I don't even think it's "that" outside the box to use a hammer for a jigsaw puzzle, it's really pretty sensible.
When my DD went to preK, the 4 yr old program, it was supposed to be a choice of full or part time. I did part time, but as we found out after she was enrolled and attending, she was the only kid in the class who did that and the teacher kept pressuring me to let her stay all day because she said my DD leaving at lunch time was not good for her socially. So after the winter break I did enroll her full time, against my better judgement but with hope, and it was pretty much a disaster. She was too tired, they did handwriting after lunch (?!) and she just kept breaking down. She was a complete wreck when she came home. This did not do well for her socially. I wanted to put her back to mornings but the teacher was dead-set against it. Her idea was to keep plowing ahead and if DD was sent to the blue stool enough times, she'd get it into her head that she would behave and stick with the others.
I didn't agree, took her out of the school, and put her in a program that was a few mornings per week again.
Anyway we just keep trying and moving forward. The toddler/preschool days are really fun and precious when you look back on them, but they are hard when you're in the middle of it all and feel a bit isolated. Like this elderly lady said to me once (a complete stranger) "The days are long, but the years are short."
