Aleksi started kindergarten or "eskari" on Monday! He's been looking forward to that all summer, he even made a calendar to count down the days to the first day of Eskari.

In Finland all kids who turn 6 that year are entitled to a free half-day kindergarten to prepare them for school the following year. According to Emett, Finnish kindergarten is a little different from the American one, which is a little more like day care. In Finland kids have desks and even some home work. They learn to sit and concentrate for half an hour or so, they learn to wait for their turn and other important things one needs in school. They also do some exercises, learning to write letters and numbers etc, pretty simple stuff.

Aleksi has been really, I mean _really_ excited about doing exercises (writing, drawing etc.). However, the first two days have been kind of a let down: no exercises! No home work either! What's that all about? So I had to print out some exercises from the internet for him to do after he got home. I suppose I will have to buy him a kindergarten book for him to work on at home.

Anyway, since we live in the country side, 6 kms from the village center, the bus comes and picks up all the kids and takes them to school and back. Aleksi insisted on taking the bus on his own both Monday and today (and for the whole year, mom!). First day Emett drove to the school to meet him there, but today he made it there on his own. There is always someone (a teacher or an assistant) to meet the kids at the bus stop and to take them there after the school day is over, so the kids are safe and will make it to the bus. Aleksi has been a very independent and brave little trooper, taking the bus on his own! I am very proud of him for that. We could drop him off every morning, but he doesn't want us to, this is his own thing. I hope things continue to be interesting for him and he will always have that thirst for knowledge. It sure is a big help in school.