The day has finally come. Today was Leif’s first day of school.
Granted, it was only 2 1/2 hours long, but that seemed to be just enough time for the boy. The first 1/2 hour or so was time for Leif to warm up to things. He clung to my leg and watched the other kids and teachers as they played with all the cool toys. There were wooden cars and trucks, plastic food, puzzles, little drums, books, blocks, and all kinds of other fun things.
After a short while, class started and they did a follow the leader thing to bring the kids around the classroom and show them the different areas. We ended at the sink and toilet area. We made all the kids wash their hands and then it was snack time. They had yogurt and crackers. I think Leif was a little to nervous and excited to care about food, but he ate a bit anyway.
When they were done eating, it was time to check out the playground outside. The kids all picked up avocados from tree in back on their way to the playground. It was like treasure hunting. Once they learned all the rules of the grounds, they were set free. This is where Leif started to open up and play freely with other kids and exploring without having to be near dad at every moment. He was intrigued by the slide. He really wanted to go down it, but the only way to get there was through a plastic tube (which was all full of rain water), or by walking over the little wiggly bridge. He didn’t want to get wet in the tunnel and was real weary of the shaky bridge. He finally decided that he would skip both and climb a small ledge at the end of the bridge. The other kids were tromping over the bridge yelling, “Watch out for the sharks! Uncle, you’re in the sharks! Watch out! Oh. I scared them away for you. You’re safe”. I thanked them and they were on their way. Leif followed behind and finally got his turn down the slide exclaiming “Yaaaaay! I did it!”. Such a great kid.
It started to drizzle at the point and it was time to head back inside. Leif was fitting right in with the other kids now. He skip/hopped back to the classroom where he was eager to wash his hands and get back into the toys. He was now much more open and free. He was clapping, sliding down slides, banging drums, and jumping for joy. It was quite a good first day of school.
