Observing

Samuel is a very busy little boy.  He is always on the go and in constant motion!  Our little ball of energy!!!

I was reading in a parenting book about how it's important for kids to slow down...both on their own and for their parents to do the same.  It's really easy to overextend kids, and yourselves, especially as they get older with piano lessons, dance, karate, swim lessons, t-ball, basketball, and so forth.  It's also important for kids to have some down time during the day to process all that they take in.  So there is apparently a fine balance you have to hit!!!   

So I've been on the prowl for activities that are fun, educational, and not overly stimulating.  It was easier said than done!  Then I found a pair of old, cheap binoculars in the closet and we decided to give them a whirl!  It was tons of fun!

Samuel LOVED observing things outside and it gave us a good opportunity to take in a familiar surrounding, "talk" about what we saw (and for Samuel his words are limited to trees, birds, rocks, car), and he was able to observe things on his own as well!  It was neat though because a lot of things we just take for granted, but with the binoculars we were able to see a lot of different types of birds (red, blue, even a woodpecker!)  Plus, Samuel just really liked carrying the binoculars around!

Observing wildlife from the comfort of our living room!

What do you see?  Dad's car!

Yep, he was looking through them backward!