Activities

Shortly after Harris started going to Preschool a couple of days per week - well after the crying stopped, he and I had a conversation about what school was like.  He explained to me that they have story time and play time and lunch time and did some activities.

I asked a bit more about these activities and was informed that it is when you make stuff and sit and do stuff and paint stuff. School activities. 

Soon preschool took a break and Harris was home again with his mom.  One day when I talked to him on the phone, he let me know that he and his mother had done an activity the day before.  You see, he had a newborn sister and I think mother needed a bit of quiet, still time out of the little fellow. 

I asked Harris about it and he informed me that he did a color sorting activity.  Then, when I talked to his mother, she let me know that she might run out of fresh ideas because he didn't like to repeat the same activity.  So, I made a suggestion and Harris wanted to know if I had some activities. 

Well, tradition continues and now that we are staying at home, like I shared yesterday, Harris is doing a little school work and Linley now is doing some activities, since she is at home from preschool as well.

I learned that one of her favorite activities is a color sorting one.  Again, tradition continues.  Only, this time, the color sorting activity doesn't involve little cars and colored stickers.  This time Linley is sorting colored cereal pieces.

Look at that little genius!  I told her mother that my grandchildren were destined to be true geniuses!  After I got the photo above, I got another message from her mother:

And then there were a couple of photos.

And a message from her mother, "true talent!"

I think she inherited that talent from me!

The Rules of the Classroom

I am an educator and my family knows that I put a lot of stock in reading, writing, and learning.  I also know that keeping the learning going while we are staying at home is very, very difficult.

I've checked in on a pretty regular basis to make certain that everybody is doing alright.  I've inquired about everyone's health and that of their extended family and asked about their food and toilet paper supply.

Sometimes I'll ask about their continued education but lots of times I let that go because...well...we are staying at home.  School and learning is hard enough to do when you go to school and learn.  So, when everybody is home and they have to be home ALL THE TIME, some things have to be let go at times and that is all right.

I checked in this morning with my son's family.  I hadn't talked to Jessica in a while and I cannot even imagine being at home ALL THE TIME with a six-year-old-boy who is full-of-energy and a two-year-old girl who is two years old.  I remember those years of having two littles at home with you and it was probably some of the hardest work I ever did.

Anyway, I digress.  Knowing that school is usually a part of the morning routine, I asked if they were having school this morning even though it was Good Friday.  Jessica assured me that they were and reiterated with, "We tend to work better when there is structure and a routine."  I get it. Rambunctious.  Busy.  Boisterous. Bouncing. I get it.

Linley was working on one of her favorite activities - color sorting - but that is another story for another time.  What I was intrigued by is that Jessica informed me that she was really learning a lot from Harris and the curriculum that he has as a kindergartner.  She said they'd had to Google something yesterday to be sure they had gotten it correct.  But that's not all!

She also informed me that when they started using the bonus room as the school room, Harris let her know that they needed some rules.  He liked the rules they had in his classroom at school.  So, he wrote them out and asked her to post them on the wall.

I kind of expected rules like Be Nice To Your Sister or Do What Mama Says.  These rules were all business, though.  The rules involve Hand Signals.  You see, if you need to go to the bathroom, you hold up one finger.  If you are in need of a wipe to clean something off your work area, you hold up two fingers.  Hold up three fingers if you need a pencil.  Four fingers signifies that you need some water.  If you have a question, hold up five fingers.

Jessica let me know that she has a difficult time remembering the rules.  She sees Harris following the rules and sometimes she is attending to Linley and her activity and cannot see the rules posted on the wall to clarify the difference between two and three or something like that and it is a struggle for her.

She sent me a photo of the rules and this message: "Just in case you and Mike need some rules around there."  I think I would be lost in keeping up with the rules, too.  I tried to text her back but I was laughing so hard I could hardly see my keyboard.  I said that maybe I just needed to start waving my hands in the air!

She said, "That should cover it!"

Another Activity

When I went over to visit the new granddaughter during my fall break, I took some fall cookie cutters and some fall-colored sprinkles.  Harris and I made some sugar cookies and added some sprinkles.

Some made it onto the cookies.

Lots made it onto the counter.

Lots made it onto the floor.

Just what parents of a newborn and a four-year-old want - a grandmother who comes and makes another mess for them to clean up.

Harris thought the cookies were great and they were tasty.  Boy, they were a mess, though.

Then, I got these photos the other day:

Bryan referenced the sprinkles as "the gift that keeps on giving."

Vocabulary

When I was on fall break, I gave Jessica a call one day and she said Harris was also on fall break.  She was trying to come up with ideas to keep him occupied.  She created a game with colored stickers, numbers, and little cars.  It took Harris only a few minutes to complete the sorting game.  She suggested that he help her scramble them up and complete the sorting game again.  Nope.  Not happening.  That was old news.

Another day, she sent me this photo and said they were trying to do some things that were calm and quiet so Linley could rest undisturbed.  She also mentioned that she may run out of ideas before the end of the week.

I gave them a call when I was on my way home from work that afternoon and complimented his craftiness.  I learned that Harris had been practicing with scissors and glue. 

A couple of days later, I got another photo and message.  This time from Bridgette.  Lillie, Lydia, and Luci had also been crafting.

Another day when I was talking to her on the phone, I reminded Jessica of the age-old craft of gathering leaves and using a crayon to create a rubbing on a simple white piece of paper.  Then, Harris could use the scissors again.  She said she had forgotten about that and right about that time, Harris returned to be within earshot.  He said, "Did Grand B have an idea for an activity?"

We both burst out laughing.  What does he know about an 'activity' and such vocabulary?

Hope all your Jack-O'Lanterns are smiling.  Happy Halloween!

Feeling Special

Isn't it nice that on your birthday folks will do things to make you feel special?

Sweet Willow Tree figurine from Harris and his folks

This year I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday for several days.

Practically speaking from Mike

I guess when you turn 57 it takes longer to get all that celebrating done.

Cute and fun chalkboard from Levi, Easton, and their folks

The children and Mom met me at a local diner on Saturday evening for dinner and we celebrated with burgers and fries and delicious custard and all the grandchildren and laughter and talking and catching up.

Welcome sign handcrafted from Bridgette and her crew

Then, on Sunday, Mike took me out for a nice luncheon where we shared part of an appetizer and each got a big entree and I got a salad and he got veggies and we waddled to the truck with a take-out box of leftovers that we ate the next day for lunch.

Cute pallet sign with sentiment handcrafted by Bridgette and her crew

On Monday, the girls of my secondary team of coaches shared good wishes and sweet treats of brownies and cupcakes and lemon bars.

Front of Lydia's card

Hand-crafted cards with illustrations from Lillie and Lydia that were hand delivered to me still brighten my kitchen.

Inside of Lydia's card - love the verse

Hand-crafted cards with thoughtful sentiments.

Beautiful illustrations by Lydia

Cards and money from Mama and Mrs. O were delivered and appreciated.  (Maybe I should have shown a picture of my new truck tires.)

Front of personalized card by Lillie

A couple of cards from sweet aunts came in the mail.

Lillie's specialty illustration on the back of her card

Loads of best wishes were posted for days on Facebook.

Sweet and literary sentiment inside Lillie's card

Finally, on Friday the elementary team of coaches shared sausage balls and fruit and good cheer.

This post features some of the special gifts bestowed upon me in honor of my birthday.  I'm looking forward to a cheerful year ahead enjoying each of them.

Little Gardinger

Harris has a garden.  (I think Bryan and Jessica help him out a little bit with it.)  Jessica sent these photos showing growth progress three or four weeks ago:

Then, when we went over for a visit, we saw the progress of the garden first-hand.

The first thing I noticed was one of my favorites - the squash!

The lettuce and herbs were beautiful - and tasty!  (We took a bag home for salad the next day.)

From every angle it looked green and lush.

Harris was really proud of it and had to show it off to us.  He told me that he uses "garding" tools like a rake to get the weeds out and showed me his technique.

"Look at this," he said.

"Those are 'matoes!"

Bryan and Jessica fenced it off to protect it from deer, rabbits, Hope (the puppy), and wild tractor drivers.

I never could get a shot of the tractor driver that wasn't a blur like that because he zips around at blur speed!

The garding and new fence, though, posed beautifully for my cell phone photos!  Harris is a pretty good 'gardinger' if you ask me.  (His parents are pretty good helpers, too, I think!)

Awards Night

Recently, our eldest grandson was part of his Mother's Day Out Awards program.  Well, I think all of the little folks who attend were a part - some more than others!

This is the cool dude on his way to the big event.

He did a little cheesing for the camera right after we all arrived.

He also had to show off the bruise and knot on his head - earned when he flipped over the handlebars of his bicycle onto pavement during play time a couple of days before!

It looked painful but he hadn't complained.  I guess he is a roughneck!

They sang a little song and Harris did a little singing and even kenw the hand motions.

He made sure we were watching a time or two.

He seemed best at the part where the mama on the bus was shh, shh, shhing.  Maybe he is most familiar with that part!

Each little person was recognized for his or her own special gift and went up to get the certificate from Mrs. Rachel, the teacher.

He gave her a high-five...

...and turned to head on down the steps to sit with the rest of his mates.

His award was for Best Attitude.  Of course, this grandmother thinks it was spot-on as a recognition even though his mom and dad kind of rolled their eyes.

It seemed especially spot-on when he had to be bribed to take a photo with his teacher before we left for home!

One Like This

What is it about boys and sticks? Jessica says Harris seems to always have a stick when he is outside playing.  He and his dog, Hope, seem to find lots of them.  The other day, Jessica said they stopped to look at a neighbor's donkeys and Harris picked up a stick.  When she told him to put it down so that they could go home, he said, "Can I take this stick home?"

Jessica replied, "You and Hope have lots of sticks at home already, buddy."

Harris let her know, "I don't have one like this!"

Reading as a Pastime

Children tend to play showing what they learn.  I loved getting this picture from Bridgette for so many reasons.  It shows me so many things.

1. Like most children, Luci is looking forward to the day when she can read.
2. Luci is read to by her parents and sisters - a lot!
3. She finds magic in books and wants to share that magic.
4. She is listening and remembering and that is the first step toward learning to read.
5. She already understands the concepts of print - reading front to back, direction to hold the book for reading, etc.

What made this photo even sweeter is that Bridgette said she was parroting words she remembered from the book being read to her.  The book is based upon the nursery rhyme, Little Boy Blue.  So, she started off with, "Little boy blue come blow your horn..."  Then progressed to something that was not quite accurate but certainly something to which she can relate when she said, "The cows are in the popcorn."  

Love it!  I wonder if Lydia's baby enjoyed the session as much as I did?

Sitting Still

Below is a rare photo of our oldest grandson, Harris.

It is a rarity because he hardly ever sits still like this.  As I was editing photos and came across this one, I wondered what had prompted him to sit there like that.  Then, I saw this next photo...

I remembered that I made the first photo because I thought it was rather funny that he had dragged a chair over next to Mike and climbed up there to sit like Mike.  I wonder what the conversation was that they were having which prompted this cute look of surprise for both of them.

Somehow, I'd bet that one or the other of them was cooking up a little mischief, don't you?

I wouldn't lay odds on which was the instigator and which was going along, though!

Speaking of Harris sitting still...

Earlier this week I had a phone conversation with his dad as I was transitioning from one school to another.  I asked if Harris had been excited about going to school that morning and Bryan shared a tale with me...

The previous evening Harris had misbehaved and been subject to a stern talking-to.  He had popped his mother on the fanny and some other odious crime, I think.  So, following his stern talking-to, Harris climbed up on the couch and was sitting beside his dad.  Bryan knew that this behaviour is not Harris's normal method of operation.  So, he asked him, "What are you doing, buddy?"  Harris responded, "I'm sitting in Time Out."

Bryan thought this was intriguing and dug a little deeper.  Knowing that he nor Harris's mom, Jessica, had never sat Harris in Time Out, Bryan asked, "Where else have you ever sat in Time Out."  Without hesitation, Harris said, "At school."

Bryan thought he should dig a little deeper, still.  "Harris, have you been a bad boy?  Why do you have to sit in Time Out at school?"  Harris's response, "Yes, well, I hit people."

This brought on another stern talking-to.  Plus, a stern reminder before leaving for school (Mother's Day Out) the next morning.

I was chuckling so hard tears were seeping from my eyes as I was listening to the story.  I asked Bryan how he had avoided laughing when all this transpired.  Only to learn, "Well I was furious, Mom.  I mean, we can't have him being bad and going around hitting people!"

C'mon! Look at that face!  Do you think he could be bad?  Grand B certainly doesn't and I don't think Daddy Mike would believe it either.