Yesterday was a momentous occasion: the first all-family ice cream outing of the summer. (Shhh… it’s summer in my mind.) We did the almost-impossible-to-beat triumvirate of
ice cream
park
used bookstore
At the used bookstore, we got a hardcover edition of four Lyle the Crocodile books bound together (sewn binding, mind you!) for a mere $5.
Tonight we read the first one:
In The House on East 88th Street, Mr. Primm, Mrs. Primm, and their son Joshua move into a new house, only to find a crocodile in the bathtub. They’re even more shocked when–as they’re trying to figure out how to get rid of it–it saunters down the stairs and starts doing tricks for them.
It’s a funny and well-written book. We’re looking forward to reading the rest. Highly recommended #kidlit!
Having seen and thoroughly enjoyed The LEGO Movie, my six-year-old son has been reading a couple of related books: The LEGO Movie: The Official Movie Handbook andThe Lego Movie: Junior Novel.
The Movie Handbook packs a lot in, both text and full-color illustrations, especially for the price.
In the words of my six-year-old, “It’s really good. If someone had never seen it, I’d say that the best pages ever are ‘Where are My Pants?’ This is an episode of a TV show in Bricksburg in The LEGO Movie.”
[Dad’s editorial note: it’s more tame than it sounds, and one of the funnier parts of the movie, which is quite clever throughout.]
Here are some of the characters in the books, as told by my six-year-old:
Emmet: A construction worker. He is always scared of the bad guys. He falls out of a tower that, like, goes past heaven.
Lord Business: A bad guy. Someone who tries to defeat the good guys. He tries to wreck the Piece of Resistance.
Batman: A superhero. He turns Bad Cop’s car into a baby carriage in the book (i.e., in the Junior Novel).
Bad Cop: A bad police. Someone who helps Lord Business.
Wyldstyle: A superhero. She asks Emmet if he’s “the Special.” Her hair has a ponytail on the side.
P. UniKitty (i.e., Princess UniKitty): She’s really cute. She says, “Any idea is a good idea, except the not happy ones!”
Here’s a look inside the Movie Handbook:
The Junior Novel is more than 100 pages of text at a level that seemed to be just right for a six-year-old. Its opening lines are as silly as the rest of the book and the movie:
Bright red lava flowed from the volcano that marked the entrance to the hidden temple. Inside, a mighty weapon called the Kragle was nestled in a glowing sarcophagus.
Here is a shot of the Table of Contents from the Movie Handbook:
The books tie in well with the movie, yet still leave a lot on the screen. The Movie Handbook also comes with a fold-out poster, which is now taped to the ceiling above my son’s top bunk bed.
Thanks to Scholastic for the review copies, given with no expectation as to the content of the review. Find The Lego Movie: The Official Movie Handbook here at Amazon (affiliate link) or here at Scholastic’s site. The Junior Novel is here at Amazon (affiliate link) and here at Scholastic’s site.
Apologies in advance for the scatalogical nature of this post. But I’m trying to get back to Family Fridays on this here blog, and nothing says family (at least our family) like this actual conversation that took place in the kitchen yesterday:
3-year-old son: Daddy, can you help me?
Me: Hold on… I’m getting your sister some food.
3-year-old son: Some poop?
Me: <Trying to stifle laughter>
3-year-old son, wanting to be heard and still awaiting my response: POOP???
Me: No… some FOOD.
3-year-old son: OHHH. I thought you said you were going to give her some poop.
My now six-year-old has been asking again to learn more Hebrew. We started last spring (see here and especially here), but the Hebrew learning has been largely on hold.
We have some materials from Sarah and David’s Read Hebrew, an interactive program to help children (and others) learn Hebrew.
The other day, as you can see above, we reviewed the alphabet again and did some activities in The Aleph Bet Story Workbook.
Last year The Aleph Bet Story Audio CD was on heavy rotation on the way to school. It accompanies The Aleph Bet Story, which has creative illustrations and mnemonic devices for learning the shapes and sounds of the Hebrew letters. Even quite a few months later, the sweet boy pictured above remembered most of the letters. The system seems to be effective. And he really likes it!
The materials we’ve been using are these ones. As we pick back up again, I hope to post more in-depth about our journeys. See more of what Sarah and David offer here.
I’ve recently received for review How Toddlers Thrive: What Parents Can Do Today for Children Ages 2-5 to Plant the Seeds of Lifelong Success. I haven’t had a chance to read much of it yet, but wanted to note it here. Clicking on the image above or here will take you to its Amazon page (affiliate link). The book’s product page says:
How Toddlers Thrive explains why the toddler years are different from any other period during childhood, what is happening in children’s brains and bodies at this age that makes their behavior so turbulent, and why your reaction to their behavior—the way you speak to, speak about, and act toward your toddler— holds the key to a successful tomorrow and a happier today. This provocative new book will inspire you to be a better parent and give you the tools to help you nurture your child’s full potential. Stop fighting with your child and start enjoying every minute of your time with them… while planting the seeds of happiness and success that will last a lifetime.
It sounds idealistic, but what parent of a toddler isn’t looking for more tools? It’s gotten 4.5 stars on Amazon thus far. I’ll read it as soon as I can and report back here.
I don’t remember where we first read this parenting advice, so I can’t guarantee its scientific backing, but here it is anyway.
When your (hypothetical) six-year-old child is talking and singing to himself in bed at night–after you’ve put him to bed–as long as he’s not keeping his (hypothetical) siblings up… let him talk and sing.
Why? Because he’s processing his day in the ways he knows how. And if this (hypothetical) six-year-old son is in all-day kindergarten this year and has just moved this summer, that processing time is important to his development and well-being.
So we let our (not hypothetical) six-year-old son talk and sing after we put him to bed, as long as it’s quiet, and as long as it doesn’t go on for more than a half hour.
More times than not, he’s done in about 15-20 minutes and then fast asleep. And we haven’t gotten upset or into a verbal struggle with him. And–most important–he’s had some added processing time before he goes to bed.
A couple weeks ago I took my six-year-old son to his first ever movie at a theater–The LEGO Movie. He loved it.
There were a couple scenes that were maybe a little too intense for a six-year-old, and a wee bit of potty language (he doesn’t need any encouragement), but other than that, it was a movie I could feel good about taking him to. It’s funny, fast-moving, and has incredible animation. There are clearly a lot of creative minds behind the movie.
BAH-yull (bottle): that dispenser of water that also doubles as a cuddle friend in her crib, without which SHE WILL NOT GO TO SLEEP.
KEEEEEE-koo: cracker, anything crunchy, snack, food. Sample use in a sentence: “Mmmmm…. keeeeekoo.”
DAT/THAT: screamed loudly, the ever-shifting direct object of “I want.”
Potty: what she–of her own volition–sat on today to go poop. Way to go, kiddo!
The 3.5-year-old
Guy Gagné
Guy Gagné! Guy Gagné!(pronounced “Gee Gah-NYAY”): 5-time winner of the Indy 500 in the movie Turbo. Constant foil in his playtime sessions with cars.
No, I want to find it!: the protestation that ensues after he looks everywhere for something, can’t find it, asks us to help find it, and then we find it.
Butt: much to the dismay of his parents, his filler, go-to, and punchline, dozens of times each day. Sample use in a sent–no, never mind. You get the idea.
Good night! I love you!: his ever-effective method of melting parental hearts at bedtime, no matter how many times he has employed the previous lexicon entry in a day.
The 6-year-old
Knock Knock. (Who’s there?)Why did the chicken cross the road?: initial forays into joke-telling.
Let’s share: preface to his taking his brother’s toy away.
Come here, baby! sweet invitation to his sister to come play with him, which she adores.
“Tonight’s dinner: tacos… or if you want, chili… later, kisses”: one of many detailed signs he puts up around the house for various occasions.
Three kids six and under can be exhausting, but I cherish these little ones and their speech patterns.
Now I’m off to rummage the pantry for some keeeekoo.
My six-year-old suggested over the weekend that we make a birthday cake for Martin Luther King, Jr.
So today, while our 1.5-year-old slept, my wife and I and two sons all went into the kitchen together. We made a carrot cake. (The part of the cake that is not frosted is because of the lactose intolerance of our littlest one.)
We’ve also been reading a short biography of King to our six-year-old, which is geared toward children. You can find it here. In that story, Martin was also six years old when he knocked on the door of some neighbor friends (where he had gone many times), only to hear the mom say:
It was all right for you to play together when you were younger. But now you’re all in school. So it’s best that you go your own different ways.
Martin quietly asked, “Why?” “Because you’re colored and we’re white,” the mom said, after which she shut the door.
It’s been interesting talking with our oldest son about MLK (and he learned about him in his kindergarten class at school, too). It can be hard to gauge how much a child is absorbing in such conversations, but I’m encouraged that his primary response to learning about Dr. King’s life has been a desire to celebrate him. We even sang “Happy Birthday” tonight.
Happy Birthday, Dr. King! We’ll bake you another cake next year.
The Angel Appears to Balaam, by Gustave Doré (1832–1883)
Tonight my wife and I (with her taking the lead) were talking to our six-year-old son all about angels, trying to navigate his series of detailed questions:
6yo son: “What can God do that angels can’t do?”
My wife: “Lots of stuff… [she elaborates]… God can do everything….”
6yo son: “So what does he need angels for?”
I: “They’re his helpers.”
6yo son: “They’re like his little elves… his flying elves!”
Words on the Word 