So Nate is pretty much ready for the geography bee. I think at this point, he might actually be able to find any country or state or capital on the globe within 5 seconds. He likes for us to quiz him at bedtime (remember when bedtime used to be saved for stories?), and tonight I was really trying to stump him.
"Yemen," I requested. "Can you find Yemen?" I was waiting for him to search for a few minutes and then ask for help.
"It's right here, Mommy!" he exclaimed. "Right next to Saudi Arabia and Oman," he added.
Seriously?
"Ok, wise guy, how about Thailand?" [To self: Ha! He'll never know that one; even if he knows where it is, he obviously must think it's pronounced Thayel-land, like I did until the 8th grade or so.]
"Here it is! Just south of Laos!"
"Chile?"
"Below Peru and Argentina!!"
Then it was his turn to quiz me. "Mommy, can you find French Guiana?"
"Uh...hold on, it's right around here somewhere...wait for it, yeah, hang on..."
"Look above Brazil, Mommy!" he added helpfully.
Right.
Jonah is getting in on the fun. He'd learned how to find California, Texas, and Florida, but he's had this weird insistence that Washington is Maine and vice-versa (although the bigger weirdness, of course, is not his confusing the two but his knowing them at all. Thanks, big brother!). Tonight he happily showed me that he's signed on to my version of the states, in which WA is in the top left, and ME in the top right. Phew!
Jonah is more into pretend play these days, anyway. He's suddenly very taken with his Fisher Price Little People sets. Yesterday he lined up a bunch of Little People to wait for the school bus. The bus arrived, and everyone boarded peacefully and without incident. The group then rode the school bus to Whole Foods, where they bought snacks. Today two Little People agreeably shared a ride in a large, non-Fisher Price car, in which they visited an imaginary car wash.
Jonah put one of his own hands in time out. The hand did not wish to be in time out and complained loudly.
He's also getting really good at figuring out what's going on in stories, and offering comments. Tonight when we read Madeline, I asked him why he thought Madeline was crying in her bed. "She needs her mommy," he offered. Awwwwwwwwww.
So cute Jonah!
Posted by: Krista | April 24, 2008 at 12:45 PM