Kindergarten

So here we are... the day before my oldest goes to kindergarten.  We spent the morning running some errands, I let the boys pick a "special" cereal (we usually only get Cherrios or Chex around this house), so I thought that might be fun.  The boys also picked out a "craft" (wooden planes to paint and assemble) to work on as one last little project to do on our last day of summer.

 

We then spent the rest of the afternoon watching Matilda and snuggling on the couch... I wanted to hold on to him as much as I could.  (Not the best choice in movie to help a new-to-school child feel confident in going to school.  I wasn't really thinking about how Ms. Trunchbull might be kind of scary! But he seemed to realize that his school would be nothing like Crunchem Hall).   

I had wanted to plan a fun dinner with a few of his favorite foods, but I was not organized enough for that... so we let him choose his favorite place... PIZZA HUT!

The school had a little Meet & Greet with Orin's teacher.  It was interesting to see him grab my arm and cling to me a little.  That's not something I expected from him, yet I secretly liked it (mostly, because I knew it wouldn't last)... 

And it didn't!  He was clearly excited to go! 

There it is.  My first packed lunch as a mom. (Thinking it won't be this exciting as the years go on, right!)  When I told Ory I put a note in his lunch, he informed me that he can't read.  One step ahead of you, buddy!

Shawn read the boys a school themed story and they were off to bed.  I think I felt just as nervous that night before school, as when I was a teacher!

I had been thinking about a theme for the year, something that would help Orin remember who he is, and how to behave.  Our church youth theme for the year, is Arise & Shine forth.  I had designed a logo (see here) and thought that was the perfect theme that Orin could relate to.  It was also something I used in my own classroom, "Our Work Shines." 

Let Your Light Shine.

I wrote him a little poem to go with the theme. We'll see if I can keep that up each year... humm.

There is this little boy of mine,

Who has a special light to shine.

He's thoughtful, kind and full of fun,

Whose radiance shines bright as the sun.

As he leave our home each day to learn,

with confidence and love may he always return.

Knowing that the light he has within,

is from the knowledge he comes from heav'n.

Kind of get a little emotional every time I read it.

 Wyatt looks the most excited! :)

I read the book, "The Kissing Hand" that morning.  I, of course, was tearing up and Orin was not at all interested in having me kiss his hand and hold it on his cheek.  He's just way too cool for mom. Sign.

 New kicks from Nana.  Check!

 New backpack from cousins. Check!

 First day pictures. Check!

In my classroom, I used to always play music for the students.  To start the day, as transitions, to match our units, so I made a back to school mix.  It included songs like The Jackson's ABC, to Mika's Love Today, to This Little Light of Mine (gotta match our theme).

Our cousins pulled up right when we did.  Having them there with him makes me feel so much better about sending him off into the world of school!

Yeap, he's ready to start the day!  Now, is the teacher ready for him?

His teacher read "The Kissing Hand" to the class, and Orin having just experienced this book, did not look at me at all during the story.  There were kids bawling and clinging to their parents, but not my son (and I was glad).  He was ready to rock & roll.

Brody and I made Orin a cookie cake (something my mom used to make all the time when I'd have friends over).  It kind of fell apart, but hey, I tried.

We did our traditional McDonald's after school ice cream! Traditional meaning we did that last year when Orin started preschool.  

To me, he just doesn't seem old enough to be in school.  By around 1:00, my heart kind of tugs a little and I feel anxious for his return.  But, I think I'll adjust. :)

Of course, I wanted lots of details about how his day went, but really this is all I got:

What is your teacher like?

She's not old, she's not young, she's just normal age.

She is a instrument player and a scientist.

What did you do?

Ate lunch

Played a game like duck, duck, goose, but it had a mesh pot

Played at the park (aka playground)

What did you learn?

That spiders eat mosquitos

And there you have it.  Orin goes to school.