HEARTS AND CRAFTS: For whatever reason, upon upping this morning, I decided we'd be making some love bugs today.Imagine my surprise when, about 20 minutes later, Annabelle announced she wanted to make a love bug! I told her that's exactly what we were going to do today, and then I looked up from my computer to see an ad for Build A Bear Workshop on TV. The store is currently having a Love Bug (and Love Bear) promotion. Uh oh.
"Um, well, we're not doing THAT type of Love Bug," I clarified, glancing over at the egg carton and poster paint awaiting her on the counter. "We're making our own Love Bugs. Cheap ones. From scratch. How many sections do you want on your bug?" ...
Bee requested three eggs' worth; CJ decided he'd have a 5-segment bug. I lined up red, white and pink paint. Annabelle availed herself to all of them. CJ decided to go monochromatic - all red.
"I try to put a lot of work into my art," CJ said while painting carefully. While they worked, I cued up YouTube for some inspiring music. We found a song called "Love Bug" by the Jonas Brothers. After that I played the B-52s' "Love Shack," which turned into a dance party of course.
They took lots of latitude with their bugs when it came to the number of eyes, legs and antennae. CJ wanted a laterally long and long legged bug, which is what he built, and Annabelle wanted hers upright. Her first design was too wobbly - it just wouldn't stay up on two hind legs. That gave us an opportunity to discuss the tripod and how having three points of contact with the ground can make something so much more stable. So, she added a tail with a jingle ball on its end. "It's to scare off predators," she said of the bell. Bee also opted to add some red feathers, though they weren't her first choice.
"We don't have pink, so I'll use the closest relative - red," she said.
The kids were both really happy with their bugs when they were done. "You said they're cheap," noted Annabelle. "I don't know what you mean. They look good."
I explained that sometimes cheap means inexpensive. And sometimes cheap means crappy.
"It's NOT crappy, she said with a smile." And she was right. :)
The bugs inspired some poetry. I asked the kids to write them using an AA, BB rhyming pattern, and starting each line with "Love Bug, Love Bug," repeated.
"I try to put a lot of work into my art," CJ said while painting carefully. While they worked, I cued up YouTube for some inspiring music. We found a song called "Love Bug" by the Jonas Brothers. After that I played the B-52s' "Love Shack," which turned into a dance party of course.
They took lots of latitude with their bugs when it came to the number of eyes, legs and antennae. CJ wanted a laterally long and long legged bug, which is what he built, and Annabelle wanted hers upright. Her first design was too wobbly - it just wouldn't stay up on two hind legs. That gave us an opportunity to discuss the tripod and how having three points of contact with the ground can make something so much more stable. So, she added a tail with a jingle ball on its end. "It's to scare off predators," she said of the bell. Bee also opted to add some red feathers, though they weren't her first choice."We don't have pink, so I'll use the closest relative - red," she said.
The kids were both really happy with their bugs when they were done. "You said they're cheap," noted Annabelle. "I don't know what you mean. They look good."
I explained that sometimes cheap means inexpensive. And sometimes cheap means crappy.
"It's NOT crappy, she said with a smile." And she was right. :)
The bugs inspired some poetry. I asked the kids to write them using an AA, BB rhyming pattern, and starting each line with "Love Bug, Love Bug," repeated.
Bee wrote:
Love Bug, Love Bug is so short
Love Bug, Love Bug likes to go to the airport
Love Bug, Love Bug likes to rhyme
Love Bug, Love Bug likes shiny dimes
CJ wrote:
Love Bug, Love Bug he loves you
Love Bug, Love Bug, he'll take you to the zoo
Love Bug, Love Bug feels proud
Love Bug, Love Bug, sometimes loud
Love Bug, Love Bug, he'll take you to the zoo
Love Bug, Love Bug feels proud
Love Bug, Love Bug, sometimes loud
MASTER MAESTRO: Today marked the 79th birthday of American composer extraordinaire John Williams. We played his compositions for a couple of hours today and enjoyed every minute of it.
Until today, the kids had never heard his name before, but they were certainly aware of his music. I started with the first Star Wars movie and we worked our way through all those various themes (Annabelle kept requesting the "Imperial March" - better known as Darth Vader's theme - over and over). From there it was on to music for the "Indiana Jones" movies, then we listened to the very familiar "Home Alone" and "E.T." Themes. We listened to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," which was new to their ears, as were fanfares Williams has composed for recent Olympic Games on American soil and music from "Jurassic Park."
When I played the "Superman" theme, I pointed out to Annabelle that that's the song she hears first thing most mornings. I sing it to her as I carry her (in a Superman flying position) to the couch.
When I played the "Superman" theme, I pointed out to Annabelle that that's the song she hears first thing most mornings. I sing it to her as I carry her (in a Superman flying position) to the couch.
CJ's favorite was, by far, the theme from Jaws. He got SO excited just listening to it. In fact, he insisted I replay it twice, so he could jump on his trampoline to it.
STRIKE OUT: We finally got around to reading a book I bought at Value Village a couple of months ago: "The Babe Ruth Ballet School." That's 15 minutes of our life we'll never get back.
I picked the book because I thought, "Oh fun - baseball and ballet - what's not to like?" Well, LOTS as it turns out. The storyline was muddled, unengaging and unnecessarily wordywordywordy. It was the (fictional) tale of Babe Ruth's friendship with a 9 year old girl who supposedly an ace pitcher for the Yankees as well as a ballet lover. She and Babe palled around NYC until her love of ballet got in the way - or wait, it didn't because he started dancing - but it was still trouble - but it wasn't ... honestly, it just didn't make sense and the illustrations were well, creepy. The people looked like they're been through a malfunctioning Star Trek transporter. Not good.
I picked the book because I thought, "Oh fun - baseball and ballet - what's not to like?" Well, LOTS as it turns out. The storyline was muddled, unengaging and unnecessarily wordywordywordy. It was the (fictional) tale of Babe Ruth's friendship with a 9 year old girl who supposedly an ace pitcher for the Yankees as well as a ballet lover. She and Babe palled around NYC until her love of ballet got in the way - or wait, it didn't because he started dancing - but it was still trouble - but it wasn't ... honestly, it just didn't make sense and the illustrations were well, creepy. The people looked like they're been through a malfunctioning Star Trek transporter. Not good.
The whole time I was reading it, all I could wonder was, "How did this get published?"
Curious, afterward I hopped on line and found we weren't the only ones to pan the book. Publisher's Weekly called it "a flatfooted fantasy," while School Library Journal called it a "peculiar book." I think they were being kind.
I honestly feel bad taking this back to Value Village for re-selling, as I would be subjecting someone else to it.
THE USUAL AND THE UNUSUAL: This afternoon, the kids went to Musikgarten and yoga, per standard. Afterward, CJ came home and about 15 minutes later emerged from his bedroom excitedly declaring that he'd beaten some game called Dad n Me on the Newgrounds.com Web site. He asked that I post the news to the blog, and so I am. :)
Love the Bugs
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