Not enough balls

Over the past week I have watched enthusastically as various friends' shared stories about their young'uns starting school. I loved seeing the photos (as they gradually trickled in on Facebook) of teeny kids burdened under enormous back packs, faces lost under hats with brims the size of beach umbrellas. Little Miss L particularly notable in her school dress with a giant 1970s-esqe collar. (Actually the collar was normal size, but Little Miss L is very petite.)

And so I watched, and waited for our turn.

Although Term 1 officially started on 1st February, most schools had one or two student-free days while they got themselves organised. Then (at many schools), kids started on 2nd or 3rd February. A few delayed even longer until 6th February. But at BallFiend's school, the preps didn't start until today, 7th February. The last six days has probably been the second-longest wait of my life, second only to waiting for BallFiend and Thumper to be born (Thumper was a lazy 5 days overdue and BallFiend a very reluctant 10 days overdue!)

So finally today, we got to experience it for ourselves: BallFiend's first day of prep! Thankfully, he had a great day. (And so did I!)


Thumper got the day underway at 6.40 am with a rousing scream and much wailing from her cot, trashing my plan to get up at 6.45 am, shower and dress before waking the kids at 7.00 am. Still, everything went pretty smoothly and we were all ready to leave at 8.10 am (20 minutes ahead of schedule... but only because I had decided to drive for the first day, rather than risk having BallFiend arrive already exhausted from walking/scooting the 2km to school. Eventually, we will be walking/scooting/cycling and leaving at 8.15 am).

We parked a few blocks away (outside another SaxomophoneSu's house - more on that later) and walked down to school. Or rather I walked, pushing Thumper in the stroller. BallFiend skipped along (proper, big skips with serious air!) and an enormous, cheesy grin spread right across his face (though I had to bend down and peer under the enormous brim of his hat to see it). I now know that 'ear-to-ear grin' is not just an idiom!

We arrived at school at 8.35 am. BallFiend went straight up to his teacher and said "Hello Nerida!" and she promptly informed him that she had lots of balls and marbles ready for him to play with. She had also labelled his bag-hook with a green name-tag. (Nerida has clearly been reading BallFiend's Transition Statement, good teacher.)

We went into the classroom learning community and looked around. BallFiend soon located:

1. The "Earth ball" (globe of the Earth).
2. The 'jingly balls'.
3. The basket of marbles.
4. A spherical colander (of all things!) which he was completely fascinated by. (I have to admit, I was curious too... never seen anything like that before).

 A few of BallFiend's creche friends arrived, but all the kids were to shy or emotional or plain excited to say hello, so we continued to explore the room. As more families arrived to drop off kids, the room became more chaotic. Then the bell rang, so Thumper and I said goodbye to BallFiend and left. No tears - from him or me.

Thumper on the other hand... first she had a tantrum because she wanted to go to the "playeen'ground". And then because "I want BallFiend to give me a cuddle!". However we continued on to our next stop: a champagne breakfast at SaxomophoneSu's house. Apparently it is customary for prep parents to have a champagne breakfast (or 'beers and tears') after first-day drop off, though I didn't know this until I got the invitation from SaxomophoneSu. She had invited all the families who had had children at creche together last year.

It was a lovely morning (which, for some of us, extended on into the afternoon on account of the champagne!) - the perfect thing to do in honour of our little preppies' first day of school. Thumper had a wonderful time grazing away on all the yummy food and playing with MasterC's toys. By late morning, it was just myself, SaxomophoneSu and RainbowSerpent left and we got into a music-sharing mode, initiated by RainbowSerpent showing us Somebody that I used to know by Gyote followed by a very impressive cover by Walk off the Earth), then listening to various recordings of SaxomophoneSu playing in her various bands.


I arrived home a little after 1.00 pm, just in time for Thumper to have a nap before going back to school to collect BallFiend.

Based on what most other parents have told I was expecting I would be picking up an over-tired child who would be unlikely to tell me anything about his day. So I was pleasantly surprised when my boy emerged from his room, still wearing the ear-to-ear grin. He didn't immediately tell me much about his day, but over the rest of the afternoon and evening, I was given lots of details, including:

• There was a red ball, and a blue bouncy ball, and a few yellow balls that bounced and a red ball that bounced and blue ball that bounced and a painted netball that was blue and a yellow netball and that was it. That's all the balls. And a few tennis balls. (Me: Not many balls then?) And little, round balls that kids were newsing [that's how BallFiend says 'using'] as tennis balls and that was about it. (So not enough balls at school?) No. (What about in your room, where there balls in there?) There was only marbles and two jingly balls and a metal cylinder that you could roll around with something in it.
• There was red, blue, yellow, green, purple and orange... We a colour wheel [in art class] to colour-in. There was only pencils, crayons and textas. There was no paints. 
• A boy pushed and shoved me, and then he smacked me. (Why?) Because I was already sitting down and he said that was where he was sitting and he wanted me to move. And I told him I was there first. I said 'why don't you sit behind me' but he kept pushing me so I told the teacher. And then the teacher smacked him. (I don't believe that, teachers don't smack children. What really happened?) Nerida said we will all have to help each other learn the right way to behave. 
• I did the cooking and the cooking was very fun and I had glubs [gloves] on to protect my skin. (What did you cook?) Pasta! (His cheesy, ear-to-ear grin suddenly - and impossibly - widens) And I cooked some! It was for lunch and little lunch. It was brown pasta. (And what did you put on the pasta?) Bolognese sauce. (Who did the cooking?) Me! (And did one teacher help? Which teacher?) Nerida. (Where's the kitchen? Where did you do the cooking?) It was in the storeroom and they got it out. It was just a small kind of stove and they just wheeled it out. There was enough for every kid!
• I love my buddy (Aaron, an older child assigned to show BallFiend the ropes). He is my best friend. He took me to play on an old slide, near the place where you are not allowed to go. (I assume he is referring to the front area of the school which is off-limits to the kids). He likes the same song I do. He likes Party Rock Anthem!

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