More Homework

It seems that having homework is the norm for 4-year-old preschool, but I'm not complaining. I know that it is preparation for Mister J (and the 'rents) for when he beings "real" school. Plus, it keeps us very involved in what he's doing in class each day. The call from the teacher telling us he'd been breaking the rules again today (ugh!) kinda helps, too....
Today's homework was preparation for Show and Tell tomorrow. Mister J brought home a paper bag that he'd decorated with the letter of the week (A) and some airplanes. The letters and pictures were stamped on with the color of the week (red), which he is also asked to wear to class tomorrow. Back to the bag - we are to put something in it that begins with the letter A. We got out Mister J's dictionary (the Richard Scarry Dictionary that we have been working our way through this summer) and looked at the A words. Mister J chose acorns. We have no acorns in our yard, so - craft time! We got out Mommy's scrapbook tools and supplies, and made some 2-dimensional paper acorns. While looking in some magazines for ideas, we also came across apples, so we had to make some of those, too. It took an hour, but it was an hour of uninterrupted Mommy and Jonah time (hooray - Miss M took a nap today!). He loves using Mommy's "tools" and I was glad we got some counting and addition practice in, as well. (How many apples and acorns do you have? Sixteen! Eight acorns, four red apples, and four green apples.) That still doesn't solve the rule-breaking issue, but perhaps today's visit to the Director's office made an impression. I guess we will know for sure in the next day or so - stay tuned for updates.