Our 4 yr old saw this box-car in a book and wanted to make it really badly. So we did, about 8 months ago, and he had a lot of fun with it. Then it got lost in the shuffle, broken down, and eventually thrown away. Now just this week, that same book emerged again out of the book shelf and his eyes beamed with excitement. "Mom, can we make this car?" His enthusiasm seemed to explode once more, as we found all the parts we needed for his car. Glue, paper, a cardboard box Micah brought home, paper plates, markers, muffin holder thingies, etc... His masterpiece was finished in several minutes, and since then he's been taking us on magical, driving adventures (mostly thru Zions National Park).
I love how excited he gets when he wants to do something that is his own idea. I admit I'm not one to wake up, blooming with crafty, creative ideas for the day. I find my inspiration comes in waves, and is usually being led by whatever we're doing that day.
I mostly love to be outside with the boys, exploring the world around us.
Right now it is frog season, which means all the local froggies are mating and laying their eggs. We have a special place nearby, where we love to go, to follow the life-cycle of the frogs. This past week we went and found the mating frogs, along with their eggs. The polliwogs are very tiny and fragile right now, so we will go back next week and see how they've grown.
Our kids are learning that the best way to learn about animals is to watch them. Micah spends a considerable amount of time teaching the kids to quietly observe nature around us, to respect all living things, and to walk quietly on the Earth, along with the animals. (He is strongly against going anywhere that allows recreational vehicles, and loud motorbikes, which tread roughly and carelessly across our Mother, and scare away the animals. So, we stick to quieter places.)
It is fun to watch him and the boys track deers, stalk up on birds, and catch lizards, as they maneuver softly and quietly through the woods. One of my favorite things is hearing our kids talk excitedly about what they saw, what they found, and how neat it all is.
My kids are happy with boxes and frogs, and we are learning together.
I took these photos at Zions several weeks ago, but that's not where we go locally to watch our frogs. It's just 20 minutes down the road at Kolob.
