Posted by Patrick Corkum on May 26, 2010
Ahh… late spring! That means… STRAWBERRIES! So my daughter (Mia) and I hiked off to the berry picking farm (a.k.a. our backyard) to pick strawberries. We have a relatively small patch out back that is mostly contained which has just massive amounts of strawberries. We were really looking forward to the production this year since last year the patch was tiny and it grew about ten times its size last year after the June harvest. Just today Mia and I picked almost 50 strawberries! They are sooOOOooo good! There is nothing like strawberries fresh from the garden. Never-mind the learning experience that goes with it for the kiddos. One of the best parts was when we washed them off. Mia got to practice her counting. I would wash one off, hand it to her and she would count it. We practiced her “th” sound with thirteen, thirty, etc… We also practiced that after 29, it is not “twenty-ten”, but thirty. See, it’s all about using everyday experiences to teach. That is how they learn best!
Posted by Patrick Corkum on April 20, 2010
Last weekend, I was driving my mini-van back home from DC after the Cherry Blossom Festival. My parents, my mother-in-law, PJ, and Mia were in the car with me. I expected Mia to fall asleep quickly. Instead, we got the super-talkative Mia. At some point along the trip, she wanted to play Rock/Paper/Scissors with someone in the back seat. Well, there were no takers. So, I thought I would be clever and see if she would play with me, “Mia, I’ll play with you, just think about what you choose and then we’ll tell each other and see who wins.” So, she agreed and we played.
BOTH: Rock, Paper, Scissors…. SHOOT!
Daddy: Mia, what are you?
Mia: Rock
Daddy: I’m paper. Ready, Rock, Paper, Scissors, SHOOT! What are you?
Mia: Scissors
Daddy: Oh, I’m a rock! I win again.
Well, this went on for a good while until someone convinced her to ask me what I was first.
BOTH: Rock, Paper, Scissors, SHOOT!
Daddy: Mia, what are you?
Mia: No, what are you?
<back and forth until finally…>
Daddy: I’m paper.
Mia: Me too!
Laughter ensues throughout the car.
Daddy: Okay, let’s do it again! Rock, Paper, Scissors, SHOOT!
<same conversation as to who says first>
Daddy: I’m rock.
Mia: I’m scissors.
So, no matter which way it went, I don’t think that I ever lost! Fast forward 1 week….. PJ and I are sitting on the couch waiting for the others so that we could watch a movie.
Daddy: Let’s play rock/paper/scissors. But, I don’t want to use my hands, we’ll just tell each other what we are.
PJ: Okay! Rock, Paper, Scissors… SHOOT! I’m paper!
I am a horrible father!
Posted by Patrick Corkum on April 6, 2010
OK, so yesterday, I did PJ’s personality in pictures. I displayed 6 pictures, but I could not get away with 6 for Mia, there is too much personality to fit in just 6 pictures. So, without further adieu…
