We are on Day 3 of Clare's school being cancelled due to weather. While other students have only a two-hour delay, classes that only meet half-day are cancelled. This is getting old and it has led to the postponement of a special class event that all the students have been greatly anticipating.
So, how does one entertain a child on the third snow day in a row? Clare and I put together the Frozen puzzle she received for Epiphany. Clare loves puzzles and has always been very good at them. (If she wasn't very good at them, I suppose she wouldn't be so fond of them.) For Clare's second birthday, her Nana sent her a Peter Rabbit puzzle in a cute little handled box. Nana thought Clare would just carry the box around for a year or so. But no, Clare worked and worked until she figured out how to put that 24-piece puzzle together herself. It was amazing to watch that little brain work. Rather than building the edge of the puzzle and working in (like so many of us were taught to do), Clare would find a character in the middle of the puzzle that she recognized and work from that point in the puzzle out. I've since noticed that other kids who enjoy puzzles tend to have the same approach. They are creating a picture; not just working out a puzzle.
The Frozen puzzle is a 44-piece large floor puzzle. Clare wanted help with the puzzle, which basically meant she wanted to spend time together. There was one piece causing her trouble because it didn't go the direction she thought it should (the reindeer has his head turned a little funny in the picture, so at first the piece looks wrong). Once I convinced her to give it a try in the direction it seemed to fit, she was on her way.
After completing the puzzle once, Clare decided to do it again. The second try was made more difficult as we set Baby Anne loose on the floor (she had been eating toast in her highchair) and she began tossing the pieces to various parts of the living room. As Clare assembled the puzzle, Baby Anne crawled right on top of it and began tracing her fingers over the lines in the puzzle--I suppose trying to figure out why the breaks in the picture were there. Baby Anne made the second attempt quite the challenge, but Clare managed to put it together despite the obstacles.
Once she was done with the puzzle, Clare found some of my nice stationery and decided she would write letters to her grandparents. She decided what she wanted to write and I helped her spell the words. She did a beautiful job writing the letters. She also illuminated them with her drawings in such a way that even Medieval monks would be proud. She put the notes in their envelopes. I addressed them. She stamped them and decorated the envelopes. Teamwork.
I've enjoyed spending this time with Clare on her third snow day in a row. It really has been a treat. But I think she is definitely wanting to get back to school tomorrow.
So, how does one entertain a child on the third snow day in a row? Clare and I put together the Frozen puzzle she received for Epiphany. Clare loves puzzles and has always been very good at them. (If she wasn't very good at them, I suppose she wouldn't be so fond of them.) For Clare's second birthday, her Nana sent her a Peter Rabbit puzzle in a cute little handled box. Nana thought Clare would just carry the box around for a year or so. But no, Clare worked and worked until she figured out how to put that 24-piece puzzle together herself. It was amazing to watch that little brain work. Rather than building the edge of the puzzle and working in (like so many of us were taught to do), Clare would find a character in the middle of the puzzle that she recognized and work from that point in the puzzle out. I've since noticed that other kids who enjoy puzzles tend to have the same approach. They are creating a picture; not just working out a puzzle.
The Frozen puzzle is a 44-piece large floor puzzle. Clare wanted help with the puzzle, which basically meant she wanted to spend time together. There was one piece causing her trouble because it didn't go the direction she thought it should (the reindeer has his head turned a little funny in the picture, so at first the piece looks wrong). Once I convinced her to give it a try in the direction it seemed to fit, she was on her way.
After completing the puzzle once, Clare decided to do it again. The second try was made more difficult as we set Baby Anne loose on the floor (she had been eating toast in her highchair) and she began tossing the pieces to various parts of the living room. As Clare assembled the puzzle, Baby Anne crawled right on top of it and began tracing her fingers over the lines in the puzzle--I suppose trying to figure out why the breaks in the picture were there. Baby Anne made the second attempt quite the challenge, but Clare managed to put it together despite the obstacles.
Once she was done with the puzzle, Clare found some of my nice stationery and decided she would write letters to her grandparents. She decided what she wanted to write and I helped her spell the words. She did a beautiful job writing the letters. She also illuminated them with her drawings in such a way that even Medieval monks would be proud. She put the notes in their envelopes. I addressed them. She stamped them and decorated the envelopes. Teamwork.
I've enjoyed spending this time with Clare on her third snow day in a row. It really has been a treat. But I think she is definitely wanting to get back to school tomorrow.
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