Today while leaving for office, Vanathy suddenly ran inside and asked me to wait. She came back with her perfume and put it on me generously. I was saying 'No paapu, appa don't like to wear perfumes'. She answered 'Daddy, your girlfriends in office will like it'
Now I am not even sure how she got an idea that I will be having girlfriends in office.
-----
Yesterday I was playing a PC game called 'Viking Saga' and Vanathy was watching it. Suddenly she asked "so Daddy, this is happening in Mars?". I did not get it and asked her why she asking that. She said because the Vikings are in Mars. I asked her where she got that idea.
She took me to her room and took out a book on Amazing facts about things. It was a big book for kids with lots of facts on a multitude of things.
There is a page on the planet Mars and there is a fact listed that 'The Vikings landed on Mars'. She showed me that and said this is why she says the Vikings are in Mars. I sat with her and explained that these 'Vikings' are space probes and not human beings that are in Mars.
----
Sibi has been reading a bunch of classics (abridged) and has picked up a Wodehouse as well. Told him that the language will be above his level and he is OK with it. Sometimes it is heartening to watch him go through so many books.
We watched 'Troy' last weekend and by chance he read 'Illiad' this week and was surprised that the movie deviated so much from the story. It was interesting always to let him tell a story to his sister in the nights before going to sleep. A few days back it was fun as we ended up discussing 'Illiad' instead of sleeping.
Sibi told a story which is a mix of 'Illiad' and the movie 'Troy' for his sister and after listening patiently Vanathy dismissed it as a boring story. So I started telling them the story of Heinrich Schliemann and his quest to find the Troy of Homer's 'Illiad'. It went very well with the kids started asking questions about excavations, the mask of Agamemnon and somehow drifted off to what they want to become when they grew up.
So most of the nights instead of putting the kids to sleep, the stories just make them more awake and excited.
---
Vanathy's current interest is planets, Sun and black holes. Sibi taught her about black holes and we learn together about the planets. So now every night we've been talking about planets, how they came into being, who discovered them, are there aliens out there, how we did the moon landing and the kind of question she has come up is incredible.
For example, while discussing the moon landing, she asked what happens if the rocket outside flew away without picking up the moon landers, what control is there for it? or How do we make sure people don't get bounced away while in moon? . If Neil Armstrong has already planted a flag in moon, will she have space in moon to plant hers?
And yesterday was the story of Newton and the apple. To explain the invisible force of Gravity and make her understood, we have to discuss so many scenarios and how the Earth's force makes us don't fall off at the 'edges' etc. In fact, we were discussing so much we forget that she has to sleep.
In a way, I am happy that it stokes her enthusiasm about science and she has been reading some of the mini-encyclopedia's about the planets and calls me Jupiter and her mom is Saturn and she is Pluto (though she understands that Pluto is not a planet, she is not very happy about it!).
---
Another interesting habit she has picked up is writing a diary. Though she calls it 'story writing' she writes everyday about what she does on a daily basis in it. Sometimes, she dictates so that I can write about it. Will try to publish some excerpts from that after getting her permission.
Now I am not even sure how she got an idea that I will be having girlfriends in office.
-----
Yesterday I was playing a PC game called 'Viking Saga' and Vanathy was watching it. Suddenly she asked "so Daddy, this is happening in Mars?". I did not get it and asked her why she asking that. She said because the Vikings are in Mars. I asked her where she got that idea.
She took me to her room and took out a book on Amazing facts about things. It was a big book for kids with lots of facts on a multitude of things.
There is a page on the planet Mars and there is a fact listed that 'The Vikings landed on Mars'. She showed me that and said this is why she says the Vikings are in Mars. I sat with her and explained that these 'Vikings' are space probes and not human beings that are in Mars.
----
Sibi has been reading a bunch of classics (abridged) and has picked up a Wodehouse as well. Told him that the language will be above his level and he is OK with it. Sometimes it is heartening to watch him go through so many books.
We watched 'Troy' last weekend and by chance he read 'Illiad' this week and was surprised that the movie deviated so much from the story. It was interesting always to let him tell a story to his sister in the nights before going to sleep. A few days back it was fun as we ended up discussing 'Illiad' instead of sleeping.
Sibi told a story which is a mix of 'Illiad' and the movie 'Troy' for his sister and after listening patiently Vanathy dismissed it as a boring story. So I started telling them the story of Heinrich Schliemann and his quest to find the Troy of Homer's 'Illiad'. It went very well with the kids started asking questions about excavations, the mask of Agamemnon and somehow drifted off to what they want to become when they grew up.
---
Vanathy's current interest is planets, Sun and black holes. Sibi taught her about black holes and we learn together about the planets. So now every night we've been talking about planets, how they came into being, who discovered them, are there aliens out there, how we did the moon landing and the kind of question she has come up is incredible.
For example, while discussing the moon landing, she asked what happens if the rocket outside flew away without picking up the moon landers, what control is there for it? or How do we make sure people don't get bounced away while in moon? . If Neil Armstrong has already planted a flag in moon, will she have space in moon to plant hers?
In a way, I am happy that it stokes her enthusiasm about science and she has been reading some of the mini-encyclopedia's about the planets and calls me Jupiter and her mom is Saturn and she is Pluto (though she understands that Pluto is not a planet, she is not very happy about it!).
---
Another interesting habit she has picked up is writing a diary. Though she calls it 'story writing' she writes everyday about what she does on a daily basis in it. Sometimes, she dictates so that I can write about it. Will try to publish some excerpts from that after getting her permission.
No comments:
Post a Comment