more summer fun

Although we don't get an enormous amount of rain in the summer in Atlanta, we still have to occupy ourselves indoors from time to time. One of the kids' favorite activities is coloring. I buy huge rolls of butcher paper and cover our dining room table--which is about 7 feet long and 3 feet wide, and incredibly sturdy. (I should add that it was handmade by my father-in-law out of English oak for a wedding present.) All three of the children absolutely love to go wild with markers, crayons, or paint (on the rare occasion I am prepared for the mess: that's a third-rainy-day-in-a-row activity).

Thomas, as indicated in the video clip, has grown quite creative and elaborate with his drawing. My favorite is the new breed of spider he's invented, called the eckword spider. Apparently the unit on insects (including spiders, I guess--these are 3- and 4-year-olds, after all) near the end of the school year really stuck. He also draws a pretty good ladybug, with rather a lot of spots. And he is always very careful to draw 6 legs on the insects and 8 on the spiders. The creation in the clip features people rather than bugs, and showcases his developing ability to add narrative to the pictures.

Anna, too, was impressed by the 'bugs' unit, and she has started drawing bugs as well. A couple of days ago, she drew a bug, and when I asked her about it, she told me it was sad. The reason for its sadness remains unclear; the only other thing I could ascertain about the bug was 'it has legs.' Fair enough. Yesterday she was more specific: when Lewis asked whether she'd drawn a bug, she replied that it was an ant. I may include the picture at some future date. Iain still mostly scribbles, but is most keen on writing letters: i and o are particular favorites. Not, of course, that he actually writes those letters in any recognizable fashion. But he says them as he scribbles.

We find other things to do, like playing peek-a-boo (see below: Anna and Iain were having a great time hiding under blankets) and building with legos--a perennial favorite. Still, nearly every day we swim, and Anna and Thomas are gaining strength and confidence in the pool. Before long, we'll see Thomas jump off the diving board, I am sure. Maybe I will catch that on film--one can only hope.