When the duty station is Iowa though, one might ponder exactly how adventure factors in. Oh, believe me....there is much to explore EVERYWHERE....even in Iowa, and when we explore now, we explore as a family...Schmidt Family Six does not ever sit still for too long. We are cognizant of the fact that some of the best learning happens out of the "classroom" setting, and, so, therefore, the little ones are in tow, bobbling along, making memories with us.
Here are some of the very recent adventures that Family Schmidt has embarked upon in the local area:
1. The ULTIMATE playground for the boy who grew up on a farm...the John Deere Pavilion in Moline, Illinois.
After having the opportunity to help with harvest this year on the family farm in Nebraska, it seemed only logical to visit the John Deere Pavilion. The girls thought that climbing up into even more LARGE farm equipment was pretty amazing. Here are the girls on the family farm "helping" with harvest!
Proof that princess shoes really do go with cowboy boots!
While at the John Deer Pavilion, the girls got to get behind the wheel of some VERY expensive farm machinery and explore where food comes from in the "Discovery Zone."
2. Diwali celebration at the University of Iowa
Our family got to eat a traditional Indian dinner, listen to children sing traditional Indian songs, and watch Indian dancers. Then, utilizing the book Celebrations! Festivals, Carnivals, and Feast Days from Around the World by Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley, we spent more time at home learning about Diwali--the magnificent festival of lights that takes place each fall before the new moon.
3. University of Iowa Hawkeye Basketball Game
Husker fans attending a Hawkeye game? I know...it is a wee bit frightening and ridiculous all wrapped up into one experience, but we had an awesome time! Here is what Cal thought of having to wear Hawkeye gear though:
The kiddos had never been to a basketball game before, so my husband and I got to answer all sorts of fun questions. I may have spent more time hauling little people to the bathroom than actually watching the game, but I was there to explain why people were wearing black and white striped shirts and blowing whistles. I was there to explain the scoreboard, and I even got to explain that teeth can get knocked out and fly across the gym floor after a rough play. And, numbers and math are definitely prevalent in the game of basketball. The shot clock counts backwards, the scoreboard flashes different numbers all the time. You get to count by ones, twos, and threes depending on what type of shot is scored from the field. From a former basketball player's vantage point, it is experiencing Math at its finest!
4. Iowa Children's Museum
It was "Tutu and Tie Tuesday" at the local children's museum, and how could three girls and a cute baby boy possibly pass up that opportunity? Needless to say, I wasn't wearing a tutu, but the girls sure did rock theirs! Do you see a little mischief happening at the far right of this photo? Oooooo...the excitement of CHRISTMAS is popping up all over! I could be upset by our little Elle touching the beautiful red ball, but I just couldn't get too frustrated when she wouldn't turn around for the photo because, if I was almost two, I would want to touch all of the magic of Christmas, too!
Learning through play is truly the best way to learn, and a children's museum is definitely an environment that is conducive for both play and learning.
Here the girls are playing grocery story! I love how Elle can barely reach the cash register, but, yet, she knows exactly how to operate it (or at least she pretends she knows how to operate it with much skill).
What do you mean you're not supposed to carry a newborn baby around by its head!?! (OK...the NICU might not hire her -yet-, but she is honing her "taking care of baby" skills.)
Is it diaper change time?!? I am ALL over that. I need a diaper before we have a 'mergency...STAT! I help my mommy out with this job at home...all...the...time! Everything is under control!
Happiest ambulance driver and navigator ever!
This flying thing is in my genes! Don't tell me I can't get this aircraft airborne!
Exactly how DO these balls float above this air stream?
Off to see the world in a hot air balloon! Hmmmm....they appear to get their sense of adventure from their father, and I couldn't be more proud!
Sometimes, the task-master teacher in me has to remind myself just how important play really is in the development of children. Here are some fabulous quotes (from some pretty well-known and successful people I might add) about play that I found:
TEN QUOTES ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY
from http://www.oneperfectdayblog.net
“Play is the work of the child.” – Maria Montessori
“Play is the highest form of research.” – Albert Einstein
“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” – Mr. Rogers
“The playing adult steps sideward into another reality; the playing child advances forward to new stages of mastery.” – Erik H. Erikson
“Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.”
– O. Fred Donaldson
– O. Fred Donaldson
“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct.”
– Carl Jung
– Carl Jung
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
– George Bernard Shaw
– George Bernard Shaw
“Do not keep children to their studies by compulsion but by play.” – Plato
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” - Fred Rogers
I stumbled upon this next quote awhile back, too, and it resonates in my mind often, "If a child is to keep alive [her] inborn sense of wonder, [she] needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with [her] the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in" (Rachel Carson). I might not be intrinsically adventurous, but I am incredibly grateful that I am journeying through life with a husband who has empowered me to be "intrinsically modified" so that I can share a sense of wonder with each of my children and rediscover the JOY, EXCITEMENT, and MYSTERY of the world we live in! After all, the world IS a giant playground, right?!?
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