Adrian has settled in excellently well at school and now it’s as if he has never done anything else. I don’t know what they do all day. When I ask, he usually says he doesn’t remember.
They have gym class once a week, which is great, and more than Ingrid got in grade 0. They talk about “stuff”. They sometimes do crafts. They probably do something with letters and maths.
He has pretty much learned to read now. When he asks me what this-or-that sign or heading or instruction says, I ask him to read it, and generally he can do it. Compound words are still hard because he doesn’t see where one part ends and the next one starts. But even those he usually manages.
We bought a Ninjago comic magazine and he actually read at least half of it, with just a bit of help from me with the longest and weirdest words. (It was obviously translated on the cheap with no thought given to the kids’ reading ability or vocabulary.)
He learns things at school that aren’t really part of school, as well. From other kids he has picked up the fact that the middle finger is special, and that it’s funny to show it to people.
When I pick him up after school, he’s almost always building something. Sometimes with plain old wooden blocks, sometimes with some kind of construction toys. His favourite one is Plus-plus, and he never seems to tire of them. He builds castles, aircraft, cars, space ships, vehicles that morph into other vehicles.
He usually wants a snack as soon as we get home. Apples, or flatbread roll-ups with butter and cucumber.
At home in the afternoon/evening there’s an hour of iPad time – with Pokemon TV and Skylanders games. The rest of his time he often fills with Legos.
He’s not as tired in the evenings as he used to be, and often doesn’t want to go to bed. He’s been staying up late and then having a hard time getting up in the morning. So we’ve reintroduced the concept of a fixed bedtime. This hadn’t been necessary for months because he’s felt tired and been aware when he needs to go to sleep, but now that simply does not work any more. When we’re done reading and turn off the light, and he actually lets go, he often falls asleep in minutes.
