Lake is ready! Activate: School Readiness! School Readiness is complete! School starts tomorrow!

Lake’s preschool years were predominately defined by free play at home and the local parks with our German au pairs, and big trips to Nana and Baba’s. Lake got a taste of the classroom with Saturday morning Kindergarten at the German Language School and swim lessons as a 3-4 year old, as well as Music Together, the 50 minute weekly class he attended with his au pairs from age 7 months through the beginning of the pandemic. Those were our concessions to our preschooler’s group learning. Michael and I wanted him to have as much of a chance as possible to be a kid and explore the world in his own way.

At the beginning of the summer, Lake procured scissors from the kitchen and proceeded to open his own birthday packages. Inside were Legos that he then endeavored to put together by himself, following the “constructions”. He managed it all on his own. That confirmed for me that he would be able to join the Kindergarten class in the autumn just fine.

When I was a young tot of four years, my family famously had me choose between Preschool and Dance Class. Since I was already adept at using scissors and had taught myself to read, I was supported in my choice to skip preschool and to attend weekly ballet and tap dance classes instead. As a result I gained a memorable year with my dad as his “little partner” after my mom went back to work teaching. I followed my Dad around our compound as he worked on projects, and would get dressed up in my pink Strawberry Shortcake outfit to join him in going to “town” for groceries and errands. That year was so special and helped forge a strong and lasting bond between my dad and me.

The freedom of Lake’s preschool years have similarly allowed Lake to spend heaps of time with my parents, his grandparents. They have a wonderfully close relationship and get on famously. Lake just wrapped up more than two months with Nana and Baba this summer at their lake cabin. We are filled with gratitude as they enact what amounts to personalized and private Outdoor School/Summer Camp for Lake- daily reading, playing on the beach, building trails and forts (“shanty”), as well as going to outdoor theatre, and practicing his letters and numbers with Nana. He relishes the one-on-one love-filled time with his grandparents and comes home an inch taller and bursting with new skills and confidence. “I can make ‘breastfast’ myself. I learned how this summer. I just need a bowl. I can pour the milk and everything.”

You can be proud of yourself, Lake! You did it! You’re all set for Kindergarten. Ready, Set, Go!