kristianne koch photography----photo blog » preschool

[life] is the last days of serra preschool

kristianne — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 03:29:46 +0000

Tomorrow is Merrik’s last day at Serra Preschool. I don’t know what I’m going to do without that wonderful community of people. Hopefully we will be able to keep in touch with most of them for years to come. It will be such a joy to see the kids from his class grow up in the community of San Clemente. It has been difficult to think about parting ways from Serra and I can only hope that Concordia Elementary will be almost as special for him.

I worked three of the last four days of school and they included Doughnuts with Dad and the space bubble plus lots of swinging since I am a sucker for setting up the swing. The kids would all come running to me as soon as we went outside to swing them really high!

The kids have all grown up so much since their first days here that I barely recognize them from their early photographs.

If there is any one thing that I can say I made the right decision in my parenting, it would be choosing Serra for Merrik’s Preschool-and hopefully we will be able to return when Maliea is ready.

Kristianne Koch Photography

Kristianne Koch specializes in artistic portrait photography of families, children and couples. 949-702-7707 kristianne.koch@cox.net

[life] is priceless

kristianne — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:05:07 +0000

I am so fortunate to be able to witness Merrik’s preschool days. Because he is at Serra Preschool I work 3-4 days per month to help out during class time. The day I was there last week was priceless. Merrik was in the “Five Little Pumpkins” skit, he played a vampire in the class play and I actually got some pictures of him playing on the playground. Preschool monthly tuition: $130; fundraising contribution per annum: $300; Being a part of my son’s preschool experience at an awesome preschool: Priceless.

Kristianne Koch Photography

Kristianne Koch specializes in artistic portrait photography of families, children and couples. 949-702-7707 kristianne.koch@cox.net

pre preschool

kristianne — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:18:15 +0000

We all visited Serra Preschool on Friday to see if we would like to let Merrik attend next Fall. We have put it off as long as possible because I just love spending time with him and he will be in school for a long time so why start sooner than later?
Merrik took a few minutes to warm up to the place but hasn’t stopped talking about going since we left.

I am thrilled about the idea of it being a co-op. He is definitely ready for the three day program-especially the outdoor activity. I will stay twice a month and be involved in the curriculum so it will be a good transition into Kindergarten. We as parents are the main educators in our kids’ lives after all and should be involved in that process as much as possible.

Kristianne Koch Photography

Kristianne Koch specializes in artistic portrait photography of families, children and couples. 949-702-7707 kristianne.koch@cox.net

thought: it’s a nap

kristianne — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:53:57 +0000

Several months ago we discussed whether or not to put Merrik in Preschool this year like every other good little parents we know. We weighed all the pros and cons for him and the way he learns and even had feedback from the teachers in our family.
So, we have decided not to put Merrik in Preschool this year. So, I am preparing to create an environment for him that is similar to what he might expect to do sans group environment.
I have been looking at nap mats to give him a fun thing to look forward to for nap time at home. He has been asking about a mat to sleep on (I don’t know where he came up with the idea but he is so observant and aware of everything in his world that I don’t question those kinds of things anymore). I guess the Kindermat is what most schools recommend. Here’s what Grist has to say about things made out of vinyl:
From Grist:

“…soft vinyl contains plasticizers called phthalates, many of which affect reproductive health and sexual development, according to animal experiments. And di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, which is widely added to soft vinyl products, is considered a probable carcinogen by the U.S. National Toxicology Program. In some studies, phthalates have been shown to migrate out of soft PVC products, so they can be inhaled or ingested. Tests by Greenpeace have also found the toxic heavy metals lead and cadmium in vinyl backpacks and raincoats. Clearly, PVC deserves not only a failing grade but expulsion from the planet.”

This stuff freaks me out because most of the time I am very forgiving and don’t worry excessively over this stuff unless it’s obvious. Plus it’s so much work to research all of the toxic materials that “might” be in our home. Anyway, I do try to avoid as much of the plastic toys as possible but it’s getting more and more difficult.

Thus, the research on etsy to find cool fabric to make one for him. Wish me luck! I’ll let you know if I ever get around to making it.

Kristianne Koch Photography

Kristianne Koch specializes in artistic portrait photography of families, children and couples. 949-702-7707 kristianne.koch@cox.net