a "go to" activity with kids: lift the flap pictures

Here is one of my favorite activities to do every now and then with little ones - make lift the flap pictures! It's incredibly easy, all you have to do is cut a flap in a piece of card-stock weight paper and then glue that to a piece of backing paper. Then they can draw whatever they want over and under the flap.

Yesterday I pulled this one out of the bag for my parent support group kids, to go with the books There's a Nightmare in my Closet, There's a Nightmare in My Attic, and There's an Alligator Under My Bed. We had flaps for a closet door, flaps for a bed, and flaps for attic windows. What they put behind the flaps included butterflies and "fudge ball monsters". It was lots of fun all around.

Heaven - what the hell is heaven?

I'm really liking this song, so I just thought I'd share.

The worth of cherry blossoms

The story I told in church yesterday was about Rengetsu, and closed with this poem:

Through their

kindness in refusing

me lodging,

I found myself

beneath the

Beautiful blossoms

On the night of the

Misty moon.

Sometimes a "wrong turn" or an unlucky event will bring you the gift of the unexpected, and of beauty. May it be so.

Reading with the Kids

We are still enjoying some good children's literature around here!

In the car we've listened to the audio recording of The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich. I've read some of Erdrich's adult fiction, and I like her work. I had no idea what this book was about when I saw it on the shelf at the library, but I'm very happy I picked it up. Much like Little House in the Big Woods, Erdrich spins a simple story of a year in the life of a family, centered around a somewhat spunky but intrinsically good young girl main character. Omakayas is every bit as lovable as Laura, and I would recommend that everyone read this book to give balance and the perspective of the Native Americans. There are sequels, and we will be listening to them too.

For Hypatia's bedtime story we reread Ivy and Bean: Doomed to Dance. We have read this from the library AND listened to it on audio, but she loved it so much that when I saw it at the local used bookstore I bought it. We read it again, and she still loves it. Ivy and Bean appeal to her very much, with their blend of naughty and dreamy and funny.

For Carbon's bedtime story we've read Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I was initially avoiding this book because it is about middle schoolers, and so I assumed it was best suited to be read by middle schoolers. But a friend's son said he loved it, so I got it from the library to see. In reality, this book is perfect for boys in the elementary ages. There is some talk about girls and being "macho", but it is very light and passes by practically unnoticed. Carbon loved the cartoons and Jeffrey's mishaps, and once again, we are going to be getting the sequels.

And I just got both kids library cards, so now we have a stack of picture and nonfiction books here to read. I'll keep you posted!

Come Play a Game with Me

Last Sunday I led the children (and many of their parents) in our monthly Children's Chapel - a short 15 minute worship service for the kids. We were singing the hymn "Come Sing a Song With Me" and I asked for ideas for more verses. Because the Chapel was focused on Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement, kids thought of "Come Plant a Tree With Me". But then, at both services, kids thought of "Come Play a Game With Me".

It is so important to them that we - adults - play with them. Actually, game playing in general is something that humans naturally love, but that we seem to think is a "waste of time" in our adult busy lives. Sometimes it's hard for me to play the games they want to play, but it's always good if I can.

A bit of what we're playing around here, sorted by who plays what:

Mom

Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii (the kids pretty much just hop around until they lose, but they like it)

Links Crossbow Trainer on the Wii (everyone else plays this one too)

Fruit Ninja on the iPod (everyone else plays this one too, but I have the High Score!)

Carbon

Plants vs. Zombies on the iPod (plus Dad, and sometimes Hypatia)

Lego Battles on the nintendo ds (plus Dad, plus friends)

solitaire chess (plus Mom)

Zeus on the Loose (plus Mom and Hypatia and Dad)

Loot (another whole family)

Chomp (plus Hypatia)

Dad

some kind of Final Fantasy thing on his nintendo ds

Hypatia

SuperWhy on the iPod

Zeus on the Loose

Loot

Chomp

Don't Break the Ice

What are you playing?

Connecting with each of my children

Here is a scenario most parents should be familiar with:

Mom says "how was your day/what did you do today in class/yo dude- wazzup?"

Child says "nothin/ I don't know/ I don't remember."

Mom says "well - how did that presentation/test/field trip go?"

Child replies "it was OK."

It's enough to make a parent wring their child's neck or resort to "enhanced interrogation".

It takes a lot of time before kids open up and tell you what is really on their minds. And the setting has to be just right - few distractions, one-on-one time, something else to look at or do while they talk - it's a tricky blend to get in the hustle and bustle of life with multiple children.

And so I am very thankful for an unexpected benefit of my divided schedule with the kids in two different schools this year. Sure, it means I'm having to run all over town everyday, but I get one-on-one, relaxed time with each of my children almost everyday.

After we drop Carbon off at school each morning, Hypatia and I head over to my office at church. She hangs out with me all morning, and then if we haven't packed a lunch we have a lunch date together. These lunch dates at restaurants have given me time to have many deep discussions with her, and hear about her hopes and dreams and about her frustrations and worries. We've had some great conversations.

Then I take her to preschool and go back to work for a couple hours by myself, or have some unencumbered time to run an errand or have a quick pastoral care or otherwise sensitive meeting I shouldn't have my kid along for. Then it's back to pick Carbon up from school, and once again I have one-on-one time with a child. With him, I head over to the Children's Museum and we will frequently buy an ice cream and sit together for the half-hour before Hypatia's class gets out. It gives me a chance to hear how his day was at school, as he slowing and gradually opens up and mentions things. And sometimes we play in the museum together, or sometimes I just read a book while he plays videogames next to me - no matter how we fill that half-hour it still gives him a chance to share what's going on with him while I'm there for him and not distracted by his sister or something else.

This structure to our days is actually very valuable and lovely. Sure, it's a pain to have to make extra trips across town. And my carbon-footprint isn't looking as good as it could. But it is showing me the value of the one-on-one time, the value of time "wasted" while you just wait for one or another activity to end. Somehow, I want to hold onto this kind of time next year when both kids are in the same school.

Halloween is coming

And yesterday we were thrilled to receive a box of fun stuff from our swap partner, from the Halloween Swap hosted at Mind Games.

Then today Hypatia's preschool class had a field trip to a pumpkin patch. All the kids got to feed animals, explore a haystack maze, play on a giant slide, ride a wagon out to the field, and pick a small pumpkin. And the best part was that the weather was warm and sunny!

I really need to get going sewing Hypatia's costume - I let her pick out her own fabric at the fabric store and this is going to be interesting. :)