Saturday, October 30, 2004
Friday was a big day for elementary kids!
Big day at the elementary school, as all the kids and parents gathered to celebrate Halloween with a sing along, costume parade, and classroom parties. Cameron and Maia had a great time, and Mom came down and took the cute pictures you will find below. Next stop, trick or treat!
Friday, October 29, 2004
Monday, October 25, 2004
How to make orange juice
How to make orange juice, by Ella
Over lunch today, Ella puts her sandwich down and looks at me.
"I know how you make orange juice," she says.
"Oh? How do you do that?"
"First, you get an orange cow."
"Then what?"
"I don't know, he makes orange juice."
"What if I want apple juice? Do I need an apple cow?"
At this point, I am given a look that says, sheesh, I thought you were supposed to be teaching ME, which is promptly accompanied by rolled eyes.
"No, mom, that would be silly."
After a few pensive bites of her sandwich, she looks up at the jack-o-lantern her sister brought home from kindergarten.
"I know how you make a pumpkin."
"Oh? How?"
"First you take some orange juice. Then you pour it into a cup to measure it, and you pour that into a bown and mix and mix and mix."
"Wow, we should get one of those cows, they sound really useful!"
She thinks for a moment, probably about where we would keep a cow. "Maybe we should just get a farm."
"Would we live on the farm?"
"No, we'd just go there every day."
"So...let me get this straight. How do you make milk?"
"A white cow."
"Ahhh, I see. So what would a brown cow make?"
"Chocolate milk."
"And an orange cow..."
"Orange juice. I said that."
Over lunch today, Ella puts her sandwich down and looks at me.
"I know how you make orange juice," she says.
"Oh? How do you do that?"
"First, you get an orange cow."
"Then what?"
"I don't know, he makes orange juice."
"What if I want apple juice? Do I need an apple cow?"
At this point, I am given a look that says, sheesh, I thought you were supposed to be teaching ME, which is promptly accompanied by rolled eyes.
"No, mom, that would be silly."
After a few pensive bites of her sandwich, she looks up at the jack-o-lantern her sister brought home from kindergarten.
"I know how you make a pumpkin."
"Oh? How?"
"First you take some orange juice. Then you pour it into a cup to measure it, and you pour that into a bown and mix and mix and mix."
"Wow, we should get one of those cows, they sound really useful!"
She thinks for a moment, probably about where we would keep a cow. "Maybe we should just get a farm."
"Would we live on the farm?"
"No, we'd just go there every day."
"So...let me get this straight. How do you make milk?"
"A white cow."
"Ahhh, I see. So what would a brown cow make?"
"Chocolate milk."
"And an orange cow..."
"Orange juice. I said that."
Saturday, October 23, 2004
George Bush logic...at six
"Mooooommmmmm! Camer-"
"Are you about to tattle?"
"Well, yes, but-"
"What's the rule about tattling?"
"But Cameron pinched me!"
"Cameron, why did you pinch Maia?"
"She looked like she was about to dump out the lego!"
So wait. What you're trying to tell me is...you are about to go to time out, because your sister *looked* like she was about to do something you didn't like. Not because she did it, but because she looked like she might.
I suppose she has weapons of mass destruction under her bed, as well?
"Are you about to tattle?"
"Well, yes, but-"
"What's the rule about tattling?"
"But Cameron pinched me!"
"Cameron, why did you pinch Maia?"
"She looked like she was about to dump out the lego!"
So wait. What you're trying to tell me is...you are about to go to time out, because your sister *looked* like she was about to do something you didn't like. Not because she did it, but because she looked like she might.
I suppose she has weapons of mass destruction under her bed, as well?
Friday, October 15, 2004
Baking Cookies
You can always tell it's been a good day when you come home, and the smell of chocolate chip cookies is in the air. It just smells like home, they're the best.
Ella was a super big helper today, making cookies while the kids were at school so they could come home to special homemade treats when they got off the bus.
Ella was a super big helper today, making cookies while the kids were at school so they could come home to special homemade treats when they got off the bus.
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Monday, October 11, 2004
Miss Ella is planning her birthday party
Ella is going to be four next month, and she had lots of fun making up invitations for her pre-school friends to come to her birthday party. She is SO clever, Mom told her the letters to write, and she wrote:
To: (Name)
You are invited to a party!
Love: Ella
For all nine of her school friends!
She is very excited for her birthday, too. At first she wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese, but then decided that was much too far to drive, and her friends wouldn't be able to share it with her. So, she is going to have all of her friends over to the house for games and treats and play. Her big request is a pink cake with nothing on it except candles.
(The cake she wants is the one in a picture from the cover of a Perkins kiddy menu she has been toting around for weeks now, drawing on and practicing letters with. She got it when we met Grammy Sindy and Grandpa Jerry at Perkins when they were in Washington. I'm not quite sure yet if she'll be disappointed when her birthday cake isn't actually a cartoon...*laugh*)
To: (Name)
You are invited to a party!
Love: Ella
For all nine of her school friends!
She is very excited for her birthday, too. At first she wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese, but then decided that was much too far to drive, and her friends wouldn't be able to share it with her. So, she is going to have all of her friends over to the house for games and treats and play. Her big request is a pink cake with nothing on it except candles.
(The cake she wants is the one in a picture from the cover of a Perkins kiddy menu she has been toting around for weeks now, drawing on and practicing letters with. She got it when we met Grammy Sindy and Grandpa Jerry at Perkins when they were in Washington. I'm not quite sure yet if she'll be disappointed when her birthday cake isn't actually a cartoon...*laugh*)
Cameron's popcorn sale update
Cameron is really enjoying selling popcorn for the Cub Scouts. It's a very cool fundraiser, because over 70% of the proceeds actually stay local. He sends lots of big thank-you's to everyone who has offered to buy from him, and if you haven't, there's still time! Scroll down a bit to check out the kinds they have to offer, and drop him a line at curtisskids@yahoo.com to let him know what you'd like.
(By the way, he's reading his own e-mails these days. In fact, he's reading everything these days - he's become quite the reader!)
This weekend he is hoping to sell at a table outside the grocery store, so that will be very exciting. He'll team up with some buddies from his Tiger Cub den to try to raise money for the projects they'll be doing this year. Big excitement!
(Funny, last year when he did a fundraiser for kindergarten, he wasn't at all excited about selling. The few sales he made were because Mom did it for him. I guess this means he's growing up! Wait...he's not allowed to do that!!!)
(By the way, he's reading his own e-mails these days. In fact, he's reading everything these days - he's become quite the reader!)
This weekend he is hoping to sell at a table outside the grocery store, so that will be very exciting. He'll team up with some buddies from his Tiger Cub den to try to raise money for the projects they'll be doing this year. Big excitement!
(Funny, last year when he did a fundraiser for kindergarten, he wasn't at all excited about selling. The few sales he made were because Mom did it for him. I guess this means he's growing up! Wait...he's not allowed to do that!!!)
Kindergarten Update
Maia is loving kindergarten, and we are definitely seeing the benefits of the full-day program.
She has so much news!!!
Her class is raising lady bugs, which is very fun. When we saw them at open house, they were these black crawly nasty larvae, but on Friday, they got their first adult lady bug! She was so excited to come home and tell us about it!
We found a couple of pictures to show the before and after of what the lady bugs look like, and will post them here (above).
So far, the letters they have learned are: A - E - H - K
They sing songs and do activities with each of the letters, and are having a really great time. It's so cool to see how much fun learning is for kids their age.
On Friday, Maia was the special class helper. Such a big girl. :)
Also on Friday, the class started working on Halloween stories. They have plans for dressing up and having parties on their last school day of the month, which sounds like lots of fun.
They have been learning lots about bugs this year, and right now they are working on spiders.
She has so much news!!!
Her class is raising lady bugs, which is very fun. When we saw them at open house, they were these black crawly nasty larvae, but on Friday, they got their first adult lady bug! She was so excited to come home and tell us about it!
We found a couple of pictures to show the before and after of what the lady bugs look like, and will post them here (above).
So far, the letters they have learned are: A - E - H - K
They sing songs and do activities with each of the letters, and are having a really great time. It's so cool to see how much fun learning is for kids their age.
On Friday, Maia was the special class helper. Such a big girl. :)
Also on Friday, the class started working on Halloween stories. They have plans for dressing up and having parties on their last school day of the month, which sounds like lots of fun.
They have been learning lots about bugs this year, and right now they are working on spiders.
Friday, October 08, 2004
Cub Scout Popcorn
Thanks everyone for your responses on the popcorn sale! I had Mom put all of the pictures here so you could see them. Let me know if you'd like to buy any of them.
70% of the money from this sale stays LOCAL to my Cub Scout pack, so you're helping us pay for field trips, pinewood derby cars, and all the fun activities we will do this year.
E-mail me with your orders or questions. curtisskids@yahoo.com
Thanks!!!
Cameron
70% of the money from this sale stays LOCAL to my Cub Scout pack, so you're helping us pay for field trips, pinewood derby cars, and all the fun activities we will do this year.
E-mail me with your orders or questions. curtisskids@yahoo.com
Thanks!!!
Cameron
NOT PICTURED
Not pictured -- 2.5 pound popping corn tin. Unpopped popcorn for use in your popper at home. $7
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Cub Scouts
Cameron had a big night, with the orientation for Cub Scouts. He's so excited - he learned a new silly song, and played a game with the older Cubs where they played "air hockey"...an interesting variation that involved blowing ping pong balls. But they all loved it!
He was very excited to discover that a boy from his class (who he declared was his "fourth best buddy") was in Tiger Cubs with him. There are four or five boys in his age group, and they will be kicking off this weekend with popcorn sales. (Sooo...if Cameron hasn't asked you yet and you'd like to buy popcorn, e-mail him at curtisskids@yahoo.com and he can tell you all about the options.) I'd post about it now, but we don't know the details until we go to pick the popcorn up tomorrow.
He also got his Tiger Cub handbook, which he wanted to sit down and read tonight, but he got home just in time to have some ice cream and go to bed. So it'll have to wait for another day. Big excitement, though.
He was very excited to discover that a boy from his class (who he declared was his "fourth best buddy") was in Tiger Cubs with him. There are four or five boys in his age group, and they will be kicking off this weekend with popcorn sales. (Sooo...if Cameron hasn't asked you yet and you'd like to buy popcorn, e-mail him at curtisskids@yahoo.com and he can tell you all about the options.) I'd post about it now, but we don't know the details until we go to pick the popcorn up tomorrow.
He also got his Tiger Cub handbook, which he wanted to sit down and read tonight, but he got home just in time to have some ice cream and go to bed. So it'll have to wait for another day. Big excitement, though.
All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten
In honor of the kindergartener among us...
All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.
These are the things I learned:
* Share everything.
* Play fair.
* Don't hit people.
* Put things back where you found them.
* Clean up your own mess.
* Don't take things that aren't yours.
* Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
* Wash your hands before you eat.
* Flush.
* Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
* Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
* Take a nap every afternoon.
* When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
* Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
* Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
* And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
"ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN" by Robert Fulghum.
http://www.robertfulghum.com
All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.
These are the things I learned:
* Share everything.
* Play fair.
* Don't hit people.
* Put things back where you found them.
* Clean up your own mess.
* Don't take things that aren't yours.
* Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
* Wash your hands before you eat.
* Flush.
* Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
* Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
* Take a nap every afternoon.
* When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
* Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
* Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
* And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
"ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN" by Robert Fulghum.
http://www.robertfulghum.com
Monday, October 04, 2004
Maia's school songs
Songs I learned at school...
Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow around me, rainbow, rainbow, rainbow around me
* * *
Alligator, alligator, pop.
Alligator, alligator, pop!
If I don't get some, I think I'm gonna die!
Give away the green grass, give away the sky,
But don't give away by alligator pie!
* * *
A says ah
Anton, apple, ah, ah, ah
E says e
Eel on wheel
E, E, E
H says huh,
Horse and a house,
Huh, huh, huh
* * *
And this one is a poem:
Who's that tickling my back, said the wa,
Me, said a little caterpillar,
I'm learning how to crawl!
I learned lots more, too. One is about the colors in the rainbow, and we do the sign language signs for the colors as we sing them.
Love,
Maia
Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow around me, rainbow, rainbow, rainbow around me
* * *
Alligator, alligator, pop.
Alligator, alligator, pop!
If I don't get some, I think I'm gonna die!
Give away the green grass, give away the sky,
But don't give away by alligator pie!
* * *
A says ah
Anton, apple, ah, ah, ah
E says e
Eel on wheel
E, E, E
H says huh,
Horse and a house,
Huh, huh, huh
* * *
And this one is a poem:
Who's that tickling my back, said the wa,
Me, said a little caterpillar,
I'm learning how to crawl!
I learned lots more, too. One is about the colors in the rainbow, and we do the sign language signs for the colors as we sing them.
Love,
Maia
Sunday, October 03, 2004
Great weekend
We had a really great weekend - just sort of lazy and laid back. Lots of playing on the swings (pictures above), lots of drawing pictures and playing in the yard. Just an overall nice relazing weekend. Nothing special to say, just had a nice time.
Now it's back to school!
Now it's back to school!
Saturday, October 02, 2004
Kids and Politics
There has been a lot of buzz in our house these past few weeks and months about politics, and we have lots and lots of questions. The news is often sharing with us details of what this guy said to that guy, and what guy said to this one...it is all very confusing.
Last night we sat down to talk about the election that is coming next month, when our country will pick who will be the next "boss" of America.
We also looked at some learning games on-line, to learn more about our country and its history and government. We found a really fun place to play games that teach us about those things:
http://www.vote.wa.gov/outreach/Grow_Into_Voting/games.tpl
We took turns coloring the US flag (Cameron was very careful to get all of the colors exactly right!), and did a dot-to-dot of the Liberty Bell. Then we read the history of the Liberty Bell (and what happened to put that big crack in it!) together, and had a really good conversation about what it stood for.
Cameron also did some puzzles where he put all of the countries in the US and the counties in Washington in the right place. He is SO good at puzzles!
There are still lots of questions...
Ella is concerned that we pick the "nicest" guy to be "boss."
Cameron knows that the two people running are President Bush and John Kerry, and he thinks he likes John Kerry better, though he isn't sure why.
Maia likes to snuggle up and take in the commentary, it's not clear yet how much of it she is taking in. Not a lot, from what she'll say.
But we still have 31 days, so we still have lots of learning opportunities left.
Last night we sat down to talk about the election that is coming next month, when our country will pick who will be the next "boss" of America.
We also looked at some learning games on-line, to learn more about our country and its history and government. We found a really fun place to play games that teach us about those things:
http://www.vote.wa.gov/outreach/Grow_Into_Voting/games.tpl
We took turns coloring the US flag (Cameron was very careful to get all of the colors exactly right!), and did a dot-to-dot of the Liberty Bell. Then we read the history of the Liberty Bell (and what happened to put that big crack in it!) together, and had a really good conversation about what it stood for.
Cameron also did some puzzles where he put all of the countries in the US and the counties in Washington in the right place. He is SO good at puzzles!
There are still lots of questions...
Ella is concerned that we pick the "nicest" guy to be "boss."
Cameron knows that the two people running are President Bush and John Kerry, and he thinks he likes John Kerry better, though he isn't sure why.
Maia likes to snuggle up and take in the commentary, it's not clear yet how much of it she is taking in. Not a lot, from what she'll say.
But we still have 31 days, so we still have lots of learning opportunities left.
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