The First Day of Pre-School and Only a Few Tears Shed…By Me

By: Christine Cox, The Choosy Mommy

I did it. I just took Capri to her first day of pre-school. I ALMOST made it out of the building without shedding a tear until I saw a little boy crying about leaving his mom. Then I cried…Capri was fine.

I know that the experience of going to pre-school is going to be so rewarding for her. At her pre-school they are full steam ahead in learning over play, however, I fully believe in playing to learn and we do that at home. I am also thankful for fellow Choosy Kids blogger, Molly Luke, who shared her tips for going to school which really helped me!

My goal for Capri at pre-school is really to get her to adapt to being without me, to listen to someone other than myself or her dad, and to interact with other kids her age. She also needs to start to learn routines because we are a very flexible schedule kind of family!

I never went to child care or pre-school. I went straight to Kindergarten and to be honest, I had to take a test to even be allowed into the class because I missed the birthday cut off date by 3 days (parents – September birthdays are the hardest). I remember taking the test: building a tower of blocks, telling him my ABC’s and even correcting him when he spelled my last name wrong on the paper (it was a bit harder than it is now). Needless to say, after I corrected him we didn’t do any more tests…I was READY! Mind you, it was a half day program. Capri is in a 2-day, 2-hour program so the time difference is huge but I know that if I survived Kindergarten without even doing any kind of pre-school, then she should be fine.

This year, she is going to learn all of her ABC’s, how to count to 30 and learn lots of animals (hopefully some new ones that she doesn’t already know because she is an animal “expert”). Her teacher is amazing and a lot of parents with kids who already went through the same program have agreed that it is truly one of the best pre-schools in our area. Let’s cross our fingers that she meets some new friends (wouldn’t it be cute if she met her best friend in pre-k?!) and dives feet first into this new adventure…by herself, like a big girl.

And now the tears start to flow again. I knew this day would come. Everyone told me that time will just fly by when she is young but I truly had no idea time would go this fast. And now I look at Cam, already 4 months old, growing like a weed, knowing that in a short 3 years I’ll be doing this all over again with him. Hopefully I won’t cry, but who am I kidding, I am a mom.

How did you react when your children first went to school? Tell me your stories about this separation anxiety so that I know I am not the only one who cried!

About the Author: Christine Cox is the blog master and The Choosy Mommy for Choosy Kids. She has always had a passion for writing and is honored to contribute her work to this blog. Most of her writing inspiration comes from her daughter, Capri, who is fun-loving and full of energy, and newborn son Cam. Click here to learn more about Christine.

Ready…Set…It's Time for School!

By: Molly Luke, Early Intervention Specialized Instruction Teacher, Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, Norristown, PA

Been to TARGET lately? They've been getting me ready for school since the 4^th of July! Yes, families...it's that time of year to start stocking up on markers, new back-packs and back-to-school clothing sales! But is your child REALLY ready for school? Is your young child confident to start the year? That's what it's all about…confidence. Your child might not be the 4 year-old valedictorian, but you need to ask yourself if your child can walk into the classroom feeling empowered and eager.

As a teacher of 10 years (mostly preschool age) and a mom of a two year old, here is a list of MUST DO's to think about in preparation for that first day. (lists are in no particular order!)

As a teacher of 10 years (mostly preschool age) and a mom of a two year old, here is a list of MUST DO's to think about in preparation for that first day. (lists are in no particular order!)

Age newborn to 3: Child Care kids

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Pre-School Kids

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In summary, I hope the above was a good helpful list to get you back to school. Just one thing to leave you on…please do not ask your child "what happened at school today?" This is an open-ended question and it is hard for a child to answer. Try and narrow it down to make your child feel that you care, and brush up on what really is going on in school. i.e. How was gym class today? Who did you play with on the playground? How did your presentation go? Was the test hard? This way, you will get a little more information when you narrow down the topic. And hopefully you won't get the classic "nothing" response, because your child will be impressed that you remembered something specific about the day. Besides, reverse the situation…do you want to tell them about your typical work day- UGH, NO! But maybe you did have a conference, presentation, out-of-the-ordinary event that would make it worthwhile to share. Enjoy your back to school milestones!

PS - Take our back to school survey for a chance to win great prizes! 

About the Author: Hello! I have been teaching for about 10 years now, ages Pre-K through 8th grade…needless to say, I am a life-long learner and always looking for new thing to challenge my body and brain to do in a classroom! Outside of the classroom, family comes first! My husband Dan, baby Marshall and basset hound Penelope enjoy my naturally caffeinated personality on a regular basis. The whole family enjoys traveling, and I personally have a goal of visiting all 7 continents! 2 more to go! 

The Powers of a Purple Cape: The Choosy Story

By: Christine Cox, The Choosy Mommy

Super heroes come in all shapes, sizes, colors, genders, so on and so forth. They have different sources of power and types of weapons. And for many of our heroes, a cape is part of their costume, and they too come in a wide array of colors and designs.

Did you ever think about the powers of a super hero’s cape? Some capes help heroes fly and others shield them from villains. But the cape that I specifically want to tell you about is worn by a super hero who is green and has antennae and fur! You may have never heard of this super hero before, but believe me when I say that this super hero’s powers help us all, especially when it comes to health, brushing your teeth and eating fruits and veggies!

Choosy is our super hero’s name and Choosy means Choose Healthy Options Often and Start Young. It is really up to you to decide if Choosy is a boy or a girl, or really what “life form” Choosy is. When interviewing children, we have learned that sometimes Choosy is referred to as a bug or an alien. Some children think Choosy is probably a boy because of the red backwards hat upon its head and others (usually little girls) think Choosy is a girl because of the purple hair. Regardless, what we do know is that Choosy harnesses a special power – the purple cape.

Choosy’s cape symbolizes empowerment. The power of making healthy choices even though unhealthy options are available everywhere. When children make healthy decisions about physical activity, nutrition, and dental habits, they are overcoming massive media marketing and sometimes even family preferences. Choosy is a messenger and a motivator and the cape empowers young children to be champions of choice ---- the healthy choice.

Choosy is a health hero. Do you know of other health heroes? Not since Popeye has there been a health-hero for children. Research has demonstrated that children’s characters are profoundly influential – like the super heroes you were thinking of earlier! Choosy can help promote healthy habits in your family, agency, classroom, clinic or community, which is really a super power! Choosy’s uniqueness includes health messages and reminders embedded in lively music. When used consistently, health messages paired with the image of Choosy can become familiar and favored.

Choosy is my toddler’s super hero. She always points out what Choosy would say if we made an unhealthy choice or is positive in stating that Choosy would be happy that we are brushing our teeth. Day care, pre-school and even kindergarten teachers love to use Choosy in their classroom, and physicians and dentists love to show off how strong Choosy’s muscles and teeth are in the office.

Super heroes are around us everywhere. What we need to remember is that it doesn’t matter what they look like but rather what their super powers harness.

Check out more about Choosy on our Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and view videos of Choosy dancing on our YouTube page!

About the Author: Christine Cox is the blog master and The Choosy Mommy for Choosy Kids. She has always had a passion for writing and is honored to contribute her work to this blog. Most of her writing inspiration comes from her daughter, Capri, who is fun-loving and full of energy, and newborn son Cam. Click here to learn more about Christine.