Three

Watching Abby's creativity at age three just take off has been so fun. She has long played imaginative games with Jonathan, has loved role playing "doctor" or family games, and has delighted in the world of pretend since before she was two, offering to me pretend animals to pet, hold, or carry for her.  

Then in the past two weeks she has begun inventing stories and telling her own "fairy tales," which always involve fairies living in fairy town. It's been fun to see Jonathan join in her worlds and stories, prompting, "Then what else happened, Abby?" as she unfolds a story in the back seat of the car.   About two weeks ago I asked Abby about her day in preschool and asked her with whom she had played. She told me she played with her friend Octavia, that they had dressed up as monsters -- one blue, one white. Their teachers had hidden and dressed up as well and they'd run around finding their teachers in the classroom. After a few more details, she popped out with, "Just kidding! That's just pretend!"  I never did find out exactly what she and Octavia had done that morning, though Mrs. Hall confirmed Abby's story was fiction. 

I grew up listening to my dad's creative characters and bedtime stories and have often reflected that story-telling is an art his family enjoys, though the majority of their tales are at least mostly rooted in silly or embarrassing moments lived out. After reflecting on Charlotte Mason's encouragement that children at an early age be told stories rather than read-to, I began to tell the children an embellished version of The Three Little Pigs on our way to San Antonio. Abby was protesting my reading more Doctor Dolittle, which is admittedly much above her level.  I noticed how much easier it is to pull ones voice and whole body into the enthusiastic rendition of a tale when it is told, rather than read, though I certainly try to read with a story-teller's heart. Anyways, it seems the tales of the Three Pigs and a follow-up story on a visit by Goldilocks to these Three Little Pigs  ignited an enthusiasm for fairy tales and the telling of stories in both kids, as I've heard much about fairy tales since.

Abby's drawing has also taken off these past two weeks. While shes taken much joy in coloring and painting since she was  as young as 15 months, she suddenly moved from what the kids call Scribble Scrabble to recognizable figures and letters. She drew Moustranaut for Jonathan, with adorable mouse ears, a smiling face, arms and legs, and he was delighted!  When I asked for one of my own, she proudly brought me a dancing pink hippo. Then as Jonathan worked on his school exercises this week Abby asked me how to spell "blue" and wrote out the word beautifully on her own, with the signature preschool E with about 20 cross marked lines. 

Well, the kids will be up shortly and I need to prepare for our morning at CC. I hope to scan some of Abby's arts tee to share.