Our First 2 Weeks of Private School and Daycare

We are through our first three weeks of school. Life is starting to fall into routine again.  Both Sunshine and Lily have been very excited about school and having lots of fun.  Here are a few things we’ve figured out over the past two weeks…

1.  School uniforms don’t fit petite students.

Sunshine is currently swimming in her jumper, shirt and sweater, but she’s excited to have a uniform.  We spent quite a bit of time digging through school uniforms and shopping around to find things in her size.  As another mom pointed out to me, even many of the older students look like they are wearing uniforms a size too large.  Someone else recommended I try a UK uniform store, as kids start school there earlier so smaller sizes are available.  So far we have four shirts, three leggings and one jumper, so we’ll see how that lasts the year…

2.  Kindergarteners need a full-size backpack.

All the backpacks in the stores looked HUGE compared to Sunshine. I shopped around trying to find a smaller backpack that would pack everything she needed.  After the first week, her teachers informed us she needed a full-size backpack, as she’d be carrying books and newsletters home, plus her lunch and other things.  My husband found a backpack for $5 on clearance. Sunshine was delighted it came with a water bottle and lunch kit and had purple polka dots.

3.  We spend a lot of time driving.

The school is about ten minutes away (with no traffic and all the lights in our favour) or twenty plus minutes, depending on the construction around our place and how many other parents are trying to get their kids to school.  I’ve tried other routes, only to run into other school zones.  I joked on Facebook that all this driving is making homeschooling look good.  This week, I’ve started putting in audiobooks when it’s just me in the truck to help the drive go faster.

4.  Packing lunches requires a lot of preparation.

It’s been a few years since I had to pack a lunch everyday (much less two), so I’d forgotten how much work it is… and how much time is required to plan ahead, either in grocery shopping or baking, to ensure there are things to pack in the lunch.  Lily informed me on her first full day that I didn’t pack enough for her, so I’ve been trying to pack more—while finding things that they each like and can eat quickly.

5.  They’re growing up…

On the second day of school, Sunshine told me, “You can drop me off here, Mommy.  I can walk in by myself.”  I decided not to fight that, but I think she was the only Kindergartener marching herself down the sidewalk.  She’s also not a fan of the graduated start at our school; she keeps asking me to pick her up later. I haven’t been able to convince her that picking her up later won’t mean more Kindergarten.

Since this is Lily’s first time in daycare, I was a bit worried about her first full day, but on the drive home, she informed me, “You picked me up too soon.  We were going to go play dress-up next.”  All right, they’re both fine and don’t need me!  It has been fun to listen to their stories about school and to see how well they play with each other once we get home.

Did your children start school this year?  Or were they excited to go back again?  How have the first two weeks gone for you?