4yr Old Kinder 2013

My DD1 is starting kinder this year, turning 4 in March. She has never been to childcare or anything before so it is quite the big step but she is very excited. She has had time away from us with grandparents and her bio dad so we aren't too concerned about that.

We had our interview at the end of last year and met a few other parents and children which was nice! The kindy is actually the same one I went too about hmm 20yrs ago now haha. It is very beautiful and textual and homely, completely play based. I was debating a little about whether or not she would go to kinder but this place has made me feel very comfortable with the decision.

We've also had a curriculum night where we learnt about the themes of the year and a bit about the way they do things as well as painting a tea cup for our kids to give them on their first day which they keep and use through the year as a link to home. We painted a nightskape with DD1s name as the stars in the sky and a hidden spider crab on the inside (her favourite thing ever lately).

We received a letter this week about the kindy and inside was a treasure bag which we are meant to use to collect things in the lead up to kindy to help it become a focus and give them some talking points on the first day. DD1 loved getting a letter addressed to her! The 23rd of Jan is our play and stay day then starting the week after! Getting excited :)

Dd is going in two weeks! We have a new hat and bag and she is super excited to be going off to her school as she calls it :D she will go tues 1.30-4.30 and W and F 8.30 - 2.30. We also go swimming and dancing, dd1 is off to school and we have moved ds to a new daycare a bit closer as its going to be a busy time!

We are pretty much ready - DD2 goes to cc at the same centre so it isn't really a big deal for her as she has been there for years and used to hang out at kinder when DD1 was there. I dropped her off this morning into the big kid room and she was happy to run off and leave me so she seems fine. She does swimming and dance outside of kider - we had to drop gymnastics as I couldn't fit it in.

DD2 already goes to childcare, so she will be there on the non kinder days, plus a stupid combo day where DH will have to pick her up from CC then drop her off at Kinder. She will also be going to after kinder care two days per week, those days finish at 2:30 and school finishes at 3:30, so really had no choice with me working school hours. She will also be continuing swimming lessons this year.

DD2 is going to a different kindy than DD1 went to due to the increase in kindy hours in SA and the old kindy only offering one full day and three half days, its too hard with work to arrange drop off and pick ups 4 days a week. New kindy is 2 full days and alternate friday mornings

I dont mind the more restricitve food guides at kindy, it means I dont get lazy and I tend to make better food choices for the girls, less packaged food and they dont argue with me and compare their lunch with other kids and think they are missing out if there aren't constant treatrs in their lunch boxes.

Mum has offered to watch DD3 at my house so I can settle DD1 into school then DD2 into kindy without having to take bub in and out of the car on the very first day :)

I can't believe how soon they are starting!! My DD1 is off next Wed for her first day and I still feel so unprepared. How is everyone else going?

Dd2 has her first orientation day Wednesday too. She is in a class on 15 and knows 8 of the girls, being 'besties' with about 3 of them. They are all quite feisty, headstrong girls (all being the second child and all with an older sister) so I'm sort of more worried about the teachers!

DD1 has a 15min teacher interview Wednesday then a session on Friday.
Got to iron on all her labels & things.
She's quite excited!

We have kinder interview chat thing next week suppose I better find forms and fill in!! DS1 so excited we had to
Go buy a new bag for kinder as can't use cc one apparantly as mummy has different bags for different things!!

Following Monday for us here. Normally DH would do the Monday drop off, but I suspect being her first that I may have to.

DS starts week after next too! I have an interview thingy next Friday and the info book says they will discuss shorter days when we go!

DS is so excited but I've been so focused on DD starting school I feel a bit bad that I've done nothing about him starting kinder. Might take him shopping for new stuff on DD's first day of school next week - will be a long dayfor both of us I think!!!!!

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DD1 has a 15min teacher interview Wednesday then a session on Friday.
Got to iron on all her labels & things.
She's quite excited!

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do you just iron on certain clothes hun? With kinder I found they wore their normal clothes so I had to label everything and ended up using a sharpie!!!

We had our play and stay this week (interview was end of last year) so next week is the proper start here. I'm feeling really nervous because of DD1s speech concerns, I just hope she can navigate communicating with the teachers and to make friends alright. I have to trust her and her speech therapists recommendations but it is hard! I just want her to have a good experience lol.

Our kinder this year is selling t-shirts and hats with the kinder name on them. So DD2 will have a semi uniform. Will make sure I label the kinder stuff really well, as most parents have purchased something.

I haven't started labeling anything yet but dd is so excited! I think they sell tshirts so I will have to get her some, she has a new hat, snack box and water bottle already to go.

DS starts on Tuesday. It's not a big change for us though as he is continuing at the same daycare centre he has attended for the last 3 years. He is very excited about being in the big room though. It will be a bit different to what he is used to in regards to having a more structured curriculum, but otherwise the same. It's a small centre so all his friends will be together. He goes 3 full days.

Both girls got the jumpers, hat & t-shirts from the kinder then I buy a couple of pairs of trackies & black shorts that are kinder only & label them.
We also buy cheapy Kmart runners for kinder so I don't care if the get paint etc all over them.

DD2 is excited to start kinder, we go for an hour Wed which includes interview with the teachers. We only get 11 hours of 4 yr kindy which I feel is less than other places. DD needs to learn to stop losing her temper tho. We get free hat and bag from the kindy and you can purchase t-shirts. Won't know what to do with myself with one at school and one at kindy.