A Different Kind of Kindergarten Prep

Most of the late spring, Tim and I discussed whether Lillie and Dani should be together or separated for kindergarten. I did a lot of reading, as I do, and discovered two things: separation has benefits and hindrances depending on the children, and schools should not have a blanket policy either way. Thankfully, our school does not have a blanket policy, and Tim and I made an appointment with the principal to discuss Lillie and Dani being placed in the same classroom.

Of course, the principal wanted them to be separated. She even brought in another principal who happened to also have twin girls to help her case. The meeting was great; we learned a lot about the school and the staff and came out of it deciding that we still wanted the girls to be in the same class.

But we're not the ones going to school, right? So we asked Lillie and Dani.

Dani immediately said she wanted to be in a different class "so I can keep my friends secret." Ha. That's a discussion for another day.

Lillie was reluctant. She wanted to be with Dani. We talked to her about meeting new friends and seeing Dani before and after school. She said she was OK with it, but I still think she's a bit sad that her sister wants to be separated.

When they first began daycare, they talked about missing me all day. I started drawing hearts on their arms so they could look at the heart and remember me.  I wanted to do something similar so they could think about each other during the school day in kindergarten.

They both love jewelry, so I decided on charm bracelets. Off to the craft store!

Lillie picked purple beads (of course), and Dani picked these yellow-ish ones. They both agreed on the silver beads. The plan was to get L, D, and ampersand charms so they could each wear initials, but I couldn't find any Ls. (This is constantly a problem. Why are Ls so popular?) We settled on just using the ampersand charms.

Side note: I had at one point considered getting an ampersand tattoo in honor of them, so the charms seemed extra fitting in my eyes.

I considered making the bracelets for them and presenting them on the first day of school, but I quickly realized that presented two problems. One, what if they didn't like the design I chose? Two, a brand new piece of jewelry on the first day of kindergarten seems like an unnecessary annoyance. Letting them choose the beads and the design AND making them ahead of time seemed like the better way to go.

I was hoping they'd make each other's bracelet, but they preferred making their own. They definitely worked hard and concentrated on making them just right.

Here's the finished product. I think they really like them! (And if bracelets end up being too much of a hassle, my next project will be a necklace.)

Is there anything you do for your kids to remember each other or you while they're at school?