Skip to main content

ahead of the game

I can hardly believe this….but next year Owen goes to kindergarten.
As the current school year creeps by, I suddenly realize how close the next one
(and the next 18) are getting.
As a teacher myself, I wanted to make sure that I was preparing him…I mean a kid should know a few things before you send him off in the world.
So below is my list of things that maybe he should accomplish before the big day:

1. Be able to read – uhmmm not quite, although he has started to figure out some of the words I spell, like “Shaun should we go to the z-o-o?” and Owen, “I want to go to the zoo, I want to go to the zoo!) Or “Where is the last c-o-o-k-i-e?”, and Owen “in my tummy”. Really maybe we should wait to teach reading and spelling skills until like 4th grade or something.
2. Ability to tie his shoe –negative. Even I still get confused with the hole bunny in the whole story. I am a fan of Velcro. Hopefully Velcro and white slip on grandpa keds will make a come back.
3. Ability to tell time –also a no. We use time increments of Blues Clues episodes and commercial breaks. Not so much the big hand and little hand.
4. 100% potty trained. Of course. Although he does occasionally drop trou in the middle of the front yard ( we live on a street with lots of boys). I wonder how this plays at recess. Can a 5 year old be sent home for indecent exposure?
5. Can count to 20 – yep, as long as you don’t mind skipping #14 or if twelveteen is an actual number.
6. Sing songs/recite poetry. We so have this down. Well, as long as elementary school music class include classics like “we will rock you”, “brass monkey” and the well known poem “Beans Beans the Magical Fruit”.

Comments

Unknown said…
He will do so good at kindergarten! I can't even begin to tell you how many little boys pee on the playground the first week of school!
Margie said…
We're at about the same place you are! (Minus the peeing in the yard, thank goodness.) Elizabeth can't quite get to 20 (around sixteen or seventeen there's a "something-teen"), and she can't spell, but will say, "I want a drink that begins with M." Shoe-tying's a negative, too. Based on this post, we're both right on track!
Andrea said…
I figure by the time my daughter actually wants to wear lace up shoes she'll have an easy time learning how to tie them :) I can't believe she's almost 5 and can't tie a shoe, but then again, she hasn't had any!

And 6 months is a long time! I'm sure you'll accomplish those other tasks you want to!

Andrea @ TheTrainToCrazy.com
Unknown said…
Thanks for helping me remember how Anna learned to tie her shoes in kindergarten during naptime. LOL

All of that other stuff (besides potty training) can be learned in school... telling time, counting, reading. Don't stress about it. I'm sure he's WAY more prepared than a lot of the kids.

Popular posts from this blog

Canceled

I inhale books. So much so that I’m occasionally embarrassed by my intake. I don’t want anyone to think that I don’t work or pay attention to my family.  I’m just a fast reader and I don’t watch a lot of TV or play any games on my phone. Well – except for Wordle of course. My library card get a lot of miles. However, I still probably spend an embarrassing amount on books.  Even though I often put books in those cute little free libraries – I still have more books than shelves.  Today I did something tragic.  I did not renew my book of the month membership.  And let's be honest, it is more like three books a month.  I am not unhappy with the customer service, quality  or selection.  Book of the Month, I promise …it’s not you - it’s me.  I want to invest in my writing and I realize this going to cost me.  I don’t want to take that money from my family or my kid’s college funds.  Instead I had to evaluate what I was willing to give up.  What financial choices impact me but not as many

slow

Recently I went to the local running store and let them charge a ridiculous amount for a new pair of running shoes. I used to run. Just like I used to do lots of things, but lately I have been slow to get off the couch. Let’s be honest. This season has been a long one, and I’ve been slow to do a lot of things that are good for me. My old shoes are wearing thin and nothing motivates like a new pair of kicks.  I quickly found my brand and style of choice and asked the worker to bring them in my size. The owner spoke up from the back, “So you are picking your shoes out based on how they look?” I pulled my own foot into her view. I showed her a similar pair in teal, well worn, with the big toe scuffed all the way through. The model was a few years old and I needed a fresh start.  “Nope. These are my brand, but I’m open to your suggestions.” Runners are very particular about their shoes.  I tell her I need something to absorb a lot of the impact.  I tell her that I overpronate just a little

The annual REAL Christmas letter: 2021 edition

  One of my favorite traditions for over a  decade has been to sit down and try to write a REAL Christmas letter.  Not just the highlights, but a few honest moments as well. It started as a joke with one of my friends, thinking how refreshing it be for people to share more than just their perfect lives that we are used to seeing on Facebook and Instagram. It would be way more truthful and a whole lot more entertaining. So here goes… 2021 I had such high hopes for you. Well, actually the bar was pretty low but clearly not low enough. If I have learned anything from 2020 it is that even things that are difficult, the days are still a gift. It is a gift to gather with family without a Covid test or a worrisome 5 days after. It is a gift to go to the movies or a concert. It is a gift to go to work, school and sporting events. It is a gift to get vaccines, to board an airplane to sit in a pew at church. It is a gift to be allowed back to visit someone in the emergency room. It is a gift to