Car Games

Boo likes to look for things in the car. Favorites are yellow busses, other busses, big big trucks, cars just like Daddy's, trucks just like Mama's, cars just like a variety of daycare friends and staff. Sometimes it's colors. Sometimes it's birds or trees or snow (OK, it was only snow for a week or so, but that was an exciting week). Sometimes it's specific vehicles like red trucks or purple & green busses (actually a common paint scheme for busses here in Raintown). The game goes "Eyes open, black and white car (the and is always emphasized)." Then "I see! I see! I see black and white car. Eyes open, more black and white car..."

Then there are the motorcycles. Those are almost as exciting as yellow busses. "I see mo'icle!! I see mo'icle!!" gets extra enthusiasm.

Now that it's May, Boot Camp has moved back outside. Yesterday was our first class in the park. It was a beautiful spring evening and we talked about all the things we saw. Doggies. People walking. People running. People playing basketball and baseball and volleyball.

Fitness experts say you should exercise at a level that you are not breathless, and how you can tell is if you are able to hold a conversation. Well, I've never had to hold a constant conversation during exercise until recently. But, I can say R2 and I are meeting that goal quite well.

A boy rode by on a bicycle. "I see mo'icle!!! I see mo'icle!! Mama! Mama! Mo'icle".

"That's a bicycle, Boo. It looks a lot like a motorcycle except...."

Except what? How do I differentiate a bicycle and a motorcycle to a toddler? They both have two wheels, people ride them, people wear helmets. I can't really say motorcycles go on the road and bicycles in the park, because bicycles go on the road, too. I think that motorcycles having motors is too complex.....

"Mo'icle!!! Mo'icle!!!"

"Bicycle."

"(I can't even begin to spell what followed phonetically. It had four sylables, the first two being ba-ba and then a very distinct ending that seemed to have no relation to "cycle", but it was repeated exactly the same way over and over again during the rest of the conversation)"

"Yes, bicycle. (Oh!) "Bicycles have pedals. People riding bicycles pedal around and around. People riding motorcycles have their feet still." (Hey, that's pretty good. I'm pretty proud of that. Except, the boy on the bicycle is coasting down a hill and not pedaling).

The motorcycle/bicycle conversation continued for quite a while. Another Boot Camp Mama offered that motorcycles are noisy. I was pretty impressed by that, but it didn't seem to help. When we get back in the car, we see a motorcycle and she says, very tentatively "Ba-ba ______??".

Big sigh. She's working so hard at this and I am at a complete loss at how to help her.

"Motorcycle. See how the rider is not pedaling?"

"Oh. Mo'cicle?"

"Yes."

"Ba-ba _____?"

(What do do? I don't have any other ideas? Oh, well...) "Hey, Boo, eyes open for a car just like Daddy's!!!"

Distraction, thankfully, works this time around.

Any ideas for next time?