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Everyone is always so stressed out about back-to-school planning. I know there is a lot to do, and I’m certainly not trying to diminish the importance of being organized and ready for a fresh new start.
Having said that, there is only one week left of our glorious summer and do we really want to spend it running around finding the right pair of jeans and the coolest hoodies for the kids? Not really.
I have two boys. One wears a uniform and the other wears shorts (and he would wear them all year long if I let him). My strategy is to make up a quick list of what absolutely must happen before day one:
The reality is that most public schools tell you what you need on the first day, so it’s best to pop into the school supply stores that week. I know it doesn’t sound that savvy to wait, but then you get what you need. Another tip is to do your shopping in the evening when the stores are empty as most Staples or big-box school supply stores are open late for the first week back at school.
For all those ‘must have’ back-to-school fashion clothes for school, can’t they wait one more week until summer is officially over?
Enjoy your last week of summer and let the shopping happen when it needs to.
What are you doing to get ready for school? Our readers have offered some great tips on our Facebook page as well!
Last night as I surfed around on Twitter, I was struck by all the comments from our mom followers sharing their thoughts on their ‘babies’ heading off to kindergarten today. The majority of moms seemed more worried about how many tears they would shed than how many tears their children would shed. Insterestingly, among Ontario, BC and PEI moms, there was a lot of chat about the new full day kindergarten, launching today. Some were thrilled to have the kids gone for the full day, and others were clearly sad to be losing this time with their little ones.
With my youngest out of kindergarten this year (hello, grade one!), I hadn’t been paying too much attention to the planned changes to the kindergarten program, but I participated in a roundtable last week with Premier Dalton McGuinty and a number of other social media moms, and learned a great deal about the new plans for Ontario.
Premier McGuinty shared with our group some compelling evidence that full-day early learning supports more success with a transition to formal schooling and future academic accomplishments. He also shared data that showed that investment in early learning pays off in the future for society as a whole with economic advantages through a more productive workforce and savings on social welfare.
From my simplistic point of view, it always struck me that with 2.5 hours of school every day in a half-day kindergarten program, by the time you got through roll-call, recess, snack and packing up for the end of the day, there was precious little time left for anything else, so I welcome the opportunity for full-day learning for our children. Furthermore, I was impressed to know that in conjunction with the full-day school, the new initiative also includes very low-cost, before-and-after school care so children can spend the entire day at the same facility, under the care of early childhood education specialists, and not be schlepped around from one place to the next. If you are in Ontario, you can get more details on the program at Ontario.ca/kindergarten.
At our session last week, I also learned (or perhaps was reminded) that kindergarten in Ontario is optional—children are not required by law to be in school until grade one—and for those children who are in areas where full-day kindergarten is being offered this fall (it is gradually being rolled out across the province as facilities permit, and will be fully available across the province by 2016), parents are able to send their children for just a half-day if they prefer. So it seems this new initiative offers more child care and educational choices to families.
What do you think of full day kindergarten? Is it right for your family or not? I would love to know your thoughts. (And you can follow the debate on Twitter too using #FDK.)
What ever happened to teaching kids that sometimes they have to play by the rules, even if they don’t like them?
I’m talking about the ban on balls in the schoolyard we’ve been hearing and reading about across all news channels of late. The principal enforced the ban (apparently one that had always been in place but had not been enforced) as a way to avoid further injury in the schoolyard after a parent was hit in the head with a soccer ball and suffered a concussion.
The ‘ball ban’ news hit the big time last month after Saturday Night Live made a jab at it during the Weekend Update segment. The news travelled even faster after that and everyone had an opinion, most feeling the ban was totally ridiculous. Just last Tuesday, the school decided to revoke the ban and are looking for better ways to make the schoolyard more safe.
You might be surprised to know that I don’t think the ban was as ridiculous and unreasonable as the rest of the world did. I think it’s sad, but not ridiculous. Here’s why: my two boys attended a primary school where the same ban was in place about five years ago. They were 6 and 8 and bursting to run and play in the schoolyard. They complained a lot because they hated the decision (and the principal). But they still played football, soccer and tons of other games outside everyday. They had to improvise and figure out new ways to play with the soft balls—they kicked them around and played soccer baseball, they played foursquare (remember that one?) and even handball with the tennis balls (how very European of them).
I remember at the time thinking the ban was ridiculous—just as everyone else felt about the Earl Beatty ban. But, I also knew how small and overcrowded the school yard was. Our old school went up to grade eight, which meant that there were 13 year-olds (bigger than me) who were sharing a very crowded space with precious little 6 year-olds in grade one. For any school with limited space to play, that’s a liability regardless of what kinds of balls are being played with. As sad as I was about the fact that the ban had to take place, I kind of understood. So I bought more Nerf balls.
The ban at our old school lasted a few years. It came and went without any media attention and everyone survived it. When I asked my kids if they remember, they both grumbled “Oh man, that was the worst”. But they got through it. They went along with rules they didn’t like, they adjusted their games and they still had fun.
What do I really think? I certainly don’t think the ball ban is a reasonable solution to the problem of overcrowded schoolyards and safety is not confined to the question of what kind of balls they are playing with. I also don’t think the obesity issue in North America is about what kind of balls our kids are playing with, either. Obese kids are likely not kicking the ball around in the first place. They might not even care about the ban.
I’m a huge advocate of physical activity and love sports. I also know that a big part of playing sports is learning to play by the (hard ball) rules, even if you don’t like them. It’s an important part of life that kids need to learn.
At the end of the day, is the ball ban Savvy or Not? I still say not. But let your kids figure it out themselves for a while before you jump in to change everything.
I just have to think, what is next on schoolyards, bubblewrap on playground equipment?! A few years ago was helmets for tobogganing… now nerf balls.
Comments
Children do not have to be in a classroom to be well educated. In fact, my children’s best learning experiences have been outside the classroom. However, if full day kindergarten affords families an option - in particular those families that cannot afford to stay at home, employ expensive nannies and/or enroll in private pre-schools - than I think full day kindergarten is the right step. I have read that 1/3 of children in Gr. 1 do not have the necessary skills to tackle the curriculum. If full day kindergarten better prepares all our kids for a future of learning, than I am all for it.
About the implementation plan, we learned that the rollout is being driven by where the facilities already existed as more space in each school is of course required. So actually it’s probably less likely to be in high-needs neighbourhoods and more likely to be where schools have empty classrooms. But there is a capital plan to give funds to schols who need to renovate or add space in order to accommodate full day kindergarten and as they complete their projects, they are next in line for the full day kindergarten.
Apparently you can find the plans for the next stages of the rollout iw. what shool when on the Min of Education website