Math Fun July 7, 2009

I had a million things to do and two kids seeking adventures. What to do?

One of the tasks that was on my list of things to do was making snack mix. Elijah has recently unlocked the keys to reading and is loving practicing all over the place and Sadie loves to cook. I wrote the recipe down on a dry-erase board, set out the ingredients, and all of the measuring cups and they set to work. It came out delicious.

A little while later, the kids could be heard counting heads vs. tails flips in Elijah’s room. I wrote ‘heads’ and ‘tails’ on a dry-erase board and handed it over. They continued to flip and tally looking at probability.

They were engaged and happy. I got some ’stuff’ done and we reconvened to play together.

Approaching the NETT July 7, 2009

Recently I picked up a promotional card for a tennis clinic put on by the Northeast Tarrant Tennis Association (NETT). Elijah immediately became very excited and said decidedly that he wanted to attend. This was shocking from a child that generally avoids structured learning situations of any kind. In the days that led up to the clinic, his excitement continued. He could not wait to play tennis! Sadie- the child who will attend and be enthusiastic about anything and everything- was thrilled to have been invited to join as well even though she was slightly below the minimum age listed.

The kids and their partners practice tossing a bean bag back and forth on their racquets for hand-eye coordination.

It was a 2-hour clinic in the afternoon on a 100-degree Texas day but the kids didn’t seem to mind. They had a great time with these instructors learning to play tennis through lots of fun games. Elijah’s excitement about tennis continued and he requested more opportunities to play. We attended another NETT clinic 2 weeks later at a different location with different instructors. It was mayhem due to an overwhelming turnout of children. Elijah’s excitement, however, could not be dampened. Observing these two different experiences, it was obvious the type of learning environment that would continue to fuel his love for the game for as long as he decided. The country club where the first clinic was held has drop-in sessions twice a week. Elijah has attended 3 weeks in a row and says every week that this class was the best ever. There are 3-5 kids in the classes depending on the day and the instructor is lively and witty. The children giggle and play nonstop doing hand-eye coordination, stamina, and ball handling exercises. Elijah says, “Mama, I love playing tennis lessons.”

Collaborative Art July 7, 2009

The boys were playing Wii. What were the girls to do? We decided we could make art together. Colored pencils and a giant piece of paper were brought out to the patio. What started as a drawing of the corner of the yard, the pond, the bird feeders became a much more interesting scene including the two of us and several cats. Fun!

Happy 8th Birthday, Declan! June 24, 2009

Our friend Declan turned 8! The kids declared that there was no better kind of birthday party than one that included bowling, pizza, AND an arcade. Wow!

There was much preparation to be done. We bought him this book on making paper airplanes (which we have and love). The kids suped up the gift by adding a couple of little Tech Deck items for our skateboarding friend. They spent the morning making cards for him. Dry-erase boards are one of our favorite things around here. We have 2 upstairs and 2 down now for the little writers to visualize the words they want to write and then follow along with the letters as they write themselves.

There was bowling but it was dark and the pics are not so good. The kids love to bowl and it takes quite a while b/c each ball rolls at an incalculably low rate of speed. One could forget who rolled the ball by the time it reaches the pins.

Pizza! When the pizza was offered up, Elijah was excited that there was pepperoni available. We had talked previously that there may be just cheese… He told me later (repeatedly) that all you had to do if you wanted pepperoni was raise your hand! Soda choices were given by the hostess at which point Elijah and Sadie looked at me anxiously because their drink of choice had not been offered. Saved by the ever-present water bottle in the purse. Too funny.

I love this picture. Happy birthday dear Declan!

This was the only arcade picture that came out. Main Event gave each child at the party a $5 arcade game card to go and play video games. Excitement abounded. Sadie felt that this was her favorite part. “I really like that they gave me this card.” (repeat, repeat, repeat)  Everyone had a blast. Thanks for the great day, Quinn family and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DECLAN!!

 

Feeling Wild June 23, 2009

It’s been a year since our Ft. Worth Zoo membership ran out. Lately we’ve been missing it!

A napping lioness, tortoises who appeared to have been mating (I didn’t take a picture of them- that would have been rather intrusive), quibbling hyacinth macaws, juvenile flamingos, a mother/child orangutan couplet cuddling, and a request to look up further information on the differences between crocodiles and alligators- these were just the tip of the iceberg during our first visit with our friends Christine, Anna, Gretchen, and Alejandro.

Shortly thereafter, we were enticed to visit again with our friends, the Quinns. A new membership is in order. We renewed. The beauty of the membership is that there is no pressure to cover the enormous grounds in one day. The children are free to focus and wander. It really just makes for a lovely, leisurely, learning adventure. The Quinn/Parent endeavor set sail for the area called Texas Wild!- an entire section of the zoo devoted to the abundant wildlife that inhabits the various areas of the Texas landscape.

We stopped for lunch and spraying on the way.

The interactive stations in Texas Wild! are so fun. Here the kids listen to discussions of and differentiation between the big cats of Texas.

This was cool! The kids stood in front of this for a long time analyzing how prairie dogs dig their tunnels and (with tremendous instinctual intelligence) utilize the different rooms for different purposes. Then we turned around and were face to face with a prairie dog! We could clearly see the entrance to its tunnels- fantastic!

Sadie and Elijah could have constructed this area with all of the time that they have spent analyzing pollution issues and conservation lately. Here Sadie looks at what alligators eat (i.e. fish vs. tires). We highly recommend setting your DVR to record Captain Planet. Though the episodes aired first-run between 1990-1992, the content (pollution, conservation, war, genocide, over-population, etc.) continues to be relevant. It’s sad, actually, to consider that the significant threats to our planet and humanity that were impactful 15 years ago continue with very little action to improve them. Will this new generation- many of whom are self-directed learners functioning consciously in society- develop new ideas and have the wherewithall to infiltrate the current political infrastructure such that positive change can be had?

Toad Times June 23, 2009

Since putting in the backyard pond, we seem to have a toad that has taken up residence. We also haven’t found any dead toads in the pool which is an added benefit. We were late to a playdate on this day because the toad play was just too wonderful. The kids were so gentle and were absolutely loving it. Eventually they set him into the herb garden and we headed off.

Around the same time, we went to Casa Manana for the last presentation of the year- A Year with Frog and Toad! It was as great as we had hoped. Sadie is still singing, “Toad looks funny in a bathing suit…” and giggling.

It’s spring in Texas! This means torrential rains periodically with exciting thunder and lightning. One such storm lasted about 15 hours which is extraordinarily long in an area where, though dramatic, they usually blow over rather quickly. I finally ventured out into the yard at about hour 13 (after an evening of tornadoes touching down all around the area) because the pool was getting ready to overflow and needed to be diverted into the driveway. Sadie followed in her galoshes and windbreaker (neither of were of any assistance in the downpouring rain) and we noted that the little pond was also overflowing and several of the fish were going out of bounds. While netting the fish into a bucket to save them until the rain subsided, Sadie spotted the toad (we assumed the same one) once again looking for shelter. It ended up huddling next to the electrical box behind the pond.

That’s all I have on toads at the moment but we did seem to have a toad jag going on.

Yoga Mama June 23, 2009

Sadie enjoys trying new things with her body. She often will mimic my movements while I do Pilates. Periodically she gets yoga DVDs from the library. She seems to like the focus and breathing involved as well which may eventually be a tool for her to call on for emotional balance.

Mother’s Day 2009 June 23, 2009

After receiving two beautiful plants and a solar pond fountain from my children and husband on Mother’s Day morning, I was asked what I would like to do this day. I decided a lovely bike/rollerblade excursion through the park was my wish!

While Chris and I loaded the wagon, the kids saw the opportunity to bestow some art on the back of Daddy’s car. Time for a wash!

The geese/ducks weren’t hungry….

…but the squirrels were! We fed bread to several squirrels along the way.

All in all, we enjoyed about 6 miles on the bike trails at Bear Creek Park. We stopped for snacks and creekside exploration at the halfway point. It was a fantastic morning followed by lunch out and a family movie afternoon. Happy Mother’s Day!

Taste of Addison June 22, 2009

Texas abounds with festivals in the spring when the weather is just perfect for being outside. We love Taste of Addison for the great food, shwag from vendors, and the awesome evening bands at a great price ($5 each if you get in before 5 PM). We didn’t know how this would work with the kids but decided to try to get there just before 5 PM (to escape paying $10 each) and then stay to see Bowling for Soup at 9 PM. How did we kill 4 hours?

Just near the entrance was the carnival area. Of course, the kids wanted to go there! There were way-too-expensive rides ($4 each???), lights, loud music, and funnel cakes (which suck Chris and I in every time- it’s the TX version of fried dough). Sadie needs her dose of thrill every now and then so Chris and I flip over who will have to overcome their vertigo and accompany her. I won! I won! Here we are taking an $8 absolutely horribly put together and run by someone who looked like they hadn’t slept all night roller coaster ride. I could feel every bolt on the track.

Here, Elijah enjoys the view of the ride from the safety of the wagon while Chris photographs my terror.

We ate from a few of the vendors (restaurants from Addison- which apparently has the most restaurants per capita in this area) then ran and played while jamming to the bands playing.

As the crowd filled in for the main acts, we tossed down our picnic blanket, tickled, wrestled, and sucked on lollipops as we waited.

9 PM- Bowling for Soup!!! The witching hour upon us, it was the moment of truth. Would the children crumble and request to go home? No way! Not once. We were shocked and excited. Both kids loved this musical experience in their own ways. They laughed at the childish humor of the lead singer and chatted about song lyrics. The wobbled and weaved and bobbed to the music.

Sadie rode shoulders most of the show for a better view.

Elijah preferred to listen to the music from a lower vantage point. All of us had a tremendous time! We were home at 11:30 PM with two children already deep into REM. Live music- watch out! We’ve hit our stride.

Spontaneous Fun! June 12, 2009

Our friends Ehlayna and Ethan came over to play!

We took a wiggle car over to the playground but somehow ended up here… How does this always happen? The drainage area is way more interesting than the prefab. playset!

There was lots of dam building going on today. The kids were carting rocks from different areas then using mud to seal the cracks between the rocks.

Then back to our house for some good, clean swimming fun! It was a wonderful day.