Kindergarten fun

I clearly messed up the above photos, with my hand or something blocking the right side of the frame. But I thought it was so cool - this morning, Sebastian's kindergarten teacher suggested an impromptu little hike up to the top of Miller hill, where there's a waterfall (man-made) and some gorgeous fall colors. A few of us moms were able to informally chaperone. She marched them up the hill and then they sat in a scrum on the sidewalk with crayons, clipboards, and paper, sketching the scene. It was so fantastic. We love Mrs. Huntley.

Seb is still doing really well in kindergarten both academically and socially. He is learning to read and write and do math, and about various science topics (Jupiter has 63 moons! Flowers close up at night so the seeds don't get cold. Etc.). He loves PE and music and technology and comes home full of new information every day. He is still very happy to be friends with Ethan, and we've had some very successful playdates both here and at Ethan's house and at the school playground. But in the last week he's come home talking about another boy, Max, and has apparently been eating his lunch with Max all week. I love it. I want him to be comfortable making friends with a lot of people and moving around the classroom, not getting too fixated on one friendship or feeling as if only one child likes him. He loves the social aspect of kindergarten and having peer friends to play with every day, and is super enthusiastic about that.

I have been volunteering in his classroom for an hour once a week to help with the literacy program. I sit at a table with four children (not Seb) and help them focus on writing letters properly, sounding out words, and then we do an exercise in following directions. It's fun for me to get to see what they're doing in there and to watch Seb with his peers. He's right in the middle of the pack, I would say, although his ability to turn out drawings and write stories is occasionally hampered by his desire to do things right. By which I mean to say, he can be kind of slow and deliberate, and then get frustrated when others finish and can go play before him.  :)