Preschool Camp

Last day at Ladybugs with beloved teachers Maliya and Colleen

We were very sad to leave Jack's current daycare which both he and we loved. But as I explained it to Jack, it was time to graduate from Ladybugs and start his new school. In order to get him used to a new routine and make the transition to Preschool easier, we enrolled him in the Preschool Camp which is also held at the new school during the summer until the academic school year starts in September.

The school is two blocks from our house so we start with a walk each morning which is a fun ritual. Once he is signed in, we put away his lunch box and he goes out to play with the tricycles, basketball hoops, etc. What's nice is that the Camp's daily schedule is similar to the Preschool's schedule during the school year (free time, activity, nap, etc.)

First day at Camp

The camps are split into several themed sessions of two weeks each. Jack completed the first session, World Travelers, this week. The class made passports which were stamped daily and had a morning and afternoon activity related to a different country. They made Mexican maracas, Czech crowns, sampled pasta from Italy, learned about Indian elephants.

I knew that transferring to a new school would be a momentous change in routine so we made several trips to the school beforehand to peek through the gates and familiarize him with the location. I bought him a little backpack of his own and unveiled it on his first day. Before the first day of Camp, Jack had readily caught on to the excitement of going to his new school but was quite clingy and hesitant the first week. And I would be too - he didn't know any of the kids, where anything was located, what the schedule would be like, who the teachers are. Each day he quickly rebounded, participated in class, was social and happy at pickup time. Though, it was evident he was still adjusting because he became a little defiant at home. The second week was better and the dropoff became increasingly easier, so I think we are on our way.