First day of Kindy

This week Malachi started kindy (kindergartin, preschool, etc).  In New Zealand, when a kid is 3 they start afternoon kindy, 2 hours 3 days a week, then when they're 4 they go to morning kindy, 4 hours 3 days a week, all free, until they're 5 and then they start school.  I made the choice to not send Malachi to the traditional kindy and instead enrolled him in a Montessori preschool.  He goes 6hrs a day, 3 times a week.  I made that choice because while I think that kindy is great, playing in the sandpit, painting, singing, making crafts, I can do all that stuff at home with my son, and I do.  If he's going to be away from me for that long, I want him to be getting something that I can't give him.  At Montessori, all of his "playing" is learning, all the games and toys are teaching tools, and not just numbers and letters, but sizes and shapes and volume and life skills.  It's all about independant learning through play. Ok i have to stop before I get carried away.  But from the first time I learnt about the Montessori way of learning, I knew it was what Malachi needed to thrive.

So this week, now that he's 3, he started going to school.

He was super excited to have a lunchbox and a bag, and to have teachers and friends and a school.

Ready to go with his little bag.





About to go in.



Hanging up his stuff.



He had a great time.  I was a mess.  The whole time he was gone I was watching the clock, twiddling my thumbs, counting down until I could go pick him up.  I missed him so bad.  Other then the time I was in the hospital giving birth, it's the longest I've ever been away from him.  The house was so quiet and lonley and sad without him.  And ok so I went and picked him up an hour early.  And the look on his face when he saw me was undescribable. (I wish i got it on camera, I had my camera, but I got all emotional and was just too excited to hug him that I forgot to take a picture). He did really well, they said he was settled and happy and just went about his business. I really hope he enjoys it and loves to learn. That's the whole point, to help him love learning on his own.  But my days will be so different without him there.

When I asked him what he liked about going to school, he said,

"Um I like to eat my lunch (typical tongan), my teacher says i need to go to sleep but i just play (refuses to nap while there).  And I pour the water and see the rabbits and we do the scooping with the spoon and put the things in the other container."