Preschool Ramblings

The school year is almost over for The Girl. I believe she has about 3 more weeks to go. Of course, this is bittersweet for me. Too many milestone moments are coming in rapid succession these days. On the 3rd The Girl turns four, then shortly after that she finishes pre-school, then after that The Boy turns one (somewhere in the middle I turn 32, but who cares about that).  They just don't stay little forever do they . . .

I'm glad I chose to have her do two years of preschool. She didn't really need it, as she has always been extremely verbal but she has learned so much just the same. Plus, it gives her some time where she can socialize with other kids without her little brother hanging around.
Anyway, I've been so happy with her school. It's through the local park district. They do all-school holiday presentations, Little Chef cooking classes, nature observation week, science fair, movie night, Christmas and Easter parades, dentist presentations and more. It's a great program, full of learning opportunities and fun. To me, that's what preschool should be. Sure you need to work on cutting, pre-writing skills, letter and number recognition and other traditional learning. But experiential learning can be a powerful tool with preschoolers.

When the weather is decent, they take the kids outside for walks or to the play area. Some of the parents in my room called the director complaining that they don't pay for school so their kids can play outside. Seriously? It's preschool people, not 3rd grade.  Those of us with young children know that anything can be a learning experience.  I don't think little Johnny is going to turn out poorly because he played outside at school.  Let's settle down here folks.

Did you send your kids to preschool or did you choose to wait?