Our Shilton Boys // September 2020

September marked the start of the new school year and Olly started Year 3. The new school year meant change for us all with the new school routine; early mornings, packed lunches, ironing clothes again and concentrating on 5+ hours of school work for the first time in months. It’s been a huge change for Olly and for us all but he’s coped really well.

Hello Year 3

In light of the pandemic, Olly’s school have made several adjustments. His Year 3 class are a bubble of 30 children and they have a staggered start time in the morning. They also have a staggered end time so that there isn’t a huge number of parents at the school gate at any one time. We’re also not allowed on the playground so we have to wave goodbye at the gate. Once they’re in class, they are all sitting in lines and have to stay in their allocated seat. This is a difficult change as Olly’s so used to being surrounded by a group of his friends on a table that now he only has two children, one either side to talk to.

The children are eating their packed lunches in their classroom which is also a huge change. Last year Olly had the free school meal that the school cooked for him but in Year 3, he can take in a packed lunch or we can pay for a cooked meal for him. He’s opted for a packed lunch everyday so that’s what we’ve been making him. So far, so good. He’s having a plain ham sandwich (his choice!) with cucumber sticks, strawberries, a yogurt pouch and a packet of crisps. He’s also taking in an extra drink which seems to be helping him drink more throughout the day.

For the first week or so, Olly got upset going into school. It’s a huge change after spending six months at home with your Mum and younger brother to be suddenly thrust back into school life where he has to follow stricter rules and concentrate more. Thankfully the tears in the morning didn’t last long and he’s been going into school the last couple of weeks with a big smile on his face. I am so proud of him. He’s really embraced being back at school and accepted all the changes with ease.

Missing his big brother

With Olly being back at school, it’s just me and Freddie throughout the day. Freddie has really missed his big brother immensely. He’s always asking if it’s time to pick him up from school and tells Olly that he misses him. It’s actually very cute but my two year old is growing up so quickly it’s frightening! At the end of the month, we’re starting our phonics sessions again. They’re educational classes for pre-schoolers so they’re allowed to run with all the covid / social distancing measures in place. I’m really looking forward to it as Freddie has developed lots since we last went.

Precious family time

At weekends we are aiming to spend more time together as a family. This weekend we drove up to north Wales and had a day at the seaside. Both the boys really loved being by the sea and we spent the afternoon at West Shore Beach. The boys played in the sand dunes, digging for treasure in the sand, looking for shells and spotting sealife in the pools of water. It was such a lovely afternoon to see them both happy, smiling and enjoying the sunshine. Just what we all needed.