First Day of School!

Today was Mirima's first official day of school. To tell the truth, it wasn't much different from every other day! Preschool involves lots of playing, reading books, and arts and crafts anyway -- so basically our day involved me doing more hands-on, one-on-one stuff with her than usual. Doing this regularly will be good for both of us -- I've been having a difficult time lately dealing with her, since she's been acting especially annoying. I think we both need the extra connection time.

So, what was our day like? Well, after morning prayer (that reminds me -- gotta get a little flag to salute) we switched her window calendar over to September and fall-theme clingies. Katie "helped." That was math -- she had to organize the numbers 1-30. Then we read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (a fun alphabet book), and then worked on "N" in her dry-erase ABC book, while Katie scribbled with crayons. I tried a little exercise to reinforce her knowledge of the letter sound (pointing to pictures of things that start with "n"), but this ended up being frustrating for both of us. Maybe it's just because it was the first time doing this kind of exercise -- hopefully after a few repetitions of this kind of exercise it will be easier for her. At least the lesson sunk in -- at dinner she was telling Mr. Pickles that N was for nest, and night, and numbers, but hand started with H. And she was proud of herself for that knowledge. It's so hard to know when trying to challenge and encourage your child is actually just asking too much of them and making them hate you and the lesson and the world in general, so seeing her enthusiasm later in the day let me know that it was right for me to have finished the exercise with her, instead of giving it up. I want her to be enthusiastic about learning -- the absolute last thing I want is for her to come to dread school time -- but I also want her to learn persistence and patience in overcoming difficulties (something I'm not very good at myself).
To help her get over her frustration I pulled out the tempura paints and gave them both brushes. Katie loves painting too. So far she hasn't tried eating the paint -- it smells nasty enough! Today's colors were yellow and white. After a while I added a squirt of red, so their pictures ended up being all salmon-pinky after the layers and layers of paint they slathered on. Then they had a snack (nice healthy peaches) while I had a couple moments to work on the computer. I've learned that whenever they eat they need to run around a bit after the sugar hits the bloodstream, so we loaded ourselves up with boots and raincoats and umbrellas to brave the fine drizzle for a 15 minute recess. Then it was storytime, which everybody looks forward to, Mommy most of all b/c it's immediately followed by naptime! Today's story was Corduroy. After we finished and Mommy was deaf to Miriam's pleadings and suggestions for more books, we traipsed upstairs for "quiet time." I've found that I get more cooperation when I disguise unpleasant things (like the suggestion of taking a nap) with code words. Quiet time sounds more like a little, temporary break -- rather than a complete removal from the world. Sometimes a 20 minutes break really is all Miriam needs to be refreshed & cheerful again. Well, today, naps were out of the question. We had all slept in so late that even though I waited until later to put them down, they still weren't tired enough to sleep. So I had recourse to that great gift for a mother's sanity -- the electronic babysitter -- aka The VCR! Completely non-educational, purely entertaining brain candy today -- Disney cartoons. It's interesting though -- even though Miriam sits seemingly passive, she's completely absorbed into whatever she's watching, taking it all in. She remembers everything afterwards. This is one of the reasons why it's such a pain to let her watch TV -- she gets so into it that it's hard for her to pull herself out again, and consequently throws a tantrum. I have to say that I can sympathize -- I'm the same way. I get so absorbed into the story that I HATE stopping movies in the middle. And there are few things more annoying to me than someone who likes to TALK during the movie! The nerve! Anyways, after she got over her tantrum, Miriam sat in my lap and started telling me ALL about the cartoons -- different funny parts, some scary parts and characters, amazing things that happened -- whatever struck her. Even though it's not my first choice for entertainment, it's good to see that to her it's just another form of storytelling. I can't help but wonder if she would still be this way if she watched a lot of TV -- I would think that after a while it would become mind-numbing.
After that it was tea-time (well, apple juice for the girls), and then I pretty much turned them free. I needed recess! :) So I curled up with a cup of Chai Spice tea and Harry Potter #2 until it was time to clean up and make dinner.

A couple thoughts at the end of the day:
#1. I really need to get organized! I had actually COMPLETELY forgotten about starting school with Miriam this week until a couple days ago, and did some quick research on Monday while Mr. Pickles was home. Primarily I checked out Calvert and Charlotte Mason for ideas. Lots of great stuff there to keep me going! I need to make out a lesson plan so I know what to do each day. I function much better with someone telling me what to do. :) Today was a bit draining for me b/c I didn't know what I was going to do -- I had vague ideas about a schedule, but no definite plan. I know some people who thrive on "unschooling," but I need more discipline to function well.

#2. It was difficult keeping Miriam on task. She's so used to ordering her day (and her parents), that she didn't quite get the "we're doing THIS and not THAT" thing. For example, we were working on the N page, and she wanted to do the M page next. Or we were reading Corduroy, and she wanted to read another book next, despite the fact that I had explicitly stated that we were only reading ONE book. Or I wanted her to help me in the kitchen, but she wanted to play in the living room. She's grown to be so independent in some ways that she's really not used to a schedule imposed on her. But again, I think this is something she will easily get used to after a time. I know some parents are into "child-led learning" -- which I think is the essence of unschooling -- but I'd rather have my kids grow up with some kind of discipline when it comes to schedules and tasks. I'll still make sure to give them lots of free time, but I think school time will need to be scheduled in our home.

I had one fleeting moment during the day when I thought, "omigosh this is so overwhelming! How can I possibly keep her entertained and interested and enthusiastic for a whole school year? Wouldn't it just be easier to send her to preschool?" But then just the thought of sending her away, out of my reach, and so soon, stopped that kind of thinking in its tracks. All I really need is some guidance and resources to help me along.

So all in all, it was a good start, and I'm looking forward to spending more time with her. I can't wait until she can read -- what a world that will open for her!