It was a short day anyway because parents were invited the last hour for the end of the year party. Since I couldn't attend with Belle being sick and I was afraid Daniel might be carrying the germs too, we said our good byes to their teacher when she met us in the parking lot and brought them their stuff.
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| Their "diplomas" The little "Inchworms" will be "Busy Bees" next year. This year they attended twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. Next year they'll attend for three: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. |
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| They worked on their ABCs all year and can both identify their letters. This ABC Thumbprint book is a fun little keepsake intended for them to keep and look through as a special reminder of all they learned this year. |
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| Came complete with a school picture sticker! Gotta love their first school pictures! :) |
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| And, they get to keep their names. They both learned to identify and spell their names this year, too. |
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| Can you tell someone has been looking at her book already? That is what it's for, after all! |
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They also got their final report cards. Report cards! Can you believe they get report cards (excuse me, performance updates....a.k.a. report cards) in preschool! While the smart little boogers had mastered 95% of the skills on the report back in January (at the end of the first semester- heehee makes me chuckle to even write "semester" when I'm talking about preschool!), it's another fun keepsake to add to our preschool years.
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| Anabella got scores of "1" for "mastered" in all areas (cognitive, social & emotional, personal habits, fine motor & gross motor). |
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| Her teacher told me that she is one of only two students in the class creating real "pictures" during art time. She also bragged on her fine motor skills being advanced with the scissors. She said she can cut on a vertical line without assistance. (she does not get this from her mother- I have trouble using a can opener most days!) |
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| Daniel mastered all areas except for "counting." He is inconsistent with his counting- I've heard him count to 10 more than once- but it doesn't surprise me at all that he didn't do it when they asked- he doesn't like to perform on demand. :) |
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| All mastered except for one "emerging" on "jumping on one foot." Can't say I've ever seen him jump on one foot. Can't remember the last time I jumped on one foot. We'll have to practice this one together~ right after I get Anabella's help with the can opener. heehee :) |
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| Having been a teacher myself, I know how nice it is to get pictures of your students as an end of the year gift (complete with nice card and gift card, of course), so I took pictures of them with their teacher, Ms. Belinda, the last Monday they attended. |
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| This is Ms. Nicole, the teacher's assistant. Anabella let me help her dress, so she's wearing the same dress (and bow) she wore her first day! Daniel picked his favorite Reebok outfit, which is a hand-me-down from Bailey, from like 10 years ago. (I pick my battles, and hey, it DOES match!) He really does like Ms. Nicole- he was just over pictures. |
I really loved their teachers. And, I love the director, who apparently Anabella is pretty obsessed with, too. The first few months every time I asked what she liked most about school she would say, "Ms. Adriana." She was the first name she mentioned when I asked who she wanted to invite to her birthday party! Ms. Adriana is pretty cool~ she has a charismatic personality and bundles of fun energy- one of those people you just have to smile around- in other words, perfect for a preschool director.
What I love about the school (excuse me, "enrichment center") is how they encourage children to explore and develop at their own pace~ learning "through play." Developmentally based approach~ no pressure, just fun.
So while I love that they occasionally bring home some "cute" stuff that I know they didn't make entirely themselves:
I like it even more when they bring home stuff like what is pictured below because I know they did it independently:
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| Someone is quite good at following directions. |
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| Someone else wasn't interested. |
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| Someone sure is good at making shapes! |
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| Someone is quite good with watercolors! When I picked up Anabella the day she painted this, her teacher couldn't wait to show me: "Can you believe she painted that with watercolors?" (I like the pink hair the best.) :) |
I am quite certain that both of my sweet children will do just fine academically when it's time. Until then, I want them to have fun and "play" while they can! It makes me smile to see the pictures above, because I know they are doing just that at Daytime Playtime. Anabella is "developmentally ready" to color circles red and triangles yellow. In fact, she craves it. Loves it. Chooses to do it. Daniel, on the other hand, would rather be climbing on his trampoline and jumping off with a blanket that he is using as a cape pretending to be Superman!
Every day on the way home (and then again at dinner) they would tell us about their day. I loved hearing about what they did and what they ate for snack. And, we usually got pretty consistent answers for what their favorite things were. Daniel's favorite: Jumping Room! By far. Almost always Jumping Room! Anabella's favorite activity differed, but mostly it was circle time and painting. And, though she never said this, I'm pretty sure she enjoyed the singing too. She must have learned 20 new songs this year!
To close, here's a little peak into her singing. She was singing her months of the year in Spanish (while she was hanging/climbing the banister- which is not allowed- go figure) when I quickly ran and grabbed the video camera. It's only a little over two minutes, but it really captures a little of the "singing" she's picked up from school this year.
Prepare to laugh.
She's just a "bit" dramatic. :)
They are both doing great! Anabella's drawings are impressive.
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