First Day....

Today was the BIG DAY!! First day of Pre-School for Matilda AND first day of Kindergarten for Orlando. 2 First days on one day!! (3 if we count my first day going to work without children in tow for 5 years!!)

So how did it all go?

Well the weekend ended up with me dealing with my nervousness by being SUPER prepared. I sewed new relaxation time pillows, got new 'school' shirts, named everything, packed bags, practiced needed skills, and talked, talked, talked.


The kids were excited, Ollie about seeing his good friend (and a little nervous about a new place), Tilly excited that "Mummy will go home and I can stay to play" - spoken like a true younger sibling who is ripped out of the classroom each morning at drop off... finally it is her turn.

We woke, got ready, had our first day photos and set off. We were all in good spirits. 

Matilda was dropped off first... Orlando set her up and in we went. She is in his old classroom, so knows the space well. She confidently put her things away and held my hand while we went exploring. she was captivated by the light/dark play and then discovered the clay. She sat down, we all said goodbye and she was busy... great! Easy! 

Now for Big School!

Orlando was wide eyed but keen, we went in, he made eye contact with his teachers, smiled and took a deep breath. In we went, found a locker and looked around. He spotted his good friend and off he went to play. We followed and he looked up and said "Mum I think it is time for you to go..." RIGHT. I've been told! Glad you feel comfortable... off I go!

So all went well. Then a couple of hours later I got this sinking feeling in my stomach... what if Matilda had started to freak out.... realised that we were not coming back for a while and was not happy? I let the fear pass through and got on with my day. Realised that I had been so busy feeling nervous for Orlando's big day, that I hadn't realised I was particularly nervous about my 'baby' going to Pre-School!

Reflections on the day...

Orlando - "Mum it was great! I didn't want to come home and can't wait to go tomorrow. You know when you left... I didn't feel sad at all. I was really happy. Tomorrow I am going to dig to the bottom of the sandpit and see what treasures I can find!"

Matilda - "I did lots of things! I started with Clay and then I did some painting, purple, pink and more purple. I washed some babies, did all the puzzles and played with the wooden people. I didn't eat all of my yummy lunch and I loved waking up from relaxation time."

Me - I felt really proud of the courage and confidence they both had. I didn't recognise Matilda when I got to Pre-School. She looked too grown up. This made me think that during my little freak out in the day, my perception of Tilly grew up... she isn't a baby any more... This is a good thing. She knows it... I just took a while to catch up :)

I find it fascinating to watch and observe their different areas of focus. Orlando has always been focused on the human environment, the teachers, friends etc. Matilda on the other hand is focused on the things she can engage in. What is there for her to investigate? I would be surprised if she gave any of her class mates a second glance! Maybe when she feels like she has explored enough she will look up and see who is around her :)

But we are all feeling positive and now home the kids have gone off and are playing by themselves... GREAT! 

Bring on tomorrow!