We’ve been kings and queens, unicorns and frogs,  fairies, ogres and almost everything else we could imagine here in our home.  It’s not just any ordinary home, you see, it’s a magical place that can turn into a castle, a forest, a rainbow land – absolutely any place we wish to be. My children are definitely no strangers to pretend play and can even weave their very own magical tales.

The kids have been going to school for several months now and our pretend-plays have been few and far in between.  As much as I miss our daily sojourns to far-off kingdoms, I’m glad that they are now able to go on magical adventures with other kids their age.  Encouraging imaginative play is one of the things I like best about my kids’ school.  Their teachers go beyond teaching them their ABCs and 123s.  They know that learning is much more than just academics.   Moreover, they understand that children learn best through experience.

Once, I chanced upon the Nursery class all wearing fire chief hats they made inside the classroom.  The little ones were behind a cardboard firetruck and were waiting for their turn to put out fire using a garden hose.  Just imagine how much fun the little kids had pretending to be firemen – and bravely putting out fire – for one day!

I found out that on some other day, they became brave policemen and ran after prisoners.

They also got to be doctors and nurses, and of course, patients needing medical attention. 🙂

Learning about community helpers is one of the earliest lessons we all had when we were in preschool or grade school.  I’m sure you remember being asked to cut out pictures of various community helpers or perhaps having to interview a community helper, but have you ever actually played the role of one in school?  Well, I never got to pretend to be a fireman and put out a fire in school.  This makes me want to go back to preschool and join my kids in having fun in school. 😛

We’re in Preschool!!!

After trying independent homeschooling for a year, we have decided to try conventional schooling this year to see which one would work best for the children.  Though both kids have shown great progress in academics during our homeschooling year, my little girl has a bit of trouble socializing with other people.  Although very articulate at home, she clams up when with other people.  Hence, our decision to expose her to kids her age and to other adults (her teachers) as well – so, Preschool, here we are!

Here’s our first day in a glance:

We were not really surprised when Jade refused to let go of my hand and had to be accompanied inside the classroom.  Although we were fervently hoping that she would bravely go to the classroom alone since she was so excited to go to school.  Good thing she let go of Mama’s hand soon and I didn’t have to stay inside the classroom the entire three hours.

Jakei’s class starts an hour later than his sister’s class so he has to stay in the waiting area with me for a full hour.  On the first day of school, there was only the Little Tykes house pictured above and a ride-on car to play with so he was pretty much bored already after just a few minutes.  When Teacher Abby called them to line up for class, our little boy just kissed us (hubby was there too), took his lunch bag, and went to line up all by himself.  It seems he’s really ready for school now.

It was pretty much the same way the rest of the week.  Jade had to be accompanied to the classroom while Jakei would fall in line without Mama to hold his hand.  Yesterday, he almost forgot to give me a kiss coz he was too excited to go inside.  Oh, and since he got so bored waiting for an hour on the first day of school, we’ve been bringing crayons, workbooks, AND plenty of snacks to keep him occupied while waiting for class.

During the first week of school, Jade always came home with stars in her hands and her teachers say that she works well in class.  Hopefully, she would be brave enough to go inside the classroom all by herself on our second week of school.