We took the bike trailer to Vermont Square Park. One of the toys she was looking forward to riding was broken, but there were plenty of other things to play with.
We visited Ewan and E-. I took ingredients for one of the giant bubble solution recipes I found, and we experimented with that for a bit. Then we went to the park for lunch and playtime. Lots of fun!
Gross motor
A- slid down the shed ramp backwards on her riding toy.
Fine motor
A- started getting interested in fringing. She could also cut within an inch around a figure.
A- played with more letters. She also wanted to paste paper apples onto a tree, and she wanted to make valentines.
A- used stickers to hold a piece of paper together after it had gotten a little wet.
A- spent a few minutes methodically popping bubble wrap.
A- practised threading a few large beads. I should find or make a few more that would be easier to thread.
Language
A- took my phone and told it, “Please ask OurGroceries to add chicharon to the list.” She also wanted to add carrots.
“I want ice cream. The frozen one.” A- asked to buy ice cream and cones at the supermarket.
A- played with the -able suffix. She asked for something squishable, and she pronounced something doable.
Music
A- sang and did the gestures for “Lost my partner, what’ll I do?” and “I’ll find another as pretty as you.”
A- played the piano while singing the cleanup song and the tiptoe song. She asked me to clean up, and then asked me to dance with a scarf.
A- participated in music class, running and jumping and tiptoeing along as we sang. She also shook the tambourine rhythmically.
Self-care
A- traced the starfish mold in the living room while we tidied up in the kitchen.
A- put on one sock all by herself.
Household
We helped W- clean the carpet.
A- wanted to fold laundry. She also liked answering questions such as: “Mama’s or A-‘s?”
I put the hoops around the tomato plants. We harvested all the basil. A- said, “Oooh, so many basil.” W- made lots of pesto.
A- picked out the house key from my key ring.
Social
A- wanted to call Lola, so we did.
We ate at Swiss Chalet to celebrate W-‘s progress at work. A- wanted sweet potato fries. She also drank a lot of water. When we finished eating, we prompted A- to ask for the check. She raised her hand, and then when the server came over, she said, “Check, please.”
Martin kept A- happily occupied while I worked on some code for his project.
Pretend
A- wanted to be a cat. She was about to lick her toes, but I think we’ve temporarily convinced her to clean herself the human way.
World
We checked out the spider exhibition at the museum. It was pretty cool! A- pointed at the big spiders and asked what they were doing. I learned about lots of different types of spiders. The bowl-and-doily spider is neat!
Kaizen
I explored the YouTube Live / Hangouts on Air interface so that I could pass along tips.
I stayed up late to try the guar gum giant bubble recipe from http://soapbubble.wikia.com/wiki/Recipes_Guar . Very promising! It made a couple of big bubbles in the cool, still air of our kitchen. Next, I want to experiment with different frames and work on technique.
I skimmed “Building Healthy Minds: The Six Experiences That Create Intelligence and Emotional Growth in Babies and Young Children,” by Stanley Greenspan, M.D., and Nancy Breslau Lewis. I liked the detailed tips on building emotional experiences and expanding symbolic thought through playtime and in daily life. I’m looking forward to thinking about circles of communication the next time I play with A-. The book recommends organizing 4 or 5 one-on-one playdates with peers each week even at this age. That feels like a big challenge, but maybe I can find other families who want to hang out… It’ll be good practice for later, too!
Us
I helped Popo with her Android phone while she played with A-.
