Where are we and what time is it?

Now that Little Ita is asking so many questions about when? and where?, I have decided to introduce the four cardinal directions. Big concept, but fun to play around with, at least as new vocabulary.

"Mama, where's that train going?" she asks.
"That train is going North." I reply.

"When does Papa come home?"
"When the sun is in the West towards the mountains going to sleep." I tell her.

"Where are all the trucks driving?" she wonders.
"They're all driving East." I say.

It's good work for me to constantly orient myself and have an answer for her curious mind. I've always been proud of my good sense of direction (usually). I hope I can pass that helpful life skill along to her.

Chick a dee dee dee

"Caw, caw, caw," calls the crow.
"Conk la ree a." sings the red winged blackbird.
"Me me, pretty pretty me." says the white crowned sparrow.




That is the extent of the bird calls that I know. . . until I came across this book at the local library: The Songs of Wild Birds by Lang Elliott. It comes with a CD so you can listen to the bird songs while looking at the gorgeous photos. My daughter loved having this book open on the table and I loved having bird songs playing in our home. The strangest thing about the different bird calls, is how ubiquitous the sounds are. They transport you. A track would play and quickly, I'd be in a very specific part of my childhood. I realized, I know that sound in my cells.

So we hung the bird feeder (in our neighbor's yard) and we listen with close attention to the birds.

A New Friend

• "I'm riding the tree!"
• "I'm like a bird, Mama."
  
• "I'm a squirrel."
  
• "This is a maple."
  
• "Look! I'm hugging my tree."
  
• "The tree is my friend."

I was impressed by the incredible stream of consciousness that resulted from setting my young child into a tree for a few moments.