I’m sitting as the night draws in on Alex’s 5th birthday reflecting on what a milestone week this has been for him (more about his birthday tomorrow).  He’s started his school journey and taken a big step in his development.  And he’s taken to it like a duck to water.

As I said last time, he was so ready to start school and was super excited at the prospect.  So when the big day finally arrived, he couldn’t wait to get into his new school uniform, put on his new shoes and carry his own bag.  Sophie was thrilled at the prospect of a uniform too as she prepared to start the little school nursery on the same day.

Look at my pair – how grown up do they suddenly look?  I know it’s cliche, but sometimes it feels like minutes since they were babies in my arms – and now they’re dressing themselves, preparing their own breakfast and confidently heading into classrooms on their own!

We all walked together on their first day, taking our time to enjoy the journey and talk about the day ahead.

When we arrived, there was a real buzz of anticipation in the Early Years playground, with Alex excited to see his old nursery friends after the Summer break and Sophie relieved to see some of her chums from her childminder.

When doors opened, Alex confidently strode into his classroom, enthusiastically greeted his teacher and immediately settled down on the carpet to play – not even looking back as Matt and I left the room!  Sophie was a little more shy and timid, but as soon as she found her friend Jake, she relaxed and started playing too!

And that was that.  It happened very quickly, and then suddenly, Matt and I were walking home in silence – both reflecting on the massive milestone we’d just witnessed.

So how’s it been going?  Well, Sophie has definitely valued having her childminder friends there with her – here’s the gang at the end of their first morning in nursery.  She seems to be settling in nicely – she’s certainly quiet and a bit timid, certainly at the start of each session (and amusingly, her teacher – who knows Alex well – has commented that she can’t believe they are siblings, they are so different!), but I think she’ll be fine.

Alex is loving being a school boy!  He’s certainly finding school exhausting, but it sounds like he’s settled in brilliantly.  He’s made himself at home in the classroom – and getting up to mischief on a regular basis.  I must admit, I’ve felt a bit worried about him as one of the only thing Alex’s tells us about school is what trouble he’s been into – when he’s had a time-out and whether he’s been naughty.

But it seems he’s also being a good student, so hopefully he’s not totally annoying his teachers!  He had a lovely note in his school reading record about how fluently he read his first book to the teacher, and at the end of this first week, he was awarded Reception’s “Writer of the Week” for always practicing his handwriting!  He was presented with a certificate from the Head Teacher at lunch on Friday and was so proud to show us!  He also had a Literacy Prize sticker at the end of the week.

Here are his certificates – he got a cute one for his first day which he thoughtfully adorned with some handwritten notes saying “I love you mum” and “I love you dad” (or something close to that!).

Apart from that, Alex is sharing very little of what he gets up to at school.  Every so often, a little anecdote slips out – but generally all we learn about is what he eats during the day!  He’s still very excited about eating meals at school – although it seems that he’s almost exclusively eating Jacket Potatoes with a range of fillings!!

I hope his enthusiasm continues (and his menu choice gets braver), and that Sophie comes out of her shell a bit more so her teachers see her crazy personality too.