Hunter's Chores (at almost 6 years old)

Hunter, 5 years 10 months old, taking care
of his personal belongings

I have heard that the amish have a saying that children before seven are (chore wise) a burden, between seven and fourteen they can carry their own weight, and from fourteen on upwards they bring in a profit to the household.

So in other words, a house full of amish seven-year-olds would be able to run self-sufficiently.

Not exactly within the realm of our current cultural expectations. But I think it can serve as a reminder that children, when given the chance, can and do rise to the occasion of responsibility.

Hunter, at 13 months old, "helping" with the dishes

Hunter has "helped" out with anything and everything possible from the time he could sit up by himself. He grew up believing that work was part of life and that he was part of life too, so work has always been second nature to him.

I think that this parenting and educational philosophy has really helped him in developing a strong work ethic, and, at almost six years old, being able to be almost completely self-sufficient as well as a genuinely contributing member of the family.

Hunter at 4 years, 7 months old, vacuuming his room

Since I've found it helpful to see other people's kids' chore lists, I thought I would share what Hunter does around the house at this point in his life:

General Chores 
Checklist type stuff Hunter does on a regular basis

• Clean bedroom weekly
• vacuum floor and closet, 
• dust shelves and windows, 
• organize and straighten bookshelf, closet, drawers
• empty trash can
• Clean own bathroom weekly
• clean and sanitize sink, toilet, mirrors, shower
• sweep and mop floor
• empty trash, clean trash can
• Deep clean bedroom periodically
• declutter
• clean windows, walls, TV, toys, etc.
• Laundry
• sort dirty laundry into dark and light
• often, put family laundry in washer or switch to dryer (he knows how to run the washer and dryer and can do this by himself, but I usually do this with him as he's still learning what can and can't go in the dryer and how to load the washer evenly)
• fold or hang up all of own laundry and put away 
• help fold family laundry, towels, blankets, etc.
• help gather and transport clean or dirty laundry
• change own sheets and bedding
• Empty kitchen trash as needed
• Take trash and recycling to street weekly
• Sweep sidewalks, patio, driveway weekly 
• Check mailbox daily
• Bring in newspaper

Helping prepare dinner, age 4 years 5 months old

Being Part of a Family

Besides his "chores", Hunter helps out around the house whenever and with whatever needed (these are usually some of his favorite things to do)

• Kitchen
• set and clear table
• load and unload dishwasher
• wash dishes for fun
• help prepare food (all the time)
• put leftovers away
• make own meals and snacks
• Carry in and put away groceries, other purchased items
• Help bag items while at the store
• Rake yard
• Help out with desk work 
• cutting, sorting papers, shredding
• Help wash the car
• Help out when mom does deep cleaning
• dusting, washing windows, mopping, vacuuming, etc.
• Help with all projects
• use tools, assemble things, run errands
• Organizing projects
• Basically, anything that we're doing, he's doing too!

Hunter, after a shower, at 4 years 5 months old

Self Care

Personally, I think this stuff goes without saying and isn't necessarily a "chore", but since it's generally on other people's chore lists for younger kids I thought I would include it:

• Hygiene
• shower, brush and floss teeth, comb hair, trim nails, etc.
• Routines
• Make bed, lay out clothes and other items for next day
• Pick up after self
• Keep self organized
• manage calendar, day planner (with help)
• Independent school work
• all school work that he can do independently, such as math practice sheets, reading, penmanship, much more

Hunter, at age 3 years 0 months,
carrying in groceries

His "Employed" Chores
I don't believe in paying kids to contribute to the family, and am not really comfortable with an "allowance", but Hunter has jobs he does to contribute to my home business (part time child care) that he gets paid a small sum for each week.

• Clean up after the kids' meals 
• clear table, put away food, clean entire kitchen
• Clean kids play area daily
• straightening and organizing all toys
• vacuuming carpet
• Clean bathroom used by kids daily
• sanitize sink, toilet, walls, trash can, sweep floor
• Empty diaper pail, take dirty diapers outside as needed
• Help with kids whenever needed
• read stories during circle time
• help with whatever I need assistance with
• Also included on his list is setting a good example, being gentle, focusing on assigned task, etc.

So, there you have it, life in our house right now!

What kind of things do your kids do to help out around the house?

"It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth." 

Lamentations 3:27

Hunter is 5 years, 10 months old

Analog Time Telling

Hunter got his first watch a couple of years ago, when he was three and a half. It was an old, leather-strapped analog watch that was making its way to donations after months in a lost and found before we snatched it.

He loved that watch, and used to show it off to everyone with pride, who would usually ask him if he could actually read the thing. I will have to admit it was a humous sight seeing a little three-year-old totting around with a full-sized man's watch on his wrist.

After a few months the watch broke, and for some reason we never invested in getting a new one.

I think Hunter must be equally excited about his new $9 watch from Wal-mart as he was about his lost-and-found watch two years ago. He is infinitely prideful of it and it has become the covet of many little neighborhood boys. Who knew?

I still remember my first watch, perhaps when I was eight or nine, that my mom gave me when we were at a family church camp. It was analog (versus digital), which I'm sure had a double purpose of both helping me to return to the room on time as well as to teach me how to effortlessly read a "real" clock. My mom was cool like that.

So therein lies my "hidden purposes" in intentionally buying Hunter an analog watch, which he currently thinks is just about the coolest toy there is and loves reading what time it is. I want to improve on his time-telling skills, since, even though he learned it years ago, he has since become a little rusty, since we unfortunately have nothing but digital clocks in the house.

And secondly, to teach him time management, hopefully being able to tell him to come inside from the playground at such-and-such time, or to be ready to go at this time, and so forth.

Thirdly, to become more aware of what time of day it is, since often he seems quite oblivious, at least, internally (I could tell you that "It is probably around 2:00 or 3:00 ish" even if I haven't looked at a clock in hours, but Hunter, not so much).

Lesson learned? Don't wait two years to buy a new one when this one breaks!

"Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD."

Jeremiah 8:7

Hunter is 5 years, 6 months old

Physical Excellence Friday: Water Rescue

"Our definition of Physical Excellence includes being able to solve any physical problem encountered during life. This may include saving one's own life, or saving someone else's." 

-Douglas Doman, How to Teach Your Baby to Swim

Our swimming goals for this summer didn't used to include water rescue skills, except maybe self-rescue.

But it just sort of came up in the course of our swimming adventures. A lot of what-if's.

Here are some of the beginning water-rescue skills we have been working on:

• Throw, Don't Jump  The first thing we talked about was the use of the life preserver and other items available to throw out for someone who is drowning or distressed in the water. We talked about why it is dangerous to jump in for someone who is distressed, because in their panic they can cause both of you to drown. 

• Practice Throwing Assist  We brainstormed different things that could be thrown out to a distressed person to pull them in, including the life preserver with rope, the looped pole (stored near life preserver), and some other unconventional things, such as an out stretched towel or a hose. We also practiced why it is important to kneel or lay down when using a throwing assist, so you don't get pulled in, and to be very careful to throw the item near, not on, the person, so as to not knock them unconscious or cause more damage.

• Calling 911 No practice calls here, but we have talked about how to get help, specifically calling 911, and the Check-Call-Care procedure of checking the person, calling 911, then caring for them until more help arrives.

In another post I will talk about water safety and Douglas Doman's recommendations for things to teach your tiny child.

We are going to start talking about rescue breathing, CPR, and other first aid procedures from my American Red Cross manual. 

I figure, it's important to learn now. Because you're never too young to learn, and the younger and more frequently you learn something, the more it sticks. 

The more it becomes internal, permanent, and automatic.

And because kids are always full of surprises. So they may just one day surprise us with being a lot more capable than we give them credit for.

"He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions." 

Daniel 6:27

Hunter is 5 years, 5 months old

Sunny-Side Up in the Water: Learning How to Float

Yay for back floating!

Surprisingly Hunter was unable to do this until recently. I have seen people teach little babies how to float on their backs as a life-saving technique if they were ever to fall in the water. I'm not sure how they did it though. Hunter was first introduced to back-floating in his brief YMCA swimming class when he was two. But for the life of me I have not been able to get him to do it until this summer.

He hated it!

He actually did this for the first time during our long Fourth of July weekend camping. We had been practicing a little bit most every time we swam, and he finally built up the confidence (and balance) to independently defy gravity (well, sort of).

I have now started a new technique.

Instead of helping him by lifting him up to his back and then gently releasing him to float, I have been, well, not helping him. I usually throw him in and have him flip over and kick up his legs himself. He even ends up getting a little water splashed in his face or moving waves sent his way while trying to stay relaxed. (I'm lovely, I know)

But in the end my playful antics have helped him become a better floater and, more importantly, he has learned to use this technique to rest and relax despite the circumstances. Because I think that, even more than a wonderful exercise in balance, full body control, and as a result of that - brain development - that it is good to be able to rest and stay calm while mid water. You know, just in case.

His current time floating: two minutes. It was originally thirty seconds at a time.

I hope to be able to work up to five minutes straight by the end of the summer. But either way, we'll see. We're just having fun and learning something in the process, as always.

"Now therefore be not grieved... for God did send me before you to preserve life." 

Genesis 45:5

Hunter is 5 years, 4 months old

Making a Sandwich: Mark of a Genius?

Everyone seems to be pretty amazed at Hunter's fantastic skills.

I had an childcare inspector come in the other day and comment, jokingly (yet still seriously awe-struck), that "He's just about ready for college!"

One parent I interviewed went on about how, she has a friend with a four year old and, for only being five, Hunter was really smart.

The repair man had his two cents to put in, too, commenting how bright Hunter was.

Their cause for amazement?

His intense sandwich making skills.

I did not think spreading peanut butter and honey on a piece of bread was that much of a rocket science. Seriously.

And while they might have thought he's bright, I just call it lazy parenting.

You see, at three years old, when I was making lunches for three kids under three, Hunter was kept busy making his own sandwich. And setting the table and doing other little things like that that toddlers love to do and keeps them out of trouble (while learning a thing or two, it wasn't all selfish). And now he has extended his culinary skills to helping himself to a significantly wide variety of lunch and breakfast materials, with the exception of those which require flames or intensely sharp blades. Although most of the time, he just ops for a sandwich.

I guess one person's laziness is another person's genius.

"Thou preparest a table before me..."

Psalm 23:5

Hunter is 5 years, 1 month old

First Lessons in Money Management

Hunter opened his first bank account today. With about $24 from his bank we went on a field trip to the bank to open his own savings account and begin the first of the bigger steps towards financial literacy, creativity and responsibility.

If there is one thing that is big on my heart, it is teaching my son important life skills like this. You can be an intellectual genius but if you're lazy, or irresponsible, you won't get far in life.

Some things he already knows about money:

1. Names and values of US currency
2. A basic understanding of the concepts behind banks and ATMs (that is, that we have to put money into the bank in order to get it back out of the bank)
3. That you can't just "get" money but have to do something for it, i.e., work (although he still tends to mention every once in a while, "Well we'll just buy it!" as if money grows on trees)
4. That it's important to keep receipts from your purchases (he loves keeping receipts and thinks its really cool)
5. And after today, an introduction to the idea that when you keep money at a real bank instead of a piggy bank, it grows because of interest.

But, he obviously still has a lot to learn.

I think this bank account will be a great learning experience for him, talking about interest, keeping track of the account and how it grows, and having financial goals, for starters.

"For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it."

Ecclesiastes 7:12

Hunter is 5 years, 1 month old

Computers and Word Processing

My dearly beloved son is learning the amazingly interesting and important skill of word processing on Mom's little computer.

Don't let his intense facial expression fool you. It is actually a look of deep concentration as he taps away at completely random letters in the creation of his first Word document.

My idea in this is to let him play with more useful, productive computer tasks rather than just educational games, since they are most often more "entertainment" than "education". For now, word processing and the ever popular "paint" program will be his main activities, but later on moving to more advanced photo and video editing, web design and computer programming. All, of course, as a fun game, and for the most part, teaching himself with me just there to give him a few pointers along the way.

I got the idea from the book, Preparing Sons to Provide for a Single Income Family. Not that I agree with every little piece of the book but it had a lot of useful information in raising responsible and hard-working, creative sons, this computer thing being one of them.

It also may have to do a lot with my own childhood. I used to spend hours carefully drawing elaborate scenes on the paint program. Word processing, too, was a big thing for me, as I literally taught myself how to spell well and write well with this program. You know the little spell check and grammar check? Being home schooled and for a large part of my education, self-taught, that was my biggest teacher in the English grammatical area.

So I'm kind of going along the same path with Hunter, as well. At this point, most spelling programs for his age are just phonics programs - you know, words like cat and sled. And while teaching phonics rules is great - especially for weird letter combinations like eigh and ough - I learned all that stuff in context, by reading it and writing it. And I would dare to say that I'm a pretty good speller, and that with probably less than 2% of the instruction time most kids spent on spelling lessons during their school years.

Unschooling? Sounds like it a little. But for right now, my plan is to just let him at it, encourage him to write words or stories, and show him a few things here and there, a little at a time (like how to change the font, or add a graphic, or change the margins, etc.)

The whole spell check / grammar check thing in this is a huge goal for me, besides the obvious skill of computer navigation and use. After his first time on the program tonight, and him writing a bunch of random letters, before closing it he wrote, "iluvmymom". I showed him how to use the space bar to separate the words and we watched as the computer automatically capitalized the "i", a little lesson in grammar.

Then with just one thing left, the red squiggly line under the word "luv". I showed him how to use the spell check and select the proper spelling from the generated words, and he felt so happy and accomplished afterwords.

Thanks, little guy. I love you too.

"Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee..."

Deuteronomy 4:26

Hunter is 5 years, 0 months old

Learning Personal Safety

You may be wondering what a Greek statue of a discus thrower has to do with personal safety and little kids. [Hint: it has nothing to do with sports]

It is actually something that Hunter and I came across today while we were reading a book on ancient civilizations. Of course, I thought nothing of it but Hunter immediately covered his eyes - and then repeated to do so for a great many of the pictures in the book.

Why? Because something that I have been teaching him for quite some time is that, if you see somebody naked, hide your eyes.

This kind of started out of a necessity (from us sharing a room and having to get dressed together a great deal of the time) but I immediately began to appreciate the far-reaching ramifications of this little lesson in modesty.

While a great many parents want to protect their kids from the, er, far-spread undressing of our culture, they usually make attempts to do so by simply modifying the environment - screening television and internet use, avoiding such printed media, etc., etc. And while all that is just great, more than that is needed, I believe. Not just because it is virtually inevitable to come across it in public (even if you're Amish) but because it is increasingly inevitable, sadly enough, even in private.

I remember first reading about how Michael Pearl, an author, taught his children what to do should they ever come across pornographic material. And while cultural and moral differences may highly vary in their valuing and definition of modesty, I am pretty sure that it is a universal value that children shouldn't be looking at that kind of stuff.

I recently read that an overwhelming percentage of children had been exposed to pornography before their tenth birthday. And even though that really is not something that I want to be talking to my little child about, small, preventive measures are a necessity if we want to protect them, and I think that the whole don't look and people who are naked, along with other small, value-based conversations, are a solid place to start at this young age.

Touchy subject yes, and even though it is really something I honestly and truly wish I never had to even think about (much less worry about teaching my child important safety measures or writing about it publicly) I believe that it is something that, though uneasy, parents need to be thinking about and preparing and training their children accordingly.

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life... Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee... Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil."

Proverbs 4:23-27

Hunter is 5 years, 0 months old

Teaching Time Management

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

Frederick Douglass

Something that we bought Hunter for the new year is his very own calendar. He has been working with a calendar for almost two years now, first with a simple days of the week calendar, then with a monthly calendar, and also in many activities in telling time. I would say that, at this point, he has a pretty good concept of time, and can (pretty consistently) name the days of the week, the months of the year, units of time (i.e. 60 seconds = minute, 52 weeks = year, etc.), hours of the day (bedtime is at 8:00, etc.), can tell time on a digital and (for the most part) standard clock, and understands concepts like "last night", "afternoon", and "two days from now", etc. with a fair degree of accuracy. This is not something that I shoved down his throat but he simply developed an understanding by doing calendar time (most) mornings and talking about things throughout the day.

But now I think that he's ready (and probably has been for a while) to learn about time management. The monthly calendar we have been using was great for teaching months of the year and days of the month, but was quite limited. He now has a famous landmarks calendar (courtesy of the dollar store) that will be his very own and he can learn to plan his days and see what's coming up next week or next summer.

At first he wasn't too enthused (as the first thing I had him do was write a bunch of stuff on it) but it has now become his very own little treasure and he seriously cherishes it.

It has worked wonders. For one, he wakes up and says, "Mom, today is a school day!" He also counts down the days to the weekend, or when the weekend is over. "Brandon goes to work on the 19th, mom." He has gotten a little messed up on the ordinal numbers sometimes and has told me, "The 21 is a school day you know." "21st, you mean?" I answer.

This has also resulted in him being a lot more aware of when plans don't quite go as expected. He was quite disappointed when his aunt's visit got rescheduled, and kept saying, "But mom, she was supposed to come on Monday!"

I have been having him cross off the day each night before he goes to bed, and even without me reminding him, he rarely forgets. My goal in this, and other things that I am implementing, is not just to teach about time but about how to manage time, because I would say that time management is arguably one of the most important skills one can have. The implications of this are enormous. I want him to master this as young as possible instead of waiting until bad habits are already developed to try and fix it.

Just some of the lessons learned in utilizing your own calendar are, beyond the obvious math and time skills: planning ahead, memory, and mostly, goal setting.

The calendar is just a small part of teaching this, and I have a lot more things that I am beginning to work with him on, including having his own alarm clock, morning and evening routines, unsupervised school work times, and doing his chores without being told.

But more on that later.

"And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail." 

Hebrew 1:12

Hunter is 4 years, 9 months old

Money Song

This is a very animated version of Hunter singing his little "money jingle". He got some toy money for Christmas and as a compliment to this blog post about it, I wanted him to sing the song just to demonstrate the tune. But instead of just singing it he decided he had to act it out for me, dramatically picking up each plastic coin as he said the words.

He is actually quite frequently this dramatic, but rarely for the camera.

He likes his toy money a lot, and has been acting out a lot of fun scenes with it, as well as playing math games with me (such as adding together coins or dollars with the use of the sliding game). It's really fun that he is so interested in it, because it makes learning a breeze.

He has known the little money song for a long time now but this is the first time we'll be doing a lot of math activities with money.

"For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it." 

Ecclesiastes 7:12

Hunter is 4 years, 9 months old

Tying My Own Shoes

Hunter finally learned how to tie his shoes all by himself. Finally.

I say finally because this is one of those things that we have been "working on" (or, er, intending to "work" on at least) for about two years now. Yes, I said years.

Now, obviously, when he was two I didn't really expect him to tie his shoes. Not that it's impossible for a two-year-old to have that kind of small motor skills. Just that, well, he didn't.

But when he was about two I started talking about the process and showing him while I tied his shoes. "Pull the laces up, cross it over like this, then through the hole..." Not that I did that every time I tied his shoes (you're just in a hurry or distracted sometimes, you know?) but "tie own shoes" has been on my little skills checklist for quite a while now.

So, it's really nice that he can do it all on his own now. It might just have to do with the fact that we've actually been working on it since we moved. Like focused, consistent teaching (which is a quality I can't always boast). And let me tell you, it is so nice being able to just tell him, get your shoes on. He has been able to do pretty much every other dressing task for a while now (buttons, zippers, coat, belt, etc.) But he's finally an all-the-way "big boy" in the dressing department. And he is very proud of it (as you can see by his little smirk at the end of the video).

"And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses."

Exodus 39:31

Hunter is 4 years, 7 months old

Stop, Drop, and Roll

About a week ago we had our mandatory fire safety orientation with the base's fire chief.

She came in and went over a bunch of fire safety procedures, showing us how to test the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, showing us where the breakers are, handing out some brochures and fridge magnets, etc.

Hunter, who was watching and listening (and being a bit too talkative during the demonstrations) offered his advice when she inquired what he would do if there was a fire in the house.

"Get water." he says.

We both laughed but, not exactly the answer she was looking for.

Next he offered, "I would hide in the closet."

Great I'm thinking. Can you tell that this is perhaps an area Mommy hasn't really taught yet?

But no, it gets better. Next he says he would jump out the window. (I think this kid has seen too many movies). At least, though, that is a possibility in a dire situation. I'll give him that.

I could tell I had my hands full.

Thankfully, though, this week just happened to be Fire Prevention Week, in honor of the great Chicago fire on October 8th of 1871. And there just happened to be a Fire Safety open house at the base fire station tonight. How convenient is that?

I have been wanting to take him on a field trip to a fire station for forever, so this was the perfect little coincidence (and wake up call).

It was really cool how they set up the open house. When you got there, you were given a little card with six little pictures representing the different activities to do. After you did each activity, you got your card stamped, and once your whole card was done, you turned it in for a bag full of goodies (a bunch of fire-safety themed toys - comic book, magnet, plastic cup, pencil, bracelet, ruler, fire hat... I forget what else). These are the activities he did:

Exhibit 1: Stop, drop, cover your face and roll activity (picture above)
A fireman demonstrated to the kids what to do if your clothes catch on fire, and explained why. They stuck a felt "fire" on the kids and let them practice.

Exhibit 2: Put out the fire
This was just for fun. There was a little wooden house frame they had built that had hinged "fires" in each window. The goal: "put out" the fires by knocking them down with the power hose.








Exhibit 3: Bucket brigade
They had this fun activity to demonstrate how fires were put out before the invention of the fire hose: a long, long line of lots of helpers passing buckets down the line until the fire was gone.




Exhibit 5: Fireman's hose
He got to try out a real fire hose (with some help). Boy are those things powerful! And they didn't even have it on full blast.






Exhibit 6: Dress up
He got to try on the fire suit, talked about how it protects them from the flames, talked about the purpose of the reflective gear, the helmet, etc. He also got to see how they store the suits so they can put them on really fast when the alarm goes off.







Exhibit 7: Smoke house
This was probably the best. They went inside the smoke house (trailer) and talked about what to do in a smoking building. They practiced crawling under the smoke, how to feel a door to see if it's hot (and, if so, do not open it), how to wave a cloth or similar item outside a window to signal for help, and how to properly climb out of a window ladder.






He also got to: check out the inside of a fire truck; get a good look at the inside of an the engine; watch the extendable ladder being raised; watch an actual fire being put out and how to properly use a fire extinguisher; get his picture taken with Sparky the fire dog; check out the fire station; eat cookies and lemonade; and more!

What a fun, incredible evening we had!

And, on top of all the fun, it is nice to know that he is a bit more fire safe now. (And, by the way, on the way home he told me that if there was a fire in the house, he would "run out as fast as I can" and "call the fireman".) Our "meeting place" is at the mailbox, which is a couple houses down. And we're talking about when and how to call 911. Should he ever need to.

"Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine." 

Job 18:5

Hunter is 4 years, 6 months old

Toilet Mechanics

Today we were cleaning the bathrooms together and as he was cleaning the toilet, I popped the lid off to show him the inside. I pushed the handle down and let him see the mechanics of it all. We talked about where the clean water comes from and where the dirty water goes, etc. We had briefly talked about the sewer and water systems in times past but I think this is the first time I have showed him the inside of the actual toilet. He was so fascinated.

Later he went upstairs to clean his bathroom on his own and I found him in there, flushing the toilet and messing with the float, watching the water drain and fill up, the levers go up and down, etc. He was so intently focused on it until he had "figured it all out" I guess. It's funny how interesting and educational the simple things in life can be to little kids.

"Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal..." 

Exodus 30:18

Hunter is 4 years, 6 months old

Surprise!

We're so nice to him.

"He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains..."

2 Chronicles 32:3

Hunter is 4 years, 6 months old

Fashion Crisis

Hunter usually picks out his own clothes, and he's is actually a pretty good dresser. I've been surprised a lot of times when he will pick out outfits that perfectly coordinate with each other, and my surprise probably comes from the fact that my dad and brother often needed my mom's assistance in the fashion department, so I assumed my little boy would be lacking as well.

But today we had a little lesson in the do's and don'ts of outfit coordinating when he came in the house in a red stripped shirt and red, black, and white plaid shorts.

Now, I'll have to give it to them that the colors do go very well together, but I explained why we can't wear plaids and stripes together, because the patterns don't match and so it makes our eyes confused. He was reluctant to give up his hard-picked outfit, but agreed to wear something else, and learned a little principle in suitable dressing.

"Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel..."

2 Samuel 12:20

Hunter is 4 years, 2 months old

Look Out!

There's a new driver on the road!

No, not really, there are many things that I will be teaching him "early", but that is one thing that he will not be learning for a while.

But he DID have a blast today driving on a "real" road (gravel) almost all by himself. For a whole 20 feet. He was thrilled, to say the least.

"He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints."

Proverbs 2:8

Hunter is 4 years, 0 months old

Toys or Tools?

Hunter has never liked "toys".

When he was six months old I would give him a box of baby toys and expect him to play with the contents for at least a good twenty minutes or so, but it never happened. He would give each toy the standard five-point scientific test (look at it, feel it, shake it and bang it to hear what sound it makes, taste it, and smell it, making use of every sensory pathway he had) which took about sixty seconds and then he was done with it. Only after reading Doman did I actually begin to realize the genius behind his experimenting. At the time I just thought he had a short attention span and was stubborn (Why won't you just play while I work on this?) but now I know that he just simply didn't need to play with it anymore, considering he had already learned everything there was to learn about it through his rigorous and systematic tests.

To say the least, the box of baby toys never got much use because after he had spent his sixty second on each toy in the box, he had no interest in all the nice toys we had bought him and was far more interested in playing with the cat food or chair leg or cardboard box. He generally could learn more about those things because, the cardboard box for example, could come apart so he could learn how it was made.

It's been a long time since the days of that box of baby toys, but Hunter has been through many toys of all kinds since then, and I've learned a great deal about kids and toys and what they really want (which isn't usually what we adults assume).

Of all the things I've learned, one of the most important things is how much kids don't even really like "toys". What they really like is tools.

Glenn Doman once said that if you watch little kids, you will see that they don't really make toys at all, they make tools. If you give a little kid a rock, he'll turn it into a hammer. If you give him a shell, he'll turn it into a bowl. The list could go on and on, but the point is that they are much more concerned about learning about the world (a survival skill) than they are about simply "playing". To little kids, learning is playing, and if they can get their hands on it, they will consistently choose real, useful things to work with over the toys we generally give them. Ungratefulness? No, just an unbridled desire to learn, and even more so, to be big - to grow up.

What really got me thinking again about this whole tools vs. toys thing was yesterday, when Hunter was being his usual self and helping out while I worked on a project (in this case, disassembling the brachiation ladder because I have to make some adjustments on it to make it fit into it's new location).

While I was using a power saw (which Hunter had to stay out of the way for, obviously) I looked over and saw Hunter with a Philips screwdriver (which he had got out himself, by the way) meticulously and efficiently unscrewing each of the very tiny screws that held on the plastic covering to a new tool set I had bought.

He worked on that tool case so diligently and persistently, you would have thought he was trying to open a chest full of candy or something. But this was even better than candy - it was real, meaningful, useful tools that were more enticing than any of his toys, with an interest which is a lot longer lasting.

Watching him with those tools really got me thinking about some things. For one, it made me realize how much Hunter loves tools. And I'm not just talking about hammers and screwdrivers, but about objects that are real and useful. A piano is a tool. A pair of scissors is a tool. A camera is a tool. So is a compass, a sketch book, a pencil, a globe, a rope, and a chair.

So after a little pondering, I came up with a brilliant (for me, at least) resolution: stop investing in toys and instead focus your money and energy on things that are more lasting, more valuable, and more entertaining: tools!

It just makes so much sense. For the one, Hunter finds real things much, much more appealing. He wants to be doing important things with the big people, and will, hands down, always drop his stuffed animals to help Grandpa hammer in a nail. So why not get him things that he will genuinely appreciate and use; get him what he really wants?

Secondly, tools last a lot longer than toys. A good hammer or fishing pole is a gift that will last all his life (or at least for many years), while a plastic tool bench will last a year or two before he's too big for it, or until the thrill wears off (which is sometimes only after a couple minutes). Tools will get more use than the toys, too, because he's so much more interested.

Thirdly, investing his time in worthwhile activities rather than just entertainment develops a worldview that is so important for future success in life. We have far, far too many people who simply want to be entertained constantly, and can't think creatively or get up and do something. If anything, that is the last thing I want for my son.

So you know what I did today? I went to the store and bought Hunter some birthday presents. The first gift? A net. A little $5, fishing-type net from Wal-mart. What is it for? Think fish, crawdads, toads, frogs, butterflies, snakes, or anything else a little boy might want to use it for.

Gift number two? A rope. Yes, a 3/4" thick, 10' long nylon rope that can be used for just about anything he wants. Oh, and learning to tie the many different Boy Scouts knots that will be part of our curriculum this summer. Imagine the creative potential that the simple rope can provide for a little boy in a big backyard.

So, say hello to my new parenting philosophy. Or, at least my new gift-buying philosophy. I think I'm going to have fun with this. And I know with certainty that Hunter will, too.

"And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship"

Exodus 35:31

Hunter is 3 years, 11 months old

Learning Left and Right

I made this little poster for Hunter to help him learn his left from his right.

The first thing I did was trace his little hands and cut out the blue paper outline.

Next I made arrows pointing to the right and the left, glued them on a piece of construction paper, and wrote in big, red letters "left" and "right" underneath.

I laminated it and hung it on the side of his dresser, next to the door, and it serves as a little visual of the concepts of a left hand and a right hand, a left direction and a right direction. We've also started talking about the concepts a lot, for example, asking him to give me his left foot to put a shoe on or telling him to look to the right to find his truck.

It's all new to him but I'm sure he'll be figuring it all out in no time at all.

"And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left."

Genesis 24:49

Hunter is 2 years, 5 months old