NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!

So it's pretty obvious that Enzo loves loves loves animals. Creepy crawly things??? Not so much. I don't think Enzo will be choosing to learn about spiders for science anytime soon.

Yesterday, as we're getting ready for Ethan's soccer practice, I hear Enzo scream like a girl. Around here, that's pretty normal. When I went to check out what the fuss was about, there was this big furry spider sitting in the hallway with Enzo standing at his bedroom door screaming. So I stand there yelling for Ethan to grab the bug spray and I'm telling Enzo to back up (This spider was not your ordinary sit in the corner of your house kind). I didn't want to take my eyes off the furry thing to make sure we don't lose him, when all of a sudden it starts running towards Enzo's room.

Enzo runs to his bed screaming mad "NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!"

Oh I was laughing so hard I could barely keep my eyes open long enough to see where that spider was! Long story short, we left for soccer practice without finding the nasty spider, but then Daddy came to the rescue and made the spider's head explode when he got home. =D

Sensational Enzo

I tried reading this over a year ago...actually I really should have read it, but somehow I got sidetracked and it didn't get done. So here I am reading it again from the beginning. Hopefully I get through it soon, it really is interesting. Definitely insightful in helping us understand our own 'sensational' kid, Enzo.

We need to regroup and reorganize (a lot) to better help Enzo (and our family). So pray with us as we continue this adventure with Enzo and pray for God to give us the wisdom to know how to raise Enzo the way He needs us to.

For more information about Sensory Processing Disorder, check out these websites:

• http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com
• http://www.sensationalkids.org
• http://www.out-of-sync-child.com
• http://www.spdfoundation.net

Save the Forest!

For science today Enzo picked the sloth to learn about. The sloth is one of his favorite animals because it's "his daddy's" favorite. We did our usual - sit on the couch, mom reads from a book that we picked out from the library while discussing interesting facts about the animal, and of course looking at pictures. Lizzie always seem to gravitate to the pictures of the animals with their babies while Enzo looks for the biggest (and fastest). So while flipping pages and discussing facts about the sloth, Enzo came across the giant ground sloth and was excitedly letting us know he wanted to draw it for our narration assignment. We continue through the book and get towards the end of the book where it talks about how some sloths are extinct and others are 'endangered species' and why it's important to save tropical forests (sloths live there you know!). which then brought us back to the 'giant ground sloth' and why they are extinct.

Why didn't I see what was coming next?! OH SAVE THE FOREST MELTDOWN!

Enzo was so upset that people are so mean to cut down the forest because the giant sloth lost his home and starved to death. Not to mention the mean momma sloth that doesn't go back to rescue a dropped baby. (Momma sloths carry their baby on their belly for months, if the baby loses grip and falls off, they don't go back to rescue their baby in fear of their predators. Did you know that??) So by this time Enzo is frantically pacing the house and trying to figure out how to save the baby and how long it would take him to get to South America since he was just a kid and I wouldn't take him right this minute. MELTDOWN. Lizzie was lost, she had no clue what Enzo was talking about because she was still glued to picture of the momma sloth carrying a baby sloth.

So we talked about how some people help by letting others know about the importance of saving the rainforest. Enzo's drama finale went down like this:

Enzo is pacing and crying in between, visibly upset (and frustrated, because he said so himself)
Enzo runs to the sliding door: "Wait we have a forest! We need to save that maybe the sloth lives there!" (We have a preservation behind our house, no sloth lives there)
But of course I had to point out they don't live there so he was still upset.
Enzo walks past Lizzie and me shouting: "SAVE THE FOREST! SAVE THE FOREST!"
Enzo: "See I only told 2 people, now I'm tired of yelling SAVE THE FOREST, how am I gonna tell EVERYBODY??? I just CAN'T!"

?!?!?!? I was soooo OVER saving the forest! We eventually calmed down after lots of talking and brainstorming ways to help save the rainforest, at least until someone else brings up that sloth again!

Educational? VERY, maybe more so for me than Lizzie and Enzo. Will I do it again??? OH PLEASE LORD HELP ME! Why didn't I think to stick with this giant ground sloth? Maybe he wouldn't have caused such a ruckus!

The Prey

Enzo said the predator got the squirrel so we needed to help it. Then he asked if the prey can eat the predator because he was mad at the neighborhood cat (the predator) for trying to eat the squirrel. Well, we didn't see the culprit, we're just assuming the mean neighborhood cat did it.

Enzo was so sad that we couldn't help the squirrel. So Ethan pointed out the squirrels are wild and might have rabies. We watched this little guy for almost 30 minutes. He looked like he was gasping for air and he really didn't move very much. We had to leave for an appointment and were hoping the squirrel would still be perched on the fence. When we got back, Enzo and Lizzie immediately ran to the kitchen window but he was gone. He wasn't laying dead in our yard, although we haven't peeked on the other side of the fence. Poor squirrel. Mean cats...

For science, we've been talking about different mammals - the predators and the prey. The kids love animals, so each week we head out to the library and before they can pick out their 'fun books', they have to pick out a couple of animal books that they want to learn about. Well at least I know Enzo is learning something in science, even if he is into the gruesome predators and mangled preys!