Seasons

One of my favorite things from Montessori is the "Birthday" song.  The child having a birthday holds the earth globe and walks sedately in a circle around the sun (a candle) while singing "the earth goes round the sun" to celebrate.  I've totally corrupted this quiet celebration of another year passing for a lesson on the Seasons with our little group of 2 and 3year olds.  Using a giant yellow bouncy ball (held by one child) and  a smaller earth globe (held by another), I try to teach them a song about the Seasons:

(To the tune of Hi-Ho-Derry-O)

The earth goes round the sun.  The earth goes round the sun.  Hi-Ho-the-Derry-O, the earth goes round the sun.

In Spring the flowers bloom.  In Spring the flowers bloom.  Hi-Ho-the-Derry-O, in Spring the flowers bloom.

(Action: arms go up and out, like growing plants)

In Summer the sun is hot.  In Summer the sun is hot.  Hi-Ho-the-Derry-O, in Summer the sun is hot.

(Action: ASL sign for sun - draw a circle in air with one finger then splash all fingers out)

In Fall the leaves fall down.  In Fall the leaves fall down.  Hi-Ho-the-Derry-O, in Fall the leaves fall down.

(Action: wiggle fingers from high above heads to low)

In Winter it is cold.  In Winter it is cold.  Hi-Ho-the-Derry-O, in Winter it is cold.

(Action:  make two fists near shoulders and shake (like shivering))

The earth goes round the sun.  The earth goes round the sun.  Hi-Ho-the-Derry-O, the earth goes round the sun.

The kids each got a turn to do each part and they never did actually sing the song (it was new to them), but they all liked the actions and got the seed of the idea that the sun changes our seasons on Earth throughout the year.

Our craft project corresponded to the song by showing a deciduous tree at different seasons.

Our activities involved reading different picture books and practicing dressing appropriately for different weather (over their clothes, they tried on snowsuits, swim trunks, umbrellas and jackets depending on what weather I was pretending to see).

There are a million different ways to tweak this to better suit different climates and add to it.  I'd love to hear your ideas.

Life Changers and Blog Alterations

So as we have slowed down our pace of travel and "normal" life...consisting of homework and playdates...has sped up, I've found my blog needs a slight adjustment in that in addition to covering educational and fun travel with kids, I will start discussing kids' educational ideas and strategies.  After all, my goal is to make my kids' world A Brilliant Place, regardless of where we are!  Hope this may be helpful to all you hard-working moms/dads/role models working towards that same goal with those bright shining little lights in your life.

Good Books and Small Efforts

I recently read a couple of books for Middle Graders (meaning pre-Young Adult, maybe 5-8th graders) that were really touching. It's rare for a book to make me cry and love it but two did:

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
and
The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate.

These are two completely different books (Wonder is about a "normal" boy with a facial deformity and Ivan is about a Gorilla), yet both books share the same sense of isolation and loneliness caused by something outside the protagonist's control. Yet the strength of their character and the goodness of other people result in beautiful triumph.

My younger kids didn't catch the humor that pervades both these stories, so I would recommend them to strong readers with high level interest. They both (I felt) tackle sensitive issues that not all of my kids are ready for. My oldest (age 10) did great with them and really enjoyed them, although I think Wonder was her favorite. Wonder especially is very insightful to the feelings of all involved. Kids can be so mean; naturally they seem to know everyone's insecurities and weaknesses and often point out physical differences in very loud voices, even if they aren't trying to be mean. I remember a time my daughter turned to a woman at a hotel and asked her why she had such huge nipples. Major embarrassing for everyone (except the perpetrator). She was curious and wanted to understand why she was different in that way. She also asked a woman with facial hair if she was a man...as the parent try to apologize your way out of that one. I think I made it worse. Anyway, until kids learn that we all have something that sets us apart and makes us each different and wonderful in our own ways these awkward moments and occasional meanness happen. These books impressed me in how the feelings of others are effected by our ignorance or questions and how it takes so little to make someone feel good about themselves....and what a precious gift that small effort can be.

I loved these, and unlike most books that get read and passed on (or returned to the library), these have found a permanent place on my bookshelf.

Expecting the Unexpected: European Road Rules

So a friend traveling to Prague was asking me where to pick up some gifts for home and while I was pouring over the google map of old town Prague for Havel's Market, remembering our visit there, it reminded me of a post I've been meaning to share for awhile.  

As a first time visitor to Europe, the biggest difference between traveling the U.S. and traveling through Europe was, for me, not being able to predict anything. There was no way to expect the unexpected travel kinks that occurred while traveling Europe with kids. The kids themselves are an X-Factor, and then add in having no real understanding of the way things work as you navigate each new country; it's a guaranteed recipe for chaos.  Okay, I know. The unexpected is by definition "the unforeseen", so maybe that would be expecting too much of myself, but I'd like to share some road rules so chaos doesn't reign supreme. This is not actually limited to driving rules, but any of those tricky laws or rules that may catch a traveler unawares. Maybe then you will do better than I did at knowing the rules of the European road and expecting the unexpected.

Rule#1 - Get advice from everyone and have a passport.

Most people travel and love to talk about it.  Some will even share your same travel goals and life situation: maybe parents of two young kids headed for Paris or a mom and teen going to Berlin.  Sharing goals and situations can make the experience more similar, but you can garner tips and helps from anywhere! Since our major travels I've run into grocery store checkout clerks, retirees and moms at the park who have all had some great tip to add to my travel idea jar.  What's that saying? "Know before you go"?  Uh, yeah.  We didn't really do that.  Passports, check.

Rule #2 -  Get an international drivers license.

This way when random officials from whatever country you happen to be in make you hand it over and don't give it back, you won't be left without a license.  Not only are these international drivers licenses recognized as ID, they make you a legal driver across Europe.  Nope, didn't do this either.

Rule #3 - Be ready to appreciate those quirky differences 

The U.S. is a great place to live. Each region has its distinct characteristics, beauty, and cultural variations of what it is to be "American". That said, wherever you go in the U.S. there will be (mostly) a continuity of rules.  For example, in every state there is a speed limit which varies by road type and every business will speak the same language and accept dollars.  Although the creation of the EU begins to address this issue, don't think for a minute that it streamlines anything; instead, just appreciate those quirky differences as best you can.  I learned this lesson the hard way one wintery afternoon driving on an Estonian highway. I was pulled over for going the posted speed limit...but apparent to the very polite officers, at an unsafe speed for road conditions.  While we may have a similar law in the U.S., the rule is "don't get caught speeding more than 5 mph over" and "slow down a bit when its wet".  I'm actually an excellent snow driver and felt I was driving at cautious speeds, but an hour in the back seat of the police car and a written apology later I had learned a very valuable lesson: "Don't speed".  Of course, this is the moment when that International Drivers License would have been handy.  Also, these differences are more apparent and will more drastically affect those who cover a large territory in a single trip.  

Rule #4 - Don't trust your bank cards to work when you need them.

It was a bit of a shock when we arrived by ferry to France and discovered that all banks close (entirely shut down) for their lunch hour.  This wouldn't have been as bad if we hadn't needed to pay the taxi drivers who had just picked us up and taken us to the train station (and of course required payment...they were a bit insistent on it really).  This was a crucial moment for our bank card to work at the ATM; it did not.  Our bank had shut it down for suspected fraud for the fourth time, in spite of several quite heated conversations only a day earlier.  No opportunity for another showdown however...the fraud department wouldn't even open for another four hours.  Too late for both the taxi drivers and the train we needed to catch.  Eventually AMEX came through.  Lesson learned:  have local currency and an AMEX at all times (and don't waste your trip time with those useless bank card conversations).

Rule #5 - Don't try to do it all

This is especially true if you're traveling with kids.  There is nothing that will ruin the Vatican, the Eiffle Tower or the Pyramid of Giza faster than kids who are uncomfortable, hungry and have been run off their feet.  What am I saying?  This goes for the grown ups too!  Honestly, if you're planning to see every city (or museum, or river) in one trip, let me save you the bother...they all look exactly the same when you hit too many too fast.  It's much better to pick a home base and  only two or maybe three nearby places to see.  The best times we had were when we gave ourselves time to explore off the beaten tourist trap and discovered something for ourselves.  We were driving from Bled, Slovenia down to Dubrovnik, Croatia and happened to see a sign for a Croatian National Park, called Plivice, we'd never heard of.  We needed a break and we had a couple of hours to spare and it turned out to be one of the most memorable and beautiful parts of our trip.

So, whether you follow these five rules or choose to fly by the seat of your family's pants, I hope you'll find the literal joy in the journey.

The UnFun Family Vacation

Have you ever imagined a great family trip, full of educational world wonders and fulfilling relationship building?  Now insert your actual family...not quite the reality?  That's where we are right now.

Last year was definitely NOT a good travel with kids year.  Not that we didn't travel, but I didn't have the energy or focus to write about the several sleepless camping trips, a sleepless visit to family via air, or a sleepless "vacation" at the beach.  Did I mention my two-year-old is making our family trips sleep-deprived endurance-tests of family torture?

In fact the highlight of my 2012 traveling-with-kids adventures was, in fact, our first adults-only anniversary trip to Cancun since baby#1.  I love traveling with my kids (well, most of them), but I have to admit alone-time was so peaceful and relaxing...it's my new mental escape from all things stressful now.

Anyway, as eye-opening as our Cancun trip was to what vacations must be like for the rest of the no-kid-vacation world, I refuse to give up on relaxing family vacations.  I know they are possible and rewarding...I just don't know how long it's going to take for it to be possible or rewarding for US.  I imagine I can't be the only one with this problem! 

We have done so many much more difficult trips with kids the same age (driving Europe with a 6, 4 and not-quite-two-year-old for example...see Travel with Kids: Estonia), but clearly we have a different personality here.  A personality that doesn't go to sleep until 11pm and gets up around 4am and announces it by repeating everyone's names LOUDLY and without end:  Ella, ella, ella, ella, mommy, mommy, mommy, DA-ddy, daddy, daddy, and on and on and on.  You get the idea.  Which ends up with either daddy or I getting her up and taking her somewhere to get her quiet.  This results in our trips getting drastically shortened because we as parents are so exhausted and grumpy that no one is having fun.

 Maybe I have finally met that time in my life (or kid in my life) when I really do just want to chill at home...or in Cancun maybe, but I hope not!