School Days – Easter service and baptism
It’s Sunday again, and it’s come around to the weekly School Days post. I know I found it really useful reading about slightly older children and what they got up to before N started school. Hopefully others reading continue to find it interesting and helpful to see how different schools do things and what to expect when our children start school.
Fundamentals
Since half term N was asking to start going to a new after school club. Our school offers plenty of after school activities, paid for through external coaches or teachers, or run by the school which are generally free. With me working we struggle to pick him up at the earlier finish time than his wraparound care would finish. The OH picks up after tennis. But another mum offered to pick N up with her children and drop him at his after school care. This week was the first week it had worked out, so he came back all excited about the new club and doing ‘Fundamentals’.
The only thing is he couldn’t remember what exactly they’d done. I’m presuming it’s things like different ball skills and physical activity, but he came home dressed back in his school uniform rather than PE kit, so I might be wrong about that. He was more excited about them doing it outdoors when the weather is dry and warmer. I’ll have to see what he remembers next week!
Competitive spirit
Generally N isn’t competitive in nature. Not compared to me or my brother anyway. But I’ve started to see a bit of competitive spirit appearing. In swimming I can see him looking around to check out what the others are doing and if he thinks he can beat them, he’ll certainly try (and sometimes he can – although he’s the only one with a swim belt on so I’m not that surprised).
At school sports he’ll give things a go, but he knows his level compared to some of the others who’re very fast. But this week he showed that he cared a bit. He does cross country club one lunchtime, and I was asking who else went along. After listing most of the children, he then stated who he was faster than. He knew exactly who fitted where in the speed stakes within his year group. He doesn’t seem too worried that he’s not the fastest, but he’s competitive enough to know that he’s better than some and that’s where he wants to stay. A little bit more drive would be good but maybe that’ll come later.
Oh, and if he could translate that to his school work that would be great. I mentioned the other day that there was a younger child at swimming reading to his dad a level 6 book the same level as N. And that he wasn’t sounding anything out. N just gave an excuse. With sounding out, it’s almost like he feels he has to do it, even for words he should know by now as they’ve come up in every book in at least this level and probably the previous one. It doesn’t help that he refuses to read books a second time, so they rarely flow that well.
Easter service and RE
I went to a CofE primary school but don’t remember ever specifically doing RE like they do nowadays at school. But this week has had a lot of church things going on.
The first was a visit for N’s year to the church for a role play baptism. N was christened when I was on maternity leave, but apart from school and Christmas services, we don’t go to church. Given I can still remember word for word the services we used to go to as children, I do feel a little bad that N will likely never know them (and the pain of being dragged along wwhen you just wanted to play).
He came home really excited about the baptism. He told me all about who played what roles and was very excited that he’d put up his hand and been chosen to be a godfather. ‘But mummy, the others with no job to do kept being told to stand back further’. Apart from that, I’m not sure he took much in. He was more concerned with where the teacher had got the baby doll from.
‘It might have been from reception toys, or she might have bought it from a shop’.
Even though the church is only a short walk from school, it was as if it was a big school trip out in N’s eyes. It also led to questions about believing in God. Yes I could say that I did, even though I didn’t go to church anymore. Then N told me very seriously that Dad believed in God too. Hmm, ‘maybe you should ask dad because he might say he doesn’t’!
Then on Friday, they had their Easter service at the church. He came home with a song sheet of words to learn, but was most put out because year 1s didn’t learn it at school like reception did, because they were on their baptism trip. I always hate that homework job, because who can learn a song without a tune?
I didn’t make the service, but arrived as they were finishing and we got called in from outside because they were redoing his Class’ performance of ‘I’m a spring chicken’. It was really sweet, but mostly just a chance for the whole school to join in singing and doing the actions. The older year groups were more enthusiastic at it than N’s class! Very funny to watch.
How’s your school week gone?
#SchoolDays linky
Our school doesn’t seem to go to church for anything which makes me a little sad really. My grandfather was a vicar, so one way or the other I went to a lot of church services at home and with school. But these days we rarely go outside of Christmas. I wish Monkey would join in with any of the after school clubs here or do a sports activity, but no chance sadly. He isn’t competitive at all – clearly his father’s son rather than mine, a lot of the time! #SchoolDays
For a small school we’re quite lucky in the clubs on offer. N even does lunch time clubs which I’m surprised about. The school do a lot with the village and church so it’s nice – they do daffodil bulb planting, litter picking, and poppy selling as well as inviting old people to come to performances.