Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Mouse? Or Dinosaur. You Be The Judge.

Today, the girls got out the modeling clay. Bethanie made a pink bowl, lined it with paper, filled it with rocks, and placed it out back in the sun to bake.

Cayna made a mouse. Here she is with her work in progress:


While she worked, I noted the long legs on the mouse. The word "brontosaurus" came to mind. But I don't even think they call the brontosaurus a brontosaurus anymore. I think he's a brachiosaurus or apatosaurus or some such thing. I just kept my mouth shut as my sculptor daughter added the ears, whiskers, and tail. Just like I keep my mouth shut when she chooses her outfits, spells her words phonetically, "cleans" her room, styles her hair, and asserts her will-that-is-always-opposite-of-my-will in every area of a seven year-old life.

Here is the finished... mouse, I suppose:
Smiley thing, eh? And long-legged. Have you ever met a long-legged mouse? Ever met a mouse that peed in a litter box? Meowed? Wiped small villages out with its tail?

Whether I agree or not, the creator has declared this a mouse. So a mouse it is. In motherhood, I've learned, things aren't always as they appear.

Shortly after the mouse was presented to me, the girls went back to work upstairs and manufactured this, their boat:
It "sailed" out of Joe's room to music Cayna makes. Music which sounds like trumpeting and humming and a repeating drum line all wrapped into one. They had worked hard on their boat, and I was relieved to recognize it as, indeed, a boat. Take a close look and you will see the "driver" up front, the toilet in the very back (shield your eyes--someone is using it) and two little girls with all the time in the world to build boats and craft bowls and... mice.

5 comments:

sooner1944 said...

Cayna reminds me of my grandchildren who are always making up things by drawing them, or playing by themselves and making up stories. Children are so precious....

Katie and Mark said...

So cute. Ü I like her mouse, and yes-it seems to resemble a cat. ;) That boat is super cool, and I love seeing your girls play together. It makes me wish Brooklynne had one although she plays good with all her brothers.

Rachel said...

This rates up there as one of my favorite of your posts. If my words are misspelled, it's because I'm still shielding my eyes from the lego toilet goer. I love it! Isn't it fun (or something)to have children with opinions of their very own?

littlecbsmom said...

I agree...one of my favorites too. I love the creativity and boy can those girls think. I think they need to design more REAL boats with toilets! Way to go girls!

Rachel said...

This is my favorite thing about homeschooling, just that the kids have so much unstructured time to explore and create. Like you, sometimes I have my doubts about their creations, but I trust that it's all a valuable process.