(Pre)School's Out for Summer

Preschool is finished for Miss Ramona. I am so happy for all of the things she learned and all the friends she was able to make.

Miss Jamie organized a graduation program for the kids on the last day of school, complete with singing, dancing, graduation caps and diplomas.

I am pretty sure Ramona was the biggest diva of twelve students in her class. She is not shy about shaking her hips for a crowd, and keeps her volume dial turned up on MAX while singing. Afterward everyone commented on her uninhibited performance.

Congrats, little miss graduate! Hopefully this is the first of many academic milestones to come.

Now it is summer break. I have had no trouble finding things for myself to do (especially having Forest gone for a week at a conference in Tampa, then having our dishwasher break). The greater challenge has been finding structure and engaging activities for Ramona each day--perhaps those are the needs that preschool fulfilled (marvelously) during much of the school year. But slowly, we are finding a new routine--and at the very least we have been putting Ramona's reading and writing skills to use:

We started a library reading program and have been busily recording our progress in the reading logs. Ramona has a couple of books she is confident enough to read all by herself, and it is fun watching her recognize and sound out words in other books, too.

When behavior problems have struck, I have started assigning Ramona to sit and write sentences. Old-fashioned, I know--but it somehow restores some of my sanity to see her repeatedly write that she will "not be rude to Mommy," "share with her sister," "not lock Mommy out," "obey right away," and "not whine."

At one point I tried to have a talk with Ramona and explain to her that when she deliberately misbehaves, it stresses me out and makes me feel sad. She was quick to reassure me, "But Mommy, even when I do bad things, I still love you. I always love you, even when I'm bad!"

Thanks, Ramona--I always love you, too.