bike ride

It seems Spring is officially here in the Southwest, and we're running around in shorts and sandals. (Sorry to all of you still stuck in never-ending winter...you can make us jealous with your nice, cool summers in a couple of months.)

We went for a bike ride on our street over the weekend. My son can now reach the pedals on his tricycle, but he hasn't quite mastered pedaling yet and needs a little help from Dad.

 

Once he gets going, he's a happy guy. He's also pretty good at walking his feet along the ground to keep himself moving.

 

This is how it usually ends... although not for long, I bet. Once he figures out how to pedal by himself, I don't think we'll be able to get him off of it.

For now, thanks, Daddy!

things you might need for an outing if you are two years old

We all went to the park this weekend. I sat in the back seat of the car and took the opportunity to get a few photos of my little guy. He was very serious.

 

He was also very prepared. He brought his water, bouncy ball, chapstick, and a paintbrush. You know, just in case.  

 

i love this book: The Complete Adventures of Curious George

My son has a new obsession: the "Complete Adventures of Curious George" book he received a couple weeks ago. I love this book for turning him into a total bookworm.

He's liked Curious George for a while, but I think there are two reasons this book has turned him into a reading-obsessed toddler.

First, the book has over 400 pages, which is certainly a new experience for him. He could spend hours just turning the pages on his own.

Second, the book comes with two cds that narrate the stories. He sets up his book and cd player and reads. He doesn't seem to need to be on the same page in the book as the audio narration; he just reads at his own pace, going back and forth between the audio and book.

The book weighs nearly three pounds, but he lugs it around the house. He prefers to keep it at the end of his bed while he's sleeping. He reads it in the morning, the afternoon, before nap, and before bedtime. He reads it at 2 am when he can't sleep because his parents gave him too much ice cream after dinner. (Note to self: never again.)

He reads the book with me, asking me to tell him what each page says. The book includes a story about the alphabet, and he asks what the letters are and what they stand for. I love that this book is getting him so interested in learning about reading.

He reads it by himself. Sometimes he wants to me to sit next to him and read something else while he reads and listens to Curious George.

He's compulsive about his reading. Although I've introduced him to the wonderful world of bookmarks, he very much prefers to read the book cover-to-cover. It takes a while.

He used to want me to rest with him for eons at bedtime. Now, if I don't want to read all 400 pages with him, he tells me to leave. So he can finish reading his "monkey book" in peace.



He took the book with us on our last walk. He even cut the walk short because he needed to get back and read with the cds.



I don't know if this book will have the same effect on your child, but I couldn't be happier about the love of reading that it has inspired in mine.

Suggested age range: 4 - 8 years per Amazon (my son is 2-1/2)

Author's Note: The opinions in this book review are solely my own. I received no incentive or compensation for writing this review.

concentration

I just finished reading "Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius" (Angeline Stoll Lillard), and I've been thinking about one of the topics discussed in the book: concentration. One of the primary objectives of the Montessori method is to help children develop the ability to concentrate on tasks, which is thought to enhance learning.  It makes sense to me that you can gain a greater understanding of something if you can delve deeply into it. The quote that caught my attention is that "once concentration is established, the teacher must endeavor not to disturb the child." So once a child has gotten focused on something, the teacher's job is simply to make sure the child is not interrupted so they can fully immerse themselves in their task.

Concentrating on his work

Personally, I find concentration to be difficult. At work, I'm distracted from what I'm working on by phone calls, e-mails, interruptions by coworkers, and meetings (and maybe some blogs I haven't checked since, like, an hour ago).

At home, both my toddler and my smartphone almost constantly demand that my attention shift from one thing to the next.  It seems to me that, over time, this type of distracted-attention lifestyle has reduced my ability to concentrate.  The result is that now it's not just that I don't have the time to focus on something, but that when I do have the time, my mind wanders so easily. I'm always thinking about what's next or what else I should be doing or what I need to add to the grocery list.

How important is the ability to concentrate?  I consider it to be very important. I want to have conversations with people where my mind doesn't start to wander as soon as they start talking about themselves. I want to be able to develop the kind of knowledge that comes from studying something deeply. I want to immerse myself in something so completely that everything around me falls away, leaving only me and my task. I want to really focus on my son while we are playing together and be present in the moment. For me, concentration is both life-enriching and immensely enjoyable.

So how does one increase one's ability to concentrate? I don't know. Montessori school is probably not an option for me. Meditation? More time spent on activities that inspire concentration in me?  Coffee?

I feel I could take a lesson from my son, who dives headfirst into concentration on a daily basis. When something sparks his interest, he doesn't put it off until he's done with some half-completed chore. He gets down to business with complete focus, and there are few things that can distract him from his task. He takes the time he needs, and when he's satisfied with his work, he puts it down and moves on.

What do you think? When do you concentrate the best?

i did nothing

The other day, I got home early from work and had a couple of extra hours before dinner. Here's what I wanted to do:
- Start the laundry
- Put away the clean dishes
- Read the mail
- Download photos from my camera

Here's what I got done:
- Nothing.

Or a lot, actually. My son and I played outside for two straight hours. Here's what we did:
- Read a book, slowly and in detail, and discussed it
- Jumped up and down
- Made funny faces at Bumpa through the window
- Ran away from our backyard "alligator," a.k.a. the grilling tongs
- Hugs, kisses, and tickles
- Got mad, had timeout, gave mutual apologies
- More hugs, kisses, and tickles
- Threw a new bouncy ball for my son to catch while in his swing
- Pretended to get knocked over by said swing (this joke never gets old)
- Sang "Happy Birthday to Me" and a song about spoons that my son taught me
- Laughed. A lot.

It's so hard for me to put aside my to-do list. But when I do, I end up with so much more than a clean kitchen or a check mark on my list. At the end of those two hours, my heart was filled with joy and love.

I took three photos during our afternoon of fun. They were all terrible. My son was too busy making the "alligator" pick up the bouncy ball to pose with me. So I put the camera away and got back to doing everything important.

spontaneous spring bunnies

It was raining last Saturday, so I decided a craft was in order.  The idea of making Spring bunnies got his attention.

This was definitely a spontaneous activity. I didn't have a plan or any materials prepared. I had a vague idea of what a bunny looks like, and that's about it. I started grabbing stuff out of our pantry and craft bins, trying to pull something together before he lost interest altogether. Paper plates, colored paper, googly eyes, glitter glue- check!

And you know what? It worked out. We both had a blast. I sincerely admire those creative ladies who plan, organize, and put so much thought into the activities they do with their kids. I love their blogs, their wonderful craft ideas, and their amazing photos. I usually plan our activities, too. But there is also nothing wrong with the grab-and-go method. As long as I'm spending good quality time with my son and providing him with different experiences and materials to work with, I'm happy.

He really loved the glitter glue. It was easy for him to use, and the colors were fantastic. And it was less messy than regular glitter.

 Let's pause for hand sanitizer.

More glitter glue.

When he got one bunny done, he asked to make another. (Success!)

I made the ears and stapled them on where he told me to put them, but he did the rest. I'm so proud of him!

i'm afraid it won't come up

My son and I planted paper white bulbs the other day.

A week later, here is what mine look like:

 

And here is what his looks like:

 

Nothing. At all. What kind of mom sets her child up for horticultural failure?
 

 

When I ask him if he wants to water his flower, he looks confused and asks, "Mom, where mine flower?" Touché, Little Man. Where is your flower, indeed.

In all fairness, my bulbs were planted last year and flowered a couple times, while his was an extra that didn't fit in the pot, so it has spent quite a few months in a box in the laundry room. This all started when I noticed that my bulbs were starting to grow again. They were also in the laundry room. How they managed to grow in the absence of natural light and water is unknown to me, because I've always heard those are important. Perhaps it is a miracle.

Another miracle is what we need here, my friends. I'm having daily panic attacks à la "The Carrot Seed": you know, the book where the little boy plants a carrot seed and everyone tells him "it won't come up." What if nothing ever grows from his bulb? Will he be devastated? Will he even notice? Should I replace the bulb with one of mine, or use it as an opportunity to talk about how things don't always work out?

 

Maybe it doesn't even matter. This sweet boy is so proud of himself for successfully pouring water from a measuring cup onto his bulb. And that's enough for me.

in search of a puddle

It doesn't rain often here in the Southwest, so when it does, we make the most of it. We run to the windows to watch the rain and lightning. Exalt in the sight of clouds. Get the kids outside for their annual chance to use the umbrella.

It rained here the other night, so we made sure to get out for a walk after breakfast. The clouds were low over the mountains, and the smell of freshness was delicious.

We lived in Portland, OR for a couple years, so we know rain. Oregon is so beautiful... and so rainy! Now that we're back, I sometimes feel a little nostalgic for those cozy, gloomy days. That makes our rainy days a little sweeter for me.

We walked down our street in search of a puddle.

Found one.