First day of school

It's hard to let today go by without recording some thoughts. It is another first day of school.

Colin started at his new school. The new school also meant taking a bus. I was not enthralled about the added hour he would be away from home, but the extra hour of naptime for Caleb will do wonders for the atmosphere in our home.

There were a few small bus incidents (like the 2 minutes I thought Colin's bus had arrived at school in the morning, but he wasn't there, and me wondering what to do when the afternoon bus was more than 20 minutes late!), but Colin was overjoyed at being able to ride the bus. All last year he asked if we could move far away from school so he could take the bus. I still have to work out the logistics of the bus stop, because jaywalking one of the town's busiest streets with a baby and pre-schooler in arms in the winter might make my top ten dangerous things to do.

I withstood the urge to follow the bus to school, but accepted James' suggestion to drive to the school (7 minutes away) and meet Colin when he got off. He bounded down the steps surrounded by 4 others boys his age. He gave me a strange look, said hello, and started off down the sidewalk toward the school. "Are these your new friends?" I called after him. He mumbled yes and waved me off.

As for what happened during school hours, that still remains a mystery. I'm hoping a dinner out tonight might jog his memory a little, but I'm not holding my breath. He never did open up much last year. He did mention that there is lego in the classroom, which is a big hit for him.

By far my favourite part of school is the time between getting home and dinner. This is the precious time of the day set aside for a movie, and yet Colin has no interest in watching one. He likes to just dig into his toys, build something out of lego, spend some alone time, play a bit with Caleb. There is no fighting or teasing or yelling. These two by-products of school almost make the 7 hours away worth it!

On that score, I'm not sure how I feel about Colin having school 5 days a week. That's a lot for a 4 year old. I'm pretty sure I won't send Caleb 5 days next year when he starts JK, while he's still only 3 years old. I know I might keep Colin home here and there for a fun outing, or just to spend some time with Caleb and I. But I also can foresee the benefit for Caleb, who never had much time just him and I. Benjamin is well entrenched in morning naps, which will give me a good two hours uninterrupted time together to play and learn.

I've had lots of education ideas swirling around in my mind, but I'll save those for another post. Today I'm just reveling in the back to school moment.