four beetles - two kids

Sarah picked up these beetles at a park yesterday. While we were admiring her find, she said, "One was on top of the other. The smaller one was on top. They must have been playing follow the leader." I didn't explain to her that beetles don't know how to play that game. Instead I agreed with her. "Yes, probably. They were playing follow the leader."

Today, Eric noted a similar situation. He told me that the two beetles he picked up were like magnets. "Look, Mommy, see, they like magnets." I asked him why he thought they were similar. He said, "They hard to pull apart."

two butterflies

The kids and I went to Duke Gardens the other day and we saw a butterfly, among other things. While I took a zillion photos of it, and Eric tried to feed his apple to some nearby turtles, Sarah sat down and drew the butterfly. I'm not sure which I like better, the real one or her drawing of it. Of course, I am a little biased. (Anyone want to clarify for me - is it a swallowtail?)

Word Choice (Sarah)

Brian and the kids were cleaning up the playroom the other day. (Thank you, Brian!) Sarah took it upon herself to let the boys know who should pick up which toys. Wanting them to do something, she said, "Attention, I have an adjustment to make!" Brian first explained what "announcement" meant, and then "adjustment". That evening, she wanted to share something with us at dinner. She clarified her word choice before letting us know, "Attention, I have an announcement to make!"

Cockroach, Again!

So, we were in the backyard the other day, turning over stones and looking at roly polys and ant colonies, when Eric spotted a beetle. (Actually, I pointed it out to him.) It was moving fast, but he caught it. He picked it up, let it crawl up and down his arm, dropped it, and picked it up again. On the second pick up, I noted that its body shape was a bit thinner than a beetle's and I looked more closely. And guess what? It was a cockroach. I felt that familiar queasy feeling and told him to Put it down(!) Now(!) Breathe in, breathe out. We went inside and washed his hands (and his arms all the way up to his shoulders.) I may have even changed his shirt, just to be safe.

Order in Chaos

Sarah and Eric spent over an hour placing all of their animals, cars, and Lego people in the kitchen. To be more specific, they placed them on top of the kitchen table, underneath it, on the chairs, on the plant stands, and on the carpets near the table. Now, when I first looked at it, I didn't really get what took them so long, but after they pointed out where they placed things, I understood. They had organized them all and placed them into little "worlds", as Sarah explained. We picked most of it up later that day, but they decided to leave some animals on one of the plant stands, and they're still there, a couple of weeks later.

One Frog Too Many

When we visited my parents recently, my mom pulled out a book that she'd saved from our childhood collection. The book is called One Frog Too Many and after looking it up, I learned that it is one in a series of wordless picture books written by Mercer Mayer. The series is significant in that it helped to start this genre of children's books.

It suited my mom's reading style quite well. Here's why - my mom doesn't usually read a book the way the rest of us do. Instead, she asks the kids questions about what they notice on each page - what a character might be doing, what might happen next, and so on. (The former teacher comes out, for sure.)

What was great about this book was that you had to do exactly that. Sarah and Eric "read" the book, based on the questions my mom asked and the clues the author gave. The kids loved it and I gained a greater appreciation for the way my mom reads with my children, rather than to my children.

Luna Moth

I found a luna moth today, who had made the poor decision to take a rest in a parking space. When I placed my finger under it, it climbed on and stayed there. So, rather than placing it on the grass nearby, I decided to drive home with it. Weird, maybe, but well worth it. It was a very polite passenger and we had only a slight mishap when it "woke up" as I pulled into the garage.

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As I had hoped, Sarah and Eric were quite impressed and after some time spent admiring it, they helped me release the moth. I'm hoping that the oak tree it landed on was a better place to rest than where I originally found it.

Graduation

So last week Sarah "graduated" from preschool. She's moving on to the next stage, leaving early childhood behind, whether I'm ready for it or not. She had two great years with her teacher, Ms. Nancy, with this year being an exceptional one. There were six other girls in her class and they all played and worked very well together, so much so that they often played on days when school wasn't in session. We couldn't have imagined a better experience for her - a thoughtful, caring teacher, a lovely space to learn, and good friends to share in the fun. Preschool will be missed, not because I don't want her to grow up, but because it really was a wonderful place to be. Thankfully, I get to go back next year - this time with Eric. Get ready, Ms. Nancy!