Dirt.Dimples. Dandelions: February 2009

Ethan made all of his valentines to give to his friends at school this year. When I picked him up in the afternoon, he was so excited to show me his "valentimes" in a bag he decorated himself. Ava helped herself to his candy as I was helping Ethan put on his backpack. Good thing he was nice enough to share.

Jason sent us all teddy bears. William loves his! (literally) All those hugs are for you Jason!

We made sugar cookies and the kids had too much fun sprinkling the flour before rolling out the dough. I tried to take Ethan's picture and he covered his eyes making a nice flour handprint on his face. Silly boy- never wanting his picture taken.

Ava couldn't get enough of cutting the heart shapes, but she didn't want to transfer them to the cookie sheet. She just wanted to roll them all up and do it again and again. I don't know what took us longer: making the cookies and frosting them, or cleaning up all the mess!

Ethan is officially attending a Montessori preschool! I had a hard time accepting Ethan and Ava would not be enrolled in a German kindergarten anytime soon. We moved after the school year began and most schools were full. I really wanted my children to be immersed in the German culture and start learning some of the language while we're here. Preschool, or as the Germans say, kindergarten, was started right here in Germany. So, naturally their programs must be great, right? Everyone here gives them raving reviews. With all the changes we've been through, it's probably better to wait and try for this fall anyway. Don't get me wrong, I'm not too disappointed. The Montessori school is amazing. It's also amazingly expensive, in Euros too! So, I'm not too sure Ethan and Ava will be attending this school in the fall.

Ethan didn't want me to leave the first couple of days he attended. One of the teacher's suggested I stay for awhile. OK, I don't have a problem with joining 10 preschoolers for circle time. However, I had a curious crawler and an explorative and eager 2 year old in tow, not to mention Ethan trying to pull me out of there with all his strength. So my participation and help to the situation was a little hampered. Let me paint you another picture of those mornings as I tried to leave the school: Ethan cried and clung to me because he didn't want to stay, Ava threw a fit on the floor because she didn't want to leave, and William was just happy stuck to my hip holding my hair in his hand. It didn't take long at all for Ethan to realize I was coming back; it wasn't like daddy's deployment. He's still having trouble understanding why daddy isn't coming back yet. Poor guy. On Friday, I couldn't get him to leave preschool. Success!

Ethan loves school and each day he's excited to show me something he's discovered or created. You know when those complete strangers that are much older tell you to enjoy your children because they grow up too fast? They are right. Ethan is a big boy! I can't believe he's in preschool! He's so cute with his little backpack and lunch in hand. Apparently, he's already the expert of the class in math lessons! His teacher was quite impressed with his counting skills; backwards, by tens, and up to 100 by singles (if you can stand to listen, even 100+). He worked on a lesson where he had to match a numbered pancake to a pancake with the corresponding number of blueberries. He did it without counting aloud. The teacher asked him if he would count the blueberries to match them up. He just looked at her and said, "No, you count them."

Also, at circle time the class is learning a song that helps them learn the alphabet in sign language. As the children make the sign, they make the sound of the letter as well. They were quite impressed he knew all the letters in ASL and all the sounds! He helped his teacher show the signs to the other 9 children. Ethan amazes us- he's already sounding out simple words! He has so much energy, he just needs a little help channeling it!

I love the Montessori method, especially for preschoolers. It fits Ethan's personality and developmental level perfectly. Most of all, I love that learning occurs through self-directed activity while the teacher is there mostly for guidance. I learned about the Montessori philosophy in college, but it's really interesting to observe it. Well, I haven't been able to observe too much, but so far I'm very impressed!

(Here's an interesting short comment about early childhood education and a type of German kindergarten. I thought I'd add this since I'm on my soapbox.)