Tuesday 13 March 2012

Move over Wright Brothers . . .

Yesterday was beautiful!  And after a rough morning of trying to get into the swing of things (see here), I sent the boys outside to enjoy the warm temperatures and the sunshine.  To be honest, Spring is one of my least favourite seasons especially now that we live in the country because there is no pavement anywhere, which means all you get is mud, soggy grass, and puddles.  Yuck!  Once upon a time, a muddy puddle was the boys' best friend, but now they have matured, and they prefer to play soccer, baseball, light saber fighting and riding bikes, all of which are difficult to do in the mud (or so I hear ALL day long . . . tee hee!). 

Anyhoo, I sent them outside fully expecting to see them back in five minutes whining about how bored they are; however, much to my surprise, this did not happen.  In fact, when I looked out they were fully engrossed with a pile of wood from an old pool deck that has been sitting in our yard for what feels like a gazillion years.  Look whose whining now?  I was tempted to go out and see what they were up to, but then my senses came back to me, and I quickly made myself busy enjoying the sweet solitude of the moment. 

Mom!  Where's dad's toolbox?

Why?

We are building a pirate ship and need a hammer and nails to hold the deck together.

I really don't think that is a great idea.  I can't be out there to supervise.

Don't worry; Avery already grabbed the First Aid kit!


That's him: Mr. Responsible . . . tee hee!

What to do . . . what to do?  The responsible mom in me was screaming to put a stop to this immediately, but the indulgent mom, who was really enjoying the peace and quiet of the moment, told her to shut up and let them carry on.  It's a good learning experience!  In fact, Elliot just finished reading a book on the Wright Brothers and it was backyard projects like this that sparked their inventive spirit.  Firm in my belief that I was nurturing two, young genius minds, I allowed the boys to grab the tool box and told them to have fun.  Oh, and to be careful too, of course.


This is where the steering wheel is going.






Pretty impressive, boys!
The boys were buzzing with excitement all day and, as the day went on, their plans became more elaborate.  At some point, I was even talked into sewing the flag.  Man, those boys are smooth!   

I am so glad I didn't listen to the responsible mom.  Sure, this could have turned south real quick and you never know what injuries could occur tomorrow, but they were happy.  They were outside, they were lost in their imagination, they were working together, and more importantly, they were being kids.

After Elliot came in for supper, he came up to me and gave me a big squeeze:

Mom, thanks for being you.

Awwwwwwww!

No wonder I let those boys do whatever they want! 

tee hee!

Have a great day!

By the way, this is my 100th post!  Hip, hip hooray!!

1 comment:

  1. What a great project! Truly homeschooling at its best. I had cousins who lived in the country who had created amazingly elaborate tree houses in the forest behind their house (they had multiple levels and furniture and they were completely designed and created by the kids themselves. As far as safety goes - at least your boys' project is on the ground! :)

    Happy 100th post!

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