Archive for the '05-12 yrs: Schooler' Category

Collecting Things “Especially Gains” (Ages 3-8)

Sunday, August 13th, 2006

Rocks, bottle caps, sports cards, shells, comic books, marbles, matchbox cars, coins, stamps, dolls, posters, buttons, pins, stickers, autographs, hats, post cards, model planes, butterflies, and so on.
Almost any item that isn’t nailed down or too heavy to lift is a candidate for collecting. Just about everyone, at some time in life, has collected something. […]

Backyard Camping “Darn Porch Light” (Ages 3-8)

Saturday, August 5th, 2006

Rex, our contributor passed this along with a remark, “This one appears on the surface to be really, let’s say, dumb. But it turns out to be one of the very best in so many ways.” I agree. What do you think?
“OK, kids, follow me. Watch out for that obstacle, there. It’s just a little […]

Sidewalk Chalk “The Setback Age” (Ages 3-8)

Monday, July 31st, 2006

When I drove up to the house, my children practically laid down in front of the car, blocking the entrance to the driveway. (I think they decided they have had enough, and didn’t want me around anymore.) Then I discovered they had covered the driveway with artwork using their “blackboard chalk on steroids,” chalk sometimes […]

Parent’s Bed “Different Kind of Intimacy” (Ages 3-8)

Sunday, July 23rd, 2006

When I was a small child, my parents discouraged me from entering their bedroom, unless it was absolutely necessary. I sensed necessary meant that, at a minimum, a nuclear strike had to be imminent. I was almost sure their attitude stemmed from fear that I might catch them watching cartoons. Of course, as I got […]

Parent’s Old Neighborhood “I Was a Child” (Ages 3-8)

Sunday, July 16th, 2006

The following conversation took place between my three-year-old and me:
ME: “I was too.”
THREE-YEAR-OLD: “No you weren’t.”
ME: “I was too a child! Grandma is my Mommy.”
THREE-YEAR-OLD: “No she’s not.”
ME: “Yes, she IS.”
THREE-YEAR-OLD: “No, she’s not.”
ME: “And someday you will have children, and I will be their grandpa.”
THREE-YEAR-OLD: “Noooo!”
ME: “Yeeees! OK, into the car, we are going […]

Baking “More Than Meets the Eye” (Ages 3-8)

Sunday, July 9th, 2006

Today your children will learn mathematics, decision making, direction following, task distribution, and gratification delay. For 10 points, which activity will they be participating in?
A. First day in the Corporate World
B. First day in the Armed Services
C. First day at the University
D. Baking
If you chose A, B, or C, you might have been right, except […]

Telephones “Umbilical Cords” (Ages 3-8)

Wednesday, July 5th, 2006

They are reproducing faster than rabbits. There are more than 500 million in the world, now. They began gradually, with one usually “tied-up” in the kitchen. Soon they were attached all over the house: master bedroom, living room, kitchen, and even bathrooms! Then they broke loose and became portable, roaming the house freely. Now they […]

Wedding Albums “Funny-Dressed Man”

Tuesday, June 27th, 2006

If you think your wedding album’s sole purpose is to be opened only on your anniversary, after consuming a few drinks, to have a good laugh over how efficient the aging process is, then think again. Because, buried in the pages of those two-dimensional 8 x 10 inch glossies is a three-dimensional, real life textbook, […]

Home Bowling “Roll Well or Starve” (Ages 3-8)

Sunday, June 18th, 2006

When prehistoric man hurled rocks and heaved boulders at dinosaurs in an attempt to acquire a meal, the projectiles bounced off the animal’s armor-like torsos, having no effect. Man found, however, when he rolled the orbs at the beast, they often knocked the dinosaurs off their feet—and out. So with that the sport of bowling […]

Storage Rooms “Expanding Time Capsules” (Ages 3-8)

Sunday, June 11th, 2006

If the adage, “A place for everything and everything in its place” is such a time-honored proverb, why do so many people have closets, garages, attics, basements, and spare bedrooms full of things essentially not in their places? Is it because we were given only one place to put our things, so that when we […]