Advent Calendars

You all now have the final product. I thought you might like to see the process! Addie and Dries did remarkably well, sticking with it far longer than I thought they would. And, from the expression on Addie's face, loving every minute!

Eight white, eight red, eight green. Twenty-four toilet rolls. Each. I honestly thought this would be a project spread over a few days, but Addie and Dries just kept churning them out, and didn't flag until the last three or four each, at which point I decided we may as well finish, and I stepped in to help.

Busy, absorbed. It's fun to see them so focussed on their work.

Of course Fenna was part of the play, though she was given the simpler paper (taped to the table to prevent it falling to the floor, accidentally or -- could it be? -- deliberately!)

Ada did three or so before she decided she'd rather paint the table, her hands, the chair, Fenna, Fenna's chair. It was when she started to eat the paint decorate her face that I called it quits for Ada and the paint brush! She had fun while it lasted, though!

Water Play

As a daycare provider, you can buy yourself a snazzy water table so that children can experience the lovely sensory pleasures of water. You can spend two or three hundred dollars on this. Or, you can just take them to the park on a wet day, stand back and let the exploration happen ...

Play Pairs

When we're at home, Addie, Ada and Dries all play together. The play ebbs and flows, but generally they're all three equal participants in whatever game they've devised. At the park and at playgroup, however, the taller, stronger, faster and more coordinated Addie and Dries play together.

Ada is not left out, however! She and Fenna manage to find enough interesting things to do!

 And it's not as if the older kids ignore her entirely. (Dries, by the way, is an extremely skilled swing-pusher. Most toddlers who try this stand too close, only to be decked by the returning swing. He coordinates this exceedingly well for a three-year-old.)

Puddle Jumping!

Well, not so much 'jumping' as 'plodding', really. My ommitting to put their splash pants on them resulted in me having to do an emergency load of laundry once we got home, but it was worth it! The day was mild. I figured they could stand being wet for a bit. Upon giving it due consideration, they agreed.

Only the three bigger children, however. I figured Fenna would inevitably end up sitting in one of those puddles, and a head-to-toe sopping child was, I thought, a little over the line... She had much entertainment watching them!

Upon arrival at the playground, a careful emptying of the boots was required. Yes, they were full of water. It didn't seem to slow them down any.  (Er, sorry about the socks...)

Piaget. Vindicated Yet Again

It's been a long, long time since teacher's college -- or, more likely, Psych 101 before that -- so there's no way I'm going to remember the name of this stage (Concrete Operations?), but what you're seeing here is a perfect example of it.

Guess what? You cannot see these children. They are hiding. They are hidden, you see, because they cannot see you. They're not just being playful and silly. They really, really believe it. Of course, I play along.

"Where's Dries? I don't know! Where could he be???"

"Ada Jane! Where'd you go? Did you hide on me? "

(Sound track to both of the above: gigglegigglegiggle)

Guess what? You can't see him, either! Because his eyes are shut! He's completely vanished! Invisible!

And when he opens those eyes, I will leap back in astonishment. "THERE you are!!!"

...gigglegigglegigglegigglegiggle...

Fenna Ascends!

The piles of boards for the ice rink provided a lot of play value for the kids on Friday. Fenna performed this particular manoeuvre over and over and over and over again, and was very, very pleased with her little self.

(The other children did, too, of course, but given as this was Fenna's first attempt at this particular challenge, I felt it was the one which would be Immortalized by YouTube.)

A Blustery Day

The aisle of trees gives you some idea of the wildness of the weather today. That hissing is the wind in the trees. It was great fun!

Pumpkin Carving

Four children, two pumpkins. (One dog, who likes to be around the doings at the table.)

First you take the lids off...

Fenna explores.

Then you scoop the guts out...

Fenna feeds pumpkin goop to Daisy, who is always ready to eat. Always. At least pumpkin is good for dogs! (Unlike chocolate, onions, walnuts and used kleenex, all of which she is eager to eat. EAGER.)

It took Dries a little time to become willing to explore, but with some encouragement and some strategic ignoring of the boy, he came around.

"YUK! This is cold and slimy!!!" (He says, with great enthusiasm, having learned our Vocabulary Words for the day, along with "slippery", "slithery", and "ooze".)

Addie had no such reservations.

Nor did Ada.

Four children, two complete and lit pumpkins.

 Fenna checks out the finished happy face.

 

Dries attempts to make an angry face like the pumpkin. I know, he looks more like he's suffering a bit of gas, but really? That is an ANGRY face.

And this? All appearances to the contrary, this is NOT a happy dance. This is three toddlers going, "Grr, Grr, Grr! I am ANGRY!!!!"

Isn't so cute the way they can't fake angry?

(Wouldn't it be even cuter if they didn't do it for real? And even cute0cute-cuter if they didn't do it for real about SERIOUSLY IMPORTANT THINGS like ... what colour their socks are?) Ah, such are the dreams of parenthood.  :)

Happy Halloween, everyone!!

Playgroup

This thing I love most about the Firehall's Friday playgroup is the opportunity the kids get to burn off some steam in rather desolate weather. We don't go when we can get outside, but last Friday was drizzly and chill. The wide open spaces of playgroup were much more appealing!

A favourite activity, at least until it gets crowded:

I think Ada is a little unclear on what exactly needs to be filled up...

Climbing baby!

I love this shot.

I

Dries took this one, and for once, it's not of my cleavage... Most of Dries's pictures of my are unpublishable, I'm afraid. Which amuses me no end.  :D 

They were all cute...

But the belle of the ball was probably this one:

 Everyone loves a baby...

Halloween Party!

In no particular order, and heap of pictures! Enjoy.

 Yes, that's right. Not one, but TWO bumblebees. Oooo, the cute overload...

 Pre-party photo shoot. Cute little fairy!

 "Double, double, toil and trouble..."

 Not quite everybody! Ella and Nahanni had yet to arrive, and as a result, I don't have a good picture of either of those two in costume. I got distracted and forgot. Boo!

 Pretty princess!

 Eventually, costumes, no matter how cute, get ditched. Happens every year.

 Do we know how to put on a yummy spread, or what? Mmmmmm... Also, intense parental conversations occuring across the dining table.

 More intense conversationing. Or maybe it was just that it was SO INCREDIBLY LOUD it took intense concentration to hear someone from all the way across the table. Seven or eight highly excited under-fives make for a LOUD party. Heh.

 It was a little quieter in the living room, but not much. Rebecca is fortified by the wine. Maeve and Laura eventually retired someplace quieter for Maeve's dinner...