Dr Suess paints the Room

AJ started writing his name "AJ" sometime just before Canada Day (not yet age 3). He announced at the park that he was writing the "A" sound .The letter A looked a bit like a triangle, and I showed him how to write the J sound like a hook. He put the two together side by side and he's been very good at autographing birthday cards, Sunday School homework etc.

Maggie took a little bit more encouragement to begin writing, in August! Through tears and madness, Brian showed her to write M, A, G and E. She already knew I, X and O obviously but she had no desire or interest to write whatsoever. I never forced the issue because the teacher at the JK orientation said it was not an expectation for the start of Kindergarten. However, Brian was persistent. Sometime during the week that I was away in Las Vegas, Maggie learned to write her name! What an triumph. The only thing is, the letters though always in sequrence are rarely in a straight line. She's signed an envelope where M A G G I E end up in a counterclockwise spiral. All the letters are complete but not in a left to right sequence.

I decided to award their success in writing with posters of the alphabet by Dr Suess. I secretly pasted these on the wall in their room, while everyone was playing outside just to surprise them.  Lincoln gave me a hand though, by staying out of the way. But he was pointing and reaching at the letters, and once again trying to tell me all kinds of things about them.  Later Maggie went upstairs to retrieve a toy from the room, and she announced "What did Dr Suess paint on the wall?" AJ ran upstairs to look and they were both so happy. "Why are there Dr Suess pictures on the wall, mommy?" Anyway, I hope that it helps them to see the capital and lowercase letters side by side and with the objects from the story, they can learn the letter sounds too.

Walking Tall

Lincoln officially started walking on August 1 at 11.5 months. I had arrived home from Las Vegas just the day before so I'm pleased that I didn't miss a thing. Within a week he had mastered walking across the room without too much stumbling; unless he's moving too quickly with a bit too much momentum and he can't stop. He ends up falling forward on his hands.

I know he can clearly say dada and mama, A-J! , wow and oo-oo-ooh, this this this. Lots of random babbling with furrowed eyebrows and other facial expressions, while pointing and describing images in a book. He knows exactly what he's saying; Maggie and AJ try their best to be translators.

Lincoln is 74 cm tall and 23 pounds. We have switched him to the forward facing Sunshine Radian seat, while Maggie and AJ ride in the back row.

Dragon Eye Seedlings

My kids have been attending a morning playgroup at church and they've learned about seeds and how things grow. Here is theme poem (actions):

I plant a little seed in the cold cold ground.
Up comes the sun, warm and round.
Down comes the rain, soft and slow.
Up comes the seedling, grow, Grow, GROW!

Previously, Maggie also invented other verses and words, speaking in prose... something about snow on the ground, and the sun, and ice. I should really write these down. It doesn't make sense to me, but it must make perfect sense to her. Much like Lincoln when he goes on with his seemingly random chatter, and he's happy when we appear to understand.

But I do have a wonderful story about AJ and his knowledge of seeds, or rather, his knowledge of what happens to seeds when eaten.

Dragon Eyes
The kids were eating a giant bowl of the peeled dragon eye fruits; a translucent white flesh with single dark, chocolate brown stone-seed.  Resembles very much like a slippery, wet eyeball. Grandma kept warning them, don't eat the stone. AJ pipes up, "Mommy, what will happen to me if I eat the seed?" I warned him that if he swallowe the seed, a dragon-eye tree would sprout from his tummy.  He calmly corrected me right away, "No, mommy. I'm gonna be eat it and I will poo it out". What comes in, must go out. There's no fooling this guy!

The World According to Preschoolers

CHICKEN AND EGG
Brian asks Maggie, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
Maggie: "Egg"
Where does the egg come from
Maggie: "Hatch"
From what?
Maggie: "A hen"
Where does the hen come from?
Maggie: "A farm"

FOOD CHAIN
AJ and Maggie are often concerned about which animal eats what, as in a food chain sequence.
Who eats bugs? Spiders
Who eats spiders? Other spiders
WHo eats other spiders? Birds
Who eats birds? Cats
Who eats cats? No one. (really?)

Do sharks eat humans? Sometimes.
Who eats sharks? Humans.


Who eats squid-Ursula? Daddy
Who eats jellyfish? Daddy

What do gophers eat? Carrots, tomatoes, leaves
Who eats gophers? Fox, wolves
Who eats fox, wolves? Coyotes
Who eats coyotes? No one, but hunters shoot them.

Later we talk about vultures.
What do vultures eat? Dead animals on the street.
Do vultures eat humans? Well if they're dead in the street
Do vultures eat humans in a grave? No they can't; there's a box.



DINOSAURS
AJ: Do dinosaurs eat humans?
Mom: No, humans were not there at the same time as dinosaurs.
Maggie: Humans live far far away.
AJ: Who eats dinosaurs?
Maggie/ Mom:Other dinosaurs.
AJ:What do other dinosaurs eat?
Mom: Leaves, ferns.
Maggie: Yah dinosaurs hate kid-meat. Kids are yuck.

WHERE DO BABIES COME FROM?
Maggie: When I was a baby I busted out of your tummy right?
(Background: I used to affectionately refer to Lincoln as a belly-buster because of his excessive burps and belly busting spit up. She didn't quite understand that meant, so I said it was because he busted out of my tummy).
Another time, Maggie: When I was a small baby, I was at your wedding right?
Mom: No, you were just a small dot. Actually you were an egg.
(Background: She asks me this everytime we drive by the church on the army base where we got married)
Another time, Maggie: So I was a small egg at your wedding?
Mom: Well, just an egg part, but not like a real egg. Also part of you was in Daddy's pouch.
(Background: I hope that she won't ask where is Daddy's pouch, I guess I could say his pants, those would be still correct answers. I believe in telling the whole truth but in age appropriate language).


MAKING STUFF
The kids watch a show called Making Stuff on TVO kids, so they get a sense of what things are created by God, what is built by Bob the Builder, and what is made by robots.
They ask me all the time, who made this, who made that. Here are some model answers they know and now quiz each other.

Made by God - Rocks, bugs, spiders, animals, humans, skeletons, dinosaurs
Made by Bob the Builder - house, Vanessa's house, bridges, roads
Robots - Hot Wheels, cars, cups, plates, pianos, tools, glass

I try my best to offer the whole truth, but sometimes I have to simplify the lingo

God Made Me

So I have a funny story about Maggie... she asks alot of questions about who made this and that in this world. She confirms with me that God made trees, birds, animals, grass etc. She had thought that God made the plastic, glass and ceramic objects around the house too, but I told her those were made by robots in factories. And then the question about houses, well according to Maggie, Bob the Builder built our house (and yours too).

Maggie is very interested in skulls and skeletons, as see on the cover of a spring 2010 National Geographic magazine. She was explaining to AJ that she has a skeleton in her body. She said that Mommy has a bigger skeleton and Maggie has a baby one. She also told me that "God made skeletons because God made me."

She also started to draw people with faces (two eyes, a nose and a straight line for a mouth) with two arms and legs, or hair. She's been doodling on a Magna Doodle, otherwise I would love to keep all of these drawings. She draws the sun alot, and she was trying to draw the turtle toy and Buzz Lighyear. I drew Buzz and she added the details.

Sounds of the Night

Last week, we were reading a book from the Baby Einstein series, The ABC's of Art. There are a series of famous paintings of certain objects that would correspond to subjects beginning with the letters A to M in this book. Also included are a few thought provoking questions. We got to the page about E for Elephants. They were splashing in the water at sunset. One of the questions was, what time of day is this, and what sounds would you hear? Maggie responded with the na-na-na song, that is na-na-na to the tune of Brahm's Lullaby, their favorite lullaby for naptime/ goodnight time. So cute!

Also wanted to record some of AJ's words that start or contain L.

Mommy, can I sit on your wap? (lap)
I wuv you (love)
I yike you (like)
My hair is bwrown.
Maggie's hair is bwack.

Dreams

I know that Maggie and AJ dream cuz I've seen them giggle in their sleep. Even when Maggie was 4 months old and she was sleeping on her tummy, I saw her giggle and laugh like she was watersliding, with her eyes closed in the crib. At the waking hours of dawn, I've seen AJ clap his hands and let out a really cute chuckle or two.

This morning Brian asked Maggie what she dreamed about, and she said  "In my dreams, I can wish for puppies and lots of birds." Very interesting!

In my recent dreams, I dreamt of trying to photograph some Snowbirds passing overhead with my cell phone camera. So elusive.