Day +1613: Back to school
Settling in to a new routine now that the kids are back in school. They started September 1. They are going to the Katherine Michiels School (http://www.katherinemichielsschool.org/), which is a private school in the Mission District near 26th and Guerrero. It's a play-based environment in the Reggio Emilia style and is relatively affordable compared to many of the other private schools in the city. Isaac is in a two-year kindergarten with 20-25 other kids. Mina is in a 1st-5th grade class with about 10 kids. They have a Spanish teacher and an art teacher that help out. There is also a preschool on the site, so there are lots of kids and adults. Mina's class has field trips every Friday, and sometimes Isaac's class gets to go too. Last Friday they went to Mt. Diablo to look for tarantulas -- apparently there is a particular spot which is usually thick with them. But they struck out this time, except they did see two foxes. The week before they went to a marine mammal rescue center in Marin, where they saw a bunch of sea lions that were sick or injured. Mina *loved* that, and now she is very conscious about balloons and plastic bags that sea lions could ingest.
The kids love it. Isaac has a hard time at dropoff, which is not at all surprising because he is always shy in new environments, especially ones where there is a lot of noise and commotion. He cried when we dropped him off the first couple of days, but by the end of the second day he cried when Keri came to pick him up because he was so involved in the blocks he was playing with. Then a couple of days later, he said, spontaneously, "I love Randall!" (his teacher). Randall is very funny and he relates to the kids on their level. I heard a story today that he was pretending to be a French waiter during lunch last week, complete with towel over his arm and French accent. But he also seems to want things to be organized in his classroom, which is a lot different from Teacher Julie last year. He asked us to drop Isaac off and leave by 8:50 so Isaac can get over being sad and Randall can start circle time right at 9:00. It definitely works better to get there early, though Isaac still has a hard time some days. Mina is doing great, of course. She never lets anything get to her. We've had several adults tell us how much they enjoy Mina, how she is always happy and positive and kind to the other kids, and just how genuinely nice she is.
Mina had a great time at camp. She swam and did arts and crafts every day, which is exactly what she loves to do. There were six girls ages 6-7 in the "Blue Heron" cabin on the "Sugarloaf" side of camp, along with four counselors! They slept outside on the deck every night, looking up at the stars. They had some kind of event every night, from campfires to skits to a hoedown. They also had one night when people talked about friends who had passed on. The one example Mina remembered was from a girl who had talked about her grandmother. Mina said it made her think of Grandpa David. We didn't hear anything more after they got the contacts straightened out, which we figured was a good sign. We got a postcard from her on Friday saying she was having fun. Then we drove over to Emeryville on Sunday morning to pick her up, and when the bus pulled up she was one of the last ones to get off. I thought she might run over to us, but she just "Hi!" and kind of walked over slowly. We asked her if she missed us, and she said "Well... kind of!"
It was definitely an interesting week with Mina off at camp. Isaac was really enjoying the novelty for the first couple of days. He was very active in the house, almost hyperactive. Mina is such a strong personality, it was almost like he could really breathe while she was gone and he just went nuts doing everything he wanted to, his way. He didn't even want to talk about her for the first couple of days. It wasn't until Wednesday, as he and Keri were coming up the stairs in the evening after being out, that I heard him say, "Where's Mina?" in a complaining kind of way. At that moment he definitely missed her, but I wouldn't say that was necessarily the rule.
Isaac's fifth birthday is coming up this Thursday. It's funny -- one the one hand it's amazing how time flies, but on the other hand, it's kind of amazing he's still four. He's so tall and articulate, he seems much older in some ways. Emotionally he is still very young, though. We are having a baseball party for him on the 10th at the Little Giants' field near AT&T Park where the real Giants play. His request -- modeled after his friend Ronan who had his party there. After not seeming to be very interested in music most of the summer, he is going through a phase where it seems like he doesn't think of anything else. He's constantly banging at his instruments and when he's nothing, he's going around the house saying "BOOM - chicka - BOOM - chicka - BOOM BOOM BOOM" or singing a song or pretending to play drums or a piano or a trumpet. This Saturday he played his instruments non-stop for three hours while he and I were home alone. He has a blister on his thumb from strumming the guitar! Saturday evening his thumb hurt from the blister, so he put his harmonica holder around his neck and played the harmonica while he banged a drum with one hand. Sunday the kids each had a friend over, and the four kids ended up sitting on our front stoop playing songs and trying to get passers-by to put money into Isaac's pirate hat, which was turned upside-down. There were thrilled that two people actually gave them money. He loves to grab a chopstick and pretend to be a conductor. He understands that classical music has conductors but rock music and jazz only have band leaders, but he still loves to play conductor to his favorite CD, Choo Choo Boogaloo. Lately both the kids have been making up their own songs. Isaac wails away about how he has to go to bed or brush his teeth or go to school. Sometimes Mina sings a song about a doll or a fairy and all of the things she does, in long detail, while Isaac plays guitar. Then of course sometimes they don't get along about how loud the guitar should be or how fast the tempo should be.
The kids have been way into Peter Pan lately. We took them to a live performance by a community theater group in Berkeley that was really well done, and they were totally enthralled. They talked about Peter Pan non-stop for a week. I had already bought the original J.M. Barrie book with the intention of reading it to them in a year or two when they are more mature, but I couldn't possibly keep it from them after they enjoyed the show so much. We have been reading one chapter a night, and we just finished the chapter with the last, conclusive battle on the Jolly Roger where the crocodile gets Captain Hook. Isaac is still a little young for the book, and he buries his head or clings to my arm at the scary parts, but the author said early on in the book "One thing I promise you: it will all come out right in the end" and the kids remembered that whenever it got scary. I just ordered the CD from the movie with Cathy Rigby, which I'm sure will be a huge hit with them. They sing songs to the CD player all the way to school every day, so the Peter Pan soundtrack will slot right in. Mina's favorite these days is "Free to Be You and Me" by Marlo Thomas and friends, a 1970s classic that is almost exclusively about gender roles. I'm trying to sneak in some good music now and then -- they've also enjoyed listening to "An American in Paris". I try to personalize it by telling them about the young man who is living in a strange and exciting city far from home, and I make up stories about what the various movements mean, which I think helps them connect with the music. It's also beautiful and interesting music, which is the most important thing.
Auntie Teri is coming for Isaac's real birthday this week, which will be fun, and cousin Nicholas is coming later on for Isaac's birthday party. We are really looking forward to that. We haven't been able to spend as much time with Nicholas these days, he's so busy with his friends and his job whenever we are up there. It will mean a lot to the kids to have him here too, and I know he loves the kids so I'm sure he'll have fun.
The kids love it. Isaac has a hard time at dropoff, which is not at all surprising because he is always shy in new environments, especially ones where there is a lot of noise and commotion. He cried when we dropped him off the first couple of days, but by the end of the second day he cried when Keri came to pick him up because he was so involved in the blocks he was playing with. Then a couple of days later, he said, spontaneously, "I love Randall!" (his teacher). Randall is very funny and he relates to the kids on their level. I heard a story today that he was pretending to be a French waiter during lunch last week, complete with towel over his arm and French accent. But he also seems to want things to be organized in his classroom, which is a lot different from Teacher Julie last year. He asked us to drop Isaac off and leave by 8:50 so Isaac can get over being sad and Randall can start circle time right at 9:00. It definitely works better to get there early, though Isaac still has a hard time some days. Mina is doing great, of course. She never lets anything get to her. We've had several adults tell us how much they enjoy Mina, how she is always happy and positive and kind to the other kids, and just how genuinely nice she is.
Mina had a great time at camp. She swam and did arts and crafts every day, which is exactly what she loves to do. There were six girls ages 6-7 in the "Blue Heron" cabin on the "Sugarloaf" side of camp, along with four counselors! They slept outside on the deck every night, looking up at the stars. They had some kind of event every night, from campfires to skits to a hoedown. They also had one night when people talked about friends who had passed on. The one example Mina remembered was from a girl who had talked about her grandmother. Mina said it made her think of Grandpa David. We didn't hear anything more after they got the contacts straightened out, which we figured was a good sign. We got a postcard from her on Friday saying she was having fun. Then we drove over to Emeryville on Sunday morning to pick her up, and when the bus pulled up she was one of the last ones to get off. I thought she might run over to us, but she just "Hi!" and kind of walked over slowly. We asked her if she missed us, and she said "Well... kind of!"
It was definitely an interesting week with Mina off at camp. Isaac was really enjoying the novelty for the first couple of days. He was very active in the house, almost hyperactive. Mina is such a strong personality, it was almost like he could really breathe while she was gone and he just went nuts doing everything he wanted to, his way. He didn't even want to talk about her for the first couple of days. It wasn't until Wednesday, as he and Keri were coming up the stairs in the evening after being out, that I heard him say, "Where's Mina?" in a complaining kind of way. At that moment he definitely missed her, but I wouldn't say that was necessarily the rule.
Isaac's fifth birthday is coming up this Thursday. It's funny -- one the one hand it's amazing how time flies, but on the other hand, it's kind of amazing he's still four. He's so tall and articulate, he seems much older in some ways. Emotionally he is still very young, though. We are having a baseball party for him on the 10th at the Little Giants' field near AT&T Park where the real Giants play. His request -- modeled after his friend Ronan who had his party there. After not seeming to be very interested in music most of the summer, he is going through a phase where it seems like he doesn't think of anything else. He's constantly banging at his instruments and when he's nothing, he's going around the house saying "BOOM - chicka - BOOM - chicka - BOOM BOOM BOOM" or singing a song or pretending to play drums or a piano or a trumpet. This Saturday he played his instruments non-stop for three hours while he and I were home alone. He has a blister on his thumb from strumming the guitar! Saturday evening his thumb hurt from the blister, so he put his harmonica holder around his neck and played the harmonica while he banged a drum with one hand. Sunday the kids each had a friend over, and the four kids ended up sitting on our front stoop playing songs and trying to get passers-by to put money into Isaac's pirate hat, which was turned upside-down. There were thrilled that two people actually gave them money. He loves to grab a chopstick and pretend to be a conductor. He understands that classical music has conductors but rock music and jazz only have band leaders, but he still loves to play conductor to his favorite CD, Choo Choo Boogaloo. Lately both the kids have been making up their own songs. Isaac wails away about how he has to go to bed or brush his teeth or go to school. Sometimes Mina sings a song about a doll or a fairy and all of the things she does, in long detail, while Isaac plays guitar. Then of course sometimes they don't get along about how loud the guitar should be or how fast the tempo should be.
The kids have been way into Peter Pan lately. We took them to a live performance by a community theater group in Berkeley that was really well done, and they were totally enthralled. They talked about Peter Pan non-stop for a week. I had already bought the original J.M. Barrie book with the intention of reading it to them in a year or two when they are more mature, but I couldn't possibly keep it from them after they enjoyed the show so much. We have been reading one chapter a night, and we just finished the chapter with the last, conclusive battle on the Jolly Roger where the crocodile gets Captain Hook. Isaac is still a little young for the book, and he buries his head or clings to my arm at the scary parts, but the author said early on in the book "One thing I promise you: it will all come out right in the end" and the kids remembered that whenever it got scary. I just ordered the CD from the movie with Cathy Rigby, which I'm sure will be a huge hit with them. They sing songs to the CD player all the way to school every day, so the Peter Pan soundtrack will slot right in. Mina's favorite these days is "Free to Be You and Me" by Marlo Thomas and friends, a 1970s classic that is almost exclusively about gender roles. I'm trying to sneak in some good music now and then -- they've also enjoyed listening to "An American in Paris". I try to personalize it by telling them about the young man who is living in a strange and exciting city far from home, and I make up stories about what the various movements mean, which I think helps them connect with the music. It's also beautiful and interesting music, which is the most important thing.
Auntie Teri is coming for Isaac's real birthday this week, which will be fun, and cousin Nicholas is coming later on for Isaac's birthday party. We are really looking forward to that. We haven't been able to spend as much time with Nicholas these days, he's so busy with his friends and his job whenever we are up there. It will mean a lot to the kids to have him here too, and I know he loves the kids so I'm sure he'll have fun.
posted by Arne Olson @ 11:35 PM
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