A kid can forget a lot during the long, hot days of summer. As another batch of students begins school today, Globe Life talks to some new Grade 1s about what's ahead – and whether it's true that everything they really need to know they learned in kindergarten.
Gabrielle Hack, 6
Bessborough Drive Elementary and Middle School, Toronto
On what she learned in kindergarten: I learned how to read and the alphabet and numbers. I learned how to bowl because I went to a bowling area.
On what she's forgotten: I might have forgotten how to read but I still do know how to read.
On what she'll learn in Grade 1: I might learn how to read and write again, that's all I think I'll learn. But I am really good at monkey bars because I'm a monkey and yesterday at the park I was doing the monkey bars and sat on top of the monkey bars and I was like a monkey. My mother told me to get down from there. And I didn't even fall. I think I'll learn some sports in Grade 1. I hope it's basketball. I like playing basketball.
Emma Charles, 6
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School, Toronto
What she learned in kindergarten: Pretty much nothing. I learned the alphabet and the numbers: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29 and I want to stop now.
What she has forgotten: Nothing. I remember everything.
What she'll learn in Grade 1: I think writing will be most important.
The smartest person she knows: My teacher, Ms. Scott, because she teached us the alphabet and numbers.
Ian Le Quelenec, 6
Huron Street Public School, Toronto
What he learned in kindergarten: Math. How to count. I'm not sure what else I learned cause it was a while ago that I left.
What he's forgotten: I forgot a lot of stuff because I was only there in the morning. Except soccer class. That was my favourite thing.
What he'll learn in Grade 1: Reading. I had to read a chapter book [last year] That was really hard.
The smartest person he knows: My teacher, Mr. Gillis, because he made us do all the work.
Mia Palmer, 6
Hillcrest Community School, Toronto
What she learned in kindergarten: I don't really remember. But I know how to count to 100 and a little bit more. And I know the alphabet.
What she has forgotten: I can't remember.
What she'll learn in Grade 1: I'm excited because I want to learn the stuff in Grade 1. I think I'll learn how to read and write.
The smartest person she knows: My mom because she's a pharmacist and she knows a lot about medicines.
Nova Knisely-Carpenter, 6
Huron Street Public School, Toronto
What she learned in kindergarten: I learned how to read and make new friends. I learned how to be nice and how you shouldn't be mean to people.
What she has forgotten: I don't remember some of my friends as much.
What she'll learn in Grade 1: I think I am probably going to learn how to write and more reading.
The smartest person she knows: Me because I know lots of stuff.
Sacha Charity, 6
David Livingstone Elementary, Vancouver
What he learned in kindergarten: Patterns, math ... ducks and penguins. The emperor penguins are the biggest and the fairy penguins are the smallest.
What he's forgotten: That's hard. I have no idea. I can't remember.
What he'll learn in Grade 1: How to read.
The smartest person he knows: Miss Ongley, because she's a teacher. [She was his kindergarten teacher.]
Nathan Di Venanzo, 5
Mount Pleasant Elementary, Vancouver
What he learned in kindergarten: Fish.
What he's forgotten: (no answer)
What he'll learn in Grade 1: Dinosaurs.
The smartest person he knows: Mrs. Feng because she taught me how to read.
Janice Kok, 5
Howard De Beck Elementary, Richmond, B.C.
What she learned in kindergarten: Art
What she's forgotten: Nothing.
What she'll learn in Grade 1: Painting.
The smartest person she knows: The principal, Mr. Brook, and my friend Sacha because he knows how to play ball.
Stacey Kok, 5
Howard DeBeck Elementary, Richmond, B.C.
What she learned in kindergarten: Poems.
What she's forgotten: Some songs, some math.
What she'll learn in Grade 1: Homework
The smartest person she knows: Ms. Lau [teacher]because if she takes a cup and she has some water and she mixes it together, she makes a cupcake.
Mara Popa, 5
General Wolfe Elementary, Vancouver
What she learned in kindergarten: That's a long story, a really long story. The high points are super cool. I just learned tons of stuff – that's one of them.
What she's forgotten: Nothing – nah!
What she'll learn in Grade 1: I already told you, just what I learned here – it's always the same rules.
The smartest person she knows: I can't decide from my baby sister and me because she just copies me and sometimes she just sits there and doesn't do anything. I can't decide – really.
Grady Ainscough, 6
David Livingstone Elementary, Vancouver
What he learned in kindergarten: Well, mostly a bunch of stuff ... doing work – mazes and stuff.
What he's forgotten: A tiny bit of stuff. When I went to school I did all that stuff and I don't know if I know all of it.
What he'll learn in Grade 1: Mostly work on math and doing stuff that's really good to do and thinking.
The smartest person he knows: My friend John. Because he's like really smart and he's really good at math.
Madeleine White