9.04.2009

Kindergarten orientation

 
 {checking out the kindergarten playground}

 {school garden}

Malayna starts kindergarten on Wendesday the 9th - just five short days away! I keep looking at her and wondering how she got to be such a big girl. Where did my baby go? She's doing all sorts of things on her own these days. It's a huge difference from last year when she would hardly leave my side. I love the fact that she wants more independence.

 
 {computer lab}

I think she's going to love kindergarten and thrive on all the activity. That's not to say that the first few days (weeks?) are going to be a tough transition. She had one year of preschool before this and those days were pretty short compared to kindergarten (the kids have a full-day in our school district). She had a hard time when I would leave her at preschool, and it pretty much continued throughout the year. There were times when she would go happily into the classroom and hardly look back, but the times when she would cry seemed to come more often.

 {Looking at the corn in the school garden.
The kindergarten kids pick the corn in the fall.}

We had an orientation in the spring just like this one, but she was much more reserved then. This time she happily followed the other kids around, asking questions and volunteering information. She seemed so comfortable being in her classroom and chatting with her teacher.

 
 {classroom}

What will I do with all the free time come next week?

2 comments:

Daniel Kaye said...

I think Malayna is going to do great, despite any blips in the beginning she may have (or may not). You and Jimmy have raised an independent, smart, imaginative child who is going to have a life of wonder, joy and discovery. You have laid wonderful groundwork, and those things you worry about, I truly believe, will be just a part of what makes Malayna Malayna. As for the free time, well, Malayna's mom is wildly creative, too. Maybe now's the time to go full throttle?

Jan said...

She looks so big and confident in the pics you've shared recently! I hope she loves it sooooo much that she can't wait to go each day! Time for you to kick it in high gear!