I have recently had several younger moms ask me how I occupy my little guy while I am doing school with the older children. I have a number of things I do, but the best thing I know of is to give preschoolers the tools, time, and freedom to be creative. Today I told Thunderbolt to go find something to play for a few minutes while I taught a math lesson. I didn't hear the normal sounds of trucks "vrrroooomm-ing" or blocks crashing down. He hadn't asked for the Moon Dough or the water colors. Hmmm. It was very quiet...way
too quiet! Peace did a quick check for me and found him playing in the bathroom sink with some Easter eggs. What adult would have ever thought of that!
Later on he ran into the dining room and asked if he could play with some rubber bands in the water (?!). I couldn't really think of any harm it could do, so I gave him a small handful. Pretty soon I heard," Hey Mom! They sink!!"
He apparently read his mom's post on
marking cups with rubber bands and had fun carefully putting the bands around his cup. He then used the eggs to scoop water into the cup. Who knew a boy could do so much with plastic eggs, rubber bands and water! Yes, an hour and a half later we ended up with a wet boy, wet clothes, and a wet floor, but he had a marvelous time! And math class? Ahhhh...very peaceful!
Your key phrase "giving the tools, the time, and the freedom to be creative." Many a mom would prefer not to clean up the wet boy and floor, but would have missed all that creative energy and the scientific principals he learned by himself. Who would have thought that rubber bands sink?
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