Lydia Starts Joy School

Lydia started Joy School last week. Joy School is a co-operative pre-school that is run by the mothers of the children. We subscribe to the on-line program, and receive rights to print out the lessons, and music CD's that accompany the lessons. The mothers take turns teaching each week. We meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 until 11:30 a.m. Last week was my week to teach, so I did both days at my house. For the next four weeks, Lydia will be attending school at her classmates' houses in rotation.

The philosophy of the school is that children who are well-adjusted and happy will be ready for kindergarten. The lessons all center around finding the joys in life. We learned about the joy of our bodies last week, and the children made gingerbread men, played with play dough, danced, learned songs, played "Simon Says," and many other fun activities. They all really enjoyed it, and I did too. She is becoming good friends with the other children in the group. I really enjoy the program because I get to be so involved in her pre-school experience, but I also get a break for a couple of mornings most weeks. And then, when it is my turn to teach again, I feel ready to put all of the work into it that it requires. We also have a wonderful group of mothers who I trust implicitly. For more information on Joy School, please go to: www.valuesparenting.com