Let's Find Some Beautiful Place to Get Lost

This year we visited Sykes and Cooper Farms in Elkton, Florida to explore their corn maze. Halloween is my personal favorite holiday, and I had never been to a corn maze, so I was probably even more excited than Bee to check it out!

To say I was impressed is an understatement - it was beyond incredible! We all had an amazing time, and I definitely recommend that you take the time to visit if you're in the area. It was about an hour drive from us and it was well worth the trip. I can't wait to go back next year!

Bee has always been an animal lover, so it was no surprise that she was thrilled to say hello to the farm animals! There were chickens, pigs, goats, and even donkeys!

She was fascinated at her ability to pump water through this well! 

Of course the corn pit was a fantastic sensory experience!

But nothing could match the maze - it was wonderful. We arrived at the farm just as the sun was setting, so about halfway through our exploration of the maze it became very dark and we had to navigate with flashlights. It was pretty spooky, but Bee never fails to amaze me with her relentless bravery.

      

  

                         

Not only did she rush into the maze without hesitation, and not only did she lead our group into the darkness without any signs of fear, but she took of her boots and felt the ground the rest of the way through! I can't help but love her for being so fierce and so wild.

A true explorer.

The Very Best Pumpkin at the Patch

Two years ago we took Bee to her very first Pumpkin Patch. It's been a really fun tradition, and it doesn't involve much. You go to the pumpkin patch, and you pick the very best pumpkin that you find! On our first trip I remember a sweet baby Bee picking the very biggest pumpkin. This time, we had sweet big kid Bee picking the very smallest pumpkin! 

          

Of course there were so many shapes, sizes, and colors to choose from! Bee took her time to inspect each of them before choosing her favorite.

A difficult task which required a little bit of help...

Before finally making her choice.

When The World is Puddle-Wonderful

One day, we were walking home and caught in the rain. Florida is notorious for spontaneous and unpredicted afternoon showers, after all! Someone ran by with a newpaper over their head and Bee asked why. We exchanged the following:

Well, some people may not like to get wet. Maybe he's on his way to work or to school. 
"On his way to school to learn?"
Maybe. 
"Will I go to school to learn?" 
You can learn a lot without going to school. In fact, you're learning right now, this very moment. There's a lot to learn from walking home in the rain!

So, we didn't talk much more about it and continued on our walk home. I didn't expect that it made a particular impact until today when we were driving home in the rain and it became apparent that she thinks rain is the apotheosis of learning. Since it had been raining all morning we were prepared with our rain coat and rain boots, but I wasn't prepared for such a humbling experience. We pulled into the parking garage of our building and she said something incredible.

"Mom, can I teach you how to learn?"

I said of course. We got out of the car and I simply watched her splash and play, fully taking in my lesson. For all of my curious readers, this is how you learn. Courtesy of a sweet Bee.

Monty the Rhinoceros

"Knowledge is a polite word for dead but not buried imagination"

This is no ordinary dog bed. Though, I suppose the hand quilted blanket and bowl of popcorn (which is a bowl of peanuts, actually) may have tipped you off to that. This dog bed is the home of something wonderful that has come to visit us.

That something, or someone, is Monty the Rhinoceros. Monty enjoys sleeping in the most inconvenient places, such as the dog's bed, or the sofa, where of course nobody else can sit (including the poor dog)! He always eats a bowl of peanuts for breakfast, and he loves to sing and dance and talk and share stories.


Most importantly, of course, Monty loves this sweet girl. Which is a good thing, because she is the only one who can see him!


Make believe play is a vital component of a child's social and cognitive development with far reaching benefits! It increases language usage, allows a child to express both positive and negative feelings, reduces agression, and provides children with a sort of practice outlet for important social skills such as communication and problem solving. Most of all, it's one of the beginning blocks of building empathy.

Studies have shown  that parents who talk to their children regularly and take time to explain features in nature and social interactions, or who read or tell stories at bedtime seem to be most likely to foster imaginative play. If you're still in the infancy stage and hoping to encourage a strong imagination in childhood I suggest narated walks! One of our favorite things to do was to go on a walk with Bee held close in a sling and narrate everything that happened or that we passed. Sometimes it feels strange to narrate, but it gets much easier and more natural with practice. If you'd like to try, here are some examples of things I'd point out on our walks:

• Did you feel the wind in your hair?
• Look at that quick squirrel running up the tree! I wish I could climb that fast. He went all the way to the top! I wonder what we look like from up there!
• Let's feel this rock, it's small and rough. Feels a little cool on our skin!
• Oh, there's the mail man! Let's say hello, it's so polite to greet people we see. Hello! How are you today?"
• Do you hear those birds singing? What beautiful music!

See that smile? The face of a true, creative and fearless explorer.