Prices are in CAD
Prices are in CAD
Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
January 9, 2009
Stop. Take a moment to see that a box really is Not a Box. It's a great feeling.
Each morning, I have a special routine with Theodore to help him transition from home to preschool with relative ease. Any day that the routine goes off kilter...so does he. And, it's not pretty. So, no matter how rushed (I think) I am, I make sure that there is time to read him a story before we say goodbye for the day. And, we always have fun!
Today he picked a particularly fun story that made him giggle with every turn of the page. For me, it was one of those precious 'ah-ha' moments when I really got to see my little boy. The story is so simple and fun and it so easily made me forget about everything else that didn't matter at that moment. Just Theodore and his Mommy. Sadly, by the time I got to my car, I found myself frustrated. Why do we, as adults, have to complicate everything? What happens to us as we 'grow up' to make us unlearn the simple things in life?
If you haven't read the award-winning Not a Box by Antoinette Portis, I highly recommend you do (this link gives you a preview). Find it at your local library or, do what I did, pop online and order it. It's a keeper. I hope it helps you see life through your children's eyes and how everything isn't as it seems. Today I saw that late is not late. It's snapping at your child to hurry up thereby hurting his feelings. It's a speeding ticket or an accident. It's a quiet car ride that could be filled with chat and laughter. I vow to never be late again. A box is Not a Box.
So here's an idea. At the Harper Collins website for Not a Box, there is a book activity download for book retailers. The concept is to invite children to bring their own plain box to the store to transform them into Not a Box. What fun! Even better, as parents, how brilliant would you be to turn this into a birthday party, a playdate or simply a rainy day project?!
You can find recycled boxes anywhere these days - office supply stores, storage facilities, grocery and liquor stores. Gather art supplies like scissors, glue sticks, markers, crayons, bits of construction paper, stickers, paint, sticky foam, felt, string, wrapping paper, ribbons and bows or anything you have around the house.
Have fun! And, if you try this with your kids, comment below and tell us all about it - send us some pics and we'll post them!
Post filed under: Indoor/Outdoor Activities
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