Hopscotch

The last day of school was all a bit much for Samantha.  I was grateful that there was no "graduation" ceremony or anything else I'd feel crappy about having crying-child pictures from.  There was just a class party.  Parties, as I have discovered over the years, just aren't Sammi's thing.  I mean, take a perfectly safe, familiar classroom, a room in which she spends every single weekday, an environment that is pretty much the same, day in and day out.  Then add a bunch of grown ups, crumple it up, shake it until pulverized, gargle it and then spit it out, and that's kind of what it must've felt like to her. 

She'd been having an ordinary day to begin with.  But then, around 9:30, some parents started to arrive.  Including us.  She took one look at us, then burst into tears.  I think she knew what was coming.  Complete discombobulation.  The kid actually refused ice cream.  With sprinkles on top.  That doesn't happen.  Finally, after enough was enough, we took her outside to the blacktop playground that's accessible from a door in the classroom.

And that was all she needed. 

Actually, all the kids and parents came outside within a couple of minutes, and I think they were all pretty relieved to be out there, but none so much as my baby girl.  And, being that it was probably the most beautiful day of the year so far, who could blame them?  Sammi was in her element.   

So, as I so often do, I'm going back to talk about one of those things Sammi is able to do, quite well, actually, that we had absolutely no idea she could do.  One of those rites of passage that every little girlie girl worth her salt must be able to do.

Hopscotch. 

She joined her classmates on the hopscotch form, and, unlike my last experience seeing her do hopscotch, about a year ago, she was amazing.  Switching from two feet to one foot, alternating that one foot from an occasional right (her weakest side, funny being that she's a "righty") to an occasional left flawlessly, my jaw dropped.  Apparently even the PT had been susprised to see her do that recently.  Building her core strength has been a battle, especially given that we've been concerned about staircase safety for the last 3 years.  But finally, she was ready to go.  Finally, we've given her free reign of the stairs.  Finally she's proven to us what she can do and surprised the heck out of me. 

It was beautiful.

Summer school starts today, for the next 5 weeks.  She's in a fully-inclusive 1st grade-going-into-2nd grade class (there is no inclusive Kindergarten-going-into-1st-grade summer school), and nobody felt she should be in a special education summer school setting (nothing against it, but we felt she needed the challenge and preparation for 1st grade that this setting would give her).  She'll have one of her beloved resource teachers accompanying her every day, as she will be again in September.  So I'm not worried about her being in an unfamiliar classroom (although it's in her home school) with unfamiliar children - the consistency of having Mrs. D with her will probably help her settle right in. 

We are thankful for the opportunity. 

Update:  Gotta update the summer school situation later, but let's just say it's nothing like what I just posted above.  We are. not. happy.  :-(  Blah.