I am certain there are benefits to being the youngest in our family. Anne has learned so many things by simply watching her older sisters do it first. But I'm often aware that she is missing out on some things as well. Meg and Clare are only 18 months apart and generally they can enjoy the same activities, books and outings. Anne is five years younger than Meg and three-and-a-half years younger than Clare. Too often movies we attend or books we listen to are a little over her head. So many times she has sat on the sidelines and watched her sisters go skiing, rock climbing or tackle a ropes course. So it is nice when we can have days that focus on her interests at a preschool level.
Anne loves fairy tales. Since she was two, her favorite book has been Sarah Gibb's beautifully illustrated version of Rapunzel. She has always loved James Mayhew's Ella Bella book series, which tell the story of different famous ballets in a most charming way. Her favorite has always been Ella Bella Ballerina and the Sleeping Beauty. At three years old, she was a little terrifying when she would randomly quote from the book, "She will prick her finger on a spindle and die!" In the past year, I worked to find books that would resonate with her and truly make her fall in love with reading. I quickly realized I needed to go back to basics and fill her shelves with beautifully illustrated fairy tales.
At some point, I remembered that The Puppet Co. at Glen Echo Park specializes in fairy tales. There was a time I would take Meg and Clare to these puppet shows and worry that a newborn baby Anne would disturb the show. Now that Anne is old enough to enjoy the shows, Meg and Clare have outgrown them. So what better time to take her than when Meg and Clare are still in school but Anne is already out of preschool for summer break. It gets better. The Puppet Co. is currently performing Sleeping Beauty.
After dropping Meg and Clare at school and walking the dog, Anne and I headed to Glen Echo Park. We arrived just in time to pick up our tickets and sit down for the show. Anne happily sat in front of the stage on the carpet area designated for children only, while I sat to the side where I could watch her. It was so precious to watch her sit with the other children attentively in criss-cross applesauce form. We so often think of her as our baby. It is nice to see her acting like such a big girl when she is with other kids her age.
After the show, we walked to the carousel. In the past I have always stood beside Anne as she rode a carousel. She was quite amused when I instead rode the carousel ostrich beside her ostrich. I don't think she realized Mommy could do that.
Following the carousel, we shared a tuna sandwich from the cafe. This was a treat for me. Neither Meg nor Clare will touch tuna. It was nice to be able to share this with Anne. She then decided to play on the playground. Playgrounds are always tough without her big sisters or a friend to play with. She tried to get a few of the other children to play with her, but she did not have much success. So I pushed her on the swing, played tag with her and watched her build a "fire" from sticks she found around the playground. After a few hours at Glen Echo Park, we called it a day.
I'm so happy that I remembered The Puppet Co. while Anne is the right age to enjoy it. It would have been such a shame to miss out on this unique fairy tale presentation for a girl who loves fairy tales so very much.
Anne loves fairy tales. Since she was two, her favorite book has been Sarah Gibb's beautifully illustrated version of Rapunzel. She has always loved James Mayhew's Ella Bella book series, which tell the story of different famous ballets in a most charming way. Her favorite has always been Ella Bella Ballerina and the Sleeping Beauty. At three years old, she was a little terrifying when she would randomly quote from the book, "She will prick her finger on a spindle and die!" In the past year, I worked to find books that would resonate with her and truly make her fall in love with reading. I quickly realized I needed to go back to basics and fill her shelves with beautifully illustrated fairy tales.
At some point, I remembered that The Puppet Co. at Glen Echo Park specializes in fairy tales. There was a time I would take Meg and Clare to these puppet shows and worry that a newborn baby Anne would disturb the show. Now that Anne is old enough to enjoy the shows, Meg and Clare have outgrown them. So what better time to take her than when Meg and Clare are still in school but Anne is already out of preschool for summer break. It gets better. The Puppet Co. is currently performing Sleeping Beauty.
After dropping Meg and Clare at school and walking the dog, Anne and I headed to Glen Echo Park. We arrived just in time to pick up our tickets and sit down for the show. Anne happily sat in front of the stage on the carpet area designated for children only, while I sat to the side where I could watch her. It was so precious to watch her sit with the other children attentively in criss-cross applesauce form. We so often think of her as our baby. It is nice to see her acting like such a big girl when she is with other kids her age.
After the show, we walked to the carousel. In the past I have always stood beside Anne as she rode a carousel. She was quite amused when I instead rode the carousel ostrich beside her ostrich. I don't think she realized Mommy could do that.
Following the carousel, we shared a tuna sandwich from the cafe. This was a treat for me. Neither Meg nor Clare will touch tuna. It was nice to be able to share this with Anne. She then decided to play on the playground. Playgrounds are always tough without her big sisters or a friend to play with. She tried to get a few of the other children to play with her, but she did not have much success. So I pushed her on the swing, played tag with her and watched her build a "fire" from sticks she found around the playground. After a few hours at Glen Echo Park, we called it a day.
I'm so happy that I remembered The Puppet Co. while Anne is the right age to enjoy it. It would have been such a shame to miss out on this unique fairy tale presentation for a girl who loves fairy tales so very much.
RSS Feed
