Search Results for: blog the road to the right kindergarten

Get Ready for Kindergarten

Now, that my daughter is in preschool, kindergarten seems years away. But, in reality, it is only a few months down the road. This will be my first child entering Kindergarten, so I didn’t know much about the process of getting her enrolled for school. After talking to a friend yesterday, I had a little panic session. I live in an open-enrollment school district, meaning that I can apply to enroll her into any kindergarten classroom in the school district. Preferential treatment is always given to people living within a school’s boundaries, but it does leave some room for some … Continue reading →

Caution: Long and Winding Road Ahead

Over the weekend we took a walk down to the mall through the snow to pick up some Christmas packages. It was the first day of snow, and it was an exciting walk. We looked for animal tracks in the snow and we crunched it – all two or three inches of the stuff. We walked through the forest and through the neighborhoods where we used to walk way back in the spring, when my daughter first started walking to preschool. We walked by the preschool that we devoted so much time to over the last two years. It is … Continue reading →

We Did It – She Graduated Kindergarten

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Yesterday was a very poignant day for me. Karri spoke a few weeks ago about Kindergarten graduations and I have to admit that while I don’t totally disagree with the idea of celebrating mediocrity as we mark these days of passing from the K hallway to the 1st grade hallway – it was still a wonderful and it was sad and it was fun and I laughed and I wanted to cry. My husband described it as a great moment; a moment that said not only is she a school age child, but that she’s done. She’s no longer a … Continue reading →

Kindergarten Naptime

Although I cannot remember much from my kindergarten year, I can recall several events from first and second grades. I vividly recall rest time. In both first and second grade, we had a specified time of day that we put our heads down on the desks to rest. Now, many kindergarten students do not have a naptime. My school is the only school in our county that participates in no form of naptime. The other kindergarten classes either have naptime everyday or periodically (when time permits or the teacher feels it is needed). Naps are things of education’s past. Some … Continue reading →

My Struggle with Kindergarten Playtime

I have read all of the research and I will agree that kindergarten children need playtime. Many articles will suggest never sacrificing playtime for more instructional time. However with today’s pressures and rising standards, it is sometimes difficult to find time to allow children the opportunity for free play. There are three obstacles that I am in need of conquering in order to provide my students with the creative playtime that they deserve. The challenge becomes even harder during the winter months when weather does not permit going outside. My kindergarten classroom is equipped with creative play materials. I have … Continue reading →

The Road to the Right Kindergarten

My husband was presented with a strange request this week. He was asked to write a letter of recommendation for one of his students. Unless you know what my husband does–that might not seem so strange so let me explain further. He’s a teacher. . .of sports. He teaches at a sports program on the Upper East Side in Manhattan and his program rents out space from some of the most elite preschools in New York City. He only teaches 3, 4, and 5 year olds. Which means that this was a letter of recommendation. . .for kindergarten. What could … Continue reading →

The No Sugar Diet

On Monday morning, I was chatting with some of the other moms on the soccer field. Our kindergarten kids participate in pee wee soccer two mornings a week. One mom started telling me that with the exception of natural sugar found in fruit and vegetables, she completely gave up sugar six months earlier. As someone who loves to bake and never met a sweet thing I didn’t like, I was both impressed and shocked. I know I need to cut down on my own sugar consumption. While obesity isn’t a problem for me right now, there are so many other … Continue reading →

Terrific Teens

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Last Saturday, was the Young Women General Broadcast. I am not currently serving in the young women’s program, and I don’t have any daughters that are the age of the young women. But, I do have a daughter. She is 5 years old, going on 6 in a couple of months, and I worry about so many challenges she will face as she grows older. I worry about my boys too, but I guess since I’ve been a girl, and a teenager, and a young woman, I know how difficult life’s challenges can be. And, I know they are even … Continue reading →

Bucket List For Parents

As I may have whined about a time or two on here, my daughter is getting ready to move into her own place. I’m not ready, there are still so many things I want to do, so much that I’m sure I missed, I want to go back and have a do over. Our kids grow up so quickly one day you are elbow deep in diapers and the next they are in kindergarten and before you know they’ve graduated and are getting on with their lives. Well, it may be too late for me to do that but it’s … Continue reading →

Better Late Than Never

(Scooting came easily, bike riding not so much.) My daughter was born nearly three weeks before her due date. We were all shocked and a bit ill-prepared. A few pieces of furniture hadn’t been built yet and I didn’t have a hospital bag picked out, let alone packed. Still, there’s no stopping a baby from coming out when she is ready… and it’s hard to shove her back in when you’re not. My daughter arrived kicking and screaming and we welcomed her with open arms. Interestingly, though, despite her early arrival, she hasn’t hit some critical milestones before her peers. … Continue reading →