We have finally recovered from the sniffles that ran rampant
through our house the past two weeks…BUT everyone is back on their feet and we
have been busy learning through play! Besides fighting off germs our family
experienced a series of BIG changes this month, dear hubby started a new
position at work and my little big boy started SCHOOL!!! I am still recovering
from the shock myself, though we have survived 2 weeks.
I have been a huge fan of Montessori schools since my intro
to education courses in undergrad. I love that children are encouraged to learn
through open ended activities, they work at their own pace, the teacher’s role
is less obtrusive as the child is an active participant in learning, and that
the environment uses natural elements. These are ways in which he is accustomed
to learning at home so I imagined that he would have a somewhat easy transition
to school. He has never been in a classroom setting before outside of children’s
church and his classes at Gymboree and he has only been kept by family members
so I anticipated the first day to be rough. Luckily he is only part-time so we
only had 4 hours to endure!
Everyone had been pumping him up about his first day as it
approached and he understood he’d be there without us, but of course that
morning he cried…big crocodile tears! As a mommy that tore me up inside but I
held it together and called to check on him an hour later, he had calmed down
and was having a good day. When I picked him up he told me about his day and
said it was good but as we prepared for the next school day at night he said he
wasn’t going to school. Epic Fail! So what does a crafty momma do? She whips
out a current favorite story character…PETE the CAT! We are apparently late comers
of the Pete frenzy but was introduced to the Cool Cat in the story Pete the
Cat and his 4 Groovy Buttons, by Eric Litwin, from a Christmas gift. Sean
is hooked, IF you haven’t read any of his books, RUN don’t walk to your nearest
library or bookstore! I had recently checked out a few Pete books during our
latest library run and happened to have Pete the Cat Rocking in my School
Shoes. Pete the Cat books are set to a cool tune and end with a
lesson/moral that is relatable to children. In this particular story Pete is
off on his first day of school discovering all the cool places at school while
rocking in his red shoes! He is confident, cool, and collected! Sean happens to
have his own pair of cool red shoes which he decided he would wear for the next
3 days of school and it was ALL GOOD! They were like a security blanket on his
feet and each morning we retold the story aloud as we drove to school and he
confidently walked into school like a big boy to take on the day. I am so proud
of him.
This is a fantastic book if you have a little one heading to
school for the first time or even if they are a seasoned vet at school but are
transitioning to a new level it is a must read!
Check out the publisher’s website for the best video clips!
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