A record time with my wonderful granddaughter Catrin
Regular readers of this blog will know of my affection for my granddaughter Catrin who is now three and third years old. I’ve been so fortunate that, since the day of her birth, I’ve been able to see her approximately once a week and regularly babysit for her parents.
On several occasions, I’ve looked after Catrin overnight for one or two nights. Last week, however, was something special: I looked after her for four nights and five days as her parents were away.
It was tiring (I slept ten and half hours afterwards) and sometimes exasperating (she can be somewhat obstinate as can all kids of her age), but immensely joyful because she is so chatty and cheerful. A tickle with her or a hug from her is worth everything.
The first two days, I moved into her parents’ place, so that Catrin could continue to attend her nursery. It was strange to be woken, not by an an alarm but by a smiling face by the bedside.
Granddad makes porridge for breakfast
and Goldilocks insists on having it in three bowls
James & Catrin find a platform in the park
The first morning, we went to our local shopping centre where Catrin enjoyed a children’s ride and an ice cream before we bought her a “Frozen” balloon, a “Rapunzel” novel, and a set of four jigsaws. That afternoon, we drove over to a family gathering to celebrate the sixth birthday of little Lucas. His eight year old sister Yasmin was wonderful with Catrin – they played on the trampoline in the garden and did roleplaying in the house. That evening, Catrin had a couple of readings of “Rapunzel” – another girl with long, golden hair.
Bath time – with millions of bubbles
Catrin admires her 24-piece jigsaw
Catrin on her police motor bike
June 5th, 2014 at 10:46 am
Thanks for the update Roger.
It’s good to see Catrin puzzle solving. How are her counting and number skills coming on? You’re obviously good with data yourself- how young do you think one can start basic data collection and analaysis? A pie chart of icecream eaten?
Cheers
Nadine
June 5th, 2014 at 10:55 am
I think her numbers skills are well-advanced for her age, but we haven’t started on data analysis yet!
The ice cream pie chart looks fun, but it might involve too much ice cream from a health point of view!
June 5th, 2014 at 11:29 am
Well, you could do a little nature walk and collect red and green,(or long and round) leaves.
I always think, if “the general public” could properly read graphs, we’d all be better off. Especially asking the first question – do the axes start at zero?
Next time for Catrin, Error Bars!
Nadine.