Susanna at 10 Months
Feb 20th, 2012 by ECM
Tommy’s Birthday Party
Feb 18th, 2012 by ECM
The treats! (Because our friend Ben is allergic to gluten, dairy, and eggs, we had to be creative with our treats. I went all over the place to find a car-shaped cookie cutter for the rice krispie treats, and I ended up having to buy a box of 101 cookie cutters at JoAnn’s. But they were a hit with all three of the boys!)
I got the idea for these pear/blueberry and apple/grape cars on pinterest!
Second candle of the day!
Standing Up to Celebrate
Fun with Ben and James
Yay for Tommy’s first outdoor birthday party!
Tommy Turns 5!
Feb 17th, 2012 by ECM
Happy Birthday, Tommy!
We started the morning with a truck-shaped pancake.
Then the traditional five new books for the five year old! This year I was smart and made sure they were all in English. Doesn’t he look so much like Derek in this picture?
And he also opened his present from Grandma and Grandpa Willett–a Mizzou hoodie! Go Tigers!
Tommy’s 5 Year Stats
Feb 16th, 2012 by ECM
Tommy and Susie had check-ups yesterday, and it only took us 1.5 hours. All three kids were gems (though as we left, Elizabeth asked, “Why didn’t I get a shot?”). We all had colds, so they weren’t able to finish his hearing test and just opted to give him two of the four shots he was due for, but we’ll go back next month and get the other shots and retest his ears. (Not that I’m concerned!) I forgot to get Susie’s stats written down, so I’ll have to call on those, but here are Tommy’s:
Height: 44.5 inches
Weight: 47.8 lbs
It’s true that the year from 4-5 has been much more eventful than 3-4. At his four year check-up, he’d only grown about an inch and gained a pound or two all year. In this past year, he’s grown five inches and gained 6 lbs! He’s in the 85th percentile for height and weight, which is pretty normal for him. His feet haven’t gone up a size in well over a year, but I’m prepared for them to shoot up one of these days. Dr. Antall was also pretty pleased with his development, coordination, and eating habits.
I mentioned yesterday how much he’s able to help me around the house, and he can do everything to dress himself except tie his shoes. His drawing skills have improved tremendously–he definitely can draw a better 3D car than me. See, a superhero Lightning McQueen:
Tommy’s Last Four Year Old Update
Feb 15th, 2012 by ECM
Since Tommy turns 5 on Friday, I thought I’d do a couple posts on him. Remember how, last year, I decided I was going to let Tommy start making his own sandwiches? Yeah, that kindof fizzled out because the mess was really getting to me. It was just so much quicker to do it myself. But in the past week or so, Tommy has offered to do it while I’m feeding Susanna. And he’s a lot better than he was 9 months ago. I can slice the bread and let him do the rest. He also folded (and put away) all the bath towels for me yesterday while I was running on the treadmill. Talk about multitasking!
This week at Legacy, the speaker said the best way to figure out your young child’s love language is to ask, “How do you know I love you?” So I asked Tommy, and he told me, “That you are with me.”
Me (puzzled): You mean I stay home and take care of you?
Tommy: Yeah.
Me: How else?
Tommy: That you read books to me.
Me: How else?
Tommy: That we play games with each other, like Gulo Gulo or Kids of Carcassonne.
Me: How do you know that Daddy loves you?
Tommy: He plays games with me, like soccer, and we do circuit boards together.
I’d say this kid is a classic Quality Time boy! It makes sense, because I’m a QT girl, myself. This probably explains part of why both of us look forward to homeschooling so much–we get to spend time together!
Lastly, Tommy has come up to me several times in the past week or two and just told me, “I love you, Mommy!” I know he’s going to grow up and get tough and all, but I really hope that he never outgrows telling me that!
Stats and such tomorrow…
My Little Valentines
Feb 14th, 2012 by ECM
Anything is a Phone
Feb 13th, 2012 by ECM
I knew that boys made anything (sticks, duplos, sandwiches) into weapons. But I guess I’ve never been a big phone girl myself, so it’s been enlightening to discover that girlie-girls will make anything into a phone. During dinner the other night, Elizabeth talked to Tommy (seated next to her) on her fork phone, to Daddy (not yet home) on her cup phone, and Grace (the little girl who had come over that morning) on her fritatta phone. The best phones, of course, are my real cast-offs, but a calculator or remote control will do in a pinch.
(and yes, after I took this picture, I put this shirt in the outgrown pile…)
Comment Reply Notification
Feb 10th, 2012 by DTM
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Sometimes Bible Study Nursery is a Rough Place
Feb 10th, 2012 by ECM
Gaming for children
Feb 9th, 2012 by DTM
A board game is a little different from an ordinary toy. It generally requires two or more individuals to play, when many toys work well with just one. It usually has a set of rules to follow, unlike more creative toys that invite a greater imagination. It occurs over a set period of time (that is, until a player wins), rather than an indefinite period of time. It’s more like a puzzle or a sport than a box of blocks or a container of Legos.
But, we like games. And we’ve had some time to think about how kids learn to play board games.
Take Candy Land. No reading is required. You need to be able to count to two. You need to know your colors. That’s about it.
But, it has a number of notable traits. Imagine playing a game, any game, ever, for the very first time. You probably don’t even remember what that was like when you were a child. But recognize all the things you have to know when playing a game as simple as this one: Turn order (each person takes a card, going around in a circle clockwise, one at a time); turn operation (drawing a card, following instructions, moving a piece); movement (as in, “forward,” away from the start and toward the finish); goals (reaching the end before anyone else); and, of course, coping with winning or losing.
You learn that certain events are better than others (e.g., cards that have two squares let you move farther than cards that have one square). You learn that events can happen depending on where you land (e.g., shortcuts). You learn that there are cards that are highly variable and whisk you forward or backward a great many spaces.
Of course, there is literally no skill or strategy involved. The game is entirely based on chance. So the game is very good at one thing (i.e., teaching basic elements of game play or operating within a set of rules), but very bad at another (i.e., teaching critical thinking or strategy). Strategy takes many forms, often involving a high level of interaction. Strategy may require that you evaluate between choices and make a decision to improve your opportunity to win the game. Strategy may require that you persuade another player to behave in a particular way. Strategy may require that you react to how other players make decisions on their turns.
And that’s not just important when it comes to what children learn. It can be quite important for us parents playing games, too. A pure chance-based game becomes boring quickly.
So, what games have elements of strategy that young children learn, that interest parents, and that remain competitive for children despite an age or skill difference?
I hope to blog about a few of our gaming experiences as we’ve tried a handful of games beyond Candy Land, and point to ones that are good for young children and parents alike.