The Wheels on the Bus

Here come the kids out to meet their parents! Lydia is the only blonde girl in the class.

A frequent request from Lydia is to sing, "The Wheels on the Bus." This is a request that is easy to grant, and so I have sung the Wheels on the Bus more times than I can count.  Lydia's class sings this song as they come walking out to meet the parents.  Does anyone know what the Daddy's on the bus say? I make it up every time!

When Lydia first started attending the class, it was challenging for her and me.  She would cry, cling to me, and basically have to be peeled from my arms.  We entered her in the class because we thought it would be a fun way for her to make friends, and it's only twice a week for two hours each time.  She enjoyed the Early Childhood Program she attended in the states, so we thought this would be a good continuation.  Although it's taken a few weeks, I am happy to report that this is the first week that she eagerly walked into class, didn't request, "I go home," and showed her teacher a stick she picked up in the playground.  She didn't even look back at me!

Lydia is attending an international school called Sekolah Pelita Harapan (SPH) that is only about half a mile down the road from us.  It has pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and is a very rigorous school with a beautiful campus.  Every Tuesday and Thursday, in an attempt to get some exercise, I load the kids up in the stroller at 7:30 AM and make the trek down the road to the campus for the 8 AM start time.  It's a nice walk, and the humidity isn't too bad at that time of day.  Of course, I arrive sweaty and red-faced, even on the days I decide to walk to campus and save the jogging for the trip home.

Getting ready to head out.

Here we go! Elias looks a little worried.

Through the gate out of our taman.

Down the main road that leads to the school.

The lobby of the school.

Walking towards Lydia's part of campus.

Down the hall to the classroom.  Elias is a little blinded.

There's a wonderful playground and pool on campus.  The playground is probably the best one I've seen for kids Lydia's age, and the pool is beautiful.  We take advantage of both, especially on the weekend, since there aren't many parks around here.  After we arrive at school, Lydia plays on the playground for a few minutes, and then we go inside, hang up her backpack, get out her snack and water bottle, and say goodbye.

The path to the pool.

Lydia driving the car on the playground.

Elias and I jog home, and I have a little bit of time to myself if he decides to fall asleep in the stroller.  Pick-up is at 10 AM, so we load up the car and head back to school to get her at around 9:45.  It's so fun to see those kids' beaming faces when they walk down the hallway and see their parents.

There are three wonderful teachers in Lydia's class; a Filipino man and two Indonesian women. The class is taught in English. There are about 12 two and three year olds in the class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  They have time to play, they learn about a letter and the sound it makes, read books, eat snack, and sing songs.

Today we had a special treat and got to see daddy at lunch time.  He was at the school with his students who were doing observations, so we met up with him.

Daddy and Lydie walking through the Sr. High Canteen (Cafeteria). 

This is Elias' usual look (and Daddy's).

We had to tempt Lydia to look at the camera with the water bottle.  

And here they all are!

We're thankful for the opportunity for Lydia to attend this school, and we're thankful for a play area so close to home!