Kindergarten has changed very much in the last three decades. When I went to Kindergarten, it was a half day of fun, which included learning the alphabet & colors, graham crackers, Kool-Aid and a nap. Now it is a whole day and they are taught so much more. Nap time is ditched mid-year over the Christmas break. And the sign language wasn't covered with me until the 6th grade.
May 29th is Owen's last day of Kindergarten. He passed with a handful of awards for his efforts & smarts during the year. He learned many things, but I'll keep the list short to the most significant.
1. Reading - the boy can now read billboards, magazines and books. There is little he can not sound out on his own.
2. Writing - his printing has improved exponentially over this year. Not only is it legible, it is neat. Spelling needs work as he writes most words phonetically that have not appeared on his weekly spelling lists. But that will come in time.
3. Math - he is quick with addition, decent at subtraction and knows some basic multiplication. Ask him what 30 x 30 or 40 x 40 is and he will correctly tell you the answer. Like I said. Smarts.
4. Sign Language - aka. the Bird.....while brushing his teeth last month, he stopped and very carefully held up his hand with his palm facing him. O proceeded to pull all of his fingers down to 90 degree angles, leaving only the middle finger standing. "Momma, this is the middle finger." Pause. And another pause. "But we don't do that," he added. Owen continued brushing for another 30 seconds before stopping and asking "Why don't we do that?" complete with his head cocked to one side. I explained because it is not very nice.
