1st day of preschool - age 4

Age 4 is nothing if not exciting! On her very first full day being 4, Anna had another adventure - her very first day of preschool in her 4 year old classroom! Anna attended preschool last year at this same school and loved it. She and her teacher, Miss Debbie, had a very special bond and Anna was literally bursting at the seams with excitement this morning ready to start another adventure.

Steve and I were able to meet Anna's teachers, Mrs. Rose and Ms. Ann, one week ago when we visited the school to see her classroom and learn about the year ahead. Immediately we knew she would fall in love with what she would see and do.

While Anna's excitement was not containable before we left, the moment we walked through the doors she turned into a child I very rarely see. Quiet and relatively shy, Anna walked through her classroom looking, turning, touching, and more. She would pause every now and then to quietly greet a friend, listened patiently to her teachers and soaked up every moment. I think the stimulation and excitement were so great she was rendered speechless!

As a participant in her day I had the honor and privilege of sitting through circle time where the teachers described pictures of their family that they had drawn in order to tell the children about themselves. I nearly fell out of my chair at the silly commentary from the kids.

Ms. Anne: "This is my husband Steve, he works in Baldwin"

Kid in class: "Hey! My daddy is bald too!"

Another child: "Mine too!"

Anna: "I have a husband Steve too!"

Mrs. Rose: "I have 4 people in my family...."

From the crowd: "I'm 4!"

Another: "I'm 4 too!"

Mrs. Rose: "I'm 4 too...with some other number after that"

Mrs. Rose reading the book "The Kissing Hand" - "Do you think you would like to go to school in a tree?"

Crowd: "YES! Cool!"

Ben: "No way! I would be afraid of carpenter ants!"

If I were the teacher of that class I would be laughing the whole time.

The remainder of our time was spent visiting the various areas of the room, making a reusable cloth napkin for lunchtime, and visiting with friends. One of the highlights of Anna's year will be the worm bucket...an in-room compost bin where the children will put all of their fruit and vegetable scraps to be devoured by literally thousands of worms. The resulting soil will then be used in their classroom to plant flowers and other things...and the worms will be used for "science". Isn't that every 4 yr old's dream?? What kid doesn't want to measure worms? The worm-bucket is part of Mrs. Rose's "Go Green" curriculum in which the kids will learn about reduce, reuse & recycle, and many other things to help preserve our environment.

After our day we re-united with a friend from last year - "the other Anna" - and went for a quick lunch. While I caught up with the other mother, the 2 Anna's couldn't stop giggling or yelling "GIRL POWER" long enough to eat much of their lunch. I have a feeling we are in for a fun (and loud) ride ahead!