Soft Shoes, Purple Bags

Today was the last day my children will ever take their purple bags to school.   They were in summer camps this summer and brought their bags with lunch boxes, snacks, bug spray, sunscreen and other necessities with them every day, just like they’ve done for the last five years.   But camp is over now as we have upcoming family vacation planned and then my daughter starts at her new school. 

It’s also the last day my daughter will ever wear “soft shoes” at school.   Montessori schools have children change into indoor shoes when they’re in their very quiet, orderly classrooms.  I don’t know of any other school for children that does the same thing.   For five years they’ve changed in and out of shoes as they came in and out of the classroom and they are comfortable with the process.   My son will continue this routine next year but my daughter is up for a different experience at her new school.  

They both will need backpacks for the coming year as my son will be in first grade (or Lower Elementary as his class will be know to him for the next three years).   We’ll have to have them pick out something they’ll like to carry every day to and from school and get them used to a backpack versus a shoulder bag.  

I took a picture today of their now too small soft shoes on top of one of the very dirty purple bags as it’s an end of one thing marking the beginning of another:

The Big Boy Update:  Did I mention my son loves his headphones?  I can’t remember but just in case I didn’t, he loves wearing them.   He uses them when he’s on his iPad but when we ask him to take a break he likes to keep them on.   He is apparently not even remotely close to being in the autism spectrum (which I was wondering about).   Maybe he just likes to drown the rest of us out.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter’s VI teacher suggested getting a yellow backpack for my daughter because yellow is the one color children retain the most when they lose their vision.    My daughter seems to like emojis, maybe I can find one with emoji smiley faces on it for her.