he's got no class...

...and I couldn't be happier!

The children's museum was offering a Mom-n-Me preschool class in their new exhibit (on Long Island Sound, which is a really cool topic and a really cool exhibit!) for the next several Mondays, just at the right time to coincide with the Homeschool classes J is taking at the same facility. I thought Zoo Boy might enjoy the class (I still think he would, and I know I would!), but he was having nothing to do with it, so we didn't sign up.

Yesterday, during the time we would have been in class, he hooked up with several other homeschooled boys his age and the group of them had a blast playing together in the museum's farm exhibit. They gathered vegetables and used the pulley system to bring them up to the hay loft where they pretended to eat them and get into food fights with them, then brought some to the play kitchen where they pretended to cook them then eat them and toss them around some more. They laughed and ran and made disgusting noises together. We Moms all smiled from a safe enough distance to avoid flying plastic food, muttering to oursleves and each other "Boys!"

At one point Zoo Boy dressed up like a chicken, and his "partner" (as he called him) dressed up like a horse. The other boys pretended to go to sleep, and Zoo Boy would crow like a rooster to wake them up in the "morning". Not sure what the horse did in that scenario (other than look cute, and that little guy was TOTALLY cute!).

Eventually we moved outdoors, as it was time for J's soccer class. Still at a time we would have been in the Mom-n-Me class, Zoo Boy (in the green coat with the blue hood) hooked up with a different group of kids and had another hour filled with fun, running, laughter, and no doubt more disgusting noises, although there were girls involved this time too (but when did boys ever care whether or not girls heard their disgusting noises?).

J (in the green shirt) playing soccer with others from his class. He too is enjoying being part of a large group of running, playing, noise-making boys (and the class is made up mostly of boys, although there are a few girls to bring a bit of dignity -- well, actually, those girls are more rough-and-tumble than some of the boys!). But even though J's class was a planned physical education activity, it's a toss up as to which boy got more exercise during that time frame.

I'll never question the kids' inner wisdom about whether or not a class situation is right for them. As much as J loves the structure and predictability of a class set-up, Zoo Boy flourishes with a more fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants approach. Class or not, I'm happy to allow them the freedom to decide how they best will grow and learn.