TPM Tidbit: Preparing for Kindergarten (Part 4)
August 9, 2012 in TPM Tidbits
The countdown to kindergarten continues: FOUR more days! As we prepare to enter this new phase of family life (the phase where you have to get up early every morning and race out of the house), I am not only thinking of ways to smooth the transition for my oldest daughter—I am also thinking about the impact on my youngest daughter and on myself! My youngest daughter is 2½ years old. I think she will miss her sister during the day. When my oldest was this age (and I was pregnant), we filled our days with arts and crafts, reading, playdates and trips to our subdivision playground. My youngest is such a different kid. Her attention span for arts and crafts and even reading is much less (well, much more normal for her age compared to my über-focussed older child). She is also naturally a much more active and social child.
There are two things that I want for myself out of kindergarten. I want to make more time for activity in my life and I want more time to write for the blog. I’m still not sure how I’m going to accomplish the latter (it may even be a struggle to preserve as much time as I have now!). But, I think I have a wonderful opportunity to increase my activity level and have wonderful special bonding time with my youngest. My plan is to go hiking several times a week immediately after dropping my oldest off at school. We live fairly close to some nice hilly trails and it is a common weekend activity for the whole family to go for a 1½-2 hour long hike. The kids tire out on these long hikes, so they typically get shoulder rides for half of the duration or more, depending on how far we go. I never take both kids on my own because, well, I can only fit one of them on my shoulders at a time. With my oldest in school however, and a long morning to fill with fun, it’s the perfect activity for my youngest and me to do! I even plan on dusting off my Ergo Baby Carrier (best baby carrier ever! I highly recommend it!) so that my daughter can ride on my back instead of my shoulders (plus the pocket will allow me to bring a snack for her and give me a place to stash my keys). I’m really looking forward to it. Here’s hoping the weather cooperates!
It’s a tough transition for the younger ones- but once they realize they get you all on your own, it’s a lovely time
My youngest waits all day for his sister to finish school- then within 15 minutes of seeing each other they’re back to normal.
Enjoy the time before all the early mornings
Thank you!
Good luck! As a paleo parent I find sending my kids off to school very frustrating in that the school is constantly undermining lessons about how to eat healthfully. If I send a communal snack of strawberries or trail mix, I can promise that on the next day another parent will send muffins or goldfish crackers. It is a constant game of working around or compromise. I can exclude my kid from what everyone else gets to do or I can look the other way. I won’t even refer to the things given out in the cafeteria as food…but when I send my kids with homemade lunches (things like grain-free pumpkin bread, meats, berries, veggies…) I get phone calls about whether their grain-free meals are sufficient. (I wish I were joking.) There are times when candy and junk food is used as part of a lesson plan (graphing with skittles…stringing froot loops) and times when they bring hope copies of the USDA’s Food Pyramid and explain that they are supposed to eat more bread. My oldest is now in 7th grade and my youngest is entering 3rd…I am not surprised by anything anymore.
Does your oldest mind the difference? My oldest is heading to 7th grade and is complaining. She has been gluten free since kindergarten, dye and dairy free since grade 1 until this year and minimal sulfites since grade 2. Dairy reintroduction resulted in hyperglycemia this year so we’re dairy free again and eat very little grain. She will be taking mostly salads for lunches with chicken or beef, fruit, extra veggies, and seeds as she will be attending a nut-free school. There are no communal snacks, but candy is used a lot as a motivator and she came home lots last year saying “I did this, but couldn’t have this treat.” Can I have x, y, or z? Suggestions? I’m not surprised either especially with my second daughter missing 28 days of school this year. Teacher couldn’t understand the gluten cross contact issue and she is severely gluten intolerant (likely celiac-has gene, but no formal diagnosis) and she still used Lucky Charms for a math activity -just told my daughter not to touch them!
My daughter doesn’t seem to notice, at least for now. She got a larabar as a treat when the class had cupcakes on Friday for someone’s birthday and she seemed happy with that. Fortunately, she’s not so sensitive to gluten that she would be as ill as your daughter (her reaction is mostly behavioral but she does get a bit of a tummy ache).