Carrot on a Stick

Most of the time I don't think C hears me when I'm teaching. I imagine my voice sounds somewhat like Charlie Brown's teacher did to him, wah-wah-wah-wah. I'll be talking about something, even in an animated way, and I get this glazed over look from him. If I stop, he'll start creating stories about Bionicles that take over otherworlds. It can be kind of frustrating and discouraging.

So, when there are those moments of clarity, when you know they get it, you grasp on to those moments until you think you might make them suffocate. Like today, for example. We have a hodge podge of things going on. I'm trying to get the house in order after the weekend, while simultaneously finding things to keep Bella occupied without the T.V., while giving C his lessons. I am woman hear me roar. Anyhow, we are studying Canada with MFW's Exploring Countries and Cultures. One of their lesson suggestions involves soap carving. It's supposed to mimic Inuit Bone Carving. So, I ask C to unwrap a bar of soap. The soap is right before him, but because bar soap is an alien thing in our home, he has no idea.

"This?" he asks with a perplexed look on his face.

I explain the jist of the soap carving idea to him. He knows who the Inuit are and where they lived, and what their environment was like. Really, I think he just wants to get to the part where he's using the butter knife to carve into the stuff I've convinced him is soap. So, I let him have at it. He carved a lot of walrus teeth, a cute little walrus-type looking thing, and a pyramid. Then he proceeds to tell me it's a Mexican Pyramid because it's flat on top. I stop what I'm doing and look up. Could it be? Could he have really been paying attention? Hmmmm... So I ask which group of Native Mexicans it could have been. "Aztecs." Yes! I feel like something's sinking in! Even if it is when we're studying Inuit Bone Carving and Canada!

Maybe he knows this stuff all along. Maybe he just keeps it disguised until God lets him know I need that carrot on the stick. Okay, I'll nibble.