Mini Awarding Ceremonies

Yesterday was a very important day for Joaqui as it was the last day of the Readiness Transition Camp, and the teachers had a mini awarding ceremonies to give out certificates of accomplishment. They also gave us a brown envelope which contained all their outputs during the two-week summer camp. The parents were more excited than the children themselves ; )

At the end of their class, the parents were called inside the classroom and the children had sang two songs which they learned in the camp. After that, they presented one of their artworks as each one of them got in front, said their name and said, "This is my work." They were also called one by one to receive their certificate.

Some of Joaqui's outputs:

The teacher's comment was that he needs to improve on his motor skills, but he is very cheerful inside the classroom. Mommy and Daddy are very proud of you Joaqui! We love you so much!

school happiness

Tomorrow will be the final day for Joaqui's Readiness Transition Camp at Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila School and we are so very proud because he adjusted quite well after three days of crying and separation anxiety. Now he is looking forward to going to school, eating snacks with his classmates, and doing activities like coloring and storytelling. He also adores his Teacher Karina and he is beaming with stories on what they did in class every time we go home from school. He used to say, "I don't want to go to school." Now he just says, "Mommy, I'm very happy in school!" We just hope that when classes begins in June, he will not have that separation anxiety anymore.

Hubby and I can't believe that Joaqui is going to school already. It's just amazing how time flies and how fast children are growing. I even said to hubby that we are blessed that I am able to work from home and that he has a flexible schedule that we are able to witness this major milestone of Joaqui. For the past two weeks, hubby and I go to school with Joaqui and we both patiently wait for 1-1/2 hours until their class ends and we all go home, or sometimes eat before going home. ; ) For me, the light in Joaqui's face when he sees us after his class is just priceless. And I really thank God how hubby is such a hands-on Dad and is always there for him to a point that he was one of the only two parents who stayed inside the classroom because Joaqui does not want to be left alone!

Tomorrow will be their sort of Awarding Ceremonies for two weeks' worth of class. I'm sure it will be a lot of fun. I promise to post pictures tomorrow.

PBW 1: Preschool Summer Camp

Joaqui is to begin school this June and he will be at the Nursery level. As we were looking around for the right school for him, one of the schools we were considering gave a free summer camp. We wasted no time scheduling my son for this for him to have a "feel" of what's being in school.

Joaqui is a child who would not readily participate in activities. He prefers to watch from the sidelines and until he feels comfortable enough to join the others, he would just watch quietly. He also wouldn't want to be left alone inside the classroom, so I stayed with him.

There were some activities he enjoyed doing, but most of the time he just likes to play. The coordinators from the two schools where he had an evaluation said that Joaqui is at a stage where he just wants to play, but they said it's still common for children in their age.


I know how important early education is, but I want Joaqui to have fun while learning and develop confidence and self-esteem, and that is what matters to me.

ABC fun

Since Joaqui is not yet enrolled in a preschool, I try to come up with fun and educational activities we can do at home. Aside from simple arts and crafts, role-play games and outdoor activities, I have also used the computer and the internet as a teaching tool. One of the many websites that he enjoys is the ABC alphabet and phonemic awareness practice from www.starfall.com. Starfall's ABC section teaches letter-sound relationships by providing a kid-friendly navigation system that explicitly focuses on each letter of the alphabet. It's really a fun way to teach ABC to toddlers and preschoolers.