Más Trozos

Joaquin's creativity in Duplos building is growing by leaps and bounds. I really enjoyed this particular creation since it looks to me like gypsy carts or maybe an old-fashioned circus train. Joaquin didn't have any explanation for me when I asked what it was, other than trailers, so who knows what he was really going for. He has also, despite a general downslide in this area, gotten better about throwing fits when the blocks won't do what he wants. I don't know if he's gotten better at manipulating the blocks or if he's just more philosophical about their limitations. (Although he's not particularly happy with any limitations so I'm guessing he's just better at working with them!) Recently, he's been building 'water cycles'. I'm not sure what water cycles are and neither is Joaquin. When pressed about them he just tells you that Daddy can tell you what they do and they have fans and smokestacks and the water goes here and then there. They do all look similar, they have rambling bases that he cobbles together, and multi-level towers with a variety of tops.

He's also enjoying more creative types of crafts. Today at Grandma's house (she's always more creative about this than me. Comes from years of doing children's church I think) where they made a 'house' on a large sheet of paper. They divided it into rooms and cut out furniture, etc. from ads to furnish it. They had a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room and a garage. (Joaquin nixed the bedroom in favor of the garage, go figure!) Joaquin's priorities are right where they should be; in a four-roomed house they had six toilets. However he is beginning to run into the limitations of glue. He found it very frustrating that he couldn't glue edges together as you can with tape. Sorry kidlet, a hard lesson of the world - no matter how hard you practice, somethings you just can't do.