Kindy Graduation
In an intimate class ceremony before the break, our second child received her certificate of completion following 2 years of Kindergarten, 5 years after her brother did the same before her. We don’t plan on having any more kids, so you know we mean it when we say we’re happy both kids got to attend this kindy, and grateful they took our monsters in no one got hurt I don’t think the kids are doing drugs for 2 wonderful years of early learning and stimulation of imaginations, support, and memories. (Can’t blame me for having a little fun now we’re leaving for good right..)
Well we’re coming right back if we somehow end up with a third kid (IF, that is – IF they’ll have us. I remember during Queen E’s admissions she had an external activities classmate who told us they hadn’t yet made interview at the kindy – there were 700+ applicants for…. maybe 150 spots? Sometimes in the bustle of school run during admissions season we would pass desk staff over the phone erm, “politely managing expectations” of applicants regarding the waitlist..)
Anyway..
We even saved a set each, of the turquoise-and-navy uniforms our kids wore (matching rubber boots model’s own, it was pouring that day) because..
This is the new school uniform going forward:
Tara! (Although the boys won’t get to wear headbands..)
(…the mascots will. Yay!)
I have now managed to find an excuse to post a picture of our 15-year old Border Collie in gachapon-procured bunny ears. My work here is done <dusts off hands>
For real though, we love this kindergarten: They were really there for us when we were all OMG Baby. And baby now has to go to proper school. And “school” now refers to early education that bears little resemblance to what we ourselves remember when we were kids. What are we supposed to do now???
So Hillside, we love you. And now people (yes, all two of them) who search my blog will send Wonder Woman through your doors with a border collie dressed as a bunny BUAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
That was my way of saying dear readers, that this is a personal blog that I do not publicise, so caveat lector. But no, I’m not on pseudonym 🙂
And now without further ado, the Life and Times of Her Highness At Kindy, In A Few Choice Photos.
This was shortly after a school theatre trip to watch The Way Back Home. It involved just a couple actors and….. very home made props. Almost everything you could make with just paper and other scraps. Then the kids came back to school to construct their own.
In the last few weeks her school bag strap broke, and so she was allowed to carry the Pom-pom-ed Zebra Bag. The sunglasses are mine (but yes she wears em Like A Boss) – schoolrun some days was in the blazing sun, just because of where our block is
This one was “an introduction to computational thinking skills for young children; (they were) encouraged to analyse the problem, break it down into smaller parts and then develop step by step instruction” to get the bear to the honeypot
I think this one was from the various-building-of-structures phase (note bridge diagram on easel)..
…which culminated in…
…the “Parthenon Challenge”!
(This being the real Parthenon) – pic from Wikipedia
The kids were challenged to build a structure with materials from around the school (and much brainstorming – they ultimately went with board and paper cups), “because the ancient Greeks didn’t have any modern technology or machines and yet were able to erect such heavy and tall pillars”…
…that ended up strong enough to stand on!
(Recall, Queen E loves snakes!)
(Among Others; yes it’s real – she had a huge kick out of the animal visitors, especially some of the more exotic ones!)
Then they designed their own snakes and ladders and took turns playing it
…And of course many, many, many “junk modelling” structures and wacky little inventions she would bring home almost every single day.
We accumulated easily two HUGE bags of the stuff, and so over the last week of school and with probably our one and only purchased blank canvas (everything else being recycled many times over):
…we started making our own Kindy souvenir…
…finally settling on this… (Anyone recognise any of your donations to the junk modelling table on our walls? 😀 )
So one weekend Kings came home and a lot of the stuff on the walls had changed, and he was “Erm, does anything ever fall off the walls?”
…and this.
The flower is from Queen E’s “Not-S0-Secret Friend” – each child makes a paper flower and presents it on graduation day to another friend; we then stuck it on a background that was one of Rockstars’ old artjamming canvases – it’s supposed to be Minecraft Redstone, which is about the only time you will see Rockstar use colour willingly haha – and the giant bean pod did come home one day from the junk modelling table.
Not…. that we didn’t also come home with this brilliant thing:
How freaking awesome is that?
Goodbye, Hillside..
Thanks for all the memories.
ps:
“…for every student to be the best they can be…” – on the board of the classroom Queen E’s little graduation group used – I really, really like that. Aside from corresponding large appetites and apparent need for a bit less sleep than other kids, our two children who have gone through this kindergarten have had very different personalities (as well as strengths and weaknesses 🙂
Rockstar began K1 roaming the empty stairwells by himself during Free Play (where the kids can choose what they want to do), because he couldn’t stand the noise and chaos of the open concept with the entire school running about. (He’s fine with me telling this now because anyone who meets him today after 2 years at Hillside Kindy and 5 at Kennedy Pri School (both of the ESF Group) not to mention ESF Multi-sports camp – we’re on our third camp with both kids now – will find that quite difficult to believe 🙂
Queen E on the other hand… Looks forward every day to the adventure and unpredictability of activities like Free Play. Where Rockstar was Accidental Tourist Goes To Kindergarten, Her Highness was “Why Are You Still Here, Mum-may?” on her first day. She’ll go looking for unpredictable outcomes if nothing seems to be happening. Unlike her hyper-sensitive brother, she’s slightly hard of hearing (we have to syringe her ears and watch the colds because her hearing tends to get especially affected when she has a cold). And where Rockstars colours of choice are almost always muted – black or navy – the Queen is one big psychedelic explosion of colour. Exciting times, or as the Queen sang with her friends on graduation day “The future’s looking bright to me!” Just so.
