First Snow

What is more magical than the season's first snow?  The first snow that you ever remember.  We had snow last winter, but Little Man doesn't remember that now.  This morning we woke up to a light dusting and were able to see flakes falling.  (Yes, I think we might have caused it with all those snowflakes we made this weekend.)

We headed outside (with treasure bag in hand) and explored the magical white that covered parts of the garden.  Little Man's first evaluation was that it was cold, and that the snow was ice (he's pretty observant for being less than 2!).  His next thought was that it was some type of dust and he wanted me to go inside to bring him a duster.  Fortunately he settled for a broom.  I have no idea where he gets this cleaning obsession from, but I'm not going to discourage it!

It is so interesting to watch a toddler exploring something new.  As I watched him play I wondered what was going on in his mind.  Does he wonder why everything is suddenly white outside?  Does he think about it, or just accept that sometimes the yard is green and sometimes it is white?  We read books about seasons, so we have talked before about snow falling from the sky.  But if you didn't have a reference for all the different seasons and weather patterns would you wonder what else might fall from the sky?  Maybe he thinks tomorrow we will look out and everything will be red because fire trucks rained from the sky.  I love that everyday things can be wondrous for him.  Our day wasn't just a day of snow, it was a day of magic.

Read more...

Treasure Bags

What child doesn't want to collect "treasures" while outside?  Little Man loves collecting fir cones, leaves, rocks, twigs, and yes... dirt.  Soulemama's book Handmade Home inspired this project to give him somewhere to store his treasures while out and about.  Of course I couldn't just make one bag -- somehow he ended up with three!  One for the beach, one for in the yard, and a little sock monkey print bag for walks (I keep that one handy in the car).  The main part of the bag body is made of a plasticized mesh, so they hold up well to sand and water.  I did the handles and edging (along the top and inside down both seams) with a wide cotton twill tape.

The verdict?  Success!  Little Man now expects to carry one of these any time he is outside.  Earlier this week we were getting boots and a coat on in preparation for an adventure in the yard when he turned to me and asked "cone bag walk?".  Magic to my ears, which heard "Mama I love the bags you made just for me.  Let's grab one and go!".  So away we went, bag in hand.

Read more...

Puddle Dancing

So much fascination for one water-filled pothole on a country lane.  Children can find wonder in things that we don't even notice as we race through our day.  Little Man spent a good twenty minutes dancing through this puddle.  At first his face was serious, as his tendency is to study everything unfamiliar.  But by the end he was smiling and jumping in with abandon.  At bedtime what he wanted to tell me about his day was: "water fun mud".  I see more puddles in our future.

Read more...