Winter Break Activities

The first week of winter break is always full of potential - the anticipation, the opportunity to make crafts, to bake goodies, to do whatever the mood calls for... even a rare snowman in a place that barely gets any snow.

Roll, roll roll a little ball of snow on the powdery yard back and forth till a snowman materializes...

Make a Fish Card  for grandpa who loves fishing...

Fold Origami paper crane earrings for Mama and cousins...

And make Origami wreaths...

Bake cookies: when all I have to do is turn on the oven, put the loaded cookie sheet in and set the timer, get it out when done, I am all for baking batches of cookies. The best part was to surprise our neighbor with the fresh-from-the-oven cookies; and then frost some of them to give to her cousins. (The recipe Ana chose to use was from Christmas Cookies Bite-Size Holiday Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal/Jane Dyer)

Melted Crayon stained glass card, cut wrapping paper collage card, snowman card... just whatever came to her mind at various times to create a card to send some Holiday cheer...

Salt dough ornaments...

The 7 yo managed to keep herself busy with many activities the first week of winter break. The younger one, however, was not liking this 'freedom', lack of structure...

But, he chose to write a book all about Space - not just planets and our solar system, but mostly about stars and galaxies and black holes. It was tough deciphering his writing, but, with a little help the words on the title page revealed themselves as saying,
"The illustrator is Og The author is Papa Rigel Sun Thanks Pollux" 
all phonetically spelt and written with laterally inverted S and such and not much regard to punctuation...

He credited Papa with authorship but apparently Papa had nothing much to do with the words in the pages...  Many stars and galaxies were illustrated, along with scattered letters describing and naming them somehow giving the impression of the vastness and ordered chaos that is our Universe... (at least, that is how my mind sees it)...

And what can be more fun than making up his own puzzles? Take a standard 8.5x11 copy paper; draw some stars and planets and galaxies on it; to make it extra challenging, draw on both sides, but just a slightly different picture of the same subject matter; then cut the paper up into random pieces; jumble up the pieces; try to assemble the pieces back together as before.

And to make it too impossibly challenging, he decided to take 3 papers of double-sided pictures and cut out 32 pieces all together and then try to put them back together after mixing and jumbling them up. (He never did manage to finish that puzzle so far - the pieces are 'saved' in a zipper lock bag for future attempts - although I cannot guarantee all the pieces made it into that bag.)

Beakman's World Sugar Glass

Beakman's World was much-loved by D in his younger days apparently, and so, some weeks ago, he introduced it to the kids, thanks to Netflix Watch Instantly feature. Since then, we've watched an episode here, an episode there, learning about some wonderful things.

I found the neon colors, the flashy set, the loud noises rather distracting (from a jaded adult perspective, of course), but apparently it appeals to the kids, albeit in small doses. Both kids seem to like Liza better than Josie, and for some reason find Lester funny.

I do like the way Beakman makes everything so simple, so easy to process complex ideas, and usually rather accurately. Og's early favorite was in Season 1 Episode 4 'Blood' - why do we have it, what does it do?

While there were many favorites with Ana, the first experiment she wanted to try at home was from Season 2 Episode 2, where she learned about "sugar glass" - the kind that are shattered in movies without hurting the actors much.

So, we made it at home. Followed the recipe on the show, only we used an old Al foil pie plate for the mold, and the 'glass' was quite thick.

We got to shatter it and then eat it!

One-and-a-half man shows

For over a year now, D and I have watched "shows" presented by the kids till our eyes bubble.

Gone are the drop-everything-and-rush-over-to-be-a-good-audience encouragement and support days. After about the third call from one of the kids pleading, "Who wants to come and watch our show now? We are ready!", we shuffle over to watch the show. (Tut-tut, indeed, but, with a couple of shows every other week, it gets a little overwhelming.)

Of course, we do acknowledge their production efforts and presentation no doubt, letting them know what we liked and what we didn't get; but, the initial thrill and race-to-the-front-seat enthusiasm has waned a bit.

First few shows had Ana handing us a ticket and playing the usher as well, seating us graciously and heading 'backstage' to her room to get ready.

The stage is always the only spot available in the house - in the living room by one of walls - a couple of old crib mattresses, cushions, blankets, chairs etc, come in handy to set the stage, which the kids do by themselves.

Ana is the bossy-pants in these productions: director, narrator, star, props manager, costumer, playwright... Oggie is usually in some supporting role, with a possible free-form solo during props or costume change.

The stories are simple - One was titled The Apple Orchard where Og was the apple seed (he was directed to sit down crouched in his apple seed costume - brown pants and red shirt); then as Ana narrated and acted the parts of the wind and the sun making the tree grow, Og slowly would stand up as if growing, growing taller into an apple tree... and become an apple tree full of red juicy apples; finally, Ana would hold up a paper in which she has drawn a bunch of trees and apples which represent the apple orchard. And... Curtain!

Another was about two kids - a little brother and older sister - who lived in a tent because their mommy and daddy had to work always and could not play with them. Props: the kids' table surrounded by dining chairs, with 2 or 3 blankets on top made up the tent, with an opening in the front which led under the table where their sleeping bags were set up. It went on and on about what the kids did - went out and picked strawberries, made food for themselves to eat as their parents were working, and tucked themselves in bed at night. And... Curtain!

Sometimes, it is a well-known fairy tale - like Sleeping beauty or Goldilocks or Red-Riding Hood or Three Little Pigs - straight narration and unfolding of the story, no surprises except for Og's unintentional non-cooperation and possibly intentional deviation from the rehearsed role.

Sometimes - and these are my favorites - they are stories from picture books they've enjoyed. My favorite one of these was the enacting of The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear. Ana was the strawberry, Oggie was the Mouse. (The Big Hungry Bear appears only in spirit, not in person and that's the beauty of this book). They act out the whole book, even putting on the goofy glasses for disguise.

Over time, the production value has increased a bit and there seems to be a few rehearsal sessions and a full dress rehearsal, which is usually right before the presentation as Oggie can be a tough prima donna, even if in his minuscule supporting role, and can exasperate Ana without even intending to.

I do love their shows, no doubt about it! They are usually very short, not more than 8 minutes total. There are a few impromptu improvised shows they put on which are rather goofy, but, the rehearsed ones with Ana holding up a marquee of sorts with the Play's title and giving a welcome speech, "Welcome One, Welcome All, to the Grandest Show in this Hall..." are always a treat.

Considering how invisible Ana prefers to be in public, I like that she enjoys performing for a cozy , familiar audience. Even if she chooses not to go up on stage anywhere, I am happy that she exercises that side of herself at home. Oggie is a typical soon-to-be four year old - moody and wild - and is an extrovert. He might enjoy being on stage - but only because he chooses to, not because he has to.

An email exchange with a friend helped me realize I have not recorded these memories here... remedied now.

A Few Pre-Schooler Games

Spring Break went by fast, mostly spent indoors thanks to persistent rains that characterize our region.

Despite nine months of rain each year, scrambling to get dry in the 2 weeks of extra-hot summer, it is a gorgeous haven. Which is why most of us stay and grow the second skin of rain coats and rubber boots, sporting the slick wet-hair look and smiling wide as we towel off the slides at the park and letting the kids finish the rest of the wiping job with their bottoms so they can play in the damp sogginess.

Anyway, since last Winter Break and through this Spring Break, we've been playing a few indoor children's games, some of which have become quite a hit at home, prompting me to record it here. Most of these games, or some version of it at least, has been around for ages and many teachers and parents have used it well and shared their ideas on the web.

The games are more for the pre-schooler, with slight modifications for the kindergartner in residence.

1. Coin Bingo: Bingo is a fun game - I used to know it as "House-Housie" when I was little.
   
   
   
   For Ana, this helped learn her coins and try some math with coin exchange. How many pennies make a nickel? How many nickels for a dime? Can you give me coins to exchange for this quarter? And so on.
   
   For Og, I made up a simple grid. First few rounds were to introduce and reinforce the names of the coins and recognizing them. We only used pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. No half-dollars and dollar coins.
   
   It is a bit confusing that nickel is bigger than dime in size but lower in value, and that dime and pennies are about the same size, but for the distinct color of the pennies. Still, it is what it is and might as well learn it with all its inconsistencies...
   
   The game is simple: Give each child a paper with the coin sizes and values clearly drawn/marked. Give them enough and more of each coins to fill the paper. Call out the coin and have them place the right one in the right spot. Till all spots are filled. Oggie loves to scream "Bingo! I won!" when he is done.
   
   As an optional exercise, Oggie likes to sort and stack up the coins in his pile, naming them as he goes.
   
   
2. Letter Sound Match: I chose the set of consonants (and/or vowels) to focus on in each round and prepared the materials as in the picture: two sheets of paper with identical grid lower-case letters.
   
   We were focusing on letter sounds, for which I like to use the lower-case letters; but, can use this for the initial letter recognition by using all upper-case letters if preferred.
   
   
   
   The little squares of paper (blue bubble print paper from an earlier art exercise) have a piece of masking tape at the back to act as double-sided tape so that they can be easily removed from one spot and pasted on to another.
   
   The little blue squares all start out on one paper. Oggie gets two papers, identically prepared - one filled with the blue square, the other empty to begin with.
   
   As I call out the letter sounds, ("mmm", "sss" etc. no vowel sounds attached), he gets to find that letter on the blue square piece on the original sheet and move it to the correct spot on the empty sheet. We continue, one letter sound at a time till all letter squares have been moved from the first paper to the other.
   
   As an additional exercise, preparatory to reading, now that he has gotten comfortable with the letter sounds, I call out, "What does map begin with?" for the letter "m", rather than calling out the sound, "mmm". And so on.
   
   
   
3. Shapes and Colors Game: One of the versions of this that became a hit at home (even with Ana who is much too old for it) is this coloring game.
   
   
   
   Prepare the shapes - either print or draw. Our printer conked out last Fall and we haven't found it in our budget to get a new one so far, so, I've been preparing most of the materials by hand.
   
   The fun for Og seems to be the challenge of not just recognizing the shape in the paper, but finding the color crayon I call out among the open pile, and then coloring within the outlines.
   
   There are plenty of crayons, multiples of each color, so Ana likes to play along even thought she calls it a "baby game". So, when I announce that we want a "Blue Circle" they grab the nearest blue crayon each at the table and get busy coloring in the circle.
   
   After a while, I started throwing in a banana or apple or clover and such to the mix of shapes as there is only so much of circle, oval, rectangle, square, triangle, diamond, heart, star that Og can handle before getting too bored.
   
   And, as we go along, we learn about various shades and color names like teal, magenta, lime green and so on in addition to light and dark, refining and defining the crayon colors at hand. So that I can call for a "lime green leaf" or "magenta oval" and notice him reaching for the nearest shade he has learnt.
   
   Not only does it help colors/shapes recognition, I think it has helped Og practise staying within the lines as seen in the picture. Although he doesn't cover every millimeter of the shape, he does manage to stay within the lines. And the crayons are broken to about an inch or so, which helps his grip and prepares his hand for writing later on.
   
   
   
4. Scavenger Hunt: This is something Ana and Og compete and play with full gusto, with Ana getting mad and frustrated if Og manages to find the item first and stuff it in his bag.
   
   I hang two cloth tote bags in the kitchen, one for each player. Then send them on a scavenger hunt around the house to find the specified item and run back to put it in their bag first. Then, move on to the next item and so on till either they are tired/bored, or the bag is full.
   
   At first, I made it simple for Og. "Find something blue". "Find something that is round". "Find something that is soft". And so on. Then started compounding. "Find something that is green and makes a noise". (They do have a parrot toy that squawks and is green. Plus a green zhu zhu that squeaks cutely. And a few more that match the criteria I call out. So each can find one without fighting over any single item).
   
   "Find something you can wear in winter to stay warm". "Find something that bounces". As I make it more complex for Og, it gives him a chance to figure out and understand things in his world.
   
   This is one of my favorite games to conduct as I can keep them engaged while cooking or doing something else. I simply have to call out the next item and let them scramble to find it and bring it back. And it is even easier when I have a master list of items (pasted in the kitchen, handy) from which I call out a subset each time we play.
   
   Sometimes Ana fills in for me. Of course, she calls out, "Find yucky baby undies" and promptly Og takes off what he is wearing and stuffs it in his bag eliciting unmuffled giggles from Ana.
   
   
5. Mystery Bag: This is a simple game I try to invite D to play along with the kids when he has a few moments to spare.
   
   
   
   First, when kids are busy with something else, I go about the house and collect familiar items of various shapes and textures and put them in a small cloth bag that closes at the top so contents are not revealed easily. And have a blindfold handy for this game.
   
   When ready to play, we sit down in a circle and take turns. Each player wears the blindfold when it is their turn. Then opens the bag and picks out just one item from the bag. Feels it with their fingers. Then guesses what it is. Then, takes off the blindfold to see if they were correct. Then, passes it on to the next player.
   
   Things like pine cone, or a vegetable, or a hair curler, or a toy... each time the bag has different things, most of which are probably familiar to them, some of which might not be. Oggie doesn't keep the blindfold on, of course, and takes it off to "guess" his item.
   
   For some reason, wrong guess brings out peals of laughter. Of course, Ana gets mad if her guess was wrong... But, all in all a nice game to sit down and enjoy. Taking turns, being a gracious winner/loser, following the rules etc. are some of the nice things about this, much like any other game.

Kids Activity: Feltboard

Felt boards are a wonderful toy/tool that can be used for storytime or independent play, its benefits attested by parents and teachers alike. Considering that these felt boards have been well-loved and well-used at home, I don't doubt its merits.

The simpler the toy, the more complex the play, I remember reading somewhere.

These felt boards are easy for parents to make at home with just a few readily available materials. A 20x32 inch foam board cut in two makes two good-sized felt boards for small hands, 20x16 inch each. Felt fabric is usually under $2/yard, and being quite a wide bolt, quarter of a yard is more than enough for covering the foam board; and small pre-cut 9x12 inch or so rectangular felt pieces are available in various colors for making the shapes.

Items Used: Felt fabric in various colors, foam board, glue, scissors, tape, sandpaper (optional)

1. Measure and cut a large piece of felt fabric to cover a foam board, fold the edges and glue/tape the felt fabric to the foam board
2. Cut out small felt pieces in various shapes for the play; optionally glue on a piece of sandpaper at the back of these so the pieces stick better on the felt board
3. Can also cut out pictures of favorite things from magazines and glue it on to felt fabric and cut around to make the felt pieces to play with
4. Let children use their imagination and make creatures, machines, and things with these pre-cut felt pieces, or even tell a story

I went with a double color - blue and green with a horizon - so blue can represent the sky or ocean, with green being land or forest/jungle... Ana chose teal blue with green, whereas Oggie liked the more royal bright blue with the green for his board. But a solid single color felt fabric covering the foam board would be fine too.

Initially, geometric shaped felt pieces in various colors worked well for Og - a square or rectangle with a triangle on top became a house or a barn, a rectangle with two circles at the bottom edge became a car... and as he got comfortable with arranging/rearranging the felt pieces, animal shapes like penguin, pig, lion etc. came about from other pieces I had pre-cut and kept handy.

The kids each have their own felt board, with plenty of felt pieces to play with, along with some googly eyes and maybe even some yarn. The sand paper at the back helps hold the pieces - stick firmly - onto the felt board if they pick up the board and tilt it. But, even without the sandpaper, felt pieces stay put when flat on a work table. And can be easily picked up and moved around to change the scene/story.

Ana makes up stories about fairies and snowman and such, "decorating" each of her characters with care. Oggie leans more towards assembling cars, trains, animals etc., and talking about them as he builds.

There are felt board kits available - with themed felt pieces like Fairy Tale or Nursery Rhymes which can be used by parents for creating a magical storytime session with the very young.

The more a toy does, the less a child learns.
The less a toy does, the more a child learns.

Microwave Coffee Mug Cakes and Cucumber Sandwiches

As I was getting her wardrobe pruned and sorted and generally getting ready for school, I couldn't help thinking how much I will miss the Teas with Ana I've come to enjoy on many a lazy summer afternoon. The tiny triangular cheese and cucumber sandwiches, microwave cakes, and mint and fennel teas were more than just a casual afternoon pastime. It was a Ceremony.

These were not the "pretend teas" that happen frequently. This was our very own ritualistic High Tea, occurring not more than two or three times a month. From announcing and planning to dressing and preparing the items, Ana seemed to get into the spirit of the whole experience. It has been just a Mom and Daughter Tea, sometimes Enid joins us.

We start by getting proper attire fit for a formal Tea - fancy dresses only. Wig and jewelry optional. Ana's rules, not mine. Left to me I'd be in my lounge pants that have become my second skin. We choose a table cloth. Arrange the table with place mats, tea set, and cutlery. We make weak herbal tea ceremoniously (I pour the hot water for steeping, of course).

And, while the tea is steeping, we start the Microwave Cake. Now, there are lots of recipes on the web for quick microwave coffee mug chocolate cake. The trick is to know one's microwave intimately. We sacrificed a couple of early batches at the beginning of summer to figure out time and proportions, so, the following is just a starting point to come up with your own. Simply combine the ingredients in a sturdy coffee mug and microwave till done.

Why coffee mug? Well, philosophically speaking, Why Not?

However, it is handy, nice for small hands to pour the ingredients and stir with a small spoon or mini whisk, and it goes in the microwave usually without fuss. But, we've made it in other various microwave-safe bowls. Anything's fine. Also, rather than lemon cake, can make chocolate cake by using baking cocoa (dark) and omitting the lemon juice and food color.

Microwave Cake
1 Tbsp Egg Beaters
¼ tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp milk
3 Tbsp oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 drop yellow food color
½ tsp vanilla essence

2 minutes at high power.

Once the cake is done, we "present" it - either cut up into small portions or put in a small waffle cone and decorated with icing and sprinkles.

Sometimes, we've used ready-made cake mix, especially the Devil's Food kind, and used
1/3rd cup cake mix  +  2 Tbsp oil  +  4 Tbsp milk
stirred well in a bowl and and microwaved for 2 mins.

I love this microwave method as it is quick, and we only make such a small batch with each portion/serving just about the size of a mini cupcake, even if the taste and texture are not quite top-notch.

The best part of these Teas for me is that it helped me talk to Ana about things she wouldn't talk to me  under other "normal" circumstances. Why don't you like singing in your school program, Ana? I love to sing, Amma, but not in front of all the people. I don't enjoy that at all. But,  I like to sing when I am at home, when I am happy, even when I am a bit sad.

Why do we leave smell trails that animals can follow with their noses and find us? 
When did fairies come into this world? Were they here before us? Why do fairies like to hide?
I like Cinderella because she was working all the time cleaning up and sleeping in a straw mat by the fireplace and she had mean sisters and mommy. It is nice that she became a princess with fairy godmother's help, otherwise her life would have been not so good.

[While my aversion to merchandising and marketing ploys surrounding Disney-esque princesses still remain, I've allowed Ana to be introduced to Fairy Tale princesses as much as other kinds. That has to be its own post someday: the subject of Little Girls and Princesses.]

I like to play by myself, Amma. Sometimes I like to play with Oggie. You can play dollies with me if you like. 

I am going to make your hair pretty, Amma. Sure enough after gentle assault by a hairbrush and 2 dozen assorted hair accessories, my hair does somehow look pretty 20 minutes later.

Let's have a party for the fairies in the garden, and see if they will stop hiding from us. Watching her dressed up in her fairy skirt and wings, calling out, "Fairies, fairies, come out and join the party... it is for you. I want to be your friend!",  my heart felt squeezed by a tight fist, but, I knew it was a good sort of squeeze... the kind that transported me to my childhood where I desperately wanted to meet the kind and friendly hidden folk who will help me with everything from getting my homework done to flying up in the air like them.

The summer days flew by, mildly structured, yet strongly entertained. Thanks to sleep deprivation, I wasn't scrambling to pack the summers with a tight schedule till kids tire out and scramble to get their bearings.

The daily trips to the parks are the ones I'd remember most: packing our little snack, we'd walk to one of the nearby parks, enjoy the water feature on a blazing hot day, else just seek out the next challenge - be it the monkey bars or climbing wall for Ana, the tall slide or the balance beam for Og.

Anyway, as she prepares for another school year, I prepare myself to not dissect every single episode over summer where I could have handled things slightly differently. I remind myself that children respond to a non-immediate-family authority figure quite differently from the way they respond to their own parents. At the end of the day, I call upon all the hugs, kisses, and I Love Yous to reassure me that there is no wrong way of parenting when it is guided by unconditional love.

Dover Little Activity Books of Sticker Paper Dolls

Paper Dolls need no introduction. Many traditional ones have a paper cut-out doll in bare minimum undergarments, along with various options for dressing this paper doll from head to toe - shoes, headgear, clothes, even accessories.

Around 2 and 3 years, Ana liked the Melissa & Doug™ wooden magnetic dress-up dolls - she named them Globs and Woosh - and could spend a couple of hours by herself, dressing them up and pretending that one is a doctor and the other hurt her leg, or that one is going out for running while the other is getting ready for a birthday party...



Very much like the wooden magnetic dolls, there are other simple magnetic doll kits that offer play scenes, sometimes in portable self-contained packages. A couple of these portable magnetic scenes came in very handy last year during the nearly 24hr long flight to India, along with Polly Pocket. Plus, there are lots of magnetic pictures sold separately which can be used with existing play scene/board.



At that age, paper dolls seemed a bit cumbersome, but somehow, when Nana got her Paper Doll Fairies, she took to it right away. It's a sticker paper doll, which is easier to handle, but the adhesive barely lasts as long as the interest lasts.



Around four years, Ana started showing more interest in paper dolls, with cut-out paper form having notches to hold the tabs for clothing, shoes, head gear etc. Having played with it, I know it can get a bit frustrating to insert the tabs correctly to hang the parts correctly and play dress-up dolls.

For some reason, Ana has taken to this activity, especially after she received this book filled with beautiful clothes and accessories and four cut-out dolls - two fairies, two princesses.



I get invited to play with these paper dolls once in a while, but, her irritated refrains of, "No,Amma, She does not want to wear that, she likes this pretty dress!" lead to "You are doing it all wrong, please go away Amma" and that is how these play sessions end as she has very specific ideas about coordinating outfits and accessories that clash with mine :)

Till she turned five, the slant has been towards fairies, with some princesses, ballerinas, and mermaids thrown in. But, to take it a step further, I stocked up on small Sticker Paper Doll books by Dover Publications which helps with the Travel The World theme we are focusing on this summer - mostly just a basic and casual introduction to the various countries, common foods enjoyed there, language spoken there, climate, flora and fauna, as well as traditional clothing.



And that's where these Dover Little Activity Books of Sticker Paper Dolls come in handy:

We meet Mei-Mei from China who shows what they usually wear to the Peking Opera, or on New Year's, even a Mongolian dress.
We meet Selena from Mexico who shows us China Poblana (Chinese Pueblan) and Mayan traditional outfits and so on.
We meet Arianna from Greece who shows us beautiful costumes from Crete, Corfu, Epirus and Florina, even Amalia, a traditional costume.

Similarly Sayoko from Japan (not sticker), Maya from Africa (not sticker), Nicole from France, Helen from Scotland, Camina from Brazil, Ping from Vietnam, Anastasia from Russia, Patty from Ireland, Maya from India and many more introduce us to the various traditional and some modern outfits from their country.

Some might dismiss it as clichéd and perpetuating stereotypes, but, that is what makes it stand out in the young mind about different customs, clothing, and food that people around the world call their own.

For fanciful little girls who like playing with dolls, these sticker paper dolls not only entertain, but teach at some subliminal level the clothing customs around the world.

It gives me an opportunity to learn new things as I try to introduce them to Ana. For instance, having no idea what Opera is or what Peking is, Ana wondered what that gorgeous Peking Opera Outfit that Mei-Mei gets to wear. Which opened up a door for me to add some information.

Similarly, after we had been reading some children's books with African theme (need to post these books soon), especially The Spider Weaver which talks about the Kente cloth, and Pretty Salma (an African Red Riding Hood Tale), to play with the little African Girl Paper Doll must've sealed the new information at some level.

Over a few thousand years, clothing has evolved with us - climate and local resources might dictate the type of fabric and style widely used, plus, available tools and techniques makes manufacturing some clothing easier than others. In this context, we looked through Clothes in Many Cultures by Heather Adamson which has pictures and simple notes that can supplement the Sticker Paper Doll play.

For now, it is nice that each little paper doll has a name which helps associating them with their country, and as Ana reads the names of the outfit she is currently sticking on the doll in hand, at some level, I think it might leave a lasting impression.

If not, no matter. She enjoys playing with them... for a couple of hours on some afternoons. And if that play time happens to coincide with Oggie's power-nap, I get the much-needed Alone Time.

And, she has expressed interest in making her own paper dolls - simple cut out in card stock paper, with dress she creates and colors in. I might need to help make them one of these days.

And, it lets me dream about sewing some new clothes for Ana based on these paper doll outfits.

p.s: the stickers in these sticker paper dolls don't last forever, but, using a piece of masking tape rolled onto itself to form a double-sided tape works for us after the adhesive power of the original has gone. Scotch tape might be OK instead of masking tape, but, I prefer masking tape - it seems easier to peel off than scotch tape as the sticker paper is quite thin and flimsy.

p.p.s: the tab cut-out paper dolls in Dover Little Activity Paper Dolls are a pain to get ready for playing - Xacto knife and plenty of patience by the adult is required. I prefer the Sticker Paper Dolls.

Hand-Me-Down Toys

It is not until recently that I started wondering about the advantage of hand-me-downs in the development of the younger child who acquires these.

Me being a younger sibling and getting mostly hand-me-downs possibly gave me an imperceptible edge over first-borns my age... Will have to explore that topic in another post... Actually, maybe not. There are experts who have fine things to say about it, with research to back them up. So, I guess I'll stick to just my limited experiences in motherhood :)

With Ana, everything was new for me, every toy was a gamble, every experience seemed to come with the price of doubt. As is expected with the first-born. But now with Og, it seems to get a little easier, as is normal, I guess...

While it is true that their personalities are different and I am constantly learning and tailoring them to Oggie's needs, some of the staple activities for toddler development are universal enough that they have become a hit with Og.

1. Coloring seems to have a universal appeal, and so far this seems to be Oggie's favorite activity, next only to reading books.
   
   
   
   Crayons and washable markers are a staple. And thanks to Crayola™ there are so many other wonderful products to try.
   
   Crayola Beginnings Tadoodles First Marks is fun, especially for Oggie's insistent hammering technique for covering the page with bright dots while repeating "Daats! Daats!"... and so is Tadoodles Easy Stampers.
   
   Crayola Beginnings Triangular Paintbrush seems to be frustrating for him, at least the ones we have, as the flow is not smooth and continuous, but, it is good to take out the frustration by jabbing the paper.
2. Peg Puzzles & Jigsaw Puzzles: Melissa & Doug™'s wooden peg puzzles, with or without sound, is another favorite.
   
   Just as with Ana, it is fun to watch Og place the pieces in their slots, dump them out and do it all over again. And again. For about half a dozen times at a stretch somedays...
   
   Of course, whereas Ana's favorite was the animals puzzle, Oggie's seems to be the vehicles one.
   
   In addition to peg puzzles, the wooden 12-piece Jigsaw Puzzles seem to be getting Og's attention - especially the hand-me-downs from my soon-to-be-4 year old nephew - viz., the construction vehicles, locomotives and dinosaurs.
3. Foam Shapes Puzzles and Letters:
   
   Ana favors the Loctagon pieces for building structures even now at 4¾, while Og loves the Circular Foam Pieces with geometric shape cutouts.
   
   The shapes are interesting, even if a bit challenging for the wee hands to put back together. And the cutout sewing activity promises to be useful as well.
   
   
4. Mister Potato Head: D being a Transformers fan, (collected them as a kid and went to Botcon2007 before the movie was released), the first Mister Potato Head set that Ana got a couple of years ago was naturally the Transformers promo one called Opti-Mash Prime.
   
   And, of course, now that I let Ana watch the Transformers movie recently, it turns out her favorite is Bumblebee and not Optimus Prime :)
   
   Anyway, I like this toy as we can keep adding different accessories. Ana likes the Princess Potato Head with pink shoes and crown and scepter and such. Plus the Pirate, Halloween Ghost, in addition to numerous animal-ish accessories like ape, elephant etc.
   
   It is fun to add eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hat, shoes and such, even winter accessories like scarf... sometimes in the wrong places - just switch around the eyes and mouth and see how funny the face looks...
5. Melissa & Doug Alphabet Stacking Blocks: At 1¾, Og likes to knock them down more than stack them, naturally, but, since Ana loves to stack them and simulate her Pink Tower experience from school, it works out fine these days.
   
   The pictures and the letters are a bonus - and they are fairly sturdy.
   
   Plus Og likes to nest the blocks, which is sort of appropriate for his developmental age... and Ana willingly handed it over to Og explaining that it is a "baby toy" and she is done with it, naturally reserving her claim to it at all times :)
6. Little Touch Leap Pad System: Ana got this for her first birthday from her Nana. At about 2 is when she really got into it. It was always in the car, entertaining her and interacting with her during those awfully long commutes to and from daycare.
   
   At a few months away from turning two, Oggie is beginning to like this. The letters of the alphabet is his favorite now - he gets a response for his action right away when he pushes on the page - animal sounds, words, letter sounds...
   
   Between 2½ and 3½ this book was one of Ana's constant companions. We bought more books for this as she mastered each. Her favorite (and mine) was the Stella Songbird book - it introduced her to music from around the world - Irish, Indian, Chinese, Nigerian, Mexican, and American (mostly Jazz). Optional activity was to identify the musical instruments and their sounds. Each page had recognizable landmarks from that part of the world. She learnt about Tabla and Dragon Drums, Taj Mahal and The Great Wall of China, Dragon Puppet and Iguana through this.
   
   Lulu the Letter-spinning Spider, One Bear in the Bedroom, Rainbow Fish were some of her other favorites.
   
   Oggie so far favors the Pooh Loves You! book for this Leap Pad system.
   
   I have some reservations and opinions about electronics for kids - especially those claiming to educate or jump-start and all that... but, as far as this Little Touch Leap Pad, I have nothing much to complain. It serves its purpose and serves it well.
   
7. Blocks, blocks, blocks: Be it Lego™ Duplo or Mega Blocks or Bristle Blocks, these are quite handy toys to have around the house. Robot, doggie, airplane, car... Appa is the guy to amaze the kids with these. I can stack them up and build castles at the most :)

Toddler Fire truck, tricycle/rocking horse, hopping ball, easel/chalkboard... they all have their appeal thankfully.

As with Ana, I set out only 3 or 4 toys/activities handy and then switch them out every other week or so for Og. After a couple of months in hiding, when an old toy comes out, it gets discovered in whole new ways not thought of before...

Whereas Ana didn't spend too much time on Dropping-Things-In-A-Box (Fill-and-Spill) then dumping them out and dropping them in again, Oggie has spent a lot of time between 12 months and 18 months doing this activity.

To keep it fresh and a bit challenging, I started improvising on the home-made toy: Empty baby wipes containers seemed to work well.

Little animal toys, crayons, baby spoons/forks - anything small enough to fit and big enough to not be easily swallowed worked fine for this activity.

It was nice to park him on the kitchen floor while I cooked, let him drop the little toys into the box through the slot, one by one, and then bring it to me asking me to dump them all out so he can start over again :)

As Oggie gets older, it might not be easy to automatically hand down Ana's toys as she seems into dollies and costumes and artsy stuff... but, what are nephews for? Og has been wearing my nephew's (Oggie's maternal cousin) hand-me-down clothes right from birth and I wouldn't have it any other way. And, almost all the boy toys so far for Og are the ones my nephew got tired of...

Hand-me-downs make the world go around!

Picnic Tea Party

Not sure what it is with picnics and tea parties and little girls, but, I seem to be partaking in these fancy buffets more than I imagined...

It usually starts off with a simplistic picnic: A blanket on the floor (or a place mat on the table to stay out of Oggie's curious reach), miniature picnic basket, some milk, sugar, tea (water), nuts, and raisins, all in tinkling ceramic ware.



The finicky little hostess is not happy with this skeletal spread. An elaborate tea seems to be in order. Out comes the flour, water, salt, cream of tartar and food coloring and in minutes we have fresh and warm red, green, and purple play dough to present a banquet: strawberries, plums, blueberries, dill pickles, ants-on-a-log, purple carrots (the original), sliced green eggs with red yolk, green bread slices, purple cake with red icing, red pie with purple filling, apples, grapes, and neat little baskets to serve these delicacies in, plus a tall cup of strawberry drink...

And who should decide to stop by? A fairy. A Fruit Fairy. Who loves fruits. And appears wherever people are eating fruits. (Fruit flies, I hear myself thinking).



After the first hour of this tea banquet picnic, I am ready to retire and ruminate, but, the hostess refuses to excuse me. When the grumpy little Prince Oggie decides to grace us with his insistent presence, he is reluctantly welcomed but not offered any of the delicious items on the menu.

Tempers Flare. Voices Blare. But the picnic tea banquet goes on despite the Clash of the Tiny Wills.

Purplish-red Sun and red-green Bunny and red-headed-purple Kitty all materialize and dematerialize in full play dough glory over the next half hour, frustrating the hostess as her sole invited guest's (c'est moi) attention is unfairly divided.

The honored guest (aka Appa) is expected to arrive any minute from his "urgent" hardware store trip. We know he is coming soon because we called him. The excitement begins to mount. And as soon as Appa walks in the door, Prince Oggie and his mom are cast away. The effervescent hostess proceeds to stuff her special guest, beaming proudly as he appreciates each and every morsel until he is stuffed.

Relegated to be the clean-up lady, I hunt for the bits and pieces of disembodied bunny and kitty around the house while keeping an eye on the stove, mentally deconstructing and blobbing up the fruits and vegetables by color...

To DIY or Not

Well, that was never the question, really...

D comes from a sturdy Do-It-Yourself (DIY) stock. If it is doable - less expensive & more customizable than ready-made, and functions just as well or better for the intended purpose and use - then let's get it done ourselves.

Of course, not all things can be handled this way - several constraints - mainly Time, and possibly Assistance and Tools and Know-How - make it challenging... and certain household tasks are definitely left to professionals (am thinking household electrical wiring... but then again, having seen D do some re-wiring of the lights in the bar/pool room downstairs, nothing major, it seems like some basic physics and commonsense can come in handy...)

And, I thought Tiling required special skills (it still does, to me at least - something that I lack - stamina and patience), but, having seen D transform our blasé old bathroom into elegant tiled wonder, with minimalistic new low-flush toilet and pedestal sink and space-saving shelving, by just reading a book about it and doing it himself (assisted by me, of course - Tamil-speakers might recognize the word "Chitthaal" here), I am beginning to rethink this a bit.

I am rambling... or rather just typing away, albeit incoherently... No matter.

Earlier today I was sorting through Ana's things trying to pick out hand-me-downs for Og and thought it would be nice to post a few things I found useful that fall under the DIY category and are rather easy to do...

1. Fastening Skills Toy: Of course, there are many sturdy ready-made wooden-backed items available for this. But, when D suggested making one for Ana, it seemed like a nice present for her first birthday. It could be a snake or a train toy with little sections connected by zipper, velcro™, buttons, shoelace, and snaps so that each section can be separated and attached again using one of the fastening methods built-in. Now that it is catching Og's fancy, it seems like a half-a-day well spent making it about three years ago. Items used: scrap fabric, velcro, zipper, snaps, buttons, shoelaces, grommets/eyelets, stuffing.



2. Flash Cards (for early/beginner language and math): Well, since flash cards are basically dime-a-dozen here, I guess it makes no sense to waste precious time making fancy ones. But, I like the simplest customizable ones (as in color, size, shape) like the numerals set, which takes less than 10 minutes to make, that got Oggie to recognize these numerals so early. Items used: colored cardstock paper, printer, clear contact sheet, scissors.



3. Word Magnets: To keep up with Ana's exploding language skills, I wanted to get her the standard word magnets so she can form sentences and have fun, and even work with some sight words. However, at $20/- for a box of 50 "standard" words (maybe 100 if I hunt for deals), it seemed like a nice DIY project that could work out less expensive, and involve Ana in the making, and could help tailor the color and words to her current liking and level... and keep adding more as we make progress. Her current fascination with fairies and the Daisy Meadows' series was a strong motivation to add "Amber", "Heather", "Ruby", "Fern" etc to her word pile. Items used: A roll of adhesive magnetic strip, pink bond paper, printer, scissors



Of course, I don't discount the attractiveness, quality, and variety of readily available flash cards. I particularly loved the Insects and Landmarks ones we worked on over Summer in India. It is a pleasure to hear Ana squeal excitedly when she recognizes pictures of Taj Mahal or Big Ben or Eiffel Tower or Stone Statues in Easter Island with the same enthusiasm she shows for identifying Daddy Long Legs and Tarantula and Stink Bug, thanks to these lovely flash cards :)



And the Word Families flash cards give something extra to expand her language skills and seems to be attracting Oggie's attention as well these days...

However, back to DIYs: I would list sewing numerous dolly clothes, dolly cloth diapers, crocheting dolly winter clothes, booties, makeshift dolly house from cardboard, plus little farm and jungle and ocean dioramas from household items and cardstock paper so I don't have to plonk money on ready-made plastic sets on a passing fancy...

I guess Time is a big challenge for many moms - at-home or working-outside - and I am sure each mom (dad) decides how best to utilize the available time and resources at her (his) disposal. I know I have several interests I am dying to pursue and just like everybody out there in today's world, am constantly prioritizing and re-prioritizing to keep life productive, balanced, and happy.

Sometimes I wonder about the jack-of-all-trades adage... not the sciolism that comes from adding the latter part of the adage, but, just the plain and simple satisfaction that comes from being good at what one attempts to do and enjoys doing...

I am awed by smart and 'successful' women - be it in business, finance, sciences, literature, or fine arts - and wonder if it is indeed true that something has to be sacrificed/let-go/compromised (like family time and other interests) to become a renowned and respected expert in the chosen field to be taken seriously... an expert by definition has delved deeper than others, focused single-mindedly excluding other distractions... does it imply that they forsook personal indulgences and interests along the way, or is that just a myth?

Reason convinces me that one cannot have the cake and eat it too - sort of like the Schrödinger's Cat situation in my mind - a superposition of two possible conflicting states of existence.

Did Dr. Padma Subramaniam have a happy personal life, away from her awe-inspiring dedication to Bharathanatyam life? More importantly, did it matter to her? Did Lisa Caputo set out to be where she is today and single-mindedly strive to get there? Or did circumstances arrange themselves to help her leverage her potential? It is never black-and-white, is it? It's usually a combination of several factors...

I don't like to take myself seriously... it could be due to an in-built sense of modesty, or a well-deserved dose of reality, or simply that it is terribly boring to be pretentiously highbrow (even if that were a natural state of being, which I doubt), or just the realization that in this world I am but a speck, an insignificant speck, and that suits me fine... reminds me of the Whos of Whoville found by dear old Horton while wandering in the Jungle of Nool...

It is comforting to not have any sense of self-importance... but alas! human nature centers around the identity of the self... plus inherent skepticism of all things external to the self...

Somehow, while elitism seems egotistical, humans are apparently wired to constantly assess their position with respect to their peers and environment.

Does being a devotee of arts qualify one to assume the role of a zealous critic as well? While I duly appreciate a particular literary review of my favorite children's book in a well-established publication as brilliantly academic, is it natural to accept my personal review of the same book to be of any less value?

Well, yes, in a way. Subject-matter experts are called experts for a reason... but then what is value in that context? Isn't it dependent on other factors besides the quality of the review itself? I mean, if I am looking for literary deconstruction and analysis, then, yes, it is fantastic to rely on the review of such high calibre from proclaimed experts, but, if I am looking for the plain and simple virtues of a book and how it affected the the parties involved at a personal level, does it become unworthy? The two approaches are not mutually exclusive in my mind, although they seem to be in the real world...

Where am I going with all this? Nowhere, really... sometimes it is nice to type away and not worry about making sense of the disjointed flow of thoughts - especially in the quiet of the night, when kids are asleep, enjoying the solitude, regretting that extra late cup of caffeinated cardamom chai...

Dress-Up!

Shall I...

scuttle about as an Indian (sari-clad) Lady Bug?
click my shoes as a Mod Dorothy?
pretend to be a Punk Pattee?
transform into a Purple Princess?
metamorphose to a Butterfly Fairy?
...
The possibilities are endless!

Especially when there is a dedicated cubby full of things to spark the imagination.

Playing dress-up is one of the simplest yet one of the most creative activities kids can easily indulge in... and Ana has loved it since about 2½ when she could change into clothes without much help.

It is not just about changing outfits. It is about transforming and transporting herself into the roles and into the worlds she creates in her head. Simple as that.

I remember my mom's favorite towel (thoarth, as it was called) becoming my flowing princess' cape, my dad's check-pattern full-sleeved shirt becoming my invisibility cloak, the long thin leaves from the Ashoka tree strung together to become a skirt for the Tribal queen, some mango leaves tied together for a crown... and on soggy monsoon half-yearly holidays, all I needed was my View Master® with my dad's special set of reels and a few good books to be wherever I wanted to be.

And it doesn't have to be a made-up world.

Whether it is Playing Doctor using her stethoscope and otoscope and syringe pretending to make Og feel better when he is sick... or, Playing Mommy to her Cabbage Patch Doll Enid Paapaa changing diapers and feeding her with a bottle and dressing her up from head-to-toe... the benefits of role-playing in trying to understand the world around her cannot be dismissed.

There are tons of studies explaining the power of this simple activity, the basic and most effective one addressing the developmental goals of: "gender role identification, the growing and changing of interpersonal relationships, and conscience development", not to mention how this type of "imaginative, open-ended play can foster creative thinking which eventually manifests as better problem solving skill" and the most attractive of all for me, "build up self-confidence"...

Facts aside, dress-up play is pure fun. Especially during cold winter weekends. Who needs outdoors when one can camp out on the living room carpet - with her little pink tent, sleeping bag, Enid Paapaa, a few good books, and View Master® (with my own ancient reels from childhood, plus a few new ones) and her vivid imagination for company?

Being rather fanciful, the many unique personas she makes up is sure to enrich and inspire her. It doesn't have to be positive ones always: every once in a while she likes to be an evil witch or a nasty goblin hounding Oggie (or me) to see our reaction. Sure enough, Oggie cries and expresses his dislike and she learns how her actions can affect people she loves...

And, as I was sorting through Ana's Costume Cubby to see if there is anything she wouldn't miss if I donated them away, I realized it can wait till she really outgrows them in all respects before I am in a hurry to ground her down to reality. Plus, it would be nice to see if Oggie takes to this activity and enjoys it as much as Ana has done so far...

Mini Zen Rock Garden

Chillness has started encroaching upon weekends-spent-outdoors.

Time to line up indoor activities for Ana and Og - some stimulating, some relaxing, some creative, some silly, some physical, and some just-because...

This Zen Rock Garden is a relaxing activity to cache in the arsenal to battle the Cabin-fever syndrome induced by Nature doing her usual rounds.

The idea has been around for centuries obviously. And cosmos graciously arranged for a mommy and her daughter to share the simple joys of it first hand, using items usually handy in an average household.

Items used: A largish stainless steel plate (more surface area, the better), stainless steel fork, pasta scoop, Cream of Rice (Rice Idli Rava), rocks from the backyard (scrubbed clean); plus a lid or flat-bottomed container to erase and smooth out between patterns.

I guess the home movie above is self-explanatory.

After creating a design and arranging the rocks to satisfaction, Ana liked to smooth out the pattern and start over. This repetition added to the calming effect of the activity.

Substitute any size/shape tray or plate with lip/wall to minimize spills. Use sand if handy, else even cream of corn or anything else in the kitchen or garden with a sand-like texture which allows for the pattern to show up easily.

Fingers would work just fine, but, the appeal of using a mini rake or fork or pasta scoop/ladle is compelling, at least for Ana. I remember running my fingers through the plate of rice I used de-stone for my mom before she cooked it every day... but, I vaguely remember my mom not entertaining that, can't remember why - some sort of tradition/superstition handed down I am sure... Or merely to get me to finish the task on time to get the meal ready....

I scrubbed the rocks to my satisfaction but still prefer to save the used Cream of Rice in a separate jar with label so I don't accidentally use it for cooking. Plus, it is ready when Ana wants to assemble the items, pour, and start creating whenever she feels like it.

It would be interesting to see how Oggie takes to it when he is developmentally ready for this activity...

Start 'em young, eh?!

I guess the clip says it all... slapping the bare floor with his palms and drumming rhythmically with his knees Oggie likes to crawl over and pull himself up to help with the dishes these days :)

Yoga Kids ABC's by Marsha Wenig

Ana has outgrown the Mall indoor play areas, and I am not sure how to get her to expend her energy constructively during this Winter break.

Cooped up indoors a lot, with no clear structure like in her school, she seems to want to bother Oggie all the time, not let him be. I seem to be spending half my time telling her not to do the same things I've asked her not to do a hundred times so far that day! My mum-in-law assures me that Ana is just being a little girl and that she just wants someone to play with...

For now, every few days, if she is in the mood, "we" do Yoga Kids ABC's by Marsha Wenig. "We", in quotes, because, I have become so stiff that I can't seem to be able to do some of the stretches in the DVD and I simply pretend and let Ana do it with full gusto.

The concept is nice, although a bit New Age-y with cloying text/script that Marsha communicates in a calm smooth voice. But, I like it nonetheless!

Each letter of the alphabet is given an animal, flower or a posture name and Marsha leads a group of kids, in a bright outdoors park, by showing them how to hold that particular pose and how to properly stretch and bend to work the muscles.

To quote, they say that Marsha's Yoga kids ABC's "gives children lifelong tools for refocusing mindset and mood, teach yoga fundamentals, build physical fitness and self-confidence and challenge coordination and imagination."

I agree with this. Ana picked up many of the 26 postures and motions easily. While this is not a true yoga discipline, it helps with her co-ordination and physical fitness, and her moods, being shut indoors these days...

The only other physical activity I have lined up for her indoors is to put on some music and move to it - maybe throw in some jumping jacks and some kicks and punches into the "dance" moves... Ana still being 3, not quite 4, is not quite well-coordinated so watching her do jumping jacks is a load of fun - I never realized how tough it can be!

Fostering Life Skills...

I used to think that childhood is supposed to be a wonderful, magical, carefree phase where children get to be themselves, do what they want, and generally just thrive without the burden of any household chores.

I still agree with most of the above. Except, I don't think children should grow up thinking that helping out around the house is a chore or a burden.

Seeing how the Montessori method is helping Ana blossom as an individual at her school, I am more than ever convinced that social skills and a sense of community develops early when children help in the household activities within their capacity. Also, by taking on little tasks around the house that stimulates and satisfies their interest, it is possible to foster a strong sense of self-worth, independence, and initiative.

There is always this other school of thought (that I had mistakenly subscribed to before I had kids) that claims that it is somehow cruel to make the kids work at home when they are as little as 2 and 3 years old. If the underlying assumption is that somehow kids are forced into labor and are somehow threatened or punished if they don't obey... well, then I agree that it is cruel. Abominable.

But, when an activity has the potential to provide a learning opportunity, develop a life skill, engage and entertain the child while boosting her sense of self, it would be foolish to let it pass... especially if the child seems willing and capable of taking it on and mastering the task to her satisfaction.

This doesn't really undermine the importance of formal academic education as seen today that encompasses such things as math, reading and writing, geography and science, music and the creative arts, athletics and performing arts.

Ultimately, I keep asking myself what would I want most for my baby: That she wins some contests and aces some standardized tests, or that she is happy and well-adjusted and knows that she has the skill to learn anything on her own to the level of expertise she finds challenging and fulfilling? That she is popular and first in her class, or that she is sociable and compassionate and has respect for self and others? That she gets into some well-known school and completes a tough program to earn her degree or that she sets out to draw the best out of herself through selected study of areas that capture her interest and aptitude the most?

Tough questions. Life moves on in some beaten path usually. Somewhere along the line, I am sure I will succumb to peer pressure, as will she, doubting our decisions and taking a safer route... but, along the way, if I have helped her know how precious she is and how much I love her - not just her achievements, not her medals, not her degrees, not her salary, but, who she is as a person - if I have guided her towards staying centered and confident under all circumstances, I think I would feel immensely blessed.

For now, taking baby steps, there are some activities that Ana seems to enjoy doing around the house so far that are not terribly impressive or grand, but, certainly seem to keep her interested and wanting to do it often.

1. Sorting:
   • A basket of garden tomatoes, all mixed - yellow, green, orange and red, plum, cherry and roma - can be sorted by color or shape/size. Sometimes I ask her to get me only the green ones for a koottu, sometimes I ask her to give me just the yellow ones for a soup. She has a blast sorting them and filling my request.
   • When we come back home from grocery shopping with a tote full of vegetables all dumped together because I didn't want them in individual plastic bags they have at the store, Ana helps sort the onions in a pile, the bittergourds in a separate row and so on
   • Laundry: We dump the bag of clean clothes on the bed and she sorts through them to collect just hers and start folding them
2. Stirring/ Whisking/helping in the kitchen: While making eggs on weekends, or pancake batter, or cupcakes, or instant pudding - stir, stir, stir - she helps out if she is in the mood and that is just fine, as it should be.
3. Care of animals: Now that she is aware that kitties eat their special cat food and are fed at dinner time everyday, she is very keen on refilling the kitty food bowl and inviting the kitties to eat. One less task for us hopefully down the road - we still supervise, and make sure kitties are fed - she is a baby and she forgets it most nights
4. Counting: decorating 10 little sprinkles on each cupcake frosting; serving 5 slices of banana and 10 pieces of soft carrot for Oggie; taking 5 bites of her dinner before getting a drink of water or buttermilk during meals... we don't always do it, but it is nice to throw that in if she is up for it
5. Everything has a place: sorting and folding laundry, especially her own panties and skirts and socks, and jammies, and putting them in her cubbies; putting away her puzzles and books back on the shelves allotted for them; leaving her plate and cup in the sink for wash after she is done; putting away the clean spoons and forks in the drawer from the dishwasher...
6. Recycling, Trashing and Composting: Thanks to the weekly garbage and recycling collection by the city, Ana now has a chance to help us sort the cans and plastics in proper recycling bins for collection; she knows to throw her banana peel and orange rind in the compost tub we have in the kitchen...

She is a child after all, and I do not expect her to be consistent and do all this all the time voluntarily. But, when she does them, without coaxing or cajoling, without having to say it more than once, it feels very rewarding, like the world is a beautiful place to be, like somehow I got an extra little blessing I haven't done anything to deserve...