This morning, we had the maps out again. They have been laminated, which allows the Little Frogs to use the markers and trace out important places and journeys. Although the friends have a concept of maps, they are not yet developmentally able to grasp the idea of, say, the world map (unless it is true that one pair of our twins does actually commute from Africa several times a week). They do, however, get that the map represents places, and that lines between places represent ways to get from one to the other. So tracing out a trip is not only fun, but helps them think about the relationship between one place and another, and to recall the things they have seen on the way. We encourage you to foster this interest while journeying in your car or on foot (particularly on the long drive from Africa). Ask your tiny person which way to turn on familiar drives. Find landmarks that will help you recall the way ("Look, there's a big playground. Let's see if we can find it again on the way home.") If you go walking in a park, get (or make) a trail map.
We were also quite concerned about safety - many friends doubled up on their goggles as we worked some more on our Treasure Box.
There was also a drum circle,
and towers built and destroyed.
At Morning Meeting, we read some poems from a new book called, Monster Motel. This sparked a discussion about what a motel was, and many experts spoke up.
At Choice Time, we did some watercolor using tape resist and squirt bottles.
We also did more work on the Treasure Box.
We had some time to play on the playground ("Chicken Dog" reemerged as a favorite game).
Then we headed out on a Balloon and Picture Taking Walkabout. A couple of friends at a time took photos, while other friends found 101 things to do with balloons.
In the end, we popped them all!
