We (don't) hate math

When your kids get to preschool age, things start to get really fun. NOT all of the time. We still watch too much TV and trash the playroom and get on each others' nerves. But when your child becomes deeply interested in the world and able to communicate, there are so many fun things to do. Like math!

Foard has been really curious about numbers lately. He'll hold up his fingers for me to count (Mommy, guess how many this is? Seven! And if I take one away...six!). And he loves to count things like leaves and coins. So I searched the web for some preschool math activities. What did our parents do without the web? There's some great stuff out there that is right up his alley.

Today, we did this. And he loved it.

I made a number tray out of a muffin tin. I wrote numbers 1-12 on Post-its (Mommy, twelve is a big number. It makes me tired). Then we filled the holes with the correct number of beads. 

 I like these beads because they present opportunities for so many different games. After the first round of counting them in the tray, he made sure the colors in each tray were the same. We could also use them to spell numbers or words.

It was a great way to use his "big boy time," which is code for his sister is sleeping and I need something to do to entertain him. There are more great preschool math activities here, along with other educational games and activities. But really, what DID our parents do without the web?

Collecting Walk

What is it about this time of year that makes us want to go out and collect things? Last fall we went for a nature walk, Foard holding a bucket and Stella in her stroller. This year she got a bucket too!

They took their collecting jobs very seriously. The boy is really into leaves right now, and he found some good yellow and red looking ones. He also found lots of rocks (heavy), crabs, sticks and a few acorns. And there was plenty of time to stop and rest and observe things around him, like the tide coming in.

Stella didn't put much in her bucket, but she pointed out things across the Wando River ("boat! boat! moon! moon!") and covered herself in dirt. She loved it.

After the walk the little collectors played in the water in the Daniel Island children's park and swung on the shore of the Wando, watching local fishermen pull in their catch. 

We may make these sweet little animals with our findings, or we may be content to just count them and arrange them. We'll be doing lots of activities like this now that the weather is getting cooler. And I will need to keep them busy, since it's only September 12th and Foard is already asking if its Halloween time yet and when we can get our Christmas tree.

All of our little beauties in the bucket.

Here We Come Preschool

I wasn't sure if this summer was ever going to come to an end. I mean, it was glorious and....LONG.  The lack of structure was nice at first but by August we were all climbing the walls. Don't we all love the beginning of school? The colorful school supplies lined up in stores remind us of cozy routine and the comfort of structure. We know that even in Charleston, where walking to the mailbox is still a sweaty endeavor, fall is just around the hot and buggy bend. 

My little ones don't quite know how to feel about the beginning of a new school year yet, so I was filled with anxiety for them. Will I always have jitters on the night before their first day of school? I felt exactly the way I did before my own first days: nervous, excited, full of anticipation, unsure what to expect.

My boy was just plain excited, as much about the new shoes he picked out as anything else.

He even wore them to breakfast. Did I mention that they are HUGE?

This year he will be eating lunch at school, which is a new thing. He picked out a Lightning McQueen lunch box and found a simple note inside today. He is not able to read yet but can recognize a few words and symbols like Mommy, <3, and Foard. Last year his favorite activity was the playground, and this year he can't wait to do art.

The girl was having a great morning until we got to her classroom. She skipped along with her brother, unsure what all the fuss was about but excited by the mood in the air.

It will take her awhile to adjust to school days, but I know she'll do it. She's a social little thing. She especially enjoyed our walk and picnic lunch in the Old Village during the hour between her pick-up and her brother's. (Seen on a chalkboard in a store window: "The things you take for granted, others are praying for.") I am looking forward to that rare regular hour with just her and me.

The first day of school is such a mixed bag of emotion. In addition to my happiness at having six hours a week all to myself for the first time in two years, of course I was sad to drop them both off. Mostly I think about how different they are from this time last year, and how much this school year will change them. Already they seem more mature than they did when I dropped them off. Is that possible? They'll be totally different kids in May, and I'll never be able to get these little guys back again.