Jump!

Like just about everyone else, it seems, we got snow this week. Enough to be super-deep for young children to try to wade through, too deep and fluffy for sledding, too dry to pack into snowballs...so what to do? The kids in the purple house decided to jump!

Senior version (5 year olds):


Junior version (1-3 year olds):

Slacker mom at the playground

I am not one of those parents who climbs the toddler play structure, holding my baby's hands. I don't lift her to the monkey bars to "help" her across. I usually sit and watch while she plays. I probably look like the lazy parent to many others, or even the neglectful parent. (At a playground this weekend, as I sat in the middle watching my very-independent toddler explore all the tunnels and stairs and bridges and make friends and stir puddles, I kept hearing surprised other parents saying "oh! there's a baby in here!") But it's always been my philosophy to support children as they stretch themselves toward that next goal, rather than to do it for them. I usually help with words--and not many. Today there was a perfect example from our time at a nearby play structure.

"Mama, help me!" (This gap is too big for my leg to cross!)

"Hmm. What if you held onto this log?"
(No--see? I still can't do it.)

"Huh. I wonder how you could get across?"
(Well, I guess maybe I could walk on this chain like a tightrope.)

(Yes! That worked!)


Those appalled parents at the playground this weekend, when they eventually spotted me sitting on a bench, kept commenting on what a great climber Lucy is, and how confident and independent. Yup, that's 'cause her lazy old mom won't help her a bit!

How to tell if it's been a fun day

How dirty are you?

Treasure, revisited

What happens to all our treasure once it comes back from the beach?

Mama sorts it on the ledge of the cottage's front porch.

And re-sorts, and re-organizes, every night.

(It's kind of like therapy.)

Lucy un-sorts it all each day. And dumps. And pours. And throws, and drops, and scatters. And delivers some to us as gifts.

And re-sorts.

And examines.

And shares the joy with Mama all over again.

A place with nothing to do

Both today and yesterday, I walked with all the kids to a park about a mile away. It's a ball field surrounded by grass, huge old sycamore trees, blooming crab apple trees, and bordered by woods along the river. Once, leaving there with all the kids in tow, I was approached by a woman who lived across the street from the park, who tried to recruit me to her campaign to get the town to put in "something for the kids to do." But she'd approached the wrong person. I love that park precisely because there is "nothing to do." When there's no play structure to suggest "this is what you should do here," there's nothing else to do but
pick flowers,

see what happens if you blow through bamboo into the current,

try to catch leaves as they drift by,

make a boat of bamboo stalks or sycamore leaves,

sail it on the current, holding it tethered by a vine,

or build a bridge to pirate island.

I'm a big fan of "nothing to do." I hope that park stays just as boring as it is. We'll keep coming, and try to find some way to while away the time.

Play along with us during the month of April for Children and Nature Awareness Month by posting a picture of your child(ren) each day enjoying the outdoors! Get outdoors and climb a tree! Visit the other Great Outdoor Challenge players- lisa, sanders, angelina, phyllis, sarah, christie, jennifer, debbie, dong dong, denise, luisa, joy, stephanie, cori, alex, dawn, kristen, catherine, tricia, becky, christy, ruth, kari, courtney, branflakes, jessica, renee, haiku, brynn, amy, clemencia, sherry, leslie, lise, renee, anet, jenn, marina, amy, ella, marcia, karen, beth, julie, kyndale, kelly, lizzie, eileen, ag, mari-ann, cindy, robin, nicole, debbie, julia, renee, anita, lisa, jenn, montessori, marita, jeannie, hallie, mandy, kangaroo, andrea, joey, carmen, teena, stephinie, gidget, elizabeth, emma, rosina, saminda, melissa, katie, becca, atouria, barbara, ariella, missy

These feet were made for crawling

I couldn't resist a picture of these filthy little feet yesterday! This is what she looks like now that she's on the move all the time. Today, the weather's shifted, and she's bundled up in her new cashmere longies and some soft shoes, and zooming those through the dirt and leaves and grass. Filthy. Just the way a kid should be!