Preschool

This past year, I had the unique opportunity to be a part of a preschool co-op.  The class consisted of 10 kids, 6 moms, and 4 "babies" (who were definitely not babies by the end of the year!).  We bought a curriculum and rotated teaching so that we each had to teach once every 3 weeks.  And we all got 1 morning off a week.  The other moms were kind enough to let Evie join in even though she was the youngest by a long shot.  Most of them were 4 or nearing 4, and Evie started out at only 2 1/2.  While in the beginning there was a very clear difference in age, she eventually stepped up and was thriving by the end of the year.  Throughout this year I have seen the benefit of having different ages learning together.  The younger ones just soaked in all the knowledge of the older ones, and the older ones enjoyed helping the younger ones while learning great interpersonal skills.  It was a win-win.

We ended the year with a Field Day.  One of the moms had plastic sheeting, so we staked it down, put dish soap on it, and a sprinkler.  The kids had a blast!  All of us moms were in heaven watching our kids having so much fun!

Look at this little walker.  She's such an independent toddler now!

We did an egg toss and water balloon toss.

They're admiring each other's bathing suits.

 

And we had lots of races.  What a fun day!

Then we had a little graduation ceremony with all the dads and siblings. 

The kids all memorized the Pledge of Allegiance within the first month.

They also learned the alphabet in sign language.

Evie receiving her diploma.

They each got a yearbook.  This was the one time of the afternoon that they were all quiet.

We're so proud of our little girl.  She worked hard to keep up with the big kids, and she did such a great job doing it!

Playtime in the backyard.

Since there were on and off sprinkles throughout the afternoon, we just had the kids eat on the porch.

I'm sad that this year has come to an end.  Most of the kids are going onto kindergarten or Pre-K so we will not be doing it next year.  But we have such great memories and built great relationships with everyone.