The Weekend's Here!

Merrit wanted to take his picture with his school's
Headteacher, Mr. Easton, as we walked out the
school gate today.

Even though it was cold today, Merrit
wanted to play at the park after school for a
few minutes. Besides, as they say in England, "There is
no bad weather, only inadequate clothing."

Just 15 minutes of running around gets all their wiggles out.

The boys are going to miss this park.

The trees are almost bare now. Hats and gloves and mid-weight jackets
are a must.

"I'm the king of the world."

Mike's last day of work is Monday, but he's going out with a bunch of folks from work tonight. The boys and I are on our own for the evening. I'm making a pot of soup and cheese toasties (grilled cheese sandwiches) for dinner. Merrit will probably play out with boys in the neighborhood until dinner's ready. It's getting dusk now at 3:30 and is fully dark by 4:45-5:00, so he can't play out as late as he did in the summer. 

We'll be working a little over the weekend, organizing and paring down what we plan to bring back to the states. I hope we'll also get into some fun stuff, too, though. Merrit's friend Jacob is having a birthday party on Saturday night. We'll go to church on Sunday morning. And Sunday night we're having a spaghetti dinner for the neighborhood "hoodlums," (now a term of endearment).

We just hand-delivered these quickie invites last night:

"Victorian Day" at School

Dictated by Merrit:

"Today the kids in my school dressed up like Victorians. I didn't dress up because I was a bit nervous because I don't like to be dressed up. Some of the kids in my class dressed up as Victorian kids. The girls were wearing skirts and white hats and the boys were wearing boots and caps and waist jackets. Some kids dressed up to look like they were really rich, and some kids were dressed up to be poor. They had dirty faces and dirty clothes.

"The teachers were really strict. We had put our hands on the desk when the teacher said, 'Put your hands in front of you!' The teachers said to some of the girls who had paint on their nails to never come to school again like that again. They said to some of the boys, 'Clean your faces at playtime!' or 'Go wash your hands right now!' And then we had to write like a Victorian child, by connecting up what we wrote, like cursive. I had to try my best. Chris wasn't working fast enough so he had to get caned. Chris and the teacher went outside the classroom, and I heard Chris say 'Aggh!' and then I heard him say it again, and before he said that I heard a big WHACK! Caning is when they take a stick and they whack your hand. It was just an act.

"Some of the kids had to wear a hat that said you did a bad job at writing. It was like a cone and when you turned it around on the back of it was a 'D' and you had to face the corner. It was white. Eddie and Hammish had to wear the hat and sit in the corner.

"We walked down to the beach and they took a video of us walking by. Then we played some games. We took a hoop and we rolled it back and forth to each other.

(source)

"We went back up to the school and we had our Victorian snack: Bread and jam with water and that was it.

"Then we played outside for a while because it was last playtime. Then we went home.

"At the end of the day, Mrs. Palmer said, 'I'm so glad that I get to be a nice teacher again tomorrow. I'm so glad to smile again. I wanted to smile so much today but I wasn't allowed to smile!'

"I thought Victorian day was cool because it was real. School used to be like that when kids were living in Victorian times. A couple of weeks ago, we took a field trip to Tynemouth and we looked at some Victorian statues and houses. I have learned that the punishments in Victorian times were very, very, very serious. And that it was very rude to speak in class. And that the rules were very serious."

Daydreaming during Class

The St. May's Lighthouse at low tide.

Walking home from school this week, Merrit told Mike and I that sometimes he likes to look out the window when he's supposed to be doing his schoolwork to look at the lighthouse. The little spit of connecting land between the lighthouse and the land (at left) gets covered by water at high tide, making the lighthouse look like it's on an island, which I guess it sort of is.

Merrit goes, "Sometimes I look out and it's high tide. Then a little while later, I look out and it's low tide!" Mike and I just exchanged a look like, "Sheesh, what a life!"

Back to School

Special breakfast, made to order, for first day of school.

Merrit goes back to school today. He's an upperclassman. A "Year Four" student. A big kid on campus. He's excited to see his friends, meet his new teacher, and be back in school.

As usual, I had higher hopes for what we'd accomplish over the summer, compared to what we actually did accomplish. I envisioned daily Bible study, and multiplication drills, and read-aloud novels, and historical field trips (well, we did do some of that, just not the reports, dioramas, and mobiles I had planned!...kidding, kidding...sort of).

C'est la vie. We had a great summer. The fact that Merrit is excited about returning to school tells me that he's rested and refreshed. Mission accomplished.

Fun Had by All at the Spring Fayre

Homemade ice cream from Delaval's, a little pizza, coffee, and ice cream
shop by the seafront. Best pizza in town! And I hadn't tried their ice cream til the fayre.
It was yummy.

On Saturday, we attended the Spring Fayre for Merrit's school. My second attempt at scone-baking was brilliant. This time, I got the oven temp right and the results were fab. I was a tad worried that because I only had 1 ounce of frozen, shaved butter instead of 1 1/2 ounces, they wouldn't be good, but I used vegetable oil to make up the difference without any problem. They didn't have quite the rise that they would have otherwise had, but the flavor was nice and buttery! (See how I'm working in those British adjectives like "brilliant" and "fab"? They really do say them here!)

So, yep, this American was representin' at the loaded-up table of scones baked by English mums!

The spring fayre was great! We all had an awesome time. As a fundraiser, I think it was a big success. Everything cost a little something, but not much.  For instance, admission was 50 pence (or 50p). There was a bouncy castle for a pound, an inflatable slide for 50p, and a few other small activities for kids to do (Guess how many jelly beans in the jar for 20p, etc.). And face painting of course. And a costume contest.

5 minutes on the slide for 1 pound per kid.

Ollie is so brave. He held his own with much bigger kids.
Fearless, that one.

Inside, there were tables set up where local shopkeepers were selling items and food. I think a lot of the shops and restaurants and booth-owners had donated the proceeds of, or at the very least the profits from, their booths.

We bought and shared some Indian onion bhajis for 1 pound (think hush puppies but made from onions). And the boys shared a Sticky Toffee Muffin that I bought for 1 pound.

30p for these cute little cupcakes.

Merrit wondered if the glitter was edible.
How cute is this flag?!

Ollie chowed down on his half-muffin.

One area of the school had a large rummage sale, where parents had donated toys; all were selling for between 20p and 1 pound. It was super crowded in there, and we don't need anything like that, so we didn't go in to browse.

Out on the Astroturf field, there was a cool obstacle course set up. (in the background)

The boys playing on The Timber Trail, a permanent feature of the playground.
Sort of like a low, kid-friendly ropes course.

I bet the silent auction raised a lot of money. I bid on a Mom's Relaxation Package (massage, pedicure, manicure, bottle of wine) but didn't win. There were other cool packages. Like a golf package, a few different family outing packages, and kids packages.

I heard from a mom at the school that, all told, the school raised about £5,000 (about $8,200). That's awesome.

The boys on the rock climbing wall.

Merit with one of his friends from class, Jai.

The coolest part of the whole thing, I think, is that people had fun. No one was guilted into buying anything that they didn't want. Nothing was overpriced. And it was a community-wide effort. And that was the school's main fundraiser for the year.

Why don't American schools do this type of thing instead of sending the kids door to door selling tins of popcorn and scented candles?

You room moms and PTA volunteers, can you shed some light on this? I'm so curious. Since we weren't really "in" the school system back home--we homeschooled--maybe there's something I'm missing...? Not trying to hate. Just sayin'.

In any case, I'm glad my donated scones were sold--and eaten--for a good cause!

Not bad...for an American.

Athenians vs. Spartans

This morning, Merrit's class presented a play to the entire school and the class parents. Mike, who's fighting off a cold, was able to attend since he wasn't at work. Of course, he came right home and climbed under the covers. The play was great, though, with all kids in togas (sheets) and with different parts to recite and act out.

I suspect that the class has been practicing the play for a while. Merrit had a bit part because he is a latecomer, but he delivered his two lines with gusto.

The class has been doing a unit on Ancient Greece and mythology. The play was about how the Spartans and the Athenians were enemies, always fighting each other (the two groups turned to each other and blew raspberries) until the Persians entered the fray and became the common enemy (insert sword fights and dramatic death acts).

When that was over, one student pretended to be blind Homer, and told about the Trojan horse.

Then they each stood up one at a time, passing the microphone down the line, and each told one thing that they learned about Ancient Greece that they hadn't known before. Merrit said, "I didn't know that the Athenians and the Spartans were enemies." Other great answers: "I didn't know the Grecians made pottery." "I didn't know Ancient Greece was a democracy." "I didn't know who Homer was."

Then they all stood up and did a line dance to Greek music, gripping each other's elbows, stepping side to side and kicking up feet in unison. Really fun to watch all the smiles.

The final act was a rendition of "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley (or maybe more commonly known by its first line, "Don't Worry, 'Bout a Thing"). I couldn't tell you the relevance of that, but it did sound lovely. :-)

The Little Man

Yesterday when Merrit came in from school, he said:

"When I come home after school I feel like a grown up man coming home from a long day at work."

Packed Lunch Guidelines

I'm in love. With the packed lunch guidelines handed out to me by Merrit's school. Typing from the pamphlet, now:

Marine Park First School actively supports healthy eating and drinking throughout the school day and aims to promote health awareness in all members of the school community. Here is guidance from the North Tyneside Council.


Some ideas for packed lunches.


Use a balance of good health as a basis for making your choices. Try to have something from three groups every day and all the groups during the week.


Don't over face your child with items or amounts of food. It is better that they eat up than get fed up half way through.


Group 1 - Breads and Cereals

• Slices of bread
• Bread rolls/buns
• Pita bread
• Chunks of French bread
• Bread sticks
• Crackers or cheese biscuits
• Fruit or cheese scone
• Cooked pasta
• Cold, chopped potato

Group 2 - Fruit and vegetables

• All types of fresh fruit (Think about how easy it is to peel/prepare at school. Why not try to chop or slice it at home and put into plastic containers. A spoon or fork might be needed to eat it with, so don't forget to pack it.)
• Some fruit goes well in sandwiches or salads, e.g., grated apple or cheese, pineapple chunks and ham
• Cherry tomatoes
• Salad leaves in sandwiches or separetely in a box or bag
• Carrot, celery, and cucumber sliced, grated or in sticks
• Tubs of coleslaw or similar "dressed" salad
• Small pots of tinned or stewed fruit - don't forget a spoon!
• Canned or frozen vegetables mixed into fillings, e.g., tuna and sweet corn, grated cheese and chopped green beans
• Pure juice

Group 3 - Meat, Fish, and Alternatives

• Cold sliced meat -  ham, chicken, turkey, etc.
• Salmon, tuna, sardines, pilchards
• Meat and fish spreads
• Liver pate
• Hard-boiled eggs - sliced, whole, or with mayonnaise/salad cream

Group 4 - Milk and Dairy Foods

• Cheese for sandwiches - grated, sliced, soft cheeses
• Yogurt or Fromage Frais
• Tubs of custard or milk-pudding style desserts
• Cartons of milk

You know what I love about this? It's real food. Un-processed, real food. I think it's also interesting to see what kids here eat, culturally speaking, that just wouldn't fly back in the U.S. Cold, chopped potato and pilchards. And not a Lunchable in sight.

"I am going to school today..."

Merrit's journal entry this morning.

I woke up Merrit at 6:30 this morning for his first day of school. He pulled on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles bathrobe that his Great Aunt Frances made for him for Christmas and said, as we were walking down the stairs to breakfast, "Remember when I went to preschool? Well one time in preschool, we dressed up like clowns. All the kids put on different colored noses. My nose was brown. Some of the kids who had red noses said, 'You can't play with us because you don't have a red nose.'" 

And then he paused. I was multi-tasking and rendered speechless by the toothpaste and toothbrush in my mouth so I just looked at him, waiting to see what he'd say next.

He goes, "I don't have to worry about that at school today because this is school for big boys." And he kept heading down the steps to the kitchen.

I have never heard that story. I am so surprised that he woke up thinking about it. What does it mean? Is there a part of him that's worried about today? About fitting in? About being different?

It's only normal to feel that way, but I was surprised by this story because he's normally so transparent about his feelings and this seemed to come from left field.

That was the end of it, though. After toast and eggs, he was revved up and literally counting the minutes till we needed to head out the door. 

Mike on his way out to get the Metro at about 8:30.

We left for school about 10 minutes after Mike. Drop-off time is 8:50. School starts at 9:00.
Merrit ran ahead the whole way, very worried about being late!
It's a three-block walk from our house to the school.

Getting ready to go in for his first day! This is an elementary, or first, school.
They have 3- and 4-year old nursery school (free for siblings of enrolled students),
kindergarten (which they call Year One), and Grades 1 through 3 (which they call
Years Two through Four). Merrit is in Year Three.

Here he is at the front entrance, getting ready to go in for his Big Day!

Here's his classroom. He immediately noticed the big aluminum-foiled robot
in the corner.

His teacher, left, is taking off her coat from bringing her class in from the playground.
This little boy, named Hammish, was kind enough to take Merrit to show him where
to put his packed lunch and coat and hat. 

When I picked Merrit up today (he only stayed for a half-day
today since the afternoon on Friday is swimming and we don't have
his bathing suit yet), Hammish was playing with him on the playground,
keeping an arm around his shoulder the whole time. I could have
cried to see the kindness of this little boy.

Merrit said he thought Hammish
had hair like Ollie and that's how he could find him in a crowd.

Ollie and I said goodbye to Merrit and headed out. I snapped a couple of pictures of
the playground on our way out. Here's the vegetable garden and natural area and pond.

The side of the school, overlooking the playground.

The school has a large Astroturf field with a playground next to it. This
picture is cool because you can see how close the ocean-front is.

I should be getting information about the upcoming term's curriculum next week. For now, I know that the kids do gymnastics once a week, dance once a week, swimming once a week, and outdoor P.E. twice a week. Outside playtime for an hour each day. Every student learns French. (I was hoping they would be teaching a second language!) Art classes. ICT classes (information and computer technology). Music once or maybe twice a week. I saw a number of students bringing in violin cases, so, I don't know...maybe that's available as an extracurricular activity...? I can't wait to learn more about what they'll teach and what his daily schedule will be like. 

I'm so charmed by the idea of uniforms, but here everyone takes it as a given. We have to order a few more uniforms on Monday. He can wear either a light blue or white golf-style shirt with an emblemed navy, royal blue, or red sweatshirt, grey trousers, and black shoes. There are also extras you can purchase, like emblemed anoraks, cardigans, and sweaters. Today, the school sent him home with a cute little Marine Park First School book satchel. It looks like a little soft-sided royal blue briefcase and it has the school logo embroidered on the front. Adorable. He looks like such a little man.

To celebrate Ollie-and-me time, I took my boy out for scones. He
had a raisin scone and I had a cherry and almond scone. 

Two fresh baked scones and a small pot of tea cost me 3 pounds, about
4 dollars and 80 cents.

We stopped by Sainsbury's grocery for milk and eggs.
Outside, Ollie rode the horse for 50 pence.

Ollie and I went to the bank and stopped by a dentist and a doctor's office to register
(you have to register with them--if they are even accepting new patients--before
you can make an appointment to be seen).

Last stop before home and lunch: The guitar shop. This has quickly become
Ollie's favorite place in town. Second favorite: The pet supply store, where
he likes to look at all the pictures of dogs and cats on the bags of food in
the window.

I love the big windows on the store fronts and the window-displays. Such
creativity and time go into them. I've noticed that many of the stores
put out a new window display every few days. It definitely makes it fun
to walk by and see what's new at each store.

So that's how we spent Merrit's first day of school. We picked him up at 1:15, after recess (which they call playtime). He said he had an "excellent" time. He met new friends, but couldn't remember anyone's name except for Hammish (pronounced Irmish). No homework tonight, but we can expect it come Monday, his teacher said. I am glad for it because I can't imagine not being in touch with what he's learning. It is going to be a strange transition for me.

Ending homeschooling is a bit like weaning, I think. On the one hand, you're a bit sad and sentimental that this particular chapter is coming to an end. On the other hand, you know that you're about to experience newfound freedom and fewer demands and that's exciting. So, mixed feelings. But all good.

New Shoes...and That's Just the Beginning

Merrit needed black trainers (we call 'em sneakers) for his school uniform.
And Ollie needed Wellies -- um -- yesterday!

I have a friend, Darlene, who--when someone asks her, "How long have you been homeschooling?"--likes to say, "From the beginning." In that way, all parents are homeschoolers.

But officially, we homeschooled Merrit through kindergarten, first grade, and for this, his second grade year--at least up till now. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

That kindergarten year we read Pipi Longstockings and The House at Pooh Corner and Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little and so many others, spread out on a picnic blanket upstairs while Ollie slept downstairs in his crib. And when Merrit learned to read all by himself. Wow. What a miracle and privilege to watch my boy learn to read! I was so in awe. Our goal for that year was to teach Merrit to read, and to help him learn to love books. We also took field trips. And made cookies. And worked puzzles. We also participated in Classical Conversations, and Merrit memorized all kinds of facts and formulas to the tune of "Row Row Row Your Boat" and "Yankee Doodle" and so on. That year was just bliss. Really.

First grade was more challenging. Only because Ollie was older, slept less, and schooling, necessarily, had to get more structured. But still we persevered through Classical Conversations' materials, through Science, Latin, History, Geography, Grammar, Spelling, Handwriting, and a big honkin' Saxon Level 1 math book...the whole thing...omgosh, that book was fat. Our goal for that year was to foster a natural curiosity, to help associate learning with fun, and to gain familiarity with basic material across a wide breadth of subjects.

This year--second grade--has been a good year. It was our third year enrolled in Classical Conversations. Ollie went to preschool and Merrit and I worked hard to squeeze our schooling into those three hours a day. He started multiplication tables, world geography, cursive writing, and chapter books. We read more great literature. Old Yeller, Shiloh, My Side of the Mountain, The Borrowers, the first three books in the Narnia series, The Hobbit, and two books in the Little House series.

Since I love homeschooling so much, I have had mixed feelings about putting Merrit into school. But after a lot of discussion, Mike and I think this will be good.

For one thing, what a great opportunity for Merrit! To go to school in another country. To meet English kids. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The school has an opening now--and it probably won't have an opening in the fall since it's typically oversubscribed with a big waiting list. Even though I hadn't thought about putting him into school mid-year, it seems like this might be the best way to go.

And here's what I was not really prepared for: Merrit is really, really excited to go! We had thought we'd get here, adjust, take some time to transition into the idea of going to school, just take it one big change at a time. But Merrit has been asking, and asking, and asking about school. We walk past it on our way to the library and he is so impatient to go.

Honesty: There's a teeny part of me that's thinking, "Wow, is school THAT bad with me?"

But when quizzed, Merrit gives the reasons for wanting to go to school that must be typical for a kid his age. Recess. Lunch. Making friends. What I know about Merrit is that he loves structure and he is such a social little guy. I really think he's going to dig being in a classroom with other kids.

Another reason that now is a great time for Merrit to go to school: Ollie. Maybe this is a shortcoming of mine, or maybe it has more to do with Ollie's active nature, but all I know is that I am in awe of these moms who homeschool five kids. How do they do it? It has been hard for me to give Ollie the kind of time, attention, and stimulation that I would like to while schooling Merrit.

So, yes, it's Ollie's turn. And he is going to drink it up. He's such an observant, adventurous person. Whatever he sees you do, he wants to try. He's fearless. With structured, intentional time with me, I think he'll do great.