Kindergarten Kickoff

We went to the Wake County kindergarten kickoff yesterday. We got there right at 4:00, which is when it was supposed to start. I was surprised to find a line that reminded me of when Amanda and I went to see the Vatican. This line didn't wrap around the borders of a country, but it did go around the block. Fortunately, like that line this one moved pretty quickly.

It was a pretty neat experience for both of us, though it was a tad overwhelming for Lily. They had a live band playing some children's favorites. It was held at Marbles Kids Museum (nee Exploris), so there were lots of fun things for her to do. I'm very proud of the photo below. They have a giant chess set with a king that is probably 2 feet high. Of course, most of the kids just randomly threw pieces around, but now Lily nows how they all work. I had Lily take the starting square of the white queen. Fitting, no?

The highlights were that Lily got to go through the lunchline. I had her take her own tray, etc. I hope she will be OK opening the little cartons of milk as she may have trouble with that (I know I do). She ate her oversized nuggets, ate a few bites of mashed "potatoes," and ate a green bean under coersion. I think the whole thing really hit home with me when I watched her take her tray to the trash. She is turning into a big girl. This is good, but it's tough to watch sometimes.

She also got to board a real school bus (I don't remember air conditioning in ours) and she now has a library card. Plus, the various sponsors conspired to give out backpacks with school supplies in them. Not a ton of supplies, but it was enough to get someone going. It was worth going just for the backpack and the school supplies. She also got a t-shirt, but that may not fit her until 4th grade.