Anyway, since it was SNOWING outside this morning I was looking around the house for fun things to do and I saw this mama animal- baby animal matching game in my "pre-school" cabinet. AHA! I knew they would try to just talk with each other with the different cards (which they did), but I thought if pitched it that they needed to help the baby animals find their mother, they might go for it. It worked! They were very concerned that all of the babes be reunited with their mamas (especially Sam) and worked until they were all matched, except for the poor mama dog whose babies are currently missing.
Anyway, 20 minutes of learning fun! Later the weather warmed back up into a Spring afternoon and we took a ride around the block. Sammy is loving his new balance bike (yay Craigslist!) and Amelia is thrilled that she can now ride his trike without a growl or protest from him:)
All in all it was a lovely day (minus my simultaneous feeling of exhaustion and being wired that my allergy medicine is giving me-yuck!) . Hope yours was a good one too, Jen
6 comments:
What a fun day! Snow and spring all in one day!
Love you,
Mammy
interesting thing about both the book (are you my mother) and the animal matching game. I have heard and read about these in the adoption community - not generally favorably - because they supposedly emphasize this societal idea that babies are "supposed" to look like their "real" parents. Had never seen it that way until we adopted. Food for thought! I will have to check out that other book about the cookie dough!
Sarah, I did actually think about that with the book as we were reading it the first time--maybe I should have not dismissed the thought so quickly! I think the matching game is fine though. I mean, Mama hens do have baby chickies and Elephants have baby elephants, etc. Right? Am I missing something or not making a connection? Thanks for your thoughts and for being such a good blog commenter:):)
jenny- WHERE did you get those animal matching puzzle pieces because sariyah is OBSESSED right now with mommas and babies. we got this little matching thing from scholastic book club from preschool, but the pieces are real flimsy and aren't really puzzle pieces that fit into each other. she really loooooves matching things right now and these look perfect.
i think that "humca munca" has a good point about the book, but think you're right about the animal puzzle pieces. a really, really, really good book that i've used (not yet with my kids, but with elementary school foster kiddos) is A Mama for Owen- about a turtle who kinda "adopted" a baby hippo. it's a true story and completely wonderful!! i think it really hits on the idea that it's ok to miss a biological momma and remember what life was like, but it's also ok to find comfort in another "mamma" and that sometimes families don't always look the same, but the love and comfort is the same! :)
I love seeing how they worked together putting the puzzle pieces together! What fun these two have (well, Almost all the time! :0)
So Sammy to stick with the puzzles until they are all done...that is so "his" thing!
And thank you for showing the "mystery bike"...it is great and I bet the kids feel so "big" riding it with their helmets! :) ....but where do they put their "buggies" now?? ha Can hardly wait to walk beside them in these new adventures! gma
Jenny - I don't think you're missing anything at all! In general I think there is too much concern over being all "PC" in the adoption community. But - at the same time - I want to respect those opinions, especially when they are expressed by international adoptees. We have already had kids ask us (in front of our kids) "Why don't they look like you?" We just say "Some kids look like their parents, and some don't." I'm interested in the book mentioned by Jocelyn. Another one we like is A Mother for Choco -about a bird who is adopted by a mama bear and her family (siblings are an alligator, hippo, and pig).
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