School days

After a lot of debating, Jon and I have decided to send Ben to preschool--in 10 days--AHHHHHH! Lakewood has an all day kindergarten program (which Ben will probably be in next fall) and while they might offer half day kindergarten next year, none of the teachers, administrators or school board members that I've talked to can guarantee that will be an option. While homeschooling is not off the table, if Ben does end up in school, I don't think going from nothing to all day kindergarten is a good idea, especially for Ben.

We thought we found a January preschool class. He could get a few months of the "school experience" and be more prepared for the fall. Unfortunately, we had a miscommunication and that class is only for 3 year olds. If we want Ben in preschool, he would have to start in September. We found that out 2 weeks ago!

We ended up looking at another school closer to our house and fell in love with them. Bens class will only have 12 students with 2 teachers. The teachers look like they genuinely love kids. They have a learn through play focus and are heavy on the play side, which I really like. They cover interesting and practical themes lasting from a week to a month, they go on field trips which I can bring Sam on should I choose to drive with them. They have dads night, mothers day activities and holiday parties. The room is set up with a bunch of different play stations and they have a large gym they will go to every day filled with bikes, a parachute and other toys to get plenty of energy out. Somewhere in there they manage to cover a letter and a number a week. Its an afternoon class so Ben will still be able to go to play group and see his friends each morning. We are going to have to work on adjusting Sams nap schedule, but I think that will help us out with our bed time issues.

I don't know how much Ben will get out of this academically (he knows all the "school stuff" they will cover), but I think hes going to have a lot of fun and I think (hope) it will help with his confidence. He will go up to random adults in stores or play grounds and start a conversation, but becomes shy when it comes to making new friends when he is on his own. I really like that Sam and I can drop in any day at any time to observe and play with Ben. Does it sound like I'm talking myself into this? I know Ben is going to love it and it will be a great experience for him, but I wasn't prepared to send him to school yet (are you ever prepared for that?) and its going to be weird not having him around 8hours a week. I don't know if Ben really gets it yet. He saw the school and has already played there. He knows he is going to go there again to play with other kids, but I think he ignores me every time I tell him Sam and I wont be there. So If you hear lots of screaming and whining in the afternoon of the 13th, its just Ben realizing I'm leaving. Or its me realizing I have a big boy!