"First" School Day

In the kitchen area
Taylor painting
Cassidy at the carpentry area
Taylor working at the chalkboard
Stomping their feet to a song
Playing at the rice table

Okay, first an explanation of the title.....

Today was the first day of school, but it was kind of like orientation day.  I went with the girls, who were joined by about half of their class (of 14 total).  So it technically was the first day, but next week will be the real test....

So it is truly a free-for-all in there!  The kids were basically welcomed and then invited to find their name tags and hang up their coats (it was raining cats and dogs).  The kids were then encouraged to "go and play" where ever they wanted.  Their choices were beyond numerous.  They had a water table with boats, a rice table with digging toys, a painting station, a dress-up area, a kitchen play area, a coloring and cutting station, a story time area, blocks and animals, puzzles, play dough and more!  The girls chose first to play in the rice, which I found funny because, of course, that's an activity that we do frequently at home.  I urged them to try something new, and they went to the kitchen, also an activity that we play a lot at home!  No big deal, there was new stuff in both areas, so it was fun.  

There are two new kids in their class, one of whom was there with them today.  His name was John, and he enjoyed playing with them at the kitchen area.  His language did not seem as fluid as the girls, but who am I to compare!  They enjoyed playing together and didn't hit or bite each other!  The other kids spent a lot of time at the rice table and then most of the boys found the blocks and played cars and blocks for the first hour.  It was funny how there were initially no girls over in that part of the classroom.  The nature/nurture thing is pretty apparent!

After a while, the girls discovered the painting area.  Taylor was IN HEAVEN.  Cassidy was happy too, but Taylor just loves to paint, and I haven't broken out the easel almost all summer. I was very proud of her when she yelled across the room to me that she made orange using yellow and red!  Between the two of them, they came home with about 15 paintings....

About an hour into class, the teachers split the class up and some kids were "invited" to go downstairs to play.  They were given tickets to go, and had to carry the tickets with them downstairs (and then back upstairs when we returned).  Cassidy and Taylor were invited to go, and off we went.  The other half of the class switched later, though the teachers told us that if a child does not want to go, they're not forced.  

So downstairs is more of a gross motor room.  They have a little climbing gym area along with some big toys to play with .  There is also a little carpentry area, more blocks and some music toys (so it's the gross motor and loud, bang-y department).  The theme downstairs was summertime, and they had beach towels out, a boat to sit in, and cute music to listen to in the background.  

The girls both wanted to take their shoes off, which is kind of a natural habit for them at this point.  We never wear shoes in the house, and all their little gym classes have had them take the shoes off.  Well, not at school!  That's going to be a hard habit to break, I think.  

The highlight of downstairs was fishing.  The girls had fishing poles and a plethora of fish to try to get.  The poles had  a magnet on the end, and they could "catch" the fish that way.  They just thought it was a blast to sit in the boat and fish.  We do a similar activity at home, but they don't have a boat.  Instead, they pull up their little chairs to the step separating the kitchen from the family room, and pretend to fish that way.  Anyway, lots of pics of the fishing activity.  At one point, their little classmate, Devin, joined them, and they shared the boat with him.  Such good sharers!!!

Cassidy enjoyed working with real tools in the carpentry area.  She got to use a real hammer and nails and even a vice!  Earlier in the day, they had helped me put together an IKEA piece of furniture by hammering some dowels into pre-drilled holes, so getting to do it at school was like icing on the carpentry cup cake.

Both girls enjoyed climbing on the little play structure and zipping down the slide as well.  

We went back upstairs after about half an hour and found the play dough area.  The girls were very happy making shapes with cookie cutters for what seemed like a really long time (I was tired by this point!).  The dough was fresh and new, and very soft, so it was fun to play with.  Apparently they have a great recipe, and I can't wait to get it and start making it at home.  The other kids rejoined the group upstairs and it was almost time for snack.  Due to the rain, there would be no playing outside today.

Snack was a great milestone for the girls.  It was a modest serving of string cheese and orange juice or water.  Preschool is big on kids helping themselves as much as possible, so they got to pour their own juice or water.  Neither girl has EVER liked orange juice, and I tell you, they must have each had at least 3 cups of it!  So it was either the pouring or the witnessing of others enjoying it that got them to drink it.  Regardless I am happy because it's an option besides apple juice!

When the kids were done snacking, they were asked to gather at the carpet area for book-reading and singing.  By this time, all of the parents in the room were very tired, and we all just watched from the back of the room rather than joined our kids at the carpet!  The teachers led them in several songs, all of which incorporated movements.  All of the kids had a great time in this activity, and were giggling and laughing happily.  

That was pretty much the entire two and a half hours.  The girls instantly fell asleep on the drive home, but woke up when we got home so that they could play even more.  They were asleep by 8 this night (insert smiley mom and dad here).  I think they're going to love it, and they've seen that it's not scary in any way.  Hopefully they won't have too many issues!  I can't wait to find a gym and get some serious working out done... or at least go shopping on my own!  Yay, school!