January Open Houses

We have successfully attended two school-related Open Houses during the month of January.

The first, in mid-January was held at an elementary school. It is in close proximity to our future house. The open house started in the library. The girls enjoyed a peanut-free snack, coloured with crayons, and were minimally disruptive as the principal presented her school. We then embarked on a tour of the school. Luckily, my sister, one of the teachers, came to the rescue. She had a break while her students were in music class. She whisked off my toddlers, allowing me to enjoy the tour. 

While my oldest is still a year and a half away from starting elementary school, it is never too early to start looking!

Our second open house was a lot more age-appropriate, and took place a few days ago. I dropped the baby off with Grandma, and headed to a pre-school open house. The girls played with many toys, while I chatted with one of the teachers. As the first parent to arrive, I had ample time to ask all my questions. The girls interacted well with the teacher. The only snag is that my two toddlers would be in two different age groups. The youngest would end at 11:15, while the oldest would stay until 13h. It is unclear whether or not they would make an exception for siblings attending the same pre-school.

While the search has not necessarily ended for schools, I have discovered a new, fun-filled, and free activity to keep the kids occupied during the winter: Open Houses!

Colouring and eating simultaneously at an Open House

Looking pensive while enjoying a snack at an Open House

Sharing (or the lack thereof)

Dressing Up

I had been told by a few of my experienced friends that kids don't have a good concept of sharing until about 4 or 5 years of age. So I was pleasantly surprised that our generous baby seemed to have no qualms over sharing. Whether during playgoups, or on play-dates, she would happily proffer the toys she was playing with or food she was eating with other kids her age. Whether they were toys belonging to the playgroup, or her own did not seem to make a difference.

Until this week, that is. We had not had any kids over to our house in some time, due mostly to a hectic work schedule and some traveling. However, this week our baby's friend, three months her junior, came over for a few hours, accompanied by her mother. This is a friend of hers that we had had many play-dates with, and they had always gotten along quite well. 

About half-way through the visit, our Brat did something that shocked me, and simultaneously made me laugh. She started hoarding her toys, and would add any toy that her friend was interested in playing with. At one point, she was sitting on her quadracycle, holding a teddy bear, a doll, and somehow managed to find a way to also grab an abacus as well as a "push" toy called a "colour roller". All because her friend wanted those same toys. I considered getting the camera out, but felt I needed to be there to mediate. However, nothing I said convinced her to share. Yet when her friend left the room, she was clearly looking for her; she obviously enjoyed her company, but felt possessive vis-a-vis her toys.

While I realize she was acting as a typical child her age would, simply developing a sense of identity, I feared future toy fights...especially with her baby sister. So I googled "how to get your toddler to share", and I discovered that most experts suggested it would be a very gradual process, and that teaching by example would be the best strategy. But wasn't I already teaching by example? The very toys she considers her own are in fact my toys that I chose to share with her...