him. To be fair, other kids then laid on the floor and became the object to jump over, so they weren't picking on Luke.
• She wanted Luke to make more friends in school, and not just play with Sophia.

It makes me both angry and sad even now to write about this. First, anyone who has spent any time with Luke knows that his vocabulary is amazing for his age. This is a child who uses three-syllable words in everyday conversation. On the day that Luke's teacher advised us to help him build his vocabulary, Luke had said to me (while baking): "These are the wet ingredients and these are the dry ingredients. Now we'll mix them together!" I worry about many, many things as a mother (too many, but that's another story). Luke's language development isn't one of them. I worry that he might be going to college in diapers, but not that he'll be stammering out one-syllable words. The boy loves talking, he loves reading, and he already knows all his letters and can spell his name (and several other names, to boot). At age 2 years, 7 months!

Also, my view is that it's a positive that Luke has a really good buddy -- Sophia -- not a negative. He's still young for interactive play, and he is developing a lovely friendship with Sophia. He doesn't have to play with everyone. His ability to make a friend is something to be celebrated, not seen as a deficiency.

What this exchange with Luke's teacher told me is that Luke isn't happy there. He isn't talking, and he isn't his usual exuberant self. The thought of my poor little guy laying on the floor, bored, and staring at the clock just broke my heart.

So, during the month of May and after receiving the skinny letter from Glenridge, Mama kicked into high gear on the preschool search. I toured three or four new schools, with no luck. The school I liked had a mile-long waiting list, and the others just weren't a good fit. Then, in a wonderful stroke of luck, Sophia's mama found a wonderful school that had room for both Luke and Sophia! We toured, signed them both up, and they started together the first week of June.

Luke's new school is a lab school at San Francisco State University: Children's Campus. It's a brand new facility and program, and fully affiliated with and supported by the University. The head teacher has a masters in child development, and the teachers have bachelors degrees. The purpose of a lab school is to provide college students majoring in child development with an opportunity to gain practical experience and observe children. For parents, it means that the program is designed by top-notch teachers and researchers, with the latest views on how to optimally support child development. There is so much wonderful research on child development, and amazing consensus about what young children need. It's not a highly structured, teacher-led program, but rather play-based with a gentle rhythm to the day, regular routines, and highly responsive teachers that get to know each child as an individual. That's exactly what I've seen at Children's Campus.

There's also this super-cool observation room, where you can watch the kids and see what's happening in the classroom without them seeing you! It's my favorite spot, because after I say goodbye to Luke in the morning, I rush into the observation room and see how his transition is going. His teacher, Teacher Antoinette, is very responsive to Luke and also encourages and supports his independence. She'll hold his hand, read to him, and stay with him as long as he needs her, and then she'll get his agreement that he's ready to play and she'll interest him in an activity.

And the room! Oh my! It's a gorgeous, brand new space with so many activities and fun things to do. I would love to spend the day there, and I'm only a 3-year old at heart. The outside space is also beautiful, with plenty of toys, tricycles and a tricycle path, giant sand area with construction toys and a water spigot for making wet sand, chalk, bubbles .... and on sunny days, Teacher Antoinette will bring the easels outside for painting "plein air." It really is a spectactular program, and feels like a great fit for Luke -- and our family. We'll be there for 2, possibly 3, years until Luke goes to kindergarten.

Luke's transition has been pretty easy. He cried on the first day, but (thanks to the observation room) I know that he adjusted within 5 minutes and started playing. Now, after a month, he still gets anxious on school days, but he holds it together well and seems to have a good time at school. I've spied on him at school during the day (did I tell you how much I love the observation room?) and he's engaged and interested. He's not as exuberant at school as he is at home, but he is still young for preschool in general (he's the youngest in the class). I'm confident that this is just where he needs to be, and that this is the right place to both challenge and support him.

skinny letter

Do you remember the college application days of "fat letter," "skinny letter"? I do, and the skinny letter means "no." We got a skinny letter from Glenridge yesterday. Sniff sniff.

oh no!

Yesterday's preschool report was that LUKE, our gorgeous, curious, gentle boy, was the aggressor in an incident with another child. Teacher Monica didn't tell us who Luke hit, but Luke confessed later. Apparently, Hannah (a lovely, petite girl) was using a riding toy that Luke wanted, so he bonked her. The trauma is somewhat mitigated by the fact that Hannah gave Luke a big hug and kiss goodbye, so she apparently forgives him. But, hitting?? My boy?!??

preschool woes

Unfortunately, we're not in love with Luke's preschool. Mama would really like it to be more child-directed, and more in line with this child development philosophy. I'm probably a preschool teacher's nightmare: someone who knows a little bit, has definite opinions, and is a protective Mama bear, to boot. I've been struggling to figure out what is bugging me, and I think I've narrowed it down to philosophy. Here's an example: There are some aggressive kids in Luke's class, and I think the teacher-led activities mean that, at transition times when teachers are busy putting away or getting out materials, these pint-size whirlwinds have the "opportunity" for bad behavior. (Think "Lord of the Flies" after naptime.) Not that all child-directed programs are full of contented, happily engaged children, just that aggressive behavior and transition times can be better managed in a program that offers free access to play materials, and a "curriculum" that responds to and builds on childrens' interests. And, yeah, I'd really like someone to stop that one kid from spitting, because it's just not a cool habit for Luke to bring home. Anyhow ....

We're looking into other programs, which is not uncomplicated, and we are still going to apply to our no. 1 choice: Glenridge. We toured Glenridge again this past Monday, and here are pics from our horse ride "through" the Canyon. This 2nd tour confirmed our opinion: it's an unparalleled setting, with a warm and wonderfully child-centered curriculum, and Luke would thrive here.


Wish us luck. Our application is due April 1, and we hope to hear back shortly thereafter.

In Crayon Box news (Luke's current preschool): Fortunately, our little man is slowly adjusting. Just last Friday, for the first time, he didn't cry when Dada dropped him off. He knows and likes his teachers, he has a best friend at school, and he does art projects and ballet. But, he does not not not like staying past 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon, and we've been fortunate that Dada has been able to rearrange his schedule so that he can pick up the little guy at 3:30 p.m. All in all, Luke spends 6 1/2 hours at school each day, for two days a week. Even though it's not our preferred program, it's OK.

first day of school photo

Luke's first day of school (before the difficult goodbye/reunion). He was excited to go to school, as you can see! What a big boy.

houston: we have a school

It's been a long season of holidays, travels, visitors and visiting, and disruptions to our routine. I have so many memories to share and will start with the story of Luke's new school. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, as we made our way through our preschool list, one of our neighborhood options -- The Crayon Box -- let us know that they had an opening in their 2-year old classroom. For those of you who have had the pleasure of spending any time with Luke recently, you'll know that he's ready for school. He's an accomplished scribbler or artist, depending on how you look at it, he loves circle time, he thrives on preschool-like routines, and he's interested in (if not quite ready to play with) other kids. He knows his colors, shapes, and most letters.

When we toured Crayon Box, Luke joined right into the activities. At my tour, he jumped into the ballet class and will gleefully pirouette to show you all that he learned. And, the toe/heel da-dum! move is equally adorable. When Jean-Max toured with Luke, our little man joined right into the outside play, going down the curvy slide and navigating the stairs with the other kids. Our boy is ready.

We signed up Luke for Wednesdays and Fridays (full days), and planned to transition gradually, starting out with Luke staying just an hour or two, then staying a bit longer, and working up to full days. Luke's very first day was two weeks ago. He was all prepped -- engineer hat, ready to find his cubby, reciting the routine ("Luke do circle time, then ballet, then outside time, then Mama come back.") When it was time to say goodbye, Luke was a bit dazed, but I took him over to circle time, kissed him on the head, and made my way home. Then, all the emotions broke loose for our sweet little man. Another boy started crying for his mama and Luke remembered that his mama was gone, too, and poor Luke cried off-and-on for the entire time I was gone. He was too sad to do ballet, and too sad to play on the slide. When I came back, Luke was in the teacher's arms, in his jacket ready to leave, and sobbing. When he saw me, he leapt into my arms like a koala bear and sobbed, "Mama walk walk walk away with the stroller! Luke alone! Luke all alone! Luke miss Mama!!!!" It was heart-wrenching to see how distraught he was. I just held him as tight as I could, let him know how proud I was that he tackled his first day at school, took him home and snuggled. He then slept for 3 1/2 hours, which may have been his longest nap ever.

Since then, he's been very slowly getting better at the whole school thing. He's still there for just 2 hours and saying goodbye is still very hard (unlike the first day, where he said goodbye pretty easily, he now knows what it means and protests loudly). But, last Friday after 4 school days spread over 2 weeks, Luke was able to actually play. He still cried at the goodbye with Dada, but he reorganized himself at circle time, enjoyed the outdoor play time, and even drew a picture to bring home to Mama.

His next school day is tomorrow. Wish us luck.

preschool update

My good intentions to write up notes from our preschool visits have fallen by the wayside, as we've been navigating busy or disrupted schedules and colds. Note to self: try really really hard to keep Luke healthy before daylight savings time changes.

In the past two months, we have attended 8 tours and/or parent nights. Luke has now played at four different schools, and he'll visit another one on Friday. And it still feels like we are pretty far off from finding a preschool spot for him next year. Our "sure thing" was a neighborhood school which, while not the kind of school we'd fall in love with, was a nice, convenient, fun school about 3 blocks from our house. It has spacious classrooms, outdoor play space, all the "right" stuff like different play centers (books, puzzles, treehouse for climbing, art, etc.). Totally fine, if a little larger and more chaotic than we would prefer. We brought Luke in for his visit yesterday, and were surprised (shocked really) to see peanuts being served at snacktime. Because of my allergy, we are very cautious about Luke, and would prefer a preschool that bans peanuts. Even if Luke isn't allergic, my allergy is severe enough that it's a risk for Luke to eat peanut butter and then come home and kiss me. Since I don't want to curtail toddler kisses, we have decided that we need a preschool that offers a full ban on peanuts. It's funny that this school doesn't offer that, because nowadays with so many kids being allergic, and this being liberal San Francisco and all, the peanut ban seems pretty standard. Except, of course, at the one preschool where we were pretty much guaranteed of getting in. Sigh.

Of 14 schools on our "hit list," it looks like we'll apply to six or seven, most of which will have up to 100 applications for just a few open spots. Here's the latest rundown:

Apply
Glenridge Cooperative Nursery School
Room to Grow Preschool

Upcoming visits
Miraloma Cooperative Nursery School
Maria Montessori
Centro Las Olas (spanish-immersion)

Trying to schedule a visit
Sweet Peas
Crayon Box

Decided not to apply
Glen Park Montessori (program too rigid)
Little Bear School (peanuts--ack!!)
Noe Valley Cooperative Nursery School (word on the street is that it's really disorganized)
Wind in the Willows (1/2 day program; we decided to consider 1/2 days only if it was at a co-op)
The Preschool (ditto on the 1/2 day program)

Struck out
Trevor Martin Montessori ("don't call us, we'll call you")
Buen Dia Family School (tours already full for the year)

preschool tour: glen park montessori

Impressions:

• Eh.
• The space was serene, organized and sparse, but we didn’t love it as much as we thought we would.
• The program seemed a bit focused on academics (which is really just play tarted up as academics).

The Facts
Web site: http://www.glenpark-montessori.com/
Location: In the Glen Park “village,” in a 2-story storefront space, with outdoor decks canopied by trees
Start/end times: Full day program (8:30 to 5:30 p.m.)
Class size: 20 in the younger kids classroom; 20 in the older kids classroom
Student/teacher ratio: 6:1
Parent participation: A little bit (20 hours per year)
Facilities: Well organized, with mostly wooden toys and materials; 1 of everything (as opposed to multiples), no trains (?!!), emphasis on personal independence. Lovely area for independent hand-washing and miniature toilets.
Likelihood of getting in: Pretty good. They receive about 35 applications for 10-12 open spots. If we apply early, they can pretty much guarantee us a spot.

Downsides
It seems a little lonely. Would Luke really have fun here, make friends, be bursting to tell us about his day? We’re not so sure. Luke (and all of us) lean toward independent activities, and Montessori seems like it might emphasize what already comes naturally. The community we saw at Glenridge – and the community support – was really appealing, so that remains our #1 choice.

preschool tour: glenridge co-op

We have begun looking for a preschool for Luke. In San Francisco, this is not such an easy proposition, as there are more kids than preschool openings, and the market imbalance has caused a sort of frenzy and nearly all schools have waiting lists. Dada and I are determined not to stress about it, but even without the stress, finding a preschool and enrolling Luke is going to take a fairly major investment of time and energy. We have identified about 10 neighborhood preschools, and for each of them, we have to visit without Luke, with Luke, then submit an application with a nonrefundable application fee. All told, lots of $$ and lots of time. (Thank goodness preschool in the 70s didn't require such organization and advance prep, or poor Dada and Mama would still be waiting for a preschool experience!)

I'm going to try and use this space to capture some of my impressions of each school, particularly as the visits become fast and furious and the sites start to blend together. On Saturday, we visited:

Glenridge Cooperative Preschool



Impressions:

• Amazing, peaceful and unique location in Glen Canyon
• The program would support our entire family (monthly parent education events, connections between families, ability to participate in the classroom and really share Luke's preschool experience)
• Warm, sensitive and developmental approach to preparing kids for kindergarten.
• Luke would thrive here.

The Facts
Web site: www.glenridgecoop.org
Location: In a slightly dilapidated Parks and Rec building in the middle of Glen Canyon (approx. 10 minute hike into the Canyon down a fire access road)
Start/end times: 1/2 day program (9:30 to 12:30 or 12:30 to 3:30)
Class size: 25 in the morning; 19 in the afternoon
Student/teacher ratio: 6:1
Parent participation: Significant. Parents work 1 day a week alongside teachers, parents must do a school job, and attend monthly parent education/general meetings
Facilities: Beautiful indoor play-stations (art, manipulatives, dramatic play) with ample materials. The outdoor play area is the whole Canyon, with daily hikes and nature trips like picking blackberries (rain or shine).
Likelihood of getting in: Slim. We figure there will be 120-130 applications for approximately 10 open spots.

Downsides
We'd have to find a creative care arrangement for the other half of Luke's day. Spare time is hard to find now, and the requirements for parent participation (outside of classroom hours) are significant.

preschool already?

Apparently, we are already one year behind in selecting a preschool for Luke -- which he won't attend for another 18 months, minimum. San Francisco is preschool madness: too many families trying to get into too few "top top top" preschools. Since neither Luke's mama nor his dada think that preschool is a feeder for Stanford, and since we can't afford Stanford anyways, we're going to focus our preschool search on small preschools in our neighborhood. Maybe a Montessori or a co-op. Hence this Google Map.

UPDATED 3.25.08: You may be shocked, as I was, to learn that preschool costs roughly $12k per year, and that's mostly for half-days. $12k?! for a 3-year old?!