Hippos and Happiness

Ever since he took a broken clock apart, Tyler has wanted to use those pieces in fabricating something. He thought a truck would be fun, so this afternoon he and I spent several hours making a pickup. We used an oatmeal box, some of the clock parts, old flipflops, and pipe cleaners from our craft supplies for the axles. Don't you love those windshield wipers? They were Tyler's idea. I don't suppose the guy who included a barometer and a thermometer on the clock had any idea the little pegs would eventually become windshield wipers. Then again, if he was once a boy, maybe he did.

 
Of course, it wouldn't be complete without having a fine paint job.

Tyler seems very pleased with the end result except for one passing comment: "Too bad it isn't remote controlled." He definitely asked the wrong person to help him build a truck if he was hoping for that. I felt clever because the wheels can turn. 

Sophia amused herself with giving Hippo a ride. 

Hippo is actually Tyler's pal and the two are great friends. 

This evening the lights went out and it was much too dark to play with the newly crafted pickup. Even Hippo turned camouflaged and faded into the dark chair (so much so that it took a Hippo hunt at bedtime). To redeem the potentially long evening, I did a scavenger hunt for the children by candlelight. I gave each of them a used gift bag and verbal directions on what I wanted them to find. When they completed each round, they put away whatever was brought to me and returned to hear my next request. 

Here are a few things I told them to find:

• Something soft and something hard
• Something fuzzy and something smooth
• Something black and something white
• 3 things that are yellow
• Something with four legs and something with none
• Something tall and something short

When Sophia tired of the game, I made them a little harder for Tyler:

• 3 things that start with B
• 3 things that have to do with mealtimes
• 2 things that start with H, 2 things that start with L, and 1 thing that starts with T (He came with a Horse, a cow with Horns, a Light, a Lamb, "and Tyler!")

It was grand fun for all of us. They loved bringing me things and I loved watching their little minds at work. One of my favorites was when I asked them to bring me something that can walk and something that cannot. I expected an inanimate object for the latter and was surprised when Sophia handed me a frog. "It cannot walk. It can only jump," she explained. But of course.