Sundaes on a Saturday and Marsh Madness!

Consulting Fancy Nancy

Bringing books to life is something M does amazingly well.  She listens to stories then recreates them in our living room; setting up classrooms, dance studios, hiking trails and doctor’s offices but one scene she loves to return to again and again is anything that takes place in a kitchen.  This week we read a story about Fancy Nancy hosting a Tea Party.  Nancy’s main dish was ice cream sundaes.  This idea thrilled my lactose intolerant four year old who has missed out on the typical child’s experiences with sticky hands and drippy faces.  She studied the brightly colored pictures of bowls overflowing with whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles strayed across the table like confetti and gummy bears sitting on top of mountains of icecream like others study the Bible.  She was overjoyed when we finally broke out the Lactaid and allowed her to recreate Nancy’s icecream Sundae party.  The book was perched on the counter and she dutifully checked each picture, making sure her sundae was just as fancy as Nancy’s. 

Such an indulgence is not a regular occurrence in our house and I normally would have avoided the bulk candy section of the grocery store at all costs but I acquiesced because of Nancy.  M’s interest in the book, recreating the scenes and bringing it to life was such a powerful pull that I had to allow her to follow through.  M’s early literacy skills are flourishing; she looks at pictures and ‘reads’ the stories to me, she asks pertinent questions about plot and characters and is able to answer mine.  She is thoughtful in her reading and makes connections between the books we read and real life.  Taking away books is a consequence of last resort in our house. She knows she has gone too far when her books are confiscated.  Books have always been my solace, my escape, where I can go to refresh from my day and dive into new worlds, try on lives foreign to mine and explore my own dreams and desires.  By allowing M to turn her icecream fantasies into reality I hope to continue to instill her love of books and to give her the joys reading has brought me.     

Scavenger Hunt at Millbrook Marsh

Due to our high caloric intake at lunchtime we needed to escape the confines of our air conditioned house and go for a walk.  We headed to Millbrook Marsh to participate in their Alphabet Scavenger Hunt.  Millbrook Marsh is located on 62 acres of unique wetland, forest and meadow ecosystems.  The Nature Center grounds are open 7 days a week from dawn to dusk.  Two members of the Center’s staff greeted us with pencils, a clipboard, map and scavenger hunt clues and we set off.  M was immediately struck by the height of meadow grass towering above her head and the almost deafening sounds of cicadas.  We oriented ourselves with some marsh history posted on the many informational boards and consulted the map of intersecting streams and boardwalks.  Our first stop was for letter C represented by cattails and we soon found water for W and the marsh flower veronica for V.  We were stymied by N until we reached the bird blind and noticed a swallow had build a nest in its rafters.  Though the day was hot we found shade along the many varied trails as we moved in and out of the forest.  Happily we never found J, represented by “junky” water and learned that the marsh filters and cleans water on its journey through the watershed. 

Drawing her finds

I quizzed M on what she thought could have caused the cracks in the dry mud, she took her time, felt the ground then seriously answered that it must have been an earthquake.  We discussed why she thought that then I offered a possible alternative based on the hot weather and lack of rain.  And though ultimately she liked her original answer better she agreed that my explanation probably made more sense.  M could not write about our finds but she dutifully studied each item and drew pictures of them; eager to fill out the entire sheet.  Though we were happily tired and eager to return home we knew we would be returning to the marsh to experience the peace offered by the songbirds and streams and to learn more about the distinctive ecosystems of Central PA.