Its Spring here in Hotlanta and with temperatures in the eighties and quite a few wet days, there have been a lot of outdoor creatures on the yard, the deck and some venturing right into our house.
This spring Little Bear is spending a lot of time outdoors and has emerged into this bold and curious little boy who loves nature but much to our chagrin has a a nasty habit of 'crushing down' ants, snails and earthworms.
But why? I ask him everytime he proudly proclaims that he stamped a fire ant. "Oh! because it may bite me" is his response. Yesterday, when I picked him from school he said ..."Amma! I crushed up a snail shell..Buts its ok, the snail was not in the shell." A quick zoology lesson followed where I explained that a snail always carries its shell around with it because it is like its house. "But Amma, I'm sure the snail was not in the shell when I crushed it into pieces"
Later that evening after a fresh downpour, we went outside to see earthworms. I thought this would be a great opportunity to teach him to respect other living things and let them be. We got on our hands and knees to see the earthworms lazily crawl around. When one of them came too close to him, he threatened to stamp it. Frustrated I tried to explain with another angle - this earthworm is going back to its mother and we must let it do that, I said. He gave me a quizzical look and said -"No, this earthworm does not have a mother. Its independent" Not sure if he says that because he knows so or just because he wants to have a counter-argument about everything I say ..
Needless to say, in the coming weeks we hope to try our best to teach him the valuable lesson of respecting all other living things.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
The Penguins in Antarctica
We recently bought "Antarctica" for the Little Bear.
The main reason I bought it was the beautiful illustrations and bold colors.I had very little idea about the actual story and did not expect it to be more than a geography/nature book.
We decided to read it at bedtime. The story is about the cold Antarctica and its inhabitants- the penguins, seals and skuas.It explains how the female penguin lays her egg and goes out to sea to feed while the male penguin cares for the egg. The male penguins huddle together to stay warm in the cold winter. Suddenly helicopter whirrs above and the noise frightens them causing them to panic and flee, leaving the eggs behind. The skuas then swoop in and eat the eggs. And this where my sensitive son started crying. As he choked and brushed away his tears, he asked me how the penguins will get more eggs? I explained that the mama penguin will lay more eggs from which babies will come out. Humans need to be more respectful of other animals and be conscious of how their actions affect other animals. Another learning here is about the food chain. Skuas feed on eggs and penguins feed on fish ...the food chain is what feeds everyone on this earth.
This is a wonderful book and has become a family favorite. It is full of valuable lessons and sparks a discussion everytime we read it.
“The land is where our roots are. The children must be taught to feel and live in harmony with the Earth.” ~Maria Montessori
The main reason I bought it was the beautiful illustrations and bold colors.I had very little idea about the actual story and did not expect it to be more than a geography/nature book.
We decided to read it at bedtime. The story is about the cold Antarctica and its inhabitants- the penguins, seals and skuas.It explains how the female penguin lays her egg and goes out to sea to feed while the male penguin cares for the egg. The male penguins huddle together to stay warm in the cold winter. Suddenly helicopter whirrs above and the noise frightens them causing them to panic and flee, leaving the eggs behind. The skuas then swoop in and eat the eggs. And this where my sensitive son started crying. As he choked and brushed away his tears, he asked me how the penguins will get more eggs? I explained that the mama penguin will lay more eggs from which babies will come out. Humans need to be more respectful of other animals and be conscious of how their actions affect other animals. Another learning here is about the food chain. Skuas feed on eggs and penguins feed on fish ...the food chain is what feeds everyone on this earth.
This is a wonderful book and has become a family favorite. It is full of valuable lessons and sparks a discussion everytime we read it.
“The land is where our roots are. The children must be taught to feel and live in harmony with the Earth.” ~Maria Montessori
The Fisherman
On Easter Sunday, we made a trip to the Bass Pro Shop.
Yes, The Bass Pro Shop.I would never in my wildest of dreams thought that I would have ever stepped into that store since it involves outdoor sports (mainly water), which is an area of very very little interest to me. The reason for the visit was two fold. Firstly there was an Easter Egg Hunt inside the store ...the 'inside the store' part was extremely important because the Little bear has been reacting pretty strongly to the Georgia pollen in the air. The second reason for going to this store was because he wants to become a Fisherman!
The boy has been using the Swiffer as a fishing rod. He took a yo-yo and tied it to the end of the swiffer, as the fishing line. The worms go in the beach bucket. He stands on the couch, pretends that the rug is the lake where the fish are. When he catches a fish, he pulls it up, loudly proclaims that he caught another one and then after he is sure that an adults attention has been duly received, the fish is thrown back into the water(We are vegetarians and don't eat it)
So, there was a lot of excitement about the trip to the "fishing" store. After the 'egg hunt', we explored the store. The fishing lines, the boats, swimming gear and the big tank of bass fish were seen. Papa bear promised to buy him a fishing rod but after a stern look and a reminder that he was too little for it, this promise was withdrawn and rapid distraction followed. We bought him a backpack instead with a fishing book and some toy worms and things that seemed more age approporiate.
The fishing back pack has become his best buddy. It is carried everywhere - even to sleep.
The Little Bear will get a chance to go out fishing on a dear friend's boat later this summer. I hope to report back about the trip soon!
Yes, The Bass Pro Shop.I would never in my wildest of dreams thought that I would have ever stepped into that store since it involves outdoor sports (mainly water), which is an area of very very little interest to me. The reason for the visit was two fold. Firstly there was an Easter Egg Hunt inside the store ...the 'inside the store' part was extremely important because the Little bear has been reacting pretty strongly to the Georgia pollen in the air. The second reason for going to this store was because he wants to become a Fisherman!
The boy has been using the Swiffer as a fishing rod. He took a yo-yo and tied it to the end of the swiffer, as the fishing line. The worms go in the beach bucket. He stands on the couch, pretends that the rug is the lake where the fish are. When he catches a fish, he pulls it up, loudly proclaims that he caught another one and then after he is sure that an adults attention has been duly received, the fish is thrown back into the water(We are vegetarians and don't eat it)
So, there was a lot of excitement about the trip to the "fishing" store. After the 'egg hunt', we explored the store. The fishing lines, the boats, swimming gear and the big tank of bass fish were seen. Papa bear promised to buy him a fishing rod but after a stern look and a reminder that he was too little for it, this promise was withdrawn and rapid distraction followed. We bought him a backpack instead with a fishing book and some toy worms and things that seemed more age approporiate.
The fishing back pack has become his best buddy. It is carried everywhere - even to sleep.
The Little Bear will get a chance to go out fishing on a dear friend's boat later this summer. I hope to report back about the trip soon!
Appa is Tiger Woods
So, the Little Bear has been showing some interest in golf, this spring. Perhaps this has something to do with the several trips that Papa bear has already (spring is just here!) made to the golf course. On Sundays, it is common for the father-son duo to sit in front of the television and watch a white ball being hit by a club.
And then much to Papa bear's surprise the Little bear called him Tiger Woods. Not that Papa bear is a huge fan of Tiger Woods. yes, he is probably ranked the World No 1 but Papa bear always roots for the underdog (Phil Mickelson). So, at dinner the other day when Little bear called him Tiger Woods, he did not quite know how to react.
Fast-forward to a week later. We were driving to the mall and Papa bear was speeding a little bit. I reminded him about the recent hefty speeding ticket we just paid to which Little Bear replied "Appa - if you speed then I will call you Phil Mickelson, not Tiger Woods". I think Papa Bear almost caused an accident because he looked behind where the boy was sitting and burst out laughing. Not really sure how Little Bear made the association of speeding with Phil M. but I suspect that in the days to come, Papa bear will work hard and try to change this misconception surrounding his golf hero.
And then much to Papa bear's surprise the Little bear called him Tiger Woods. Not that Papa bear is a huge fan of Tiger Woods. yes, he is probably ranked the World No 1 but Papa bear always roots for the underdog (Phil Mickelson). So, at dinner the other day when Little bear called him Tiger Woods, he did not quite know how to react.
Fast-forward to a week later. We were driving to the mall and Papa bear was speeding a little bit. I reminded him about the recent hefty speeding ticket we just paid to which Little Bear replied "Appa - if you speed then I will call you Phil Mickelson, not Tiger Woods". I think Papa Bear almost caused an accident because he looked behind where the boy was sitting and burst out laughing. Not really sure how Little Bear made the association of speeding with Phil M. but I suspect that in the days to come, Papa bear will work hard and try to change this misconception surrounding his golf hero.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Its been ..
..a long time since I posted anything here. The plan is to start back up with weekly posts at least. The Little Bear is growing up very fast. His current 'talking' pace is scary and I don't want these events to go unrecorded. So, here's whats planned for the summer. All this talk about Earth Day (April 22nd) has left me aspiring to be more green and so there will be a vegetable garden. A trip to the library and then to Lowes should help me with the basics and with Little Bear's help (right!), we should be well on our way. We also have a trip to the beach planned as well as plenty of local day-trips to places nearby. Should be a fun summer!
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