Letter to my son
Dear Son,
The last time I wrote, it was the end of your Kindergarten school year. Now, I write at the end of your very busy summer. You are about to begin 1st grade this week! It still shocks me. Kindergarten was an extension of preK in my mind. 1st grade is the entrance into the reality of test grades and some serious learning.
More about that later, for now... let's enjoy some summer memories! It started at APAAS, the week after school let out. It was actually the perfect way to "end" the school year. You attended Camp Invention at APAAS. We had no idea what to expect from it. You came home every day, talking about the variety of activities you did, from building and testing boats, to programming robots to go in different directions, to football games with robots and so much more. You loved it! The last day of camp, the parents were able to go to the school and see what you worked on. What a blessing to meet so many teachers running the program! You met a lot of teachers in different grade levels. Everyone was so kind. You introduced us to Dr. Fox. She asked me, "Where does he go to school?" I replied, "Here, at Airline Park." She commented, "I'll be seeing him again." Another teacher commented how involved and focused you were in the activities. Considering it was a wide range of ages, not many kids that you know, I'm thrilled with how you handled yourself and became involved. I definitely would want you to go to Camp Invention again!
For the next three weeks, you went to three different Vacation Bible Schools - St. Augustine's, St. Matthew's and Lutheran Atonement. You couldn't pick which one was your favorite. You saw friends at each one and came home happy and sharing stories about God. At one of the VBS's, Daniel was your prayer buddy. At St Augustine, one of the leaders said you were the best behaved kid in the group. Maybe one day you will be a leader and role model for younger children at the church.
You started something different this summer - it began as singing classes only. The lesson has branched out into singing and playing the piano. Plus, the lesson includes a class on music theory. Ms. Hannah said you have a good ear at recognizing tones, which is a gift. The first song she taught you to sing was "A Million Dreams." You just started working on the National Anthem this week. It's not an easy song to sing, but Ms. Hannah is very encouraging. For piano, you took on Ode to Joy - not just the simple right hand version, but both hands.
When Ms. Hannah realized you were moving along so well, she didn't have you buy the primer piano book, but rather jump right into the 1st level. She's working with you on rhythm, timing, the loudness, softness of playing and making sure that you look at the page and not your fingers. I like the way she teaches. She's positive with her comments, but firm with what she wants you to do. In theory, you do two pages per class, then get to use the iPad for Rhythm Cat.
As Ms. Hannah said, "Learning to play an instrument is great for developing a child's mind. It improves math skills, memory, time management and reading." This makes sense, because you are required to multi-task when reading the notes, using the dexterity of your fingers to play while reading and in addition, you are singing as you play.
Along with the piano/voice/theory lessons, you also attended music camp! You played the ukulele, piano, voice, drums and at the end of the week, we loved the performance you gave. Next year, you want to try violin. I'd love to see you try the clarinet, but you might be too young for that. Music camp is an excellent way to introduce new instruments. You know what a drum and ukulele feel like to hold and the sounds they can make - how wonderful! You play the piano so much at home now, that you inspired your dad to get a guitar.
Of course, during all the VBS and camps, you also went to many Home Depot kids classes. Greg did double dad duty one Saturday at Home Depot. Your project was finished. However, Oma and Opa brought TJ and they needed some help. Greg was able to be there to help him.
We can't forget Rouses's Kids Cooking classes! Once a month, you are still Chef Gregory. You made lasagne roll ups and an Italian ice cream float. At another class, you worked with this thin paper that the Vietnamese use for spring rolls. I've never seen it before, so it was an education for me as well. This past class, you made Scottish eggs and scones. You aren't just learning how to use measuring cups, stirring methods, rolling foods, etc., but it is broadening your knowledge of food and combinations. I'm loving watching you enjoy the classes!
What would summer be without Michael's Art classes and the Library classes? You used popsicle sticks and yarn to weave a turtle. You painted birdhouses. You made a lovely sun catcher. There was a cute Father's Day project to do, plus an alien hat. You shocked me with your drawing of "shapes in space" theme at the library. You needed zero help, yet you created a moon, alien, spaceship, sun, planets, even a rover on the moon - the lady in charge of the program kept coming back to you look at your project. She told me, "He should go to the tween art classes!"
Which you did... those consisted of painting in various methods. You liked that, but I thought it was younger than tween activities. The tween art class I thought was fascinating was the quilling! You used paper and rolled it tight, then loosened it to create swirls, which then became designs. Both you and TJ did a great job with this. Oma and I had just as much fun learning the technique as ya'll did.
Another camp didn't go so well. It was your introduction into tennis. Our summers tend to be very wet. More classes were cancelled and it was further out in Kenner to get to. I haven't given up on you learning the sport. We bought a tennis racket and balls. When it gets cooler, I'll see if there are fall classes in Metairie.
Speaking of sports, you did a LOT of swimming this summer at Oma and Opa's pool! No lessons needed. You know how to jump in a pool and swim from the deep end to the shallow end. The big thing you learned, with the assistance from Oma, was how to float on your back and now you are swimming on your back too! This is huge, because for some reason, floating on your back terrified you. You faced that fear and have become part fish, according to Opa.
You had two art camps, one through Kenner Recreational and one through Lutheran Atonement. You enjoyed both, which isn't a surprise. At Kenner Recreational, the art teacher said you are not shy. She said you participate a lot and have a natural talent, plus you are willing to listen to suggestions and able to understand what she was looking for. This summer you also did 10 required pictures to submit to school for gifted art. It's okay if you don't make it. No matter what, you will continue drawing, painting, creating, because it's something you love.
In fact, not only did you draw a lot this summer, but you wrote poetry and illustrated your poems. Most of the poetry focused on the verb form, where you wrote two lines of verbs (3 verbs per line) and then a sentence about the verbs. When I asked you what topic you wanted to focus on for the verb poems, you said, "Summer Camps!"
Just recently, Oma had worksheets on syllables. This is easy for you. She took it a step forward and taught you the Haiku poem. You had to count the syllables of the sentences your wrote in order to create the poem. It's a harder form to do, but I love what you made. Poetry takes on a different type of creativity and learning ability. I'm happy you are feeling comfortable writing.
Oh yes, you are writing a lot and a lot faster too. Sometimes your penmanship suffers from the speed, but Mrs. Bonura told us you had to learn how to write faster. It's something you definitely worked on this summer. As well as math problems, not just addition and subtraction, but Oma also introduced you to fractions (she said you took to this very well), multiplications (meh, you don't get this concept), telling time and counting coins. Most of the extra stuff was brief, but it was enough for you to get acquainted with it. You also did a number of math word problems.
Your dad said you shouldn't have to do school work during the summer. But APAAS made it clear that kids should continue to use workbooks, read and write over the summer. Most of your summer days were busy with Camps - which left very little time for schoolwork. However, Oma and Mommy did manage it. You thought school was taking too long. So, Mommy created a list of what needed to be done prior to you having iPad time. It's recommended that you read for 20-30 minutes a day. I timed you as you read one chapter - 5 minutes. You were shocked with how quickly that went. You understood that school work doesn't take much time. It's all about the attitude.
At night, we read. This is a "we" project. The school said for the kids to read Chapter books. Instead of books filled mostly with pictures, chapter books have more words and if there's a picture, it's a small one. In order to help you with the reading, I agreed to read one page and you read one page. This ended up working out very well. You are able to follow along with me and hear how I change my voice for the characters. I'm able to hear you read and see where you might have problems with words. Very often you would stop and ask, "What does this word mean?" We also talked about the stories and you wrote book reviews.
You have a variety of chapter book series to enjoy. Your absolute, hands down, favorite is: Dragon Master. You fly through those books because you enjoy them so much. We just started with the Magic Tree House and you think it's fun. MVP Player is a hit with you, because each one has a mystery to solve - you love to solve the mystery before the book explains it. The hardest one is Worst Witch. You love the stories because it reminds you of Harry Potter and no wonder.... I bought the chapter books knowing that the Worst Witch inspired the Harry Potter author to write the stories. That said, whew, Worst Witch is a tough read at times. We only read 3 of those, whereas you read 7 Dragon Masters.
Back to other camps. Because you took Soccer Shots at APAAS, you were well prepared for Soccer Camp at Lutheran Atonement. You were happy to go there for the week.
Lutheran Atonement also had the cool Science Camp. Professor Sherman taught this (as he did last year). He did a great job in using every day objects to explore sediment layers and the how the earth shifts.
I think the biggest hit for the camps was Cub Scout Camp! The days were long and filled with physical activities, but each day you came home with a light in your eyes - pure joy from the day. Daddy was supposed to take the week off of work, to be there from 8:30am to 3:30pm each day. However, he was only able to do that for one day (Tuesday) of the camp week. That's okay though, because between Daddy, Mommy and Oma, we were able to cover your time at camp. There were lots of games, arts, bb gun lessons, bow and arrow lessons and sling shot lessons. You loved it so much that we bought a bow and arrow set for you! It was a great experience. I'm looking forward to you going to it again!
Mixed in with the fun and learning, you also had some socials - birthday parties for TJ, Amelia, Jonah, Kenzie and Avery, as well as playdates with Daniel, Jonah and the cub scouts pack. I could only survive this by way of calendars and a lot of time doing planning! I'm exhausted and the school year is just beginning, but it's all worth it to know you had an Awesome Summer.
You told me that you were scared. I asked you to explain. You said Mrs. Bonura said no more recess, tests would be graded, no iPad time for first grade. I confirmed, "She's right about those things, but you'll do well. Just try your hardest. If you don't understand something, Oma and Mommy will help you." (You were happy to hear that there will be recess time!)
You are excited to meet your new teacher, Ms. Falgout. You loved the video Ms. Falgout sent to her students - where she read a book to you. What a wonderful way to introduce yourself before the kids meet you! You know what she looks like, how she sounds and you can see that she is kind. I reminded you that your teacher is new to the school and to be very helpful.
You'll have a great year! The school is not new to you this year, unlike Kindergarten. You have some friends. You are familiar with the school system. Now, it's just time to focus and learn. Oma and Mommy worked with you this summer to help prepare you for the school year. You soak things up quickly. Try your best, sweet boy. Enjoy learning. That doesn't mean act silly, goofy. I love to learn - that's something that helped me through some difficult college classes. When learning is something you love, the world will open up to you with so many possibilities!
You love to learn too. I see it while Oma and Opa are teaching you how to play Chinese Checkers, when Opa shows you how to move chess pieces and as Opa explains the best way to play a game of darts. You had a summer of fun, learning, play dates and more. I pray you made some wonderful summer memories and that you are ready for the new school year.
1st grade - you've got this! I'm already so proud of you!
Love Always,
Mommy
The last time I wrote, it was the end of your Kindergarten school year. Now, I write at the end of your very busy summer. You are about to begin 1st grade this week! It still shocks me. Kindergarten was an extension of preK in my mind. 1st grade is the entrance into the reality of test grades and some serious learning.
More about that later, for now... let's enjoy some summer memories! It started at APAAS, the week after school let out. It was actually the perfect way to "end" the school year. You attended Camp Invention at APAAS. We had no idea what to expect from it. You came home every day, talking about the variety of activities you did, from building and testing boats, to programming robots to go in different directions, to football games with robots and so much more. You loved it! The last day of camp, the parents were able to go to the school and see what you worked on. What a blessing to meet so many teachers running the program! You met a lot of teachers in different grade levels. Everyone was so kind. You introduced us to Dr. Fox. She asked me, "Where does he go to school?" I replied, "Here, at Airline Park." She commented, "I'll be seeing him again." Another teacher commented how involved and focused you were in the activities. Considering it was a wide range of ages, not many kids that you know, I'm thrilled with how you handled yourself and became involved. I definitely would want you to go to Camp Invention again!
For the next three weeks, you went to three different Vacation Bible Schools - St. Augustine's, St. Matthew's and Lutheran Atonement. You couldn't pick which one was your favorite. You saw friends at each one and came home happy and sharing stories about God. At one of the VBS's, Daniel was your prayer buddy. At St Augustine, one of the leaders said you were the best behaved kid in the group. Maybe one day you will be a leader and role model for younger children at the church.
You started something different this summer - it began as singing classes only. The lesson has branched out into singing and playing the piano. Plus, the lesson includes a class on music theory. Ms. Hannah said you have a good ear at recognizing tones, which is a gift. The first song she taught you to sing was "A Million Dreams." You just started working on the National Anthem this week. It's not an easy song to sing, but Ms. Hannah is very encouraging. For piano, you took on Ode to Joy - not just the simple right hand version, but both hands.
When Ms. Hannah realized you were moving along so well, she didn't have you buy the primer piano book, but rather jump right into the 1st level. She's working with you on rhythm, timing, the loudness, softness of playing and making sure that you look at the page and not your fingers. I like the way she teaches. She's positive with her comments, but firm with what she wants you to do. In theory, you do two pages per class, then get to use the iPad for Rhythm Cat.
As Ms. Hannah said, "Learning to play an instrument is great for developing a child's mind. It improves math skills, memory, time management and reading." This makes sense, because you are required to multi-task when reading the notes, using the dexterity of your fingers to play while reading and in addition, you are singing as you play.
Along with the piano/voice/theory lessons, you also attended music camp! You played the ukulele, piano, voice, drums and at the end of the week, we loved the performance you gave. Next year, you want to try violin. I'd love to see you try the clarinet, but you might be too young for that. Music camp is an excellent way to introduce new instruments. You know what a drum and ukulele feel like to hold and the sounds they can make - how wonderful! You play the piano so much at home now, that you inspired your dad to get a guitar.
Of course, during all the VBS and camps, you also went to many Home Depot kids classes. Greg did double dad duty one Saturday at Home Depot. Your project was finished. However, Oma and Opa brought TJ and they needed some help. Greg was able to be there to help him.
We can't forget Rouses's Kids Cooking classes! Once a month, you are still Chef Gregory. You made lasagne roll ups and an Italian ice cream float. At another class, you worked with this thin paper that the Vietnamese use for spring rolls. I've never seen it before, so it was an education for me as well. This past class, you made Scottish eggs and scones. You aren't just learning how to use measuring cups, stirring methods, rolling foods, etc., but it is broadening your knowledge of food and combinations. I'm loving watching you enjoy the classes!
What would summer be without Michael's Art classes and the Library classes? You used popsicle sticks and yarn to weave a turtle. You painted birdhouses. You made a lovely sun catcher. There was a cute Father's Day project to do, plus an alien hat. You shocked me with your drawing of "shapes in space" theme at the library. You needed zero help, yet you created a moon, alien, spaceship, sun, planets, even a rover on the moon - the lady in charge of the program kept coming back to you look at your project. She told me, "He should go to the tween art classes!"
Which you did... those consisted of painting in various methods. You liked that, but I thought it was younger than tween activities. The tween art class I thought was fascinating was the quilling! You used paper and rolled it tight, then loosened it to create swirls, which then became designs. Both you and TJ did a great job with this. Oma and I had just as much fun learning the technique as ya'll did.
Another camp didn't go so well. It was your introduction into tennis. Our summers tend to be very wet. More classes were cancelled and it was further out in Kenner to get to. I haven't given up on you learning the sport. We bought a tennis racket and balls. When it gets cooler, I'll see if there are fall classes in Metairie.
Speaking of sports, you did a LOT of swimming this summer at Oma and Opa's pool! No lessons needed. You know how to jump in a pool and swim from the deep end to the shallow end. The big thing you learned, with the assistance from Oma, was how to float on your back and now you are swimming on your back too! This is huge, because for some reason, floating on your back terrified you. You faced that fear and have become part fish, according to Opa.
You had two art camps, one through Kenner Recreational and one through Lutheran Atonement. You enjoyed both, which isn't a surprise. At Kenner Recreational, the art teacher said you are not shy. She said you participate a lot and have a natural talent, plus you are willing to listen to suggestions and able to understand what she was looking for. This summer you also did 10 required pictures to submit to school for gifted art. It's okay if you don't make it. No matter what, you will continue drawing, painting, creating, because it's something you love.
In fact, not only did you draw a lot this summer, but you wrote poetry and illustrated your poems. Most of the poetry focused on the verb form, where you wrote two lines of verbs (3 verbs per line) and then a sentence about the verbs. When I asked you what topic you wanted to focus on for the verb poems, you said, "Summer Camps!"
Just recently, Oma had worksheets on syllables. This is easy for you. She took it a step forward and taught you the Haiku poem. You had to count the syllables of the sentences your wrote in order to create the poem. It's a harder form to do, but I love what you made. Poetry takes on a different type of creativity and learning ability. I'm happy you are feeling comfortable writing.
Oh yes, you are writing a lot and a lot faster too. Sometimes your penmanship suffers from the speed, but Mrs. Bonura told us you had to learn how to write faster. It's something you definitely worked on this summer. As well as math problems, not just addition and subtraction, but Oma also introduced you to fractions (she said you took to this very well), multiplications (meh, you don't get this concept), telling time and counting coins. Most of the extra stuff was brief, but it was enough for you to get acquainted with it. You also did a number of math word problems.
Your dad said you shouldn't have to do school work during the summer. But APAAS made it clear that kids should continue to use workbooks, read and write over the summer. Most of your summer days were busy with Camps - which left very little time for schoolwork. However, Oma and Mommy did manage it. You thought school was taking too long. So, Mommy created a list of what needed to be done prior to you having iPad time. It's recommended that you read for 20-30 minutes a day. I timed you as you read one chapter - 5 minutes. You were shocked with how quickly that went. You understood that school work doesn't take much time. It's all about the attitude.
At night, we read. This is a "we" project. The school said for the kids to read Chapter books. Instead of books filled mostly with pictures, chapter books have more words and if there's a picture, it's a small one. In order to help you with the reading, I agreed to read one page and you read one page. This ended up working out very well. You are able to follow along with me and hear how I change my voice for the characters. I'm able to hear you read and see where you might have problems with words. Very often you would stop and ask, "What does this word mean?" We also talked about the stories and you wrote book reviews.
You have a variety of chapter book series to enjoy. Your absolute, hands down, favorite is: Dragon Master. You fly through those books because you enjoy them so much. We just started with the Magic Tree House and you think it's fun. MVP Player is a hit with you, because each one has a mystery to solve - you love to solve the mystery before the book explains it. The hardest one is Worst Witch. You love the stories because it reminds you of Harry Potter and no wonder.... I bought the chapter books knowing that the Worst Witch inspired the Harry Potter author to write the stories. That said, whew, Worst Witch is a tough read at times. We only read 3 of those, whereas you read 7 Dragon Masters.
Back to other camps. Because you took Soccer Shots at APAAS, you were well prepared for Soccer Camp at Lutheran Atonement. You were happy to go there for the week.
Lutheran Atonement also had the cool Science Camp. Professor Sherman taught this (as he did last year). He did a great job in using every day objects to explore sediment layers and the how the earth shifts.
I think the biggest hit for the camps was Cub Scout Camp! The days were long and filled with physical activities, but each day you came home with a light in your eyes - pure joy from the day. Daddy was supposed to take the week off of work, to be there from 8:30am to 3:30pm each day. However, he was only able to do that for one day (Tuesday) of the camp week. That's okay though, because between Daddy, Mommy and Oma, we were able to cover your time at camp. There were lots of games, arts, bb gun lessons, bow and arrow lessons and sling shot lessons. You loved it so much that we bought a bow and arrow set for you! It was a great experience. I'm looking forward to you going to it again!
Mixed in with the fun and learning, you also had some socials - birthday parties for TJ, Amelia, Jonah, Kenzie and Avery, as well as playdates with Daniel, Jonah and the cub scouts pack. I could only survive this by way of calendars and a lot of time doing planning! I'm exhausted and the school year is just beginning, but it's all worth it to know you had an Awesome Summer.
You told me that you were scared. I asked you to explain. You said Mrs. Bonura said no more recess, tests would be graded, no iPad time for first grade. I confirmed, "She's right about those things, but you'll do well. Just try your hardest. If you don't understand something, Oma and Mommy will help you." (You were happy to hear that there will be recess time!)
You are excited to meet your new teacher, Ms. Falgout. You loved the video Ms. Falgout sent to her students - where she read a book to you. What a wonderful way to introduce yourself before the kids meet you! You know what she looks like, how she sounds and you can see that she is kind. I reminded you that your teacher is new to the school and to be very helpful.
You'll have a great year! The school is not new to you this year, unlike Kindergarten. You have some friends. You are familiar with the school system. Now, it's just time to focus and learn. Oma and Mommy worked with you this summer to help prepare you for the school year. You soak things up quickly. Try your best, sweet boy. Enjoy learning. That doesn't mean act silly, goofy. I love to learn - that's something that helped me through some difficult college classes. When learning is something you love, the world will open up to you with so many possibilities!
You love to learn too. I see it while Oma and Opa are teaching you how to play Chinese Checkers, when Opa shows you how to move chess pieces and as Opa explains the best way to play a game of darts. You had a summer of fun, learning, play dates and more. I pray you made some wonderful summer memories and that you are ready for the new school year.
1st grade - you've got this! I'm already so proud of you!
Love Always,
Mommy
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