The Puddle Pail

Hello readers, have local libraries in your area re-opened already? Much to our great delight, our township's library started doing online reservations and pick-up services last week. Unfortunately, though, there's a five-book limit and we read an awful lot in this household! It's also difficult to figure out what's at the library because you need to have titles in mind to search availability. My good friend and I decided to do a book swap since her own Silly Bean is six months older and loves reading as well. It is super fun because get to borrow personally curated books and also choose books for our little friend that we think he will enjoy 😄

Silly Bean's friend loaned him a book called "The Puddle Pail," a very fun and colorful book about two crocodile friends who collect things in their pails (one collects more traditional things like stones, feathers, etc. while the other friend collects puddles).

Silly Bean enjoyed reading this book--it was the first time he was introduced to the idea of collecting things, as he has never been one to pick up tons of rocks and put them in his pocket on walks. Today we were trying to come up with an idea of another way to play outside--we have been doing the chalk and bubbles thing most days for half a year now (!?!?) and we really need something new! So we grabbed our pail from the water table, reminisced about "The Puddle Pail," and out the door we went for a new adventure!

 

We went to the usual places we go to on our (pretty much) daily walks, but with a different set of eyes. Instead of talking about how the pool and playground are still closed, we noticed a lot of large rocks in the area in front of the pool.

We filled up the little pail with rocks, but quickly realized it was heavy and difficult to carry without the handle falling out, so we did dump some out and looked around for other things to collect and place in our pail.

Sticks and acorns filled up the rest of the pail and was happily much lighter. Silly Bean became really interested in finding other oak trees in the neighborhood to find more acorns, and our hunt for oak trees led us to a mini forest that's very close to our condo but we never really ventured to. Silly Bean said, "Mama, I love oak trees because they make acorns for me! Why do you love oak trees?" My answer was, "Because they are tall and give us some shade." And on a hot day today, we were so thankful for the shade, especially because this collecting activity had us outdoors for a good hour and a half!

This little adventure was such a great analogy for me about the perspective with which we see things. Are we focusing on the negative things (like the pool or playground being closed every time we go to check if they opened yet), or are we looking with fresh eyes anticipating finding treasures in the small everyday things? As the pandemic continues to get worse in some areas, and in some states moving back a phase in terms of reopening, what is our perspective on it all? I am reminded that even though we may be walking around with empty pails, God wants to fill our pails with joy as we shift our perspective, a perspective of eagerness and expectancy in the midst of it all.

Toddler Family Fun with the 50 States, Silly Bean Style

The other day, we got to talking about the different towns that family members live in, and since Nanny and Grampy live a state over, we needed a visual to show Silly Bean what we were talking about. Luckily, 婆婆 bought us a puzzle that is a map of the US, and I've been waiting for the opportune time to break out of the closet!

Silly Bean just loved the interactive-ness of learning the states this way. In addition to the songs about each state that my husband looked up, I showed Silly Bean this little song from Animaniacs that I saw when I was little (must have been helpful because I still remember it even now!) and he absolutely adored the little dog jumping and dancing on the states 😁

Silly Bean loved doing this puzzle! In addition to learning the states and regions, it gave us an opportunity to practice turn-taking (everyone had a chance to pick a piece and put it in) as well as teamwork (we told Silly Bean that teamwork is when we work together to do something)! It was also a great developmentally appropriate way to spend time together doing something fun. However, we did this more than a hundred times and Silly Bean memorized where every piece goes and could put them down in no time at all @_@

We needed some variety so we decided to try a different puzzle. Silly Bean seemed very disinterested in puzzles in the past but we figured we could apply the same concepts of playing together to this new farm puzzle.

 

It was a hit! When reasoning where the puzzle piece should go, you could tell Silly Bean was really thinking about it. Yay for working on some critical thinking!

When we're looking for fun family things to do when it's just way too hot to go outside, maybe a 50-piece floor puzzle is next!

What are fun things you and your toddler have been learning or playing together as a family lately?

Harvest in the midst of much of the same

This is the 17th or so week since a state of emergency has been declared, and the pandemic is on the rise in many states. How are you feeling nowadays? From what I've seen and heard from friends, on social media, and in the news, it seems like so many of us are itching to get out, return to a normal life, get the kids out of the house now that school/remote learning is over 😅 Around here, it's more of much of the same daily Silly Bean life with the same routines we've kept since pre-pandemic (minus interacting with people less than 6 feet apart/running errands/going to the library), but we've been getting outdoors a lot more, which has been fun!

visiting baby goats and other animals at a "zoo" in a park

talking to a frog and asking how his day is going

Silly Bean loves "digging" in ponds (and basically anywhere)

storytime in the garden

Rainy weather does not deter us in the least from getting outside! Luckily though we've had more sunny days than rainy lately, and we've been able to have some great family time together as well. 

throwing rocks with Baba on a hike

scooping water at a friend's private pool

Friends from our church graciously opened their backyard pool for members of our community group to sign up to use their pool, so we've been able to "swim" despite our complex's pool being closed due to COVID! Don't let that last picture deceive you though--this moment lasted all but less than 5 minutes and Silly Bean decided he didn't want to swim (even though he talked about how much he loves swimming for the past month or two) so we played in their yard instead! 

In the midst of the uncertainty of the pandemic, not knowing what the "new normal" will look like, not knowing when things will re-open, not knowing if there will be a second wave, not knowing what the summer will look like, it can be tempting to feel discouraged in the summer season about continuing to sow and cultivate (see our post about encouragements about cultivating during COVID here), especially if you've got your own Silly Beans at home and you're going crazy in the house. A while back, I came across this image on a friend's Facebook page that I'd love to share to encourage you with:

In the book of John in the Bible, Jesus says to his disciples, "Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. " In similar ways, it may still feel like sowing/cultivating season, and it is, but where in your life/in your toddler's life is the harvest ripe? 

one tiny carrot!

We inadvertently had an unexpected harvest the other day (a squirrel dug up some of our plants!), but it made me pause and consider the metaphorical harvest in Silly Bean's life. Where am I already seeing some of what we have been working on together? (ie. emotional health, race consciousness, etc.). I definitely need to reflect more on this in this season as I think about the harvest and continue to sow and cultivate.

Where are you seeing the fruit of what you have been sowing into? How have you seen your toddler growing these past few months in quarantine?