My toddler started preschool today! (I know many of you are cringing, and my homeschool friends all think I'm insane. In my defense, it's only two mornings a week, and I have to work one of those mornings anyway.) As I've mentioned before, A is my shy one and suffers a degree of separation anxiety, so I created this little Bottle Cap Pin to help ease her fears.
What you'll need:
- one bottle cap
- one safety pin
- scrapbook paper
- mod podge
I was inspired to do this project after seeing this bottle cap necklace tutorial on Cap Creations. She warns not to use printouts from an inkjet printer, and after my own experimentation I have to concur. Stick with laser jet printouts, scrapbook paper or photo paper if you want to avoid streaking.
1. Hot glue the safety pin to the back of the cap. The pin should fit perfectly inside the cap.
2. Cut a 1 inch circle out of scrapbook paper for the background of the pin.
3. Add embellishments. My special nickname for A is "lady bugs," so I cut one out of scrapbook paper and added a little heart to remind her how much I love her.
4. Using mod podge, glue the paper to the cap. A was immensely proud of "painting" her pin.
5. Allow the glue to dry. If you'd like, spray paint with clear gloss paint to finish.
6. Pin on your baby to remind her how much you love her!
A was a trooper walking into her school building. She went right to work playing with the toys, and I began to think a miracle had occurred. That is, until I told her it was time for me to leave, at which point she started screaming and kicking. I'm afraid her teacher might be a bit bruised tomorrow! She calmed down minutes after I left and even participated in some of the activities today, so I'm hopeful.
Mommy in My Pocket
by Carol Hunt Senderak
Another great pick for the starting-school-jitters! A young bunny wishes she could make her mommy small enough to fit in her pocket. She imagines all the fun they would have if she could take her mommy to school with her. In the end, she's content with carrying the love of her mommy's hugs and kisses with her through the day. The rhymes are lovely to read and avoid becoming sing-songy. The illustrations are soothing watercolors that add to the calm and reassuring themes in the book. I think this would make a great companion to The Kissing Hand
and is perfect for younger children who won't sit through that longer book.I'm linking up to:
- SOYS @ Fireflies & Jellybeans
AWWWWWWWWWW!!! She looks so cute. I'm glad she did well after you left. I hope it continues to get better and she enjoys her time at school.
ReplyDeleteCute idea too!
I love the pin and the book.
ReplyDeleteShe does look adorable sitting there. Cute idea to make a special pin. Sounds like she'll be fine in preschool since she calmed down pretty quickly. Pretty soon she'll be kicking and screaming when you are trying to get her home to go home. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea!!
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful that even though I have plenty of homeschooling friends (IRL and online), I don't feel judged for sending my daughter to preschool.
ReplyDeleteThe bottle cap is adorable! Great idea!
Awww, way too cute.
ReplyDeleteSo, here's my take on the whole school issue: there is NO RIGHT ANSWER. It is what is right for your family. While yes, I think you don't really need to send your kids to preschool. It might be what is best for your kid (like with your daughter), so really anyone else should just let you enjoy your family and let you do what is right for you guys.
Okay, off my soap box now.
I'm so glad to hear that you guys made it through the first day. It sounds like A did great, given how scared she's been, and hopefully it will keep get easier as she settles in.
ReplyDeletePreschool is the best thing that ever happened to my only-child daughter. She really needed the extra socialization that I just couldn't provide...even with playdates and such. I feel much more confident about sending her to Kindergarten next year. I guess what I'm trying to say is, good choice, and I'll bet you'll both get the hang of it soon!
ReplyDeleteThat's adorable!
ReplyDeleteAnd, dont' worry about us homeschoolers. We're too busy shearing the wool from sheep, to spin, and weave into cloth, for winter dresses, to have time to judge anyone :) Okay, I'm joking - but you get the idea - I'm sure noone really thinks you're crazy, even if they like to tease.
You guys are great! I swear the mommy-blogosphere is the most encouraging out there. And honestly, I don't feel judged, but I've gotten enough "Wow, she's really young!" comments from friends and acquaintances to feel like I need to justify our decision. :)
ReplyDeleteSending my kiddos to preschool is one of the best things I have EVER done for them. They NEEDED the interaction with other children AND separation from ME!
ReplyDeleteSure, I homeschool now, but it has NOTHING to do with the preschool (or public school) my kiddos attended.
One of the BEAUTIFUL things about our country is that we have the opportunity to educate our children how WE want to- public, private, or at home!
(Oh, and that pin you made for her- it's ALMOST as adorable as your daughter...)
What a wonderful idea!
ReplyDeleteYep, your still scoring major cool points for best Mom ever in my book. Can't wait to make some of these for my little ones when they head off to school next year.
ReplyDeleteAwww, such a cute idea! I love leaving little notes in the kids' lunches, but my preschooler is home for lunch... I should make her one of these instead! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCute pin and great book - so many good recommendations floating around this week! Is it wrong that I'm kind of wishing I could climb in B's pocket and go with him next week? :) Our choice for preschool is a co-op, so I will be volunteering several times during the semester, which I'm looking forward to.
ReplyDeleteThe pin is the cutest.... adding it to my to do list now!
ReplyDeleteThe project - and the little one - are precious!
ReplyDeleteThis is really adorable!! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a sweet idea, I love it! Thanks so much, I'll be linking.
ReplyDelete