Luke Starts Preschool

It was worth moving here just for this preschool. Luke loves teacher Sherrie, and comes home telling me all about the interesting things they are learning. He's only gone to school three times and already he is coming home adding numbers, wanting to read books to me, and telling me all about the science that is happening around us when we go for walks. Today he picked up a red leaf on the ground on our way to the park and said, "Mom! Look! Science is happening to this leaf!"

At school, he's dug for worms and examined them with a magnifying glass, he's seen a tarantula shed it's skin, and he's learned that insects have six legs and spiders have eight. He's collected colored leaves, pine cones, grapes, pears and apples from the trees and can tell me all the different parts of the tree. Teacher Sherrie is just trying to teach them typical preschool stuff, like numbers and colors and how to write their name. But because she uses science to do that, Luke comes home exploding with excitement.

It's like his mind has suddenly become aware of all the things there are to discover and all the things that he can do. He loves to think of questions to write on teacher Sherrie's question board. He loves to sing and to exercise. I love that they are outside a lot of the time. And best of all, I can tell that she genuinely loves Luke and cares so much for the children. I'm so happy and so grateful to have my dear friend and mentor teaching my child.

This is the woman that I've started writing a science book with. Maybe some day we'll actually finish it! Hope so.

By the way, Luke started reading this week. It's so fun. He gets so proud when he figures out each word. I wish I could send him to kindergarten in a year, but he's got two years to go. His birthday is in September, so he'll just be the oldest in his class. I hope there are benefits for this later. Because right now I'm wishing I could send him. People always say it's better to have boys be the older ones in their class, but I'm not so sure. Oh well, too late now.

Oh, and by the way, Collin finally did figure out how to start that fire. Sherrie had walked over to my house after preschool and we were talking in my living room. Next thing I know there is a fire in my stove downstairs and Collin is staring proudly into it. He wasn't feeling so proud when his dad came home, showed him pictures of burn victims on the Internet, then gave him a bare bottom spanking. Poor thing.

I think Merritt was just worried because when he was a little boy he started a fire too, except that it wasn't in a fireplace. It was out in a field and the fire department had to come and put it out. I bet you his dad did the same thing to him. But I didn't ask.

I remember my brother thinking it would be really cool to dip his arrows in gasoline, light them on fire, then shoot them into a dry grass field. I don't remember what happened after that, but I bet you he got in a lot of trouble. What is it with boys and fire? I have a feeling this is not the last time I'll be dealing with this. Ode to mothers of boys.