Life Is A Puzzle, So Make Up What's Missing

 It's Spring Break, and my wife and I are lucky to be assigned a duty. Guess what? Babysitting again, of course. Ok, we are more than happy to do so. We want to make this one week meaningful and beneficial. What is the goal? How about "Filling What's Missing"?

Those children usually live in a small-town environment with a lot of love and help from parents and babysitters and teachers, etc. I was wondering if we should let the children gain 2 useful expenses: "Independent situations" and a "Big city environment".

Here are what we did ( Note: these experiments should be conducted still under adults' supervision): 

1) To use a puzzle game board to let the children understand that life is a puzzle picture, and sometimes we need to find what our lives have missing. When we play with kids, we need to seize the opportunity to teach a philosophy that often kids would not comprehend by words but certainly can feel by their personal experiences.  

  2) Helping self, helping others, and helping each other are not only skills, but they are good habits. 

We praise the boy when he accomplishes something. 

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                                    We help and encourage the boy when he meets difficulties.

                                                              

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         Letting the big sister help her little brother, 

is to let the kids learn the benefit of  "helping each other". 

3) Small-town kids going to DC Zoo  - Yes, we found a nice sunny day this past week and took them to DC Zoo. Instead of driving our private car there, we took a subway ride. That was some kind of experience that they haven't had too often.  

Subway ride. 

Being with all kinds of people can improve "People Kills". 

"It is dirty.. smells bad...  I got a headache! ...  I need a nice place to eat. ... the little boy pumped onto me... I just want to go home! I don't want to walk anymore! ",  these are the complaints from our princes. The little boy also has shown some comfort when he is in a crowded,  busy, noisy environment. However, not all is bad, they had some fun as you all can see through those photos. 

I really think such "uncomfortable experiences are needed for young children to gain so-called "abilities and skills of adaption". Let kids know that not all people live in the same environment - different lifestyles are the reality of this world.