After my long rant two weeks ago about
going outside I have had to eat my words a bit. Soon afterwards I read an article in the paper about the importance of children being able to play and run outside in order to develop large motor skills, among other things. With beautiful weather and no scheduled showings last week I let down my guard a bit more and let Emily loose in the fenced-in backyard barefoot and semi-
unsupervised. She had a blast! Between the sandbox, the deck and the studio house full of some of her long-lost toys she was entertained for hours. We had to have a little lesson in closing the screen door each time you went through, but she mastered that pretty quickly. Of course, the play time wasn't without incident. During a one hour stretch when I was busy feeding and taking care of Lincoln, Emily managed to spill red Gatorade all over my cream-colored double
papasan chair cushion, fill her baby doll stroller with sand and pluck a large green tomato off of my only tomato plant.
Grrr! She probably won't have any sand left in her sandbox by the time we move (which isn't all bad) because most of it will either be on the deck or down the bathtub drain. She gives new meaning to "sandy
blonde" hair! ;o) But it's summer, and she's enjoying the same carefree playtime outside that I enjoyed as a child. :o)
After my long rant two weeks ago about going outside I have had to eat my words a bit. Soon afterwards I read an article in the paper about the importance of children being able to play and run outside in order to develop large motor skills, among other things. With beautiful weather and no scheduled showings last week I let down my guard a bit more and let Emily loose in the fenced-in backyard barefoot and semi-unsupervised. She had a blast! Between the sandbox, the deck and the studio house full of some of her long-lost toys she was entertained for hours. We had to have a little lesson in closing the screen door each time you went through, but she mastered that pretty quickly. Of course, the play time wasn't without incident. During a one hour stretch when I was busy feeding and taking care of Lincoln, Emily managed to spill red Gatorade all over my cream-colored double papasan chair cushion, fill her baby doll stroller with sand and pluck a large green tomato off of my only tomato plant. Grrr! She probably won't have any sand left in her sandbox by the time we move (which isn't all bad) because most of it will either be on the deck or down the bathtub drain. She gives new meaning to "sandy blonde" hair! ;o) But it's summer, and she's enjoying the same carefree playtime outside that I enjoyed as a child. :o)
I'm envious of Emily's willingness to play alone. Hooray for you, though!!
ReplyDeleteUnsupervised time outside.. fenced in yard.. I'm jealous. Our next house needs to have either a big back yard or some kind of fence. Wendell is just too good at finding ways to get out of sight and then it's hard to find him, is he in the front of the house, in the back, at the park, etc.
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