Little R's first day by himself at nursery school

So, already 4 people have already asked about how Little R's first day at Nursery School was after Tuesday's visit.

He seemed like he had fun, but he wanted to leave after he tried, without success, to grab a car off of another little boy. He ate snack at the snack table after washing his hands (he had the soy yogurt). He had 3 helpings! After that, he continued playing by himself. I tried to just be from a distance watching him play, but when he couldn't see me, he started running around in a panic. The ladies at the centre told him "Little R, quiet feet, please. No running in the classroom." The staff there are quite patient and very good, so I'm relieved that he's in reliable hands.

Today was his first day at the centre without me. We went there at 9 AM. There were lots of boys and girls with their mommies/caregivers in the hallway taking off their winter gear and putting on their indoor shoes. Once the boots were off and the shoes were on, Little R was ready to go in with his bear in hand... except, we had to say "bye-bye" first. He walked into the classroom, through the opened gate mind by Kyla (one of the teachers). Perhaps he just thought that he was going in to play with me, but Kyla stopped him and asked him to say "bye-bye" to Mum. Then he decided that he didn't want to go in alone. He grabbed my hand, but Kyla managed gently to have him let go so that he could go play with something in the classroom.

Well, this was it. He turned his attention away from me after we said "bye-bye", and I knew I had to get away. By the time I left through the two heavy front doors, I still hadn't heard him cry, so maybe all was well.

Nursery school is only Tuesday and Thursdays from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM September to June (like a regular school year). We were just lucky that a child happen to withdraw from the program, which freed up the space for Little R in January. Otherwise, we were on the waiting list to get in for September 2009.

I left our house at 10:50 AM to walk back to the school. I managed to arrive there 5 or 6 minutes prior to 11 AM while the children and the teachers were singing in circle time. The hallway was crowded with caregivers and mothers waiting for their preschoolers. It got even crazier when the children were released one by one as the teachers saw whose parents were waiting. Kyla said that Little R did very well for his first day. He cried intermittently between 9:30 AM and 11:10 AM. This meant that he cried for the first whole half hour, but did not cry for the last 50 minutes of the programme. I was very proud of him, and also very relieved that he didn't seem traumatised by the experience.

After most of the crowd managed to leave the hallway, I sat Little R down to change him out of his indoor shoes to his boots. I asked one of the staff to see if Little R had eaten snack. She was pretty sure he had, but asked another teacher. She came back out and announced that he had eaten 5 crackers! Not bad. I thought that the kids were having trail mix today, but crackers are okay too. The centre knows about Little R's vegan diet, so I'm pretty sure they're careful with what they give him.

A few things I think that the centre could improve on are using less harmful disinfectants. Right now I know that they use bleach. I'm pretty sure it's chlorine based, but I'm not sure. I should somehow make a suggestion for them to use vinegar. I would feel better knowing that my kids put their mouths on something that has been cleaned with vinegar than chlorine bleach. Little S slobbers on a few toys here and there when we drop in. Also at snack time, disposable spoons, cups and paper towel were used. I understand that it's a time issue as well as an expense issue that disposables are used, but perhaps I could suggest for them to use compostable plates, cups and cutlery as well as paper towels. Of course the compostable things are quite costly right now, but perhaps there's a perk if they buy in bulk. If our children can learn "green" habits, it would be a lot easier for them as adults to love their Earth. What better place, outside of the home, than nursery school to learn these habits.

On the way home Little R was very quiet, but did start to babble a bit as we got closer to our house. He was also playing with the snow by walking on it (like the higher planes of snow, but not the snowbanks) and using his mittens. He didn't seem too troubled by the fact that I left him at the centre to play with the other children for two hours.

As we entered the house, Little R kept trying to ring our doorbell (Little S was sleeping in her crib when I had left), so this was normal behaviour. So, he didn't cry or show other signs of distress. He ate as normal, but seemed a little more independent. For example, he would go into the living room to play while I prepared lunch. Normally, he would open my spice rack or the fridge. He even started practising his "hello." He puts the emphasis on the latter syllable.

To add to our delight, Little R didn't soil nor wet his pull-up diaper! He's been wearing underwear and using the toilet consistently for the months that we've been at his house now :0) This is good. Unfortunately, we still use the disposables for night time and long trips.

Well, he'll be back there next Tuesday... next report to come after that.