Moving up!

Trey moved to a new class at school this week! Come Monday, he will be an official member of the Toddler 1 class at Cathedral House Episcopal School. We are so sad to leave his friends and teachers in Movement 2 (including his BFF and GF Anna), but Trey is just going next door, and we know that many of his friends will follow him shortly.

All week, Trey went through the transition process to move to Toddler 1. At first, the older kids in the class called him "baby;" we were told Trey did not like this one bit! I guess it is official, especially now that there is a new baby in the family -- Trey is a certified big boy!

Toddler 1 is much more like preschool than Trey's former classes. Here are some of the changes Trey will see in his new class:

• The class is much more structured, with real activity stations that kids focus on at various points during the day. They are no longer able to run around as they please, doing whatever activity suits them. This method in Toddler 1 isn't necessarily the most traditional Montessori approach, but we're perfectly happy with Montessori work in a slightly more structured environment.
• The children set the table for meals and eat family-style. They each pass the family serving of food and help themselves put a portion onto their own plate. They wait patiently for everyone to be served before saying a blessing and eating.
• Toddler 1 introduces potty training! We are especially excited about this. Ms. Patricia, the lead teacher, is so good about working with the kids to get them ready. We're not necessarily very excited for the process, but we're quite anxious for the end result.
• The children have actual lessons that they must master before graduating to the next class. The children graduate only based on merit, not based on age. Most girls advance to the next class more quickly than the boys.
• Sippy cups are not allowed in class. Good thing they can't see what we do at home...
• The class focuses much more on language and communication. Ms. Patricia teaches the children lots of Spanish. Mommy better brush up on her old Spanish vocabulary!

Toddler 1 will surely bring lots of other changes as well that we just don't know about yet. After looking back and realizing how much Trey learned in his last class and how far he has come, we are very excited for this next adventure and all the new challenges it will bring!