Sam Rocks the International School of Neuchatel

As I've mentioned before Sam is really liking his new school here in Neuchatel, he hardly ever complains about going which is surprising especially as he is now attending school every morning for almost 4 hours. The Montessori system has been a great fit for him and even though most of the kids speak French, the language barrier has not been too much of a problem. In each classroom there is both an English-speaking and a French-speaking teacher and the lessons are taught in a 50/50 split.

The drop-off process is very interesting. The parents wait out in a "foyer" type room and the kids walk down a hallway, take off their shoes, put on their school slippers and then greet their teacher with a "Bonjour" and a handshake before entering the classroom. It is very calm and civilized and quiet. All of the parents wait patiently for their kids to complete this process and then they leave. Sometimes it can take up to 10 minutes or so for the kids to dawdle and get their act together and shoes on and it has been consistently amazing to me how patient the parents are. Just waiting, standing, and always quietly encouraging. I usually feel as if I'm the most impatient especially as I'm generally holding a squirming Baby Dean in my arms and just wishing he'd get his shoes on the right foot the first time for once. :-).

As a side note, I have to mention how amazing it is to see the men participate in not only this process but in the child rearing in general. I would say that for the drop-offs and note this is a huge school which goes all the way up to about the 6th grade, at least half of the parents are men. Even with multiple children! I have seen more men here wearing Ergo or baby type carriers than I have ever seen in my life. The egalitarian-ness of this is awesome!

In any case, it's been wonderful to see Sam grow and begin to assert his independence and even finally learn how to put on his own shoes! He was never interested in doing so before.

Last week I had the special opportunity to attend a Mother's Day Tea in Sam's class. It was very sweet to see the kids serving tea, coffee and cakes (which they mostly ate, especially my deprived Sam) to all of their mama's. :-)

Where all the action occurs: (chic mama's breaking rules and standing in hallway after tea). That's another thing about the drop-off, no workout gear or frumpy clothing allowed. I'm pretty sure this is an unwritten rule. They hardly even wear jeans here.

Such a big boy!

Mother's Day Tea Place Setting:

Serving Mama.

At tea together, he was so proud of himself!

When 1 treat isn't enough....

Today Sam and I baked seriously delicious carrot and zucchini bars, even though we had to improvise with the ingredients. Can't find baking powder over here or proper brown sugar among other items. I've included a link to the recipe below as it was so worth trying. In any case my little anti-zucchini but baking-loving boy ate them up!

My ambitious little baker!

Carrot & Zucchini Bars Recipe:

http://realmomkitchen.com/7878/carrot-and-zucchini-bars-with-lemon-cream-cheese-frosting/

Much Love,
Lilli & Boys