Patience pays off

Well, it's finally happened. The youngest children that stay all day (the ones we call the nappers) can just about do the entire afternoon schedule without us. After about 5 months of practice these 3 year olds can follow a routine that takes an hour and half and contains four big transitions between environments.

They no longer need reminders to wash their hands before lunch, and other than a few sneaky ones remember to eat their protein and vegetable before diving in to that delicious fruit and crackers! L still has some issues with this, she absolutely loves the gluten free pretzels her mom packs and they're often gone before a teacher can even realize that she's say down and started eating! The nappers all know how to pack up their lunch boxes and clean up their table. Without any reminders they put those same lunchboxes away and get dressed to go outdoors.

Here's where most of the trouble is, not because they don't know what to do but because zippers can be tricky. And that darn second mitten! The first one can go on just fine, but how on earth does one put on the second one without a thumb? I think only one of the nappers has actually figured this mystery out, and mainly because she's too impatient to go outside to wait for a teacher to help her, she wants it on NOW.

Anyways, once dressed they know to go out the door to the playground, including opening AND shutting that same door! They have become experts at standing in line to wait and take their boots off, including how to scoot up the line when someone else goes inside. Some still need a reminder about when it is their turn (we only have 2 at a time on the bench to take off boots because of space issues), but our two smallest girls, Q and J, have started to figure out how to watch for a space to open up.

All the nappers have figured out how to get their boots off, even if the elastic of their snow pants gets in the way. I was so proud today to finish getting off my outdoor things, turn around and see three small children already finished and carrying their boots inside. There wasn't even any whining about it being cold in the back hallway, or about wet socks from the puddles of melting snow!

We've recently had a schedule change so the elementary students are eating lunch in the room where our shelves for boots and shoes are. This means that not only do the children need to remember to switch their boots for their inside shoes, but they need to do it surrounded by a crowd of excited and noisy older children. I am happy to say that all the nappers can successfully navigate this hazard with the barest reminder.

They have become such experts that at this point I can simply stand silently in the coat room while they hang up their snow pants and jackets. S and L usually need reminders to tuck their hat and mittens in to the sleeves, but other than that there isn't much for me to do.

Al the children know where they need to line up for the bathroom, and even which games or songs they can do while waiting. E has taken it upon herself to run the games (usually trying to guess which animal the child is thinking of), though I think this is mainly because she wants to be the first one to think of an animal! Each of the nappers remembers to walk quietly to the nap room door, remove their shoes and gently tip them against the wall before entering.

Phew! That's a lot of steps!

Sometimes the kids don't take the most direct line,
but they do get to the final destination eventually!

But hang on, there's more.

Those who don't sleep after an hour know that after they are dismissed by the teacher that they should come and find me, they no longer linger in the hallway looking lost. E, S and J all were awake today and as soon as they finished getting their shoes on came out in to the big room, searching for me to ask if they could help with the cutting I was doing.

For the children who don't sleep, they've learned that waking up after the teacher has gone means they should quietly come out, put back on their shoes and go to the classroom. Today Q woke up about half way through nap and even though she was really upset about missing her socks she managed to get her shoes on and get in the classroom to come and ask for help. O also woke up early, and she has even more to remember since she sleeps in the coat room. Each day she needs to roll up her blanket, put it by the nap room door, and put back the books she looked at. That's quite a few things for sleepy 3 year old to remember!

So yeah, it's a crazy schedule, but it's what we've had them do all year. If there's ever a strong case for consistency this nap routine may be it.