Abbey and Hayden's preschool has sure made an impact on how I parent. I am thoroughly grateful to have those teachers involved in my children's lives. They have done years and years of research on the way children's minds learn and behavior modification. I know there are so many great parenting strategies out there, but their theory just sits so right in my gut. It is also invaluable to me to have someone that knowledgeable who actually knows MY kid--how my kid works, how she reacts, why some typical rewards just don't seem to motivate her. I am not greatly confident in my own parenting and often find myself stumped with these charges of mine. I will bring her teachers a scenario that is frustrating me and they'll have some great ideas on how to work with it. Love them.
They give the kids just the right amount of freedom to explore and become confident in their ability to create, solve problems, and act on their ideas. My Abbey is not for lacking in the confidence department--I'm hoping this will get her through middle school! But I'm still working on how to incorporate that into our home, where sometimes it's not easy to give them full control of the reins--it's a tricky tight rope. Which brings me to today. And a restaurant.
Both girls are really into cooking. I'm talking, like, they'll watch Betty Crocker cake demonstrations on youtube for as long as I'll let them. It's been a hard balance to let them do their thing and, you know...cut down on the food waste that was going on (sorry...nobody's going to be eating up the yogurt, milky, cracker, orange combo). {Side note for my own records: last month we were making cupcakes and had the batter separated in several frosting bags. As I got started Hayden said, "Squirt a little on the plate first to avoid air bubbles!" A few moments later, Abbey piped in with, "Now just twist with your left hand and guide it with your right!" Thank you, Lee-Hanson-with-Betty-Crocker for my back seat bakers :) }
Last summer, my friend came across some large boxes and thought the girls could have fun making a restaurant in our basement.
They spent all day drawing pictures to decorate the walls, lining up the appliances, and discussing the menu. I felt bad taking it down a few weeks later, and I think that guilt surfaced when last night Abbey started constructing major plans for opening another restaurant. She asked if some friends could come over and I couldn't think of a good reason why not!
So today some very sweet friends indulged my little girl's dreams.
They were both very concerned over what outfit looked like 'real' restaurant wear. This is eventually what they decided :) I caught this picture just as Hayden noticed their first customer pulling into the driveway.
They give the kids just the right amount of freedom to explore and become confident in their ability to create, solve problems, and act on their ideas. My Abbey is not for lacking in the confidence department--I'm hoping this will get her through middle school! But I'm still working on how to incorporate that into our home, where sometimes it's not easy to give them full control of the reins--it's a tricky tight rope. Which brings me to today. And a restaurant.
Both girls are really into cooking. I'm talking, like, they'll watch Betty Crocker cake demonstrations on youtube for as long as I'll let them. It's been a hard balance to let them do their thing and, you know...cut down on the food waste that was going on (sorry...nobody's going to be eating up the yogurt, milky, cracker, orange combo). {Side note for my own records: last month we were making cupcakes and had the batter separated in several frosting bags. As I got started Hayden said, "Squirt a little on the plate first to avoid air bubbles!" A few moments later, Abbey piped in with, "Now just twist with your left hand and guide it with your right!" Thank you, Lee-Hanson-with-Betty-Crocker for my back seat bakers :) }
Last summer, my friend came across some large boxes and thought the girls could have fun making a restaurant in our basement.
They spent all day drawing pictures to decorate the walls, lining up the appliances, and discussing the menu. I felt bad taking it down a few weeks later, and I think that guilt surfaced when last night Abbey started constructing major plans for opening another restaurant. She asked if some friends could come over and I couldn't think of a good reason why not!
So today some very sweet friends indulged my little girl's dreams.
They were both very concerned over what outfit looked like 'real' restaurant wear. This is eventually what they decided :) I caught this picture just as Hayden noticed their first customer pulling into the driveway.
Not one customer sent their food back to the kitchen or complained that their order was wrong. Success!
