Mazen started school yesterday! We decided to wait another year to send him to public school kindergarten since he is not quite five years old. (Although he made the cut-off so we could have sent him.) When I polled a hundred people last year, the unanimous answer was to give boys with late birthdays an extra year. So instead of doing a repeat pre-K year at his former school, we thought it would best to move to another school so he would have a change of pace. A stepping stone to the big halls of kindergarten next year.
Pro: Mazen is still asleep when the neighbors get on the school bus, so we are both happy that his new school doesn’t start until 9.
Con: $$$. I was looking forward to not having a school line item in my budget, but that will have to be postponed!
We are excited for him to learn Spanish and even more math!
And if you needed a little refresher on first days past, here you go ; ) He has really grown into that backpack! (And I got it really clean by hand washing it last week.)
Some meals….! Easy berries and vanilla bean yogurt.
A delicious salad with figs!!! And goat cheese, chicken, carrots, tomatoes, greens.
And an awesome shrimp curry that I put together on the spot. First I sautéed shrimp. Then green peppers and carrots. The sauce was 1.5 tbsp Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste with a splash of fish sauce, 2 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp cornstarch, and about 1/3 cup water. All simmered down with half a can of regular coconut milk.
Have a great day!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
Happy first day of school!
And as always, your food looks healthy and delicious!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Denise Blust Vermillion says
Just pinned the shrimp recipe!
Sarah @ Bucket List Tummy says
He’s so cute and looks so excited. I can’t believe school doesn’t start till 9am – I wish that was across the board!
Katie says
I will have the same issue with my little guy once he starts going to school! But the overall answer I get is “just wait for him to go, it will be good to have him be the older one in class”! I can’t believe how big he is! What a handsome guy 🙂 ps. those meals look great!
Barbara Younger says
Go Maze! I’ll give you my dad’s advice: Always speak to your teacher and be appreciative and polite. Teaching is hard work!
And my advice is: Sit in the front row and raise your hand. Answer questions and ask questions.
But maybe you don’t get to pick which row you sit in. That might not happen until college, which is something you have to look forward to. College is lots of fun just like Pre-K.
Leatitia says
My son was born in June, so he was young 5yo when he started kindergarten. He was one of the youngest in his class. I think you’re doing the right thing. A 4 year old in elementary school is too young. Big kids are intimidating (even though they’re the sweetest, they’re still big compare to a small 4yo), the pace is fastest, kids need to be responsible for their things – bags, multiple shoes, lunch boxes, etc. It’s hard for a 4 yo. It’s hard for a young 5 yo..
My son matured so much last year. He’s now in first grade and very much ready. But last year was a hard one. It’s a big step up from pre-k.
In my son’s class, most kids turned 6 during the school year. So your son will not be the oldest one at all.
Linda @ the Fitty says
Have you ever heard of a waldorf school? What are your thoughts on alternative systems?
KathEats says
Mazen did Waldorf camp and loved it.
Linda @ the Fitty says
Could you do a post on exclusively what a Waldorf School System is like? I am highly, highly interested in this.
KathEats says
I really don’t know much about it Linda because Mazen hasn’t been in school at a Waldorf program.
elle says
I think there are blogs devoted to Waldorf schooling that would be helpful to you.
Kelli H says
He looks so cute ready for school. I also love the throw back photos. 🙂
Alissa says
My son will be 5 at the beginning of December and just started his second year of full-day Pre-K (My husband and I both work full time). When I was in school the cutoff for Kindergarten was January 1! So I had friends who were 16 for almost half of senior year of HS. I’ve also ready the studies about “red shirting” boys and agree for some boys it can be an advantage. Good luck to Mazen! Such a handsome guy!
Aimee says
Why is it the older the child the earlier they start school?? My 4 year old who awakes at 630 doesn’t have to be at school until 9:00 and my 15 year old who could sleep all day is catching bus at 645! Crazy ?
JennieM says
It was explained in our district because sports and jobs!
Taryn says
So cute! My son’s birthday is in July, and while academically he did fine with kindergarten last year, emotionally it was tougher on him. He starts 1st grade next week, and he has caught up just fine. But I think giving Mazen another year to mature is a great idea. My daughter’s birthday is in July as well, but we have no doubt she will be fine next year when she starts. Girls (and second children) seem to be much different!
Kelli @ Hungry Hobby says
Awww how cute is he! I have a late summer birthday and was always young, but I feel like since boys mature slower that totally makes sense. How cute are those time lapse of his first days?????? SO CUTE!
Edie says
Yay for Mazen’s first day of school! Exciting year ahead 🙂
Cat says
My son started Kindergarten today and he is 4 ( I think he and Mazen were born days apart). There isn’t a hard fast rule, so I want to offer another perspective: The cutoffs are in place because that is when many children are ready for school. I met with my son’s preschool/daycare teacher, his Sunday school teacher, his soccer and baseball coaches and they all agreed that my kiddo was ready for Kindergarten. Academically, he could be in first grade – he’s reading, he understands all the math concepts they will cover this year, he is good with scissors and can write all his letters – and emotionally and socially, he’ll be fine. Physically, he is small (for now, my husband and I are both freakishly tall, so he’ll get there), but no one felt that was an issue because he is coordinated and fast. Even after all of this I was on the fence, but I met with a couple teachers and what they said swayed me. Boys who are exceptionally smart (like 95% and higher on test scores) and ready emotionally, will not benefit from being held back. Boys that are bored are more likely to have discipline issues and they see this year after year. After hearing that, I knew we were going to Kindergarten this year.
This is a child by child evaluation and choice, but I saw a lot of your choice echoed in the comments and I wanted to add another perspective from a mom who made a different choice.
KathEats says
I agree it’s all individual – and you did your due diligence by consulting with his teachers and coaches. Hope he has a great year!
Cat says
One other thing I wanted to add, Mazen went through quite a year of transitions and has more transitions coming in family make-up, so I do think you are smart to wait with him Even though he appears to be adjusting beautifully – good job Momma! – a lot of change can add up!
I should also add my son is a second child and has wanted to start school since the day his brother did! If he had been on the fence, perhaps I would have waited.
Flo says
My daughter was born in mid September. She would have started kindergarten at age 4. We kept her out an extra year like you are doing for Mazen. She did an extra year of pre k. It was the best decision we made for her. Mazen looks adorable.
Whitney S says
Your backpack pictures kill me! My little guy is a little over 1 and I refuse to believe he will ever be this big 🙁 His big sister is 3.75 and will have this school year plus one more before kindergarten. I’d start her early if I could – she’s a first-born girl through and through. Each child is so unique and as such, needs the support and power of their parents behind them. You are M’s loudest advocate – good for you!
Lisa C. says
I’ve loved watching Mazen grow these past years! I started reading your blog when you were pregnant with him :).
Hayley says
Thank you for writing about this! My eldest son is turning 4 on October 19th and we’re considering holding him a year as well. So he’ll start school at 5, but turns 6 shortly afterwards. He loves learning and has incredible focus, but I think emotionally he’s not quite there yet. We’ll still register him in January, just in case, but are pretty set to wait until he’s 5. Also, my youngest son was born on Boxing Day, so he’ll definitely be held back a year too, and I’d like them to be 2 grades apart in school if possible.
As a Canadian, I am curious if kindergarten and school in general costs money to enrol? Here in BC, we pay for daycare and preschool (probably the equivalent of pre-K) but as far as I know public schooling is part of our taxes. Therefore, it will cost us more money in the long run to wait for kindergarten, but I think it’s well worth the cost in the grand scheme of things.
KathEats says
Yes, our K is free, but preschool isn’t cheap. That was one big reasons I wanted to send him, but my sister pointed out that a lot of people who send young boys make up that cost in preschool in tutoring or other behavioral issues (this is just her experience in private schools) so it’s worth the investment to add an extra year of preschool. I’m sure that’s not always the case, but it made sense to me.
Jennifer says
My oldest has a summer birthday and we gave him the “gift of another year of preschool” too. It was such a great decision for him! I hear you about the tuition though. My youngest started kindergarten this year and it feels like we got a pay raise. It’s the first time in 9 years we haven’t had school tuition in our budget.