Preschool - Day 1

What would a poet say about the road to knowledge? It is a path that hopefully never ends, long and winding, full of highs and lows, with tests and tribulations waiting 'round every curve.

But nowhere – from inspiring quotes to over-used cliches – have I seen mention that the start of that road involves threading beads on a plastic cord.

Alas, in our land of Fins and lumberjacks, this seems to be a popular activity. AJ has brought home several necklaces for me in recent months from daycare. Likewise, at the preschool's open house, he got to make a necklace using Halloween- and autumn-themed beads. So I suppose it shouldn't have been a big surprise that his first activity on his first day of class was making yet another necklace.

AJ started preschool on Tuesday, and parents were asked to accompany the kids on the first day. This gave us a glimpse of what to expect for the coming year, while reminding each of us how lucky we are to not have a job that involves trying to hold the attention of twenty 4-year-olds.

Back to the necklace assignment... this specific project involved threading beads imprinted with the letters of his name. Lucky AJ, that meant two beads and he was done. Cadence and Cassandra, two of the little girls at his table, understandably needed a bit more time to finish their project.

Gender differences are already quite obvious at this age, I discovered. As the kids moved on to open play, AJ headed to the corner with trucks and dinosaurs. So did all but one of the other boys.

The girls, meanwhile, gathered 'round the kitchen playset. The lines seemed drawn, until it came time for singing and stories. Suddenly it was okay for the boys and girls to interact again. For the Hokie Pokie and Wheels on the Bus, apparently, it's far more important to sit by someone you know. Especially if that someone is the young lady you think you may someday call your wife. Earlier in the day, AJ told me, "Mom, when I'm big like you and Daddy and I get married, I'm going to marry Hanna."

Day one wrapped up with a short bus ride around Esko and a lesson about bus safety. Never mind that AJ won't be riding the bus for at least another year. For him, riding the bus was the highlight of the day.

It's good he could find something to be happy about. We belatedly discovered that what he'd been most excited about for preschool was... drum roll please... getting to wear the Incredible Hulk costume again that he'd tried on during the open house. Sadly, for AJ, the costume was one of the toys in the Cool Kids room next door to his preschool, and he won't be starting there until next week.

The road to knowledge, it seems, is sometimes pocked with disappointment, too.