Monday, November 24, 2014

a taste of 20 questions

When we are driving in the car seems to be when I have some of the most interesting conversations with the kiddos.  I don't know exactly why this is.... maybe the lack of other distractions for them, maybe because they feel they have me cornered?  I don't know, but that is the way it is.  Unfortunately, I don't always have the resources to answer all of their questions while I am driving, and, while I appreciate their curiosity and want to encourage it, I am driving a car, in a foreign country, and do need to focus a little bit on what I am doing.  So, I asked Charlotte to write down some of their questions and we would talk about them at home.  This morning she handed me a list:

1. How many planets is there in space?
2. What is every single thing in the world made of?
3. What are different kinds of rocks called?
4. How many mountains are there on the Earth?
5. Who is the oldest person on Earth?
6. How big is Earth?
7. What is a space black hole?
8. How do people tell the future?
9. How do bodies work?
10. How do some people make movies?
11. How do you make a book?
12. How many Navy guys die once a year?
13. How are toys made?
14. Have any hunters once got killed by a wild animal?
15. When was money first made?
16. When was air conditioners first made?
17. What flower was first discovered on Earth?
18. When was gravity first discovered?
19. When did jobs get invented?
20. What was the first kind of bird found?
21. How do you make paint?
22. What was the first fairy tale?

Some of these are easy enough to answer, or to Google the answer... others will require more thought and discussion.

Also this weekend, Toby made his first restaurant menu... independently. He has just begun reading and sounding out words, and I LOVE this stage!  I love the head-scratching puzzling I get to do when deciphering the words he writes and getting a glimpse into how his mind works.  I spelled 'chocolate', 'shakes', and 'cakes' for him, but otherwise it is all his work.  See how good your kindergarten deciphering is...

Shakes and Cakes

Dinrs
Csis
Sbgede and Mebals
Posd wif Niutle

Dsrs
Chocolate Smeoe
Tere Cnes
Adl cnes smveoe (this one has an extra trick to it)
Owrd Tere on Bed
Vere Tasd Caec
Cnes Chocolate Smveoe Tasde
Ovr Tasde Tere Smveoe

I will try to post a translation to this in a day or two, but would love to hear your guesses in the comments.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Haha! Kids are awesome.

I saw "Dinners"

and I saw

"Spaghetti and Meatballs"

:)

-Lisa Bowman

Karen said...

Dinrs = Dinners
Csis =
Sbgede and Mebals = Spaghetti and meatballs
Posd wif Niutle = Pasta with noodles?

Dsrs = Desserts
Chocolate Smeoe = Chocolate smoothie
Tere Cnes = cherry cones
Adl cnes smveoe (this one has an extra trick to it) = apple cones
Owrd Tere on Bed = ? on bread
Vere Tasd Caec = very tasty cake
Cnes Chocolate Smveoe Tasde = cones chocolate tasty
Ovr Tasde Tere Smveoe = over tasty cherry smoothie

Julie said...

Nerak, you clearly decipher kids' handwriting on a regular basis! Kudos to Lisa for giving it a try too. Here is the translation:

Shakes and Cakes

Dinners:
Couscous
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Pasta with Noodles

Desserts
Chocolate Smoothie
Cherry Candies
Apple Candies Smoothie
Awkward Cherries on Bread (further explanation from Toby- this is a cake with a cherry topping "awkwardly" put on top)
Very Tasty Cake
Candy Chocolate Smoothie- Tasty!
Other Tasty Cherry Smoothie

Aubrey said...

So sad I only just saw this, not that I would have deciphered Toby's menu accurately! Most of all I love how dessert-heavy his menu is. That's my kind of restaurant!

Charlotte's questions make my brain hurt. When the girls have similar queries, I struggle with how deep the discussion needs to reach. Do you offer reassurance about death and dying with the navy guys question? When you're talking about materials, do you go straight to the periodic table or some other simplified version?? Hard questions!

Julie said...

Aubrey, We talked about atoms and the few elements that make up most of the natural world. When we started in on rock types, they got bored pretty quickly so we moved on. We haven't gotten to the Navy question yet, but I think our belief that death is a part of life and that families will be reunited some day... while it is still a very sad parting, and we miss people... eases the sting of death somewhat. I guess I just try to let them lead the discussion- when they feel they have enough info, it is pretty clear.