marbles plus old race set equals total fun

When the girls were little I was really loving Discovery Toys. That was the day of those home parties -- you know, where everyone went and there was the hostess up front passing around super cool and almost totally needed toys. {There wasn't much internet used during that time...so to see we had to go to the parties.} One of those toys that I just had to invest in? A colorful deluxe marble race track.

We still have it.

And I still make the super cool amazing out-of-this world tracks for the kids. Or at least that's what they like to call them. I just like to believe that's what they really are and I create away with them cheering me on.

Of course, sometimes we incorporate just a wee bit of learning into our marble racing fun. For instance, yesterday, we made a risky track -- where the marble leaps off a jump and doesn't guarantee landing on the next chute and the safe, but long route. Sometimes you have to take a risk, right?

Then I had the kids predict which route they thought the marble will take. Then we decided to track what actually happened for ten runs. Will it go the risky route or the safe one? For added fun, I ask them which route they'd take if they could be the marble. Gets them thinking.

So, much to my surprise, the risky route was the winner. We took our results, tallied them up {which I didn't take a picture of} and proceeded to make a real simple bar graph. A bar graph of something that they just witnessed -- something real -- where the results make clear sense and the learning is easy.

Learning can be fun. And, learning doesn't need to be forced. I just took an opportunity to add a bit of learning to our regular play. Neatest thing for me? I have some bar graphs and stats made for some marble tracks from when Hannah and Chloe were little and we did the same thing.

That was an excellent investment for that oh it feels so steep price of $29.95 in the year 2000. We still play with it, and it just never seems to grow old. Somehow it's such a parallel to life -- take a risk, you could fall, yet taking the safer route doesn't guarantee a path without obstacles {you should have seen the twists, turns, and funnels I added to the safer side}. Point? You just have to keep moving and working to the goal.

Who knew Discovery Toys was teaching life lessons in the midst? 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 6, and 8

{I wrote this last night, was planning on finishing it this morning, and then a massive thunderstorm with powerful winds hit. Knocked out the power. So no post -- until now.}

Sometimes I count like that.

I don't know why, but I do. And my kids all count correctly. We go 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10, Every single time. And yet, I'll do silly things like mess up the numbers. Intentionally -- just to be a bit goofy -- and to have my kids call me on it.

Sometimes we mess up. I know. Let's take my last night. I walked into the older boys room and discovered that a bomb accidentally went off and every single toy, book, and piece of clothing now made it's way into a delightful pile of mixed up stuff covering every square inch of carpet.

And I got very annoyed.

I had just spent a good hour cleaning that room earlier in the day. Sorting some stuff. Throwing away. Folding. And then I went to take my father-in-law to the doctors only to come home to this incredibly insane mess. I wish I could tell you that I pulled out the classic clean up song and we worked together skipping while we put away the toys each into their artfully lettered and color coded boxes all the while hugging and enjoying each other's company.

Nope.

I grumbled. And decided to throw everything into a huge pile blocking the closet. A four foot high pile of stuff.  And those boys looked at me like I was just a bit nuts. I knew it was more work. I knew I wasn't going in the right order -- like that counting mentioned above -- but I knew, at that moment, that all I could do was make the most gigantic pile of stuff that I could to demonstrate the wrong order.

Brennan looked at me and told me he thinks we better clean and get rid of some stuff.

{that's Elijah when he was two} 

I totally agreed.

After my victorious feeling left -- I'd say it took a good 7 minutes -- I realized that I should go in and chat with Brennan. So I wandered into the deceptively clean looking room -- that is until you saw Mount Doom of Toys in the corner -- and sat at Brennan's bed and told him that I was sorry that I got so irritated about stuff.  He knew the order --  we clean and sort and work together and tonight I just made up my own order. I looked at that tender seven year old boy's face and told him that we'll take care of it. Together. We'll put everything in the right order. We'll clean it up.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10.

I should have done the ol'counting trick of counting to ten before deciding to count my own way. It's okay. It's all learning. And saying you're sorry. {And deciding to have a massive garage sale. Or donating.} And picking up, right where one left, and starting again.

If you don't hear from me for a while it's because I'll be whittling down the toys one by one.

And giving those boys some hugs from mom.

***
{thanks for the votes yesterday for the AOP Media Awards. If you'd like to vote again today here's the link  AOP Awards }