movin' on up

Today my little Miss B started pre-school - at the ripe old age of 4 years and 10 months!

A little late in the day compared to many other children but this is just the way things have panned out for my family.

As per usual with children,  she took me completely by surprise, and rather than cling to me, wail with dispair and be an inconsolable blubbering mess as she has done on many many occasions, she smiled, was excited and thoroughly enjoyed herself. 

To the point where upon my arrival at 1pm to pick her up (thinking a half day would be just about all she could handle for her first day) she told me she was about to have a 'rest' and that I should come back for her later!  Which I did - lucky I only live a couple of minutes away!

But why you may ask?

Well....................................although Miss B was accepted to start Kindergarten this year, we made the decision to 'hold her back' a year.  Someone put it to me this way: this is about the next 12 years of school, not just about the first year.  When she's in Year 10 or Year 12, and she's 12 - 18 months younger then some of the other kids in her class who are going out to parties or getting their licence or starting to drink it's going to be pretty hard to reason with her.............. 

Add into the mix the fact that Miss B can be p a i n f u l l y shy at times, is easily distracted and that the size of the Kindergarten classes at her future school average out at 30 pupils (don't get me started on this!) it was really a no brainer to allow her another 12 months to develop and mature before commencing her formal education.

This is just what felt right for her and for us. 

But, BUT, Miss B will be five years old for a good portion of this year. 

And although I think I have done a very good job of providing the opportunity for my kids to be well balanced, socialised and stimulated without going down the pre-school path but instead the Playgroup and Occassional Care path, I just felt that Miss B would need a little more stimulation this year then either I at home or either of these options could provide. 

I am also hoping that by putting her into the pre-school which is literally across the road from what will in time become her Primary school, she will get to know some of the kids who will transition across with her, therefore making that whole starting big school thing a little less overwhelming and daunting for a rather bashful but very, very sweet child!

In the spirit of making this day special I promised to make a new top for Miss B to wear to her first day at pre-school using some lovely purple broderie anglais she begged me to buy from Spotlight some months ago.  This top is based on the Flower Girl dress pattern in Heather Ross' book Weekend Sewing, with the addition of ruffle sleeves from Sparkle Power's Ruffle Sleeve Top tutorial.  Miss B specifically requested a top not a dress, so I lopped off afew inches of the length, but when she still wasn't happy, rather then re-hem it I ran a piece of elastic through the channel created by the hem and turned it into a bubble top.

In true crafty mama fashion, I also made a drawstring bag, again using a pattern from  Heather Ross' book Weekend Sewing, for her to carry her bits and pieces for rest time in. 

Can you tell her favourite colour is purple followed closely behind by pink?

So for one day a week this year I will be childless. 

What to do, what to do?