Let's Skate! Part 1

You may be wondering about this stock photo. And yes, it is because I forgot to take pictures. But I did want to include a shot in this blog of the outside of this Rec center since I have strong memories of it from my childhood. The St Louis Park Rec center used to look very 70's ish, with a swooping roof and utilitarian grey concrete. At some point in the 80's they remodeled it to look a little more inviting by adding glass and some blue accents.

This is the first time I've been back, and gone inside, since I was a kid and came here for lessons and the occasional open skate. This time I was here with my kid and his friend as we endeavored to burn off some energy on a 20 below day. The skating rink did not disappoint. It was warm enough to not wear a jacket. The ice was smooth and perfect for an emerging skater. And the hockey player boxes were like I remembered as a child. Perfect for taking a break in and for goofing around with a friend. While the boy was not thrilled by the experience, I chalked it up to new skating jitters and vowed to return to the ice soon. 

As a kid I always skated indoors, which is odd given that we live in a climate that is cold enough for water to freeze outside, and I grew up near a lake. But rinks did have piped in music, so maybe that's why they  were such a hit. It always felt akin to roller skating, but more rock, less disco, with little places to sneak away from your parents.

Now I usually skate outdoors at Powderhorn Park pond, a place were people have skated for over 100 years. It feels so tranquil and poetic with the island and the trees - nothing like my childhood experience. The ice is rougher and for beginning skaters it can be a bit more challenging. But, that's part of the fun, right?  My goal is for Felix and I to get out on the ice more this winter, and try out some of the different skating experiences available. We will see how many we can get to before the weather warms up again, and report back!   

Let's Skate! Part 2

Today we went skating at Lake of the Isles. Our second ice skating excursion of the year. The weather was a balmy 25 degrees, but there was a brisk wind. Our friends Lisa and Gil joined us. Susan and Hondo took a walk. 

Pros: we were outside and the sky was beautiful. The warming house was spacious and, well, warm. The lake was pretty cool to look at. We could see the islands in the distance. Susan could join us and walk Hondo.

Cons: the wind was so cold! The ice was pretty bumpy compared to last week, but that is to be expected. Lisa commented that the rink seemed smaller than in previous years. 

All in all a good experience. Cold but not unbearable, though I was wearing hand and foot warmers. Can't wait for Powderhorn's rink to open next week!

Day #14 Final Day of Felix's Read-a-Thon

Friday was the last day of the Bancroft Read-a-Thon, and, despite it being a Friday night, a night where exhaustion is elevated to new heights in our household, Felix decided he was going to end things out with a bang and read for 30 minutes.  We started off with Froggy Learns to Swim, which is about exactly that.  Felix has developed a bit of anxiety about swimming and being in deep water, so this book was a welcome find.  He likes Froggy books already - there is another one about inclusion that is a fave - so I was not surprised that he enjoyed this one. 

After that we continued on with "Splat the Cat Takes the Cake" (another favorite character), "Cat the Cat", "The Foot Book", and I think one more, but I can't remember what it was - I think I was more tired that Felix at this point!  All of these books are pretty light in content, but are books that Felix can either read on his own, or read along with me. And, I'm slowly realizing, like me, Felix has different capacities to absorb information on different days.  Sometimes it's a "Sula" kind of a day, and other days, "Hunger Games" is about where it's at.

But, Felix did it! He read for 30 minutes (more or less) each day, for 14 days! I don't think he even realizes was a huge accomplishment this was.  And we raised $300 to date...no small feat!

This weekend, I asked Felix to tell me his 3 favorite books during the Read-a-Thon.  We actually used this blog to go back and see what exactly he had read.  He told me "Captain Underpants" and "Henry's Freedom Box" were his faves, and that he liked the "Paint Box Kid" too, and "The Froggy Book".  So, there you have it.

I've really enjoyed this process of being a little more intentional about reading with Felix, and reflecting on the books he likes to read, and the kids books that I like to read as well.  While we are officially "done" with the Read-a-Thon, I hope this reflection will continue on, from time to time in this blog.  So stay tuned! And now, lets get that playground built and reform our educational system so all kids have decent playgrounds regardless of how much money their school can raise!

Read-a-Thon Days #11-#13

We are in the waning days of the Bancroft Read-a-Thon, and were fortunate to have Captain Underpants and Valentines Day swoop in to carry us to the finish line.  While there is not a lot of literary depth to Captain Underpants, it is funny in that 5-year-old way (yes, underpants, diapers, and poop are all featured), and kept Felix hanging on until the end.  He actually learned a lot of new words, such as "maniacal" and "ironic".

We also spent over an hour the other night reading and writing the names of all of Felix's classmates in Room 103 on their valentines day cards. Not necessarily reading "books" per se, but literacy, no less. I was impressed by how many names Felix could read, and how much he enjoyed deciphering the ones that were less familiar. We then spent an equal amount of time deciding which sticker to affix on which kids' card.  An intricate algorithm involving the color of the sticker (CS), how much he liked the color (FLC), how much the other kid liked the color (OKLC), and how good of friends they were (F). Or, CS=FLC/FLC+OKLC. 

Tomorrow is the last day of the Read-a-Thon, and we have some new books to celebrate with! Including a Spanish-English picture dictionary that Felix is super excited to read, and a coloring book challenging gender roles/gender expression that I am super excited to read to Felix. Tune in tomorrow for the final installment!

Read-a-Thon Days #8-#10

We came upon this book on Saturday at the Women's Prison Book Project pancake breakfast. I had no idea what it was about until we got home and started reading.  Low and behold, it's an amazing book about a working-class white boy in LA who befriends an older Chicano man in his neighborhood and paints a mural on his house...and fights a highway being built in his neighborhood! It's also a very sweet story. We read the first couple chapters on Saturday night, and then blew through the rest on Sunday night. Felix couldn't get enough of it! I am ordering the first book in the series, "The Chalk Box Kid" right now from the library. 

This evening we started another chapter book called "Captain Underpants" and got through the first few chapters.  It's light-hearted and funny - the exact opposite of "The Paint Brush Kid"  - but exactly what Felix needed after a long day.  He thought it was hilarious, and was fascinated by a scene in the book where the two friends sneak into their school office and make copies of their comic book on the school copier.  I can totally imagine Felix and his friend Spencer doing this in a couple of years!

Read-a-Thon Day #6 and #7

We are super psyched that we have raised over $350 for Felix's school so far.  It's awesome to have so many supportive friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors to help cheer Felix on! Thanks to the online fundraising site, Razoo, our Read-a-Thon donations have exploded!

Last night, we had a shorter reading night as Felix' grandparents had just gotten back from out of town, and we were visiting with them.  But, we did read an old baby book at bedtime that Felix is now able to read on his own, called "I am a Bunny". I have to admit I choked up a little. I have so many memories of reading this book to Felix as a baby, that it's hard to hear it now without being reminded of those baby-time moments in the past.

We also read a book that Felix got from his grandparents last night as a gift, titled "The Bear's Winter House". It's a sweet book about hibernation (kind-of) and friendship.  The hedge-hog is pretty cute. Felix's review of this book was that it was "funny".

Tonight, I asked Felix if there were any themes for what he wanted to read, and he decided on "Cats and Dogs that Run Away". Surprisingly, we have a number of books on this topic! But once we'd read the first book - "A Bad Kitty Christmas", which does have a cat and dog in it that run away, Felix wanted to read a book he checked out from the Bancroft Media Center today, that is from the Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends series. It is titled "Stumped". Felix told me he really enjoyed the book because of the drawings, and because it featured two bug-like creatures who got mad at each other, and then worked it out in the end.  Books about friendship issues seem to appeal to him these days.

Read-a-Thon Day #5

Tonight we read Bread and Jam for Frances, one of Susan's favorite books. Felix loved the menus of the different meals at the end, and said it made him hungry. He kind of reminds me of Albert.

 We also read a book called Henry's Freedom Box, a book about an enslaved African American who escapes to the north inside of a box.  This book elicited lots of questions, as it always does, about slavery, and what it would mean to be separated from one's family. It's a powerful book, and beautifully illustrated.


And finally, we read Six Dinner Sid, a book about a cat that lives with six different families.  This book always results in a lot of stories about our cat James.

So, to sum it up:
1. Bread and Jam for Frances
2. Henry's Freedom Box
3. Six Dinner Sid
*We did not get to the leveled reader tonight, as Felix was too tired:)

Also, I discovered, today, that there is a way to donate to Felix's Read-a-Thon online! Here is the link to do so!