Kumbya Night: Pass the Peas

We've put the LETTUCE and TURNIPS into our family pot, and tonight, Daddy taught us about PEAS: Peas within, peas with others, peas on earth.  We began with family business (plotting the week ahead on the dry erase board, which looks to be a very uneventful one to end the summer) and with our Prayer Pots.

Tonight's lesson was inspired by an idea in the book, Teaching Your Children Responsibility, by Linda and Richard Eyre. Yes, I've got another favorite parenting book of the week here (it's an old one I picked up at Half-Price Books over the weekend). The idea is to help the kids understand what being calm and peaceful feels like. First, we gave them blindfolds (Gryffin took a bit of coaxing, until I told him pirates wear them).

Next, we had them feel four different objects, and describe how they felt: an ice cube (cold), sandpaper (rough), lambswool (soft), and our own Mr. Tubbins (the fluffy little guy). Hey, Mr. Gryff--NO PEEKING!

Then we talked about how we feel inside when we're peaceful and calm--not cold or rough or uncomfortable, but rather, soft and fluffy and good.  When we're kind and do good things (like sharing our toys), we feel that soft, fluffy feeling--we're peaceful and happy. (By the way, you can see the amazing book I mentioned in this next picture.)

I think they understood.

I just love the scarf over Gryffin John the Pirate's head here.

 Thanks for your help tonight, Mr. Tubbins. Golly, that girl is crazy about her bunny.

 After a bit of role playing about peaceful and unpeaceful acts, we of course roasted our s'mores to officially end our Kumbya. Man, I love how our whole house smells like camp... Camp Connelly. I have this wish that the smell of burnt marshmallows will always conjure warm feelings of these special family nights, even long after our kids are grown.

Uh oh. Little blunder. Don't worry, the kid got s'more...