Juhee's Preschool Prep

Oh my goodness! I think it was one of the most stressful things we've had to do so far. There were SO many things that needed to be done!

How many people does it take to send one child to preschool??? Well, in our case, several. Pastor Kitano went with us to Samuel Yochien, Juhee's preschool, back in Dec to introduce us, for us to look around, to reserve a spot for Juhee, and receive necessary enrollment related paperwork. Then, Junko-san (1st pic)

helped me with some of the forms and with the prep list - there were so many different types of bags, cups, bento boxes (single layer rectangular shape only), towels with hooks, smocks with hooks, indoor shoes, etc items! Then, Yoko-san (2nd pic) helped me with some other forms that came through the mail AND handmade all of Juhee's bags + "lunch mat" + summer smock + "dust rag" (mandatory one per child)! And then there's Aoki-san, Junko-san's friend, whose son is in the same class as Juhee and helps me with all of the many letters that have been coming our way since Feb as she speaks English. Then of course there's little me at home trying to figure at least some things out on my own... @@

(Just some of the paperwork that had to be completed before she entered preschool.)

Juhee has a total of EIGHT bags. Three of them were given by the school - her brown school backpack, her yellow library book bag, and a small pouch specifically for prescribed medication. Then she has a bag for her indoor shoes, for her (o)bento, for her spare clothes, for her artwork, and one for her cup. The big bag for her artwork is to be taken to school every Monday morning with her indoor shoes & bag inside. They're brought back home every Friday and I think I'm supposed to clean the indoor shoes every weekend. Her cup and the bag for her cup travel to and from preschool everyday in her brown backpack as does her hand towel. I think I'm supposed to change the towel to a new one and clean her cup everyday... I'm still trying to figure things out.

(Before and after pics of the matching handmade items that Yoko-san made for Juhee, not including the summer smock.)

Apparently, most moms make their children's bags for preschool. The schools provide a sheet which lists all of the necessary prep items including the bags needed and their set dimensions. And apparently, most homes in Japan have sewing machines!

The cup, by the way, is not for drinking out of, 'cause they provide cups for drinking out of at the school. The cup that she takes and brings back is the one they use to gargle with after they've played outside. Ever since the SARS outbreak a few years ago, all schools (so I've been told) have implemented a gargling procedure where all kids gargle after playing outside as they believe that this helps to stop the spread of SARS. Apparently some Japanese people do it when they enter your home so they don't inadvertently give you their SARS germs. Leave the germs outside, is the philosophy behind the procedure.

She has two badges - one is her name badge which is pinned onto her shirt every morning (I wish I didn't have to 'cause I feel like I'm damaging all of her tops). The other is her school bus badge. She also has a school hat which she has to wear everyday (and is too big for her). The school badge and hat are the same color - blue - and is an easy identifier as to her classroom.

I had to write her name in Japanese on e~verything, but also had to iron on a few "symbols" (the rabbit on her hat) for her on her indoor shoes, backpack, and hat. I also had to draw and color in a symbol (the horrible orange cat in paperwork-related pic above) for her locker, etc so she can easily identify her own stuff. This is because 3(-5) year olds aren't expected to be able to read their own names yet, but Juhee can write her name in English (since she was 2 and a half) and can read it in Japanese. She can write it too with a bit of help thanks to Michelle Yamashita's Yamashita Family Child Care (link).

There were so so so many things I had to do and it was hard because it was all new to me, there was so much of it, and I wanted to do things right! I'm SO glad the prep stage is over. It'll be easier next time around. Thank God for all of the helpers He brought into my life! Phew!!! :)