Week ending 2018-08-03

| review, weekly
  • Field trip
    • We took the bike and trailer to Vermont Square Park, where A- played with the tractor and other toys. We shared our sand toys with other kids, and A- practised taking turns. She also waded in the pool.
  • Gross motor
    • A- practised riding her balance bike. She alternated between walking it and asking me to push her, and she also practised walking it down a slope.
  • Language
    • W- told A-, “After we dry my glasses, I'll brush your teeth.” A- replied, “Savvy.”
    • A- was interested in one of the books I borrowed from the library, and kept bringing it over to me to read to her even though it didn't have any pictures in it.
    • “I don't like going to bed.”
    • A- now makes up songs and stories while waiting. She sang, “Avocado, avocado, what do you see?” and a few other stanzas, and then said, “Once upon a time, there was a little girl named A- who wanted to eat an avocado but Mama said it was not yet ripe.”
    • A- was chasing J- to tax her pesto, but she got distracted by the bookcase and fell into the book trap. She ignored the food and brought a book over to W- so he could read it.
    • “I'm a messy eater.”
    • A- bruised her toe the day before. Right after she woke up, she said, “I don't want to go to the hospital. I will try not to go to the hospital.”
    • “We can do kids' yoga later.” “I want to do it now.” “You're impatient.” “I wait patiently.”
    • On the way out, A- said, “I really need a walking stick.” W- said, “You don't really need a walking stick.” A- said, “I doooo.“
    • A- wanted another evening snack. I asked her what she wanted to eat. She said, “I want some of the snacks that I like.”
  • Art
    • A- made lots of handprints, even asking me to mix colours on her hands. We went outside and made footprints too.
  • Self-care
    • A- bruised her big toe by dropping a can of fish on it. The pain distracted her from playing a bit, but she felt better in the morning. We skipped nature class to let her rest, and she seemed back to normal by lunch.
    • A- practised separation by going up and down the stairs several times, saying “I will come right back downstairs just like I promised to.” She also pretended to go to school and come back, and to go to work and come back.
  • Eating
    • We tried frozen shelled edamame. A- refused to eat it, preferring the experience of eating edamame from the pod.
  • Household
    • A- got her broom and started sweeping the kitchen floor. She got the big broom and gave it to P-. We suggested using the dustpan, so she got the dustpan and the brush, and she showed P- how to use them.
    • A- helped collect and sort the laundry. She pushed the basket from room to room, transferred the laundry from her room and the bathroom, and helped me bump the basket down to the basement. She stood on a stool and asked me where each item went, and she put it in the appropriate compartment.
  • Social
    • We saw a couple of friends on their way home, so we invited them in and shared some of our red bean buns. A- thoughtfully cleared her play table and offered it to the other kid. After they left, A- spent quite a few days pretending to be the other kid and pretending we were his parents.
    • A- defended daddy time by telling me, “Private! Only Daddy and A-!” I let them play a little longer before starting bedtime routine.
    • A- was laughing. Then she said, “Hahaha, I'm laughing so loud, hahaha.” This cracked us up, of course. Then she said, “Hahaha, we're laughing together, hahaha.”
    • A- played a game of hiding something behind her back, and bringing it out again.
  • Pretend
    • A- pretended to be a cat. She wanted to lick pretend wet food (yogurt) off a saucer on the floor.
    • Multiple levels of indirection! A- pretended to be S- pretending to be a cat, labeling herself as “S- cat” while eating pretend wet food.
  • Cognition
    • A- wanted to bring four bottles of paint to the kitchen, so she put them in a bucket and carried the bucket. “My bucket is heavy,” she said.
  • World
    • A- played with her reflection in a mirror. “A- is gone. A- is there. A- is gone.”
  • Kaizen
    • I made lots of red bean buns, and I experimented with making red bean rolls. The rolls were easier to make, but the buns were prettier.
    • I shifted to drawing more while waiting for A-. It's a good way to use time.
  • Us
    • We met up with Linda Ristevski for a library tour. We went to Runnymede library and got our library passports stamped. I showed her the book return system, and the park behind the library. It was lots of fun hanging out!
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