Preschool Interview

Ella's first comment was, "They have silver bell flowers here." There was a whole border of hostas blooming outside the Unitarian Church. The Children's Garden is tucked into a wooded neighborhood making it somewhat difficult to find. The "classrooms" are simple and open and filled with basic (and mostly wooden toys) toys. Sharry showed Ella the block and clay area and Ella wanted to tell her about the modelling clay that we have that never dries up. Sharry has cinnamon scented PlayDoh.

The school was like the set of Mr Rodgers. The dollhouse is wide enough for many children to play in, and there is an extensive "laundry" and housekeeping area. E took all the laundry off of the clothesline and started ironing them at the small ironing board, requesting a basket to put her ironed clothes in. She told Sharry some of her ironing theories (always start at the edge), and looked around for a way to construct a grocery store conveyor belt . There are twenty two students and three teachers, one of which we met at a fourth of July party a few weeks ago. They are three, four, and five years old and divide into groups during "academic" time according to ability, not age. Ella could do math and reading with the older children if she is ready.
The playground area has two big sandboxes, several swings and climbing things, a vegetable garden, a full sized pioneer wagon, and lots of rakes, shovels, buckets, and according to Ella, "scratchers".

They send home a monthly syllabus of units--they focus on one major theme a week. There are field trips, a special movement and dance teacher, and daily "fruit and vegetable snack time". They all sit on a special quilt to eat.

I'm sold. It starts September 6. This morning E asked if I thought Sharry had taste buds.