The New Science Teacher

My son is a wonderful boy. He is such a good helper and he so enjoys doing new things. Cassidy is always trying something different. Just this week his grandmother dropped off a birthday present that was cross-stitched and Cassidy said he would like to try that. At the same time, he is saving up for a dirtbike. A real well-rounded guy!

So when school began this year, it only made sense to harness this young man full of interest in *everything* and see if he would be willing to teach my science class!

He was more than interested - he took it on with great enthusiasm. In his first class he taught about density of water, mixing colours to get new colours, and gravity. It was a great success and the children loved it.

Showing How Green is Made

.Making Music With Different Levels of Water

.

Movie Night and Childish Memories

The cutest thing happened recently. Cooper had a stack of business card calendars in his room. At bedtime he asked his dad if his dad could take the children to the movies. Ray seemed surprised at the question, and then I saw the tickets that Cooper had.

He told me that he had found them in the garbage can and they were movie tickets. Of course, I didn't want to squish his little beliefs, so I played right into it. I told him that they could use the tickets to go to the next kids movie that came to town. Ray grinned at me.

About a week later, we heard that Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was going to be playing at the movies. So we packed up the kids and I took them all down to the cinema. I walked in ahead of Cooper and told the man that my son was paying for the movies. Cooper handed him the tickets, and the man looked blankly at me for a minute, and then he caught my eye, and the $50 I silently slipped him.

He smiled at Cooper and told him what a nice boy he was to take his family to the movies. Cooper beamed and then we all walked into the movies to enjoy the show.

Before we had left home, Cooper had been a bit upset that his dad couldn't come to the movies. He was staying home to do some work. I told Cooper that he could take his dad to the next movie that came to town that Daddy would like to see.

A few days later, while we were eating dinner, Cooper asked Ray when they were going to the movies. I told Cooper that there was a movie coming that Daddy would love to see! Everybody listened with great interest...

Where the Wild Things Are.

Dane asked if it was a horror. To which I replied that we don't watch horrors in our house. *laugh*

Everyone had a turn guessing what this wild movie must be about. Cassidy then showed up with the book in hand and I proceeded to read them the story, while the children finished dinner. They thought it was wonderful. Cooper was very pleased to hear that Daddy wouldn't miss out after all!

While the movie Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was still playing at the cinemas a friend of mine called to invite my kids to see the movie. All of them had already been, except for Dane and I didn't think he would be interested in going to a kiddy show, so I didn't tell him right away.

A little later, I was talking to Dane about the fact that he had told Cooper the tickets were calendars. I am pretty sure this went over Cooper's head, because *he* knew they were movie tickets, because, after all, he had paid for his family to go to the movies with the tickets!

But all the same, I wanted to discuss with Dane how unkind it was to squish a little boy's beliefs. I explained to Dane how when his Uncle Carl was four years old he had thought he had caught a fish when he was out fishing with his dad. It wasn't until he was fifteen years old and sharing the story with his grandparents in England, that my dad told my brother that he had never caught the fish. My dad had put it on the hook.

It was that kind of thing that gave a kid great memories. I can't remember how many times he told that wonderful story of how he caught a fish when he was just four years old. *smile*

And then, when they were old enough to know the real story, then they have wonderful adult memories of the types of things their parents would do for their childish little hearts. So now they had new warm feelings inside.

Dane looked at me very thoughtfully, but didn't say anything. Later, when he heard about the movie, he asked me how much it was. I told him it was $8. He disappeared upstairs and a little while later he appeared with a "movie ticket" in hand. Suddenly this ticket that had no value had value. *roflol*

He grinned at me and told me he had dug through his closet because he knew he had a quarter. He had paid Cooper a quarter for the ticket. Could he please go to the movies?

I love childhood!
.

Hula Dancing

Raine has begun hula dancing, and she is seriously good at it. When I picked her up after her first lesson, the teacher told me she was good. The next week, she told me she was the best in the class. When I observed her lesson on the third week I could see why she spoke as she did. Raine had learned the entire song in three weeks! There are many, many moves and they just flowed so naturally out of her.

This teacher is very good at what she teaches and has been in many competitions, plus having been to Hawaii multiple times taking lessons from real hula teachers. She tells me that she will be taking the children to competitions in the Big City, but will probably wait a year til she does so. That sounds very exciting, as Raine is really enjoying herself.

This class just began in September and already they have been heard about by people in town. So a couple weeks ago their little class was asked to perform at the old folks home in town. Ray took Raine with Austin and so I didn't get any recordings. Well, I did, but I didn't think you would want to see the floor or the heads of the people. *smile*

We will have future opportunities to showcase her dancing and at that time I will show you. In the meantime, here are some pictures that they took of the little dancer.

Waiting Back Stage

.
Normally, Raine dances in barefeet, but here she is in her studio dress and town shoes.
.

Gymnastics

Our children all joined gymnastics this year. They are having a ball. Briton was so cute, as he was so shy to go out there all by himself. But he did it and he is really enjoying himself. He loves gymnastics!





Savannah, Raine and Cooper are all in the same class. They are all enjoying the class also. Raine has a natural flaire for gymnastics, and I am not surprised. It seems she is good at all sports and body movement activities!

At the first class Cassidy was told by the coach that she was so impressed with his ability to listen, absorb, and then carry out instructions, plus how he helped the younger ones, that she told both him and me that Cassidy should go out for his coaching class. She felt that he was a born leader and he would do so well.
.