Leaving friends @ ps...

Ok, we are pulling our daughters out Thursday! (YAY!!!) we plan on doing a few things between now and June. June is when we are starting our actual books.

My question is, for those of you that had children in ps prior to homeschooling, how did you make the leaving their friends part easier? My oldest dd, 7 is very excited to hs but very very sad about leaving her friends. So much so that I know she's going to cry Thursday. It's a huge possibility that *I* will cry also because I know how it is having to leave friends behind (we moved alot growing up) my pre-K'er will be fine. But how do I make it easier on my 7 yo and myself Thursday?

[mem82]

I agree with everyone else. Good luck!

[usmom3]

 I like all of the great suggestions.

[superwoman0105]

We didn't say goodbye!  My son went to a private school where the parents had to know one another and be involved as part of the rules to be in the school.  So, when we started homeschooling, I got out the class list that all parents get at the start of the school year and I just told my son that we would have to make playdates with the friends he wanted to keep in touch with.  As it turns out, he really only misses one or two kids that we meet with, not 27 kids.  He now realizes that those other kids were not all friends, they were classmates, or people he learned in class with and he is ok with that.

[kirbymom]

Hi CowgirlMama.   :)  

Are you able to do playdates? Do any of the friends live nearby? Get togethers? You could meet up at the park and let the kids play there or go to the library. Here's a thought. You could pick a day where the friends come over and you have an activity planned out for them to do, like a specific arts and crafts project such as a favorite theme the girls like and would remember each other by as they grow up and get older.  You could even have a specific time after school where the girls get to call each other and talk for about 30 minutes or so, on such and such a day.