Pokemon School

My kids are in love with Pokemon cards. William was first introduced to them over a year ago in Transitional Kindergarten and soon began making his own on little scraps of paper. He had no idea what the numbers meant or how to play, but it didn't matter. He made up his own game with his own rules. With his birthday money, he bought his first actual pack of cards and received a second set for Christmas. But still it was just "his" game.

Fast forward to April 2020 and we find a plastic shoebox full of Pokemon cards on the sidewalk by our house. I bring it home for William as a fun surprise. But the condition on receiving this many new cards was that he had to learn the actual game. So we did. We all learned how to play.

And now, we play and play and play. William and I typically play 2-3 games a day; Stephen and I play once or a couple times a week; Chris gets in the action as much as he can on evenings and weekends. It's actually really fun and I'm really enjoying being able to engage with what my boys love in this moment of time.

But they also still love to draw and make their own Pokemon cards. They get to change the health points and the damage points; they make their favorites even stronger. They create evolves that we don't have. They get really into it. So much so, that we barely have time for anything else.

In Pokemon "school," Stephen has learned how to write his numbers 1-10, his favorite is 1,000,000,000 (+). He is learning which numbers are bigger than others (bigger numbers do more damage and defeat smaller numbers, etc); he is learning to write more letters as he makes up his own card rules. He is learning matching - each Pokemon is a certain type and requires that type of energy card - so he is finding those matches in his deck. He's working on strategy too, even at the age of 4 he knows that one of my Pokemon is really weak to another of his and he'll play that one to beat me.

William isn't into writing much; at least not since schooling at home started. BUT, he will write all the things on his homemade cards. His first edition of cards were very simple; name, health points, damage points and a picture; now they include ALL the details. Attach names, weakness types, resistance type, damage, and a more detailed picture of the Pokemon. William is very strategic in this game, he understands it a lot more and knows (remembers) a lot more details about his cards than I do. He knows how many times he needs to attach before my Pokemon is knocked out, he knows his multiplication a lot better as some damages do "x the number of heads" when you flip the coin 3 times, etc. Sometimes I am really impressed with all this game has taught him.

So, we haven't done a lot of actual school work at home. But as far I'm concerned, they do the following every single day:
 - Math
 - Art
 - Writing
 - Reading
 - Problem solving
 . . . and sportsmanship.

And they don't even know it!

My kids are in love with Pokemon cards. William was first introduced to them over a year ago in Transitional Kindergarten and soon began making his own on little scraps of paper. He had no idea what the numbers meant or how to play, but it didn't matter. He made up his own game with his own rules. With his birthday money, he bought his first actual pack of cards and received a second set for Christmas. But still it was just "his" game.

Fast forward to April 2020 and we find a plastic shoebox full of Pokemon cards on the sidewalk by our house. I bring it home for William as a fun surprise. But the condition on receiving this many new cards was that he had to learn the actual game. So we did. We all learned how to play.

And now, we play and play and play. William and I typically play 2-3 games a day; Stephen and I play once or a couple times a week; Chris gets in the action as much as he can on evenings and weekends. It's actually really fun and I'm really enjoying being able to engage with what my boys love in this moment of time.

But they also still love to draw and make their own Pokemon cards. They get to change the health points and the damage points; they make their favorites even stronger. They create evolves that we don't have. They get really into it. So much so, that we barely have time for anything else.

In Pokemon "school," Stephen has learned how to write his numbers 1-10, his favorite is 1,000,000,000 (+). He is learning which numbers are bigger than others (bigger numbers do more damage and defeat smaller numbers, etc); he is learning to write more letters as he makes up his own card rules. He is learning matching - each Pokemon is a certain type and requires that type of energy card - so he is finding those matches in his deck. He's working on strategy too, even at the age of 4 he knows that one of my Pokemon is really weak to another of his and he'll play that one to beat me.

William isn't into writing much; at least not since schooling at home started. BUT, he will write all the things on his homemade cards. His first edition of cards were very simple; name, health points, damage points and a picture; now they include ALL the details. Attach names, weakness types, resistance type, damage, and a more detailed picture of the Pokemon. William is very strategic in this game, he understands it a lot more and knows (remembers) a lot more details about his cards than I do. He knows how many times he needs to attach before my Pokemon is knocked out, he knows his multiplication a lot better as some damages do "x the number of heads" when you flip the coin 3 times, etc. Sometimes I am really impressed with all this game has taught him.

So, we haven't done a lot of actual school work at home. But as far I'm concerned, they do the following every single day:
 - Math
 - Art
 - Writing
 - Reading
 - Problem solving
 . . . and sportsmanship.

And they don't even know it!

Quarantine Reads

I'd love to say that the boys have read all the books in the house at this point . . . as we begin our 11th week being home for Shelter in Place -- but they decided early on that story time was no longer their favorite morning activity. Now they bolt out of bed and start playing with all the toys. Books are pushed aside and only for really "boring" moments.

Except for the audio books. Those have remained a favorite past time. Maybe become even more of a favorite in the last few weeks. The boys love to listen to "Geronimo Stilton" stories. That's it. That's all they want to listen to these days. I'm trying to add in new books, new stories and characters but with very little luck. As long as they are enjoying it, I'll let it be so.

But what about mom? What is she reading?

I've been reading a lot. I've been trying to read the books I have at home, preferring a physical book to my kindle reader and audio books just don't hold my attention much at all. But most of my books are parenting books or I've already read them! Our neighbor has a little lending library shelf near the sidewalk and I've picked up a couple of books there. But for the life of me, I can't remember the titles and already passed them on. Oh well, they were very much enjoyed.

Other titles I've read (and remember) are:
 - Hold on, but don't Hold Still, by Kristina Kuzmic
 - Surprised by Motherhood, by Lisa-Jo Baker
 - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (ebook)
 - The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn (ebook)
 - Chasing Vines by Beth Moore (Audiobook)

I'm so thankful that we have online reading options. That we really aren't stuck with the books we own on our shelves. I'm so thankful for the little "book house" (as we call it) around the corner that allows us to share books with neighbors. I'm thankful I get a few hours during the evenings/weekends and random moments during the week to enjoy a book!

What are you reading?

I'd love to say that the boys have read all the books in the house at this point . . . as we begin our 11th week being home for Shelter in Place -- but they decided early on that story time was no longer their favorite morning activity. Now they bolt out of bed and start playing with all the toys. Books are pushed aside and only for really "boring" moments.

Except for the audio books. Those have remained a favorite past time. Maybe become even more of a favorite in the last few weeks. The boys love to listen to "Geronimo Stilton" stories. That's it. That's all they want to listen to these days. I'm trying to add in new books, new stories and characters but with very little luck. As long as they are enjoying it, I'll let it be so.

But what about mom? What is she reading?

I've been reading a lot. I've been trying to read the books I have at home, preferring a physical book to my kindle reader and audio books just don't hold my attention much at all. But most of my books are parenting books or I've already read them! Our neighbor has a little lending library shelf near the sidewalk and I've picked up a couple of books there. But for the life of me, I can't remember the titles and already passed them on. Oh well, they were very much enjoyed.

Other titles I've read (and remember) are:
 - Hold on, but don't Hold Still, by Kristina Kuzmic
 - Surprised by Motherhood, by Lisa-Jo Baker
 - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (ebook)
 - The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn (ebook)
 - Chasing Vines by Beth Moore (Audiobook)

I'm so thankful that we have online reading options. That we really aren't stuck with the books we own on our shelves. I'm so thankful for the little "book house" (as we call it) around the corner that allows us to share books with neighbors. I'm thankful I get a few hours during the evenings/weekends and random moments during the week to enjoy a book!

What are you reading?

Preschooler B2: Four Years Old

Today, my baby turned 4 years old. So much of the past four years seems to be a blur and yet I can find myself lying awake at night remembering the night he was born, me loosing my phone at the clinic while picking up the breast pump and not knowing the way home, the rush to urgent care with my itty bitty baby who wasn't keeping food down (it turned out he just had reflux), the drive to the appointment to get his lip tie corrected, racing to the ER after he fell down the stairs . . . the anxieties I've had while mothering this child stay close and like to revisit me when I'm supposed to be sleeping.

But thankfully, the last four years have also brought many reasons to laugh and give thanks. He makes the best faces - especially his angry face, it cracks me up every time.  His smile is pretty great too, obviously! He loves and hates being tickled. His laugh is contagious. He is healthy. He loves to cuddle. He loves being cozy, all wrapped up in blankets with his many stuffed animals.

or playing Zingo with them

Stephen has grown a lot this year-- in body, personality, and skills. He's 41 inches tall and 35 pounds. He is starting to recognize more of his letters and can count to 30 on his own (with a little help with "20"). He loves to draw and sticks to geometric shapes, lines and circles . . . but to him they are diggers and shovels and machines.

He loves to run and climb and jump, all things that have become quite challenging while sheltering in place. We do make it outside nearly every day and more recently he and William have taken up fighting trees with sticks, digging for worms, and climbing trees. Tumbling also came into the mix with our couch a month ago, so I purchased some thick foam so he could have his own tumbling pad in hopes of keeping him and my couch safe from harm, but in reality it made him much more daring.

Stephen has always been more aggressive than his brother but as long as we kept active this was usually not a huge issue. But with staying home more and not having our normal outlets for active play, he struggles keeping his emotions and body in check. He is a little boy with very big emotions and oftentimes doesn't have the words to ask for what he needs.

The one thing I want to remember about Stephen at this age is his love for his brother. They have been doing everything together for 8 weeks at this point and Stephen loves it. William thinks it's "annoying" but I treasure it. Stephen is learning how to do so many "bigger boy" things just to be able to keep up with William -- play Pokemon, building with legos, imagination play and using a computer (eek!). 

can't forget that we are in our 9th week of Covid-19 Precautions

Other things that are his favorites: construction toys (he says he wants to be a construction worker when he grows up), building with duplos or legos, Richard Scarry books, Little Critter books, and collecting sticks.

He is growing so quickly, it's amazing to watch all the things start to "click" - like counting and letter sounds and listening/doing what we ask him to do (sometimes). He is a handful a lot of the time-- with his risk taking and need for adventure but this growing boy is also a joy and my heart is full.

Today, my baby turned 4 years old. So much of the past four years seems to be a blur and yet I can find myself lying awake at night remembering the night he was born, me loosing my phone at the clinic while picking up the breast pump and not knowing the way home, the rush to urgent care with my itty bitty baby who wasn't keeping food down (it turned out he just had reflux), the drive to the appointment to get his lip tie corrected, racing to the ER after he fell down the stairs . . . the anxieties I've had while mothering this child stay close and like to revisit me when I'm supposed to be sleeping.

But thankfully, the last four years have also brought many reasons to laugh and give thanks. He makes the best faces - especially his angry face, it cracks me up every time.  His smile is pretty great too, obviously! He loves and hates being tickled. His laugh is contagious. He is healthy. He loves to cuddle. He loves being cozy, all wrapped up in blankets with his many stuffed animals.

or playing Zingo with them

Stephen has grown a lot this year-- in body, personality, and skills. He's 41 inches tall and 35 pounds. He is starting to recognize more of his letters and can count to 30 on his own (with a little help with "20"). He loves to draw and sticks to geometric shapes, lines and circles . . . but to him they are diggers and shovels and machines.

He loves to run and climb and jump, all things that have become quite challenging while sheltering in place. We do make it outside nearly every day and more recently he and William have taken up fighting trees with sticks, digging for worms, and climbing trees. Tumbling also came into the mix with our couch a month ago, so I purchased some thick foam so he could have his own tumbling pad in hopes of keeping him and my couch safe from harm, but in reality it made him much more daring.

Stephen has always been more aggressive than his brother but as long as we kept active this was usually not a huge issue. But with staying home more and not having our normal outlets for active play, he struggles keeping his emotions and body in check. He is a little boy with very big emotions and oftentimes doesn't have the words to ask for what he needs.

The one thing I want to remember about Stephen at this age is his love for his brother. They have been doing everything together for 8 weeks at this point and Stephen loves it. William thinks it's "annoying" but I treasure it. Stephen is learning how to do so many "bigger boy" things just to be able to keep up with William -- play Pokemon, building with legos, imagination play and using a computer (eek!). 

can't forget that we are in our 9th week of Covid-19 Precautions

Other things that are his favorites: construction toys (he says he wants to be a construction worker when he grows up), building with duplos or legos, Richard Scarry books, Little Critter books, and collecting sticks.

He is growing so quickly, it's amazing to watch all the things start to "click" - like counting and letter sounds and listening/doing what we ask him to do (sometimes). He is a handful a lot of the time-- with his risk taking and need for adventure but this growing boy is also a joy and my heart is full.