the first and last of 1st

Its Dylan's last day of first grade. Its been a great year of many changes for him and we plan to celebrate the second he gets off the bus this afternoon with a neighborhood ice cream/moonbounce party.

Its crazy how much they change, not only physically, but maturity-wise over the course of a school year.

First day of school (September 2009):

Last day.

2nd grade, here we come!

Pukapalooza 2010

I can probably count the number of times Dylan has thrown up on one hand, he's just not a puker.   However, when he does it, he does it big.

There was this little incident at Dutch Wonderland a couple of years ago.   There was the time he barfed up refried beans all over his bed, to the point we had to replace his comforter and a couple of pillows.

Then there was last night.

It started off innocently enough.  We made pizza for dinner and headed to Dylan's school for the much acclaimed First Grade Patriotic end-of-year program.  All the first graders, adorably dressed head to toe in red, white and blue, were to adorn an auditorium of proud parents and grandparents singing their little Yankee Doodle hearts out.  Mom and Robby came out, all of us perched in the front row as proud as peacocks.

Dylan has been practicing his songs for weeks, so I should have known something was up when I saw he wasn't really doing much singing.  The first kid to toss cookies was Dylan's best friend at school.  Fortunately he towards the front row and the teacher was able to help him make a quick exit out the side door of the auditorium onto the grass.  A few minutes later, as the show was ending, Dylan was starting to look a little green.

I started to worry.  He had mentioned another classmate throwing up at school that day.  He had told me after eating his dinner that his tummy hurt.  A quick feel of the forehead told me he had no fever, and I chalked it up to nerves before the big show. 

It all happened so fast.  He covered his mouth, I guess trying to hold it in.  But he was three rows back, shoulder to shoulder with 130 kids on stage.  It was hot.  There was nothing he could do but unleash the fury.

All over the kids next to him.

Yes, I don't know which is the bigger parenting nightmare.  To have your child projectile vomit in front of the entire school, or to be the parent of one of the unfortunate recipients of another childs' puke.

He looks great in these first three, right?

Uh oh, suddenly I think he felt it coming on  here...

and here I have to think he was looking at me thinking "I'm going to blow!"  This was just minutes before the horrific scene..

As if this all wasn't enough, the principal had to ask to borrow one of our wipes to clean some puke off her shoe.


Sigh. One more week of school.  And he was so close to having perfect attendance this year.

up, up and away

 

Dylan has grown up this school year in so many ways.  The school year is wrapping up in a couple of weeks, and we've watched his reading skills really start to soar.  We're going to have his current reading teacher tutor him once a week over the summer to help keep his confidence high.  Have to keep the momentum going!

At our communitiy annual summer kickoff party this weekend, he easily and gracefully scaled this rock wall, and I couldn't help but think it was a great visual representation of his school experience this year.

happy nectar

Dylan's been taking an art class after school with KidzArt for a few weeks now, and every week he's been bringing home his masterpieces.  This is what he made this week; his first attempt with pastels. 

He was a holy mess when I picked him up, looking quite the part of an artist gone wild, covered in black pastel crayon from head to toe.   But I think he's really enjoying himself and its a great creative outlet for him.  He's never been much into drawing or artsy stuff yet, so this has been a great initial glimpse into his artistic side.

I've been trying to interpret this drawing, or at least trying to figure out why the lizard is so happy to see the flower.  I asked Dylan about the meaning of the drawing and said the lizard is happy because he's getting ready to drink the flowers' nectar.

I think there's something about it that reminds me a bit of a Georgia O'Keefe painting..

Recap - Star of the Week

As I mentioned, Dylan was Star of the Week in his first grade class last week.  On Friday, Logan, my Mom and I were special guests there.    Dylan got to make his first official presentation, summarizing his 6 3/4 years on this Earth.   His teacher let him take questions and every hand shot up, eagerly wondering how he got photos of Scooby Doo and  Tom and Jerry.  Check out that form with the pointer.  He was so proud of himself!

Afterwards, I read a book to get everyone in the mood for lunch.

Then it was time for the wonderfully mysterious mystery item!  We were to bring a surprise item from home, but keep it hidden.   Dylan gave three clues, each a little more specific than the last.     But still... no one guessed what it was.

Clue 1:  This is part of an animal.

Clue 2:  The animal lives in the ocean.
Clue 3:  This animal is brown.

Bonus Clue:  Its a type of crab.

A horseshoe crab tail to be specific, which we found on the beach in Florida a couple of years ago.   All the kids gathered around to feel it.  

Dylan's teacher said it was a great mystery item and seemed to like that it was educational and not just a random stuffed animal that a lot of kids bring in when its their turn.

After the fabulous mystery item was revealed, we were off to lunch in the cateteria with his class.  Everyone enjoyed cheese pizza, except me who dared to try the cheeseburger and a sort of salad (lettuce and a radish?)...

Since that didn't exactly hit the spot, we signed Dylan out of school early and embarked on a pilgrimage to Friendly's for a celebratory dessert.  Dylan ordered his usual mint chip sundae. 

Logan pulled a Logan and ordered a bowl of sprinkles, no ice cream.  And then a bowl of cherries.  Thankfully we had a nice waitress.

And I bellied up to this big boy... some sort of molten chocolate peanut butter cake sundae that was completely ludicrous and supplied three days worth of calories.  I couldn't finish it all but I gave it my best try.

A celebratory ending for a totally awesome day in First Grade.

Star of the Week

This week, Dylan is Star of the Week in his first grade class.  Which is to say we spent the weekend pouring through hundreds of computer folders picking out the photos that best depict his 6 3/4 years on earth so far.  His family, things he likes to do, stuff he likes to eat...  Then printing them out.  Then mounting them on a posterboard for him to share with his class.

On Friday, I'll be going to his class to read a story.  And then he gets to share a "mystery item" from home (item TBD - it specifies no live animals though!  Maybe Logan can be his mystery item?), he'll prepare clues for his classmates to guess his super secret mystery item.  And then we'll partake in a lovely cafeteria lunch together.  Sweet, mystery meat!

P is for pizza

Yesterday was Report Card Day.  I can remember those days when I was in school, feeling a little nervous, hoping I did enough to make the grades my parents wanted to see... wanting to make them proud and to feel good about all the work I had done.
I highly anticipated seeing Dylan's report card when he got home from school.  He's been working really hard since last grading period in all of the areas he's struggled with so far in first grade....reading, getting his work finished and finished on time, following written directions, and staying focused.  We've had several meetings with his teachers, and formed a partnership with them to try some strategies to keep him on track.  I haven't talked much about this on the ole' blog, but its definitely been a big area of focus for us and for him. When he got home, I sat down with him so we could read his report card together.  He seemed confident I was going to be proud of him, I knew I would be.

The kids don't really earn 'real' grades until third grade but they do earn letters telling us which areas they need to show improvement, where his work is satisfactory, outstanding, etc. 

I've been volunteering in his language arts class to be able to help him (and the other kids) and to better understand myself what the classroom is like, and how it can be a challenging and chaotic learning environment.  And I'm so proud of the progress he's made, as reflected in his reading testing scores in January, and also on his report card.

Snippets of his teachers comments:

• "developed stronger sight word vocabulary, used reading strategies in order to make progress as a reader, enjoy expressing his ideas in writing....."
• "continued to develop an understanding of the first grade math skills including addition, subtraction, geometry and fractions."
• "spirited and energetic child"

Last night Dylan got to pick whatever he wanted for dinner, and he chose a yummy pizza dinner at Ledo's, complete with mozzarella cheese sticks and Sprite -- some of this very favorites. 

We are going to make reading a big focus this summer when school is out, so he can go back to school in the fall with the same confidence he's developed this year so far.  I think reading is such a great gift to have in your life, and I don't want our kids to dread it or feel intimidated.   We'll take him to eat pizza whenever he wants if it keeps him reading.

hot topics (but not that hot)

I've been volunteering at Dylan's school in his language arts class for a couple of months now.  Language arts is a two hour block of time each day where the kids in his homeroom first grade class are divided into other classes with peers at a similar level/skill.  They focus solely on reading, spelling and writing since these are such enormous building blocks on which so many other academic skills will build.

I decided to volunteer in this particular part of Dylan's school day because he's had minor struggles in writing and reading... I thought it would be helpful to observe him myself, get to know the two teachers better and it would help me assist Dylan better with homework and reading at home if I knew how they teach him at school.  And its definitely done all of those things, and more.  They're at the halfway point of the year and he's made tremendous progress since early fall.

On Thursday mornings, his language arts class has their weekly library time.  And I happen to be there during that time shelving books because Logan is with his speech therapy teacher for 30 minutes and I have to wait for him.  When its time for Dylan's class to check out books, they are allowed to get two - one from the easy fiction section, and one from the non-fiction area.

So what do first graders want to read about?  I've learned its very, very predictable.  All the girls want books about Tinkerbell, fairies, princesses and horses.

The boys?

Take one guess.  Here are the subjects of interest to six year old boys:  monster trucks, the human body (specifically guts, instestines, brains and blood), volcanoes and tornadoes, motorcycles, Star Wars and did I mention monster trucks?

Well, today apparently the hot subject was ghosts.  Because this afternoon, Dylan's teacher, who is the kindest, sweetest most patient women in the world, emailed me.  Apparently, some of the kids in his class got a hold of a book about ghosts and took it back to class and starting to discuss ghosts and curses.  One little boy wrote down "A ghost is going to come to (our town) in five years and steal everyone's body".   I guess some of the kids freaked out and the assistant teacher felt Dylan was a little traumatized.  So she just wanted to give me a head's up in case he talked about this tonight when he came home.

He didn't know she emailed me, and it was indeed the first topic when he stepped off the bus today.  "Mom, there was this book about ghosts today and what are curses and spirits?"  And it just went on from there.

So we had a long talk about ghosts and spirits and I think I covered it all in a non-scary way.  I'm sure this won't be the first time he sees and hears things at school that raise serious questions.  I just hope next time its not that someone snuck an issue of Playboy to school and passed it around the lunch table.  I have a few more years before that happens, right?

a day in the life of a 1st grader

This morning I had the opportunity for a rare glimpse into Dylan's 1st Grade classroom. Its American Education Week, and parents were invited to spend an hour in the class helping to run stations and then join their child in the cafeteria for lunch.

So interesting to see how their day runs and what they kids are expected to do. So many observations and a few surprises too.

First, wow are the kids expected to do a lot in a very short amount of time! Even with me helping Dylan cut out his turkey legs and pilgrims, we barely got his Thanksgiving placemat done before the bell rang and we have to move onto the next station. The next station was Jenga Math - what a great idea! I think I'll be writing his math facts up to 18 on our Jenga game pieces at home and letting him build a tower.

Second, I need to set up a desk for Dylan at home and teach him how to keep things organized because WOW, everything is just crammed inside his desk and good Lord how does he ever find anything?

Also, lots of the little boys were pretty loud and jumping all over the place and Dylan wasn't one of them. However, these same boys seemed to get their projects done much faster than Dylan, who takes his time and probably isn't assertive enough when it comes to asking for his turn. We're working with Dylan on focus and his ability to get his work done faster. This is an area that's been a struggle for a while now, and we're trying some things in the classroom and at home (visual timers, etc.) to motivate him to move along a little quicker. But to watch him among his peers and notice how courteous, patient and what a good listener he is warmed my heart.

And then there was lunch. Wow. The only word to describe it is chaos. In kindergarten last year, the kids only attended half day and ate a small snack with the teachers always nearby to assist them. What a big difference it is when they switch to first grade. The kids are lead from the classroom to the bathroom, where they are to wash hands en masse and then get back in line to go into the cafeteria. They then get in another line to buy their lunch, or they sit down to eat the lunch brought from home. Dylan and I got in line to buy lunch, and the choices were turkey, tacos, pizza, yogurt, bagels plus an assortment of sides - beans, apples, fruit cocktail, taco toppings. The line moves pretty fast so they have to make their choice quickly, punch in their student ID number so their lunch account is debited, carry their tray to the other side of the cafeteria to get napkins, fork, spoon and straw, and then find a seat. All of this is done without any teacher assistance. So its goes from almost complete hand holding in kindergarten, to full-on freedom in first grade. And they don't have very long to eat either. Lots has to happen in that 25 minutes. I think it usually goes pretty well and the kids are used to it by now, but it was so very interesting to watch all the action first-hand.

I'm sure things were extra crazy there today having all the parents there, but it was just nutty. And to make matters worse, the little boy on the other side of me was crying his eyes out because his mom didn't show up. And the little girl across from us came back from the bathroom soaking wet after a toilet accident, and was inconsolable too. Poor things. A few of us moms tried to include them and make them feel better, but I wondered what would have happened if we weren't there? There just wasn't much teacher supervision. I think the kids are supposed to raise their hands if they need help and an adult helper will come over to them. But the poor little wet girl had her hand raised forever and no one saw her until I realized she had her head down and was crying.

Dylan ate his whole lunch and part of mine, and made jokes with his friend sitting next to us. He had several boys ask him to sit next to them at lunch, and I hope its always that way.

So just a glimpse into his everyday school world. I remember when Dylan was a baby, thinking how strange it would be for him to one day have his own world that I wasn't a part of....his own friends....his own responsibilities...managing his own time and making choices.

And I know this is just the beginning of watching him explore and flourish, but I was very proud of what I saw today.

first grade field trip

I accompanied Dylan's first grade class on their trip to a local flower farm today. It was a great day, despite the wind, and despite carrying around the (somewhat heavy) belongings of several other children I was chaperoning. Its always nice to spend some time with your child's teacher, his classmates and some of the other moms. Dylan snuggled next to me on the school bus on the way home, and told me how much he loved that I came, and I wondered at what age does it become not cool for your mom to join the field trip?

I hope I still have a while.






Logan and I will be going to another pumpkin farm next week with his class. Sure hope the weather is as great as it was today for Dylan's trip!

cleanliness is a virtue

Dylan got off the bus this afternoon carrying an award - a baseball hat with the name of his elementary school, and an envelope containing a $20 gift card to a yummy local Chinese restaurant. "Mom, I won this today because my desk was the shiniest and cleanest in the whole class!".

I can't take credit (or blame) for everything he's learned up to this point, but I think the neat freak in me has totally gotten through to him. And if its going to keep us in good Chinese food, I'll teach him how to wash the teacher's car next!

little by little...

...the First Grade details are forthcoming. I think its taken a few days for it all to sink in, and now he's remembering more and getting used to being in school for 6.5 hours a day. Details about art class and that the teacher "has been painting since he was a little boy". Details about the boy in his class who was already sent to the Principal's office on the third day of school and gets time-outs everyday. Details about science, morning announcements (which are done via the school's internal TV channel with student reporters), and gym class. Details about learning new words from the Spanish teacher - Buenos Dias! Who he plays with on the playground, how he buys his lunch and has 'almost enough time to eat it all'. Who he sits next to at lunch, what they do in music class and what books he checks out at the library.

As a parent I struggle between letting go of the control and letting him make his own path, and still wanting to know every single detail of his days. Are the other boys nice? Does he raise his hands to answer questions? Does he finish his work on time? Does he remember his manners?

All I know is this. Everyday he will be faced with choices, and everyday he makes us proud of the decisions he makes. And everyday, I love him more than words can say.

all about the details

As I talk to lots of my friends who have little boys, I hear over and over again that they just aren't that great with the details. Building a huge racetrack for Matchbox cars with nothing but couch pillows and scotch tape - yes. Getting as filthy as humanly possible after being outside for only 20 minutes - yes. But sharing every intimate detail about the oh so important First Day of First Grade - not so much.

And so last night, as we tried to pluck tidbits from Dylan (whose eyes were drooping shut at the dinner table at 6:30 pm) about his special first day at school, we pretty much got nothing. We know he ate a huge bean burrito for lunch. We know he played outside. We know they had a fire drill. What happened during the rest of the 6.5 hours of his school day is anyone's guess.

First Day of First Grade

And just like that, my little man is off to a whole new adventure.

He got up easily at 6:30 this morning, got dressed and headed down for a bowl of cereal, fruit and yogurt. Put on his shoes and backpack, patiently posed for front porch photos and arrived first to the bus stop, ready and eager.

I already miss him. Its a little strange, knowing he's gone until 2:50 this afternoon. I didn't realize until last night that I was nervous for him. Thinking of how many new situations he'll find himself in this year and just hoping that he'll remember to make the right choices, do the right things. To always be kind to other kids, and to always respect his teachers.

First grade. Another milestone he embraces with a smile on his face.

I can't wait to hear about his day and see his smile when he gets off the bus.

First Grade!

We attended open houses at both Logans' preschool and Dylans' elementary school this week. As much as I've been in denial this summer, our big guy is getting ready to embark upon full days of school for the first time. I'm sad. I'm excited. And he'll do great, he always does.

Last night, Dylan got to visit his first grade class, put his school supplies away, meet his teacher, and get the lay of the land. All the while, I signed up for a few volunteer opportunities to help throughout the year. School starts Tuesday and a whole new journey begins!

This is Dylan's teacher, Mr. P..

Ready to rock 1st grade at his very own desk!

Logan's school event this week was adult-only. I'll get some photos of him there when I have my first teacher conference with his preschool teacher next week.