Another fun Christmas with Daddy's family. Todd got some of the items from his wish list, regular-sized legos and his very own digital camera, in addition to the usual loot. Because it was raining outside, we all sat around the dining table indoors, and it was actually quite nice! Usually when we sit outdoors we're divided between 2 patio tables, but this time we ALL got to gather around one single table, so it seemed more cozy.
Not a lot of good pictures to put up :-( I just offloaded them from the camera and discovered that they all had Todd either looking away (concentrating on unwrapping a gift) or looking at someone else. If anyone else took better photos, please send them! :-)
When we arrived back at Oma and Opa's house, he was eager to teach them how to play Snakes 'n' Ladders and checkers while they ate dinner.
And of course, what post would be complete without a Toddism?
On the way to Aunt Debbie and Uncle Ron's house, Todd declared that he would not speak to anyone (in fact, he was loath enough to say that to us). The reason? "If I speak English, I will forget my Chinese!"
Bears are not snowmen
One of Todd's current favorite toys to snuggle with at night is the white birthday bear that Grandpa gave to him on his 2nd birthday. It is large and the color of pristine snow, and so when we settled down to read books before bed last night and I pulled out a book featuring snowmen, I instantly remarked to the bear: "You look like a snowman!", pointing to the pictures of snowmen.
The bear, through Todd, took great offense to this, and insisted that he wasn't a snowman. In fact, he went on to prove *why* he wasn't:
"I don't have 3 balls!"
(I'm sure you can imagine what he was actually talking about, but it was insanely funny nevertheless :-D)
The bear, through Todd, took great offense to this, and insisted that he wasn't a snowman. In fact, he went on to prove *why* he wasn't:
"I don't have 3 balls!"
(I'm sure you can imagine what he was actually talking about, but it was insanely funny nevertheless :-D)
Don't forget!
I was singing "Frosty the Snowman" in the car on the way home today and when I got to the part about "2 eyes made out of coal", Todd wanted to know what coal was. I explained it to him, and tried to give him a visual description of charcoal used in barbecues. Of course, he wanted to actually see it, so I told him that after dinner I'd find pictures on the computer and show him.
Knowing, however, that I was likely to forget after the hustle and bustle of our evening routine, I asked him to remind me in case I forgot.
His reply? "You should keep it in your brain!"
Knowing, however, that I was likely to forget after the hustle and bustle of our evening routine, I asked him to remind me in case I forgot.
His reply? "You should keep it in your brain!"
Reading and 'rithmetic
(Whew! Been remiss in blogging here, haven't I! Just played another round of catchup and posted 9 new entries-- including this one-- happy reading!)
Todd had been becoming more and more curious about words and reading. The elements of phonics are starting to sink in and he's applying them more and more. For the time being, I have given up the approach of teaching him to read using sound-out phonics, and instead am focusing on sight words. Kids have good memories, and it's easier for him to recognize words by sight rather than sounding them out letter-by-letter. In fact, now that he's learning sight words, he's starting to apply the phonics to them!
Often he will do one of two things:
1. See a word somewhere (on a sign, in a newspaper ad, on electronic equipment, etc...), spell it out for me, and ask me what it says.
2. Ask me how to spell a certain word he already knows. Stuff like numbers, body parts, and anything else he's recently heard/talked about.
Here's some examples of how he's applying phonics concepts to words he's learning about:
The other day I was washing his hands at school and he looked at the soap dispenser, which had the name and logo of the soap supplier on it. He wanted to know what "S-U-P-P-L-Y" spelled. I told him. He mulled it over, and then added a new twist:
"You know what word it is if you use a 'T' instead of an 'S'? Tupply!"
Then there was the time when we were talking about planets. He went quiet for a few moments, and then declared: "You know what rhymes with 'planet'? Hanet!"
In the world of arithmetic, he no longer needs beads to count sums less than 10. He can use his fingers! He has become manual dexterous enough to do both addition and subtraction using his hands.
One last tidbit: a few weeks ago he spelled out the letters to his full name: first, middle, last. He wanted to know how many letters it was. I suggested he try counting them. As I was driving, I didn't get to observe what he was doing, but it went quiet in the back seat for a while as I heard whispers while he figured it out. A few minutes later, he proudly announced: "Fifteen!" I was amazed. Not sure if it was a lucky fluke or if he really managed to count them all out, but 15 it is! :-)
Todd had been becoming more and more curious about words and reading. The elements of phonics are starting to sink in and he's applying them more and more. For the time being, I have given up the approach of teaching him to read using sound-out phonics, and instead am focusing on sight words. Kids have good memories, and it's easier for him to recognize words by sight rather than sounding them out letter-by-letter. In fact, now that he's learning sight words, he's starting to apply the phonics to them!
Often he will do one of two things:
1. See a word somewhere (on a sign, in a newspaper ad, on electronic equipment, etc...), spell it out for me, and ask me what it says.
2. Ask me how to spell a certain word he already knows. Stuff like numbers, body parts, and anything else he's recently heard/talked about.
Here's some examples of how he's applying phonics concepts to words he's learning about:
The other day I was washing his hands at school and he looked at the soap dispenser, which had the name and logo of the soap supplier on it. He wanted to know what "S-U-P-P-L-Y" spelled. I told him. He mulled it over, and then added a new twist:
"You know what word it is if you use a 'T' instead of an 'S'? Tupply!"
Then there was the time when we were talking about planets. He went quiet for a few moments, and then declared: "You know what rhymes with 'planet'? Hanet!"
In the world of arithmetic, he no longer needs beads to count sums less than 10. He can use his fingers! He has become manual dexterous enough to do both addition and subtraction using his hands.
One last tidbit: a few weeks ago he spelled out the letters to his full name: first, middle, last. He wanted to know how many letters it was. I suggested he try counting them. As I was driving, I didn't get to observe what he was doing, but it went quiet in the back seat for a while as I heard whispers while he figured it out. A few minutes later, he proudly announced: "Fifteen!" I was amazed. Not sure if it was a lucky fluke or if he really managed to count them all out, but 15 it is! :-)
That's not what he said!
Ah, the time to pit one parent against another has come. When Todd arrived home from school today, he explained that he wanted jelly-only sandwiches (instead of the PBJ he regularly gets at lunchtime). I explained that he HAD to have peanut butter as it was a good source of protein. But then I went on to further explain that on weekends, when it was snack time, I'd be happy to make him jelly-only sandwiches then.
He immediately pounced on my last statement and pointed out: "Your answer is not the same as Daddy's!"
I was quick to clarify that when Daddy and I were both talking about lunch, our answer was the same: you *must* have PB.
But wow, talk about keen to observe any differences in one parent's explanation vs. another! Time for Daddy and I to band together and make sure we get our stories straight... and airtight! That kid finds loopholes faster than dirt finds him!
He immediately pounced on my last statement and pointed out: "Your answer is not the same as Daddy's!"
I was quick to clarify that when Daddy and I were both talking about lunch, our answer was the same: you *must* have PB.
But wow, talk about keen to observe any differences in one parent's explanation vs. another! Time for Daddy and I to band together and make sure we get our stories straight... and airtight! That kid finds loopholes faster than dirt finds him!
Todd takes up Karate
Last summer, we'd tried enrolling Todd in Tae Kwon Do at a place near my parents' house. It didn't work out too well, probably because (a) he was still too young-- just turned 3! and (b) the instructors were rather loud and intimidating. Good for discipline for older kids, not so good for toddlers who don't quite understand yet.
Anyway, this past summer, after turning 4, he expressed interest in returning to Tae Kwon Do. Of course, by then school was ready to start so he had to come back to SB. Recently, however, we found several karate classes in/around SB. Unfortunately most of them had the kiddie group classes during times when Daddy and I would still be at work. Or else they were far away (well, far away by SB standards). That is, until I found one place that not only had group classes starting at 5pm, but was located in the building right NEXT to Todd's after-school care center!
I took Todd to his first, introductory class last Monday, and he did remarkably well. He followed instructions, listened to the teacher, and even volunteered at the end when the teacher sought someone to come up to the front and help him with a demonstration.
This past Monday marked Todd's second lesson, and this time Daddy joined in to watch. We were surprised at how well Todd adapted. When the teacher called each kid up individually to line up, he remembered to stand ramrod straight in front of him and address him with "Yes, sir!" When corrected during the moves, he remembered and followed instructions with minimal distraction. It was quite heartening to see! And hopefully the discipline will be good for him.
Saturday will be his first private lesson. I think the combination of the individual attention during a private lesson plus the social atmosphere in the group lesson will be good for him. Here's hoping to more successful classes in the future! :-)
Anyway, this past summer, after turning 4, he expressed interest in returning to Tae Kwon Do. Of course, by then school was ready to start so he had to come back to SB. Recently, however, we found several karate classes in/around SB. Unfortunately most of them had the kiddie group classes during times when Daddy and I would still be at work. Or else they were far away (well, far away by SB standards). That is, until I found one place that not only had group classes starting at 5pm, but was located in the building right NEXT to Todd's after-school care center!
I took Todd to his first, introductory class last Monday, and he did remarkably well. He followed instructions, listened to the teacher, and even volunteered at the end when the teacher sought someone to come up to the front and help him with a demonstration.
This past Monday marked Todd's second lesson, and this time Daddy joined in to watch. We were surprised at how well Todd adapted. When the teacher called each kid up individually to line up, he remembered to stand ramrod straight in front of him and address him with "Yes, sir!" When corrected during the moves, he remembered and followed instructions with minimal distraction. It was quite heartening to see! And hopefully the discipline will be good for him.
Saturday will be his first private lesson. I think the combination of the individual attention during a private lesson plus the social atmosphere in the group lesson will be good for him. Here's hoping to more successful classes in the future! :-)
Deep bedtime conversations
As mentioned in an earlier post, our bedtime routine is pretty standard, and pretty established. Often Todd and I will engage in a little conversation while snuggling, before we drift off to sleep. If he's in a good mood, it's a perfect time to get him to open up with more details about what he did at school that day. Or we'll just talk about random things.
Tonight the conversation started before finished his prayers. As he was about to launch into the Lord's Prayer, he paused and asked quizzically: "Why is the Lord's Prayer so long?"
I seized the opportunity to go through it line by line and explain in kiddie terms what it meant. That in turn led to questions about what heaven must be like.
I gave him my best guess, explaining that it was a place where people could live peacefully and lovingly and not hurt each other by lying or stealing or cheating. Upon my mention that I believe animals are in heaven too, Todd objected:
"If animals are there, they'll go RAWR at you!"
I quickly allayed his fear that he might get chased by a ferocious lion up in heaven, and pointed out that up there, there would be no need for animals to hunt one another. Sharks would not attack turtles, lions could sit peacefully with deer.
Todd digested this and then added his own opinion of what else heaven might consist of:
"There will be music in heaven. That's what I think."
I agreed. After all, what better way to express peace and love than through music?
Tonight the conversation started before finished his prayers. As he was about to launch into the Lord's Prayer, he paused and asked quizzically: "Why is the Lord's Prayer so long?"
I seized the opportunity to go through it line by line and explain in kiddie terms what it meant. That in turn led to questions about what heaven must be like.
I gave him my best guess, explaining that it was a place where people could live peacefully and lovingly and not hurt each other by lying or stealing or cheating. Upon my mention that I believe animals are in heaven too, Todd objected:
"If animals are there, they'll go RAWR at you!"
I quickly allayed his fear that he might get chased by a ferocious lion up in heaven, and pointed out that up there, there would be no need for animals to hunt one another. Sharks would not attack turtles, lions could sit peacefully with deer.
Todd digested this and then added his own opinion of what else heaven might consist of:
"There will be music in heaven. That's what I think."
I agreed. After all, what better way to express peace and love than through music?
