Back To Our Routine

The 4yo is back to school. Yesterday was actually his first school day for the new year. 

If he was in a traditional pre-school, he should be in Kindergarten 1 this year. But this is not the case in a Montessori set up since they practise mixed age groups of 2.5 to 6yo in each class. Still, he will be one of the older kids now. 

How time flies! I can still remember how I felt when my little boy started school for the first time in May 2007. Reading the old posts last night reminded me once again just how much I should cherish every moment with the kids.

He was a little reluctant to go to school today, but didn't put up much resistance to leave home with daddy. When I collected him, he looked happy enough though he revealed he didn't have fun in school. Oh well, I am not expecting much for the first week anyway. 

In a way, I am happy to be back to our routine. 

On a typical school day, I get to spend a good 3 hrs with Chipsy before we collect M from school.

Little Chip played with these colourful knobs for a good half hour yesterday. 

On a good day, like these two days, the boys would play while I fix lunch. After lunch, we chill a little and if Chipsy naps, I spend time with M. If naps are skipped, we get on with homeschooling activities and free play before dinner preparation begins. Then I go on to yet another busy and hectic few hours till the boys are tucked in and all crucial chores are done. 

I like it that I am very productive on a weekday. The busy routine requires me to multi-task and keep me on my toes. Though it can get pretty tiring on a real hectic day, the satisfaction from knowing that I can achieve plenty in a brief few hours is truly addictive.

This morning, for instance, I sat down with Chipsy for close to 1.5 hr and we covered quite a bit. 

I introduced the numeral 8 and letter I, did some counting practices, colouring, 3 crafts, poetry and rhyme, flashcards, some picture matching exercise, a water scooping activity to improve hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills development, introduced the concept of solids/liquids and learnt about ice cubes and melting through an experiment. 

Then he went off to play Lego. In that 30min, I got some chores done and concurrently prepared materials for more crafts that we will work on after lunch. I managed to squeeze in time to file away some homeschooling stuff, make more notes about projects that I am preparing for M and replied a few emails. 

All these were accomplished by 11am. 

Now, it is on days like this that I feel I have 'earned' a beautiful cup of quality coffee and a gorgeous slice of cake to savour after lunch. Not that I need an excuse to indulge in life's simple pleasures. But to me, reaping the rewards after a hard day of work does make the rewards sweeter.