School routines

So now that Abby's been in school over a week, I'm realizing that it is really quiet while she's gone. And getting up earlier makes for a really long day. And Nathan is really good at entertaining himself. So mostly I feel alone and bored.

Yesterday, it got to me. The walls were closing in, so we got out. Didn't really have anything to do, or anything we needed to buy. Just wanted to be in some new scenery. Ended up over at "The Little Gym" to see about their pricing and classes. Happened to get there just before a class and they let Nathan try it out for free.

The Little Gym is specifically for kids. They have gymnastics classes and dance, karate, and something called "sports skills" which teaches them to play catch or something. Anyway, we got in on a gymnastics class for 3-4 year olds.

Up until now, the only structured class he's had is Kindermusik, and that is a class where I'm right there with him. He does enjoy playing at the kid's room at the YMCA, but that is not structured. And he does play in the nursery while Abby does AWANA. Again, not structured. So I wasn't sure how he would do. It is hit or miss at home if he will listen and follow out instruction from me or Sean.

So the teacher calls them to go in, and he skips merrily along with the other kids. They did some warm ups on a big mat first. Now, this place has big cushioned ramps and things to crawl thru and beams to walk across and all sorts of things that I was sure Nathan would be all over and not caring what the lady was doing. But, he sat right next to her and followed along. They did some games with taking turns and he waited for his turn. I was shocked. He was a perfect little student.

What was funny to watch was his interaction with the others. He latched on to the teacher and stayed pretty close by her. When they switched from event to event, they lined up and grabbed shoulders of the kid in front of them and did a train to the next equipment. Well, Nathan was at the back of the line. He is used to having Abby around, but I guess he is pretty wary of other kids. The other kids grabbed shoulders. Nathan put his arms out and kept them about 6 inches from the next kid's waist. He didn't want to touch the other kid. And when they were doing rounds on the equipment, if some kid was already on like the balance beam, Nathan would skip it and do the next open thing. But, he does that at the playground, too. He waits until the slide is empty before he goes.

He did pretty well on the equipment. There was a "hill" cushion that they were doing somersaults on, and he didn't kick enough and ended up sliding down on his face. All in all, it was pretty comical.

So after that, we went to lunch at McD's and let him play there. Then we walked through a store and went home. He got home, went right to the couch and conked out. Yay, I wore him out.

So I'm thinking we should sign him up for regular classes. I think it is good that he was following directions, not relying on my presence, and interacting with other kids. And it tuckered him out. These are all good things. Do I think he has gymnastic potential? Not really. Do I worry about him sliding down wrong and breaking his glasses? Yes. Should we keep him in the gymnastic class or try the "sports" class, even though flying objects might break his glasses? Not sure. Sean seemed interested in the sports class.