June Cleaver Nirvana

Yesterday we did our "hiking" a little closer to home. Ever since our home school group--Deb did a lesson on spiders, the boys have been very attentive about finding spiders. They then repeat "Miss Deb said not to touch them". Thank you Miss Deb! We took a picture of the spider below hoping to see all his eyes, but we found out instead he is a bit injured and missing some of his legs. Poor spider!
Later in the day, Rhett (almost 2) was hanging out near the 4 trees in the circle drive. He kept running back and forth between them occasionally peeling bark of their trunks. Awhile later he lead me over to them and in his binky-impaired speech explained to me that two of the trees had bark that could be easily peeled and two of the trees had bark that couldn't be peeled, "No!" It is funny, because I had never notice the trees were diffent. From an adult distance they all appear the same.

"Once children come to understand that objects are permanent, they start to group those which are alike and those which are different, the beginnings of classification. Children will engage in this all importatn intellectual activity on thier own for long periods of time if given the materials and freedom to do so. The infant's mastery is organized and purposeful, even if it is not obvious to us." from page 107 of The Power of Play by David Elkind