Contrast with Z, who is much more methodical and purposeful. Show him how to play with something, and he will imitate perfectly. He even attempted to spin a top-- and almost succeeded-- before he was a year old. He is much more interested in fine motor pursuits than his older brother. He enjoys things like pens and chapstick, that have caps that he can take off and put back on. As much as G enjoys throwing cotton balls around the room, Z is more interested in simply putting them inside a can and then pouring them out, over and over. He seems to be very interested in manipulation, and how things work. He is more interested in construction than he is in destruction.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Different Styles of Play
G's play is very vivid and bold; he enjoys things that are "big" and colorful, and fluid. He'd also rather use his imagination, turning ordinary items into something new in his head. Give him a can of colored cotton balls and he can entertain himself for an hour just throwing them around and making sound effects. Give him a bunch of Hot Wheels cars, and he isn't satisfied with simply driving them around making "vroom vroom" noises; he has to make them go as fast as he can by practically flinging them across the kitchen floor. He doesn't enjoy putting a puzzle together half so much as he enjoys "crashing" it. He has earned himself the mickname "Destructo Boy."
Contrast with Z, who is much more methodical and purposeful. Show him how to play with something, and he will imitate perfectly. He even attempted to spin a top-- and almost succeeded-- before he was a year old. He is much more interested in fine motor pursuits than his older brother. He enjoys things like pens and chapstick, that have caps that he can take off and put back on. As much as G enjoys throwing cotton balls around the room, Z is more interested in simply putting them inside a can and then pouring them out, over and over. He seems to be very interested in manipulation, and how things work. He is more interested in construction than he is in destruction.
Contrast with Z, who is much more methodical and purposeful. Show him how to play with something, and he will imitate perfectly. He even attempted to spin a top-- and almost succeeded-- before he was a year old. He is much more interested in fine motor pursuits than his older brother. He enjoys things like pens and chapstick, that have caps that he can take off and put back on. As much as G enjoys throwing cotton balls around the room, Z is more interested in simply putting them inside a can and then pouring them out, over and over. He seems to be very interested in manipulation, and how things work. He is more interested in construction than he is in destruction.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
More Toddler Cuteness!
First video: taken around Christmas time (obviously, since there's a tree in the background). Z discovered how to make a funny noise.
Second video: Z likes to spin in circles lately. He was doing them even better before I started this video...
Third video: Similar to the second, but more of a "happy dance" than just spinning.
Fourth video: Z distracting us from the fact that it's late and we should all be asleep instead of encouraging him to make funny noises.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9stxQdAo1D0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xjHDhNJkgw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwAU0Qpf93U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95w2zSNJn7E
Saturday, February 26, 2011
How can I turn off my brain?!!
I've always seemed to have this problem: my mind seems to want to be constantly on-the-go. If it's not thinking about something more-or-less important, I at least almost always have a song or ditty stuck in my head that I can't get out!
It's 2:46 AM right now...Slept for a while, but now I'm up, having been aroused by my toddler, and now unable to get back to sleep after having yet a new concern pop into my head...I even wrote it down to save for the morning, which sometimes helps, but not this time...
So I'm up making blog posts instead...
This is not healthy.
It's 2:46 AM right now...Slept for a while, but now I'm up, having been aroused by my toddler, and now unable to get back to sleep after having yet a new concern pop into my head...I even wrote it down to save for the morning, which sometimes helps, but not this time...
So I'm up making blog posts instead...
This is not healthy.
A Tangled Skein
I was reminded yesterday, why I haven't been crocheting much lately.
I started a new crochet project a couple days ago, and now I have a hopelessly-tangled skein of yarn that I've spent at least four hours so far trying to untangle with very slow progress. I tried during the day to untangle it some, and kept having to deal with my toddler wanting to sit on my lap and continue to get into my yarn, which would have been completely counter-productive, so I had to give up on the endeavor until later.
We actually got the kids down to bed at a decent hour tonight, so after they were down, N__ helped me do some more untangling, and we had a nice conversation together. We haven't gotten many of those lately...
It's not so much that I mind having to untangle my yarn once in a while. Actually, it can be a rather relaxing and satisfying activity in a way. I enjoyed it when my husband and I were just sitting there together, chatting and untangling the yarn.
N__ pointed out to me, that I could make it a little easier by cutting the skein in a couple spots to make it easier to unravel...I told him that went against my paradigm lol. Though, of course he's right, I could do that...but, I just can't bring myself (yet) to cut a perfectly-good skein of yarn.
I need to make myself one of these:
I started a new crochet project a couple days ago, and now I have a hopelessly-tangled skein of yarn that I've spent at least four hours so far trying to untangle with very slow progress. I tried during the day to untangle it some, and kept having to deal with my toddler wanting to sit on my lap and continue to get into my yarn, which would have been completely counter-productive, so I had to give up on the endeavor until later.
We actually got the kids down to bed at a decent hour tonight, so after they were down, N__ helped me do some more untangling, and we had a nice conversation together. We haven't gotten many of those lately...
It's not so much that I mind having to untangle my yarn once in a while. Actually, it can be a rather relaxing and satisfying activity in a way. I enjoyed it when my husband and I were just sitting there together, chatting and untangling the yarn.
N__ pointed out to me, that I could make it a little easier by cutting the skein in a couple spots to make it easier to unravel...I told him that went against my paradigm lol. Though, of course he's right, I could do that...but, I just can't bring myself (yet) to cut a perfectly-good skein of yarn.
I need to make myself one of these:
Teaching new vocabulary
While in the car yesterday, I had the opportunity to teach my 4-yo some new words: animate and inanimate.
I don't remember exactly how the conversation got started; he probably made some statement about how some of his toys move and some don't, or something like that...Anyway, I decided to turn the conversation into a teaching moment, and taught him about animate vs. inanimate objects.
He enjoyed having me quiz him, too, after I had explained the difference. He guessed wrong at first on some of the tricky ones (like car), but after a while he seemed to understand the difference pretty well. He even seemed to understand when I explained to him that sometimes people make believe that some things are animate, but that in real life they are not (like the toys in Toy Story, or the trains in Thomas the Tank Engine). Actually, with the Thomas example, he figured out for himself that the trains were inanimate, because they had drivers who drove them; but then he pointed out that they could talk on their own, so their mouths were animate.
A while later at dinner, after a very fun and busy afternoon, I prompted him to tell Daddy about what we learned in the car and he couldn't remember at the moment as he had other things foremost in his mind. But that's okay. I figure the information is now stored somewhere, and maybe someday he will amaze his teacher.
Anyway, it was a good teaching moment, and it's always fun to witness the light coming on and the gears turning in my kids' brains as they realize or figure out something new.
I don't remember exactly how the conversation got started; he probably made some statement about how some of his toys move and some don't, or something like that...Anyway, I decided to turn the conversation into a teaching moment, and taught him about animate vs. inanimate objects.
He enjoyed having me quiz him, too, after I had explained the difference. He guessed wrong at first on some of the tricky ones (like car), but after a while he seemed to understand the difference pretty well. He even seemed to understand when I explained to him that sometimes people make believe that some things are animate, but that in real life they are not (like the toys in Toy Story, or the trains in Thomas the Tank Engine). Actually, with the Thomas example, he figured out for himself that the trains were inanimate, because they had drivers who drove them; but then he pointed out that they could talk on their own, so their mouths were animate.
A while later at dinner, after a very fun and busy afternoon, I prompted him to tell Daddy about what we learned in the car and he couldn't remember at the moment as he had other things foremost in his mind. But that's okay. I figure the information is now stored somewhere, and maybe someday he will amaze his teacher.
Anyway, it was a good teaching moment, and it's always fun to witness the light coming on and the gears turning in my kids' brains as they realize or figure out something new.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Bubbles!
Who doesn't love bubbles? I love bubbles! Always have. The swirling, delicate colors, the accompanying sense of wonder...
Bubbles have certainly been one of my toddler's favorite pasttimes of late. In fact, "bubbles" is one of his first words (though he doesn't say "bubbles," he says something more like "bub!") We have a big, no-spill bubble bucket with three wands, so there is one for each of my boys and one for me. I'll set up the bubbles in the kitchen and we'll all blow bubbles together. Afterwards, I mop the soapy floor with a damp hand towel-- in other words, I get to play with my boys and clean the floor at the same time! Hooray for multi-tasking!
The following is supposed to be a video of the world's largest bubble, with 59 people inside. It's supposed to be all amazing and everything-- I also saw a demonstration on Oprah once (kind of embarrassed to confess I've watched Oprah). I have to admit I don't understand the hype and enthusiasm. It's not even a complete bubble! Put 59 people inside a full bubble, and then I'll be impressed...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EujeExAX9Y
Ob the other hand, this looks like a fun summer toy, The Bubble Thing. My boys would happily watch me play with this for hours. And I would happily oblige :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGQL5lx-mwE
This also looks like an interesting experience, The Aqua Ball:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM_hb63xvKU
Bubbles have certainly been one of my toddler's favorite pasttimes of late. In fact, "bubbles" is one of his first words (though he doesn't say "bubbles," he says something more like "bub!") We have a big, no-spill bubble bucket with three wands, so there is one for each of my boys and one for me. I'll set up the bubbles in the kitchen and we'll all blow bubbles together. Afterwards, I mop the soapy floor with a damp hand towel-- in other words, I get to play with my boys and clean the floor at the same time! Hooray for multi-tasking!
The following is supposed to be a video of the world's largest bubble, with 59 people inside. It's supposed to be all amazing and everything-- I also saw a demonstration on Oprah once (kind of embarrassed to confess I've watched Oprah). I have to admit I don't understand the hype and enthusiasm. It's not even a complete bubble! Put 59 people inside a full bubble, and then I'll be impressed...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EujeExAX9Y
Ob the other hand, this looks like a fun summer toy, The Bubble Thing. My boys would happily watch me play with this for hours. And I would happily oblige :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGQL5lx-mwE
This also looks like an interesting experience, The Aqua Ball:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM_hb63xvKU
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
The most brilliant artist I know
My fourth semester in college, I got a new roommate named Ginger. I feel lucky to have been able to spend those four months as her roommate. We got along well and had some good times. But most of all, she is an exceptionally brilliant artist and writer, and I want to see her get published! And rich and famous! Because she deserves it.
You can check out some of her art for yourself at the following link:
http://scargut-the-gutless.deviantart.com/
If you think her art is brilliant as I do, pass it on! Talent like this should not go unrecognized.
Haha, now I'm acting like it's my job to find her a personal agent or something....
You can check out some of her art for yourself at the following link:
http://scargut-the-gutless.deviantart.com/
If you think her art is brilliant as I do, pass it on! Talent like this should not go unrecognized.
Haha, now I'm acting like it's my job to find her a personal agent or something....
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