Remember last month when I wrote a post about why my almost-5-year-old isn't in preschool? Well, now I'm going to take everything I said back.
Psych! Not really!
I mean, Trey really is in preschool now. But no, I'm not going back on what I said.
Let me explain...
As you'll recall, I said that I believe that kids need to be kids, they need to learn what they want when they are ready for it, and they shouldn't feel pressured into meeting standards that some fat guy in a suit sitting behind a desk on Capitol Hill says he should meet. I also said that he is spot-on in his development except for where his social skills are concerned, and I want to expose him to more social situations to help him prepare for kindergarten next year.
Well, I think I've found the perfect place for him to do all that!
I heard about a few ladies in my ward who got together and did their own little preschool, and we joined them this month. There are three other four-year-olds, and two of the moms trade-off hosting the class in their homes. They meet twice a week for two hours at a time.
The program they follow is called The Learning Box. Each month, they order a box that has all of the lessons and supplies necessary to hold the classes. There is very little prep required on the parents' end, and the lessons are really cute and fun for the kids. My favorite part of the box is the price. It only cost each of us $15.75 for the whole month. Sounds good to me!
Since it's run by us moms, it's kind of like a co-op. Like I said, two moms host and teach the class and the other two who choose not to host (myself included) trade-off with staying to help supervise the kids and help the kids with the craft projects.
And I gotta say, Trey is absolutely loving it! I was really nervous that he wouldn't want to be left with a stranger in a strange place, but he has not had a single problem with that. He even rides with the other moms when we carpool which I was certain he would pitch a fit about the first time we tried that. But his ride came and he ran out there with his little backpack just like a big boy! (Sniff sniff) He's growing up so quickly!
He did get a little nervous when I first told him that he was going to begin going to a school-like activity ("What? No way! I hate school!"), but after I assured him that it was a preschool and that it was at someone's house, he was okay with the idea. Now he asks me almost every day if it's his day to go to school. He looks forward to it, and he comes home and shows us the fun projects he did and the things he learned. I love seeing him so excited about it!
And I'm so glad that we found this because I really do think that he needs it. When I'm there, he has a hard time staying focused and often will get up and run around while the rest of the class is in the middle of something. I don't know of it's just because I'm there or if he does that every time, but he definitely needs some work with sitting and following directions.
He has improved with recognizing his letters, with his writing skills, and his scissor and gluing skills. ;) But again, there's no pressure to do too much too soon--no homework, no testing, and no state standards to meet. If he learns to read before he starts kindergarten, it'll be because he wants to, not because someone shoved it down his throat.
All-in-all, I couldn't be more thrilled with how things are going so far, and I'm so glad that Trey is loving it, too!
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