Ryder Starts Pre-School

Somehow, before my eyes, my squishy little angel baby has somehow turned into a sweet little boy, and he started pre-school this week!

Ryder Steven Alway | First Day of Pre-School | September 7, 2017

After quite a bit of thought and research, we chose a pre-school for Ryder where we thought he would thrive. Then we spent the summer preparing (potty training!) him for the start of his educational journey.

Rooster Valley Farm School is a unique local pre-school where students "interact daily with farm animals, actively work and play in a productive garden, and engage in a strong academic program." 

Ryder loves being outside and he adores animals, so we figured this was definitely the place for him.

Ryder and Elsie, the class pup.

I love the approach of Rooster Valley Farm School. They believe in active learning that encourages intellectual development, and take a natural and organic approach to education. At orientation, Ryder's teachers explained that at RVFS the kids don't even necessarily realize that they're learning, they just know that they love school. Students are immersed in a language-rich environment in which meaningful reading, writing, speaking, mathematical and skill-based activities take place daily.

We decided to start things off slowly, so Ryder will go to pre-school twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons this year. Then he will have one more year of Pre-K at RVFS before heading off to Kindergarten.

I hear that a lot of parents get super emotional on the first day of school, but surprisingly I didn't feel that way at all — I was just so excited for my grown up little boy as he embarked upon his new adventure! He was slightly apprehensive when we first arrived, but with a quick distraction from the teacher I was whisked out the door, and Ryder was free to begin exploring and learning on his own.

I can't wait to see what the year ahead has in store for him.