OT entertaining a 6 year-old?

Yes, Doc. It was in there. I reckon, considering my condition, that you
should have put it all caps with asterisks and stuff. As to Yogi - that's
strange. Lots I don't know. Well. . . of course, there's lots I don't
know. Yogi stayed well out of reach of the 6 year-old and he's just such a
sucker for friends, neighbors, shoppers at Lowe's or anybody that ventures
down our road. Can't explain it but he did Not want the little visitor
within touching range. He didn't bark or bite; just maintained about a 5 ft
perimeter. We're not going to talk to him about being compassionate. The
small terrier was probably just protecting his little self. We know Yorkies
and small children are not a good mix. Yogi knows that too. Maybe you
should have loaned me Fudge. He could have played fetch and keep-away as
long as they lasted. Polly




"Dr. Zachary Smith" wrote in message
...
No one mentioned the energy level of the
6 year-old.

Ummm... It was in there...

On Oct 4, 9:18 am, "Dr. Zachary Smith"
wrote:
...
Polly, *you* drive the golf cart and let her do a nature walk &
collect stuff to do things with later.
....
She may also
need something more physical (exercise or to wear her down to your
speed - depends on the kid).

My last bit of advice. Think like Yogi. Kids (especially 6 and
younger) are more like dogs than we think.
Kids & dogs are always on the wrong side of a door.
Kids & dogs always need something just as you sit down.
Kids & dogs always need a snack/drink at the most inopportune times.
The list goes on...


On Oct 4, 6:07 pm, "Polly Esther" wrote:
Thanks and no thanks. The little one has gone to her grandmother's. We
had
a happy, busy time. I am Killed. No one mentioned the energy level of
the
6 year-old. Someone should have warned me to take a nap before she
arrived
and to get help. I think I'll go to bed tonight with the chickens. I
may
go before that. Polly

Can't explain it but he did Not want the little visitor
within touching range. He didn't bark or bite; just maintained about a 5 ft
perimeter.

Dogs may be dumb, but they're not STUPID! We have a rule/saying
around he Dogs are responsible for their *own bodies*! Which means
it's their responsibility to watch out for clumsy humans and get the
cuss out of the way. Most dogs learn this on their own by age 2. We
just have a little fun with it. Our other rule/saying in that regard
is: What's the fun/point in having a dog if you can't goof on him?
Let there be no doubt, dogs have/find their ways of goofing on us
humans too.

Maybe you
should have loaned me Fudge. He could have played fetch and keep-away as
long as they lasted.

More likely he'd lick the skin right off her face. He's into licking
faces & ears right now... HARD. Puts his whole body & soul into it.

Doc

On Oct 4, 10:13*pm, "Polly Esther" wrote:
Yes, Doc. *It was in there. *I reckon, considering my condition, that you
should have put it all caps with asterisks and stuff. *As to Yogi - that's
strange. *Lots I don't know. *Well. . . of course, there's lots I don't
know. *Yogi stayed well out of reach of the 6 year-old and he's just such a
sucker for friends, neighbors, shoppers at Lowe's or anybody that ventures
down our road. *Can't explain it but he did Not want the little visitor
within touching range. *He didn't bark or bite; just maintained about a 5 ft
perimeter. *We're not going to talk to him about being compassionate. *The
small terrier was probably just protecting his little self. *We know Yorkies
and small children are not a good mix. *Yogi knows that too. Maybe you
should have loaned me Fudge. *He could have played fetch and keep-away as
long as they lasted. *Polly

"Dr. Zachary Smith" wrote in ...



No one mentioned the energy level of the
6 year-old.

Ummm... *It was in there...

On Oct 4, 9:18 am, "Dr. Zachary Smith"
wrote:
...
Polly, *you* drive the golf cart and let her do a nature walk &
collect stuff to do things with later.
....
She may also
need something more physical (exercise or to wear her down to your
speed - depends on the kid).

My last bit of advice. *Think like Yogi. *Kids (especially 6 and
younger) are more like dogs than we think.
Kids & dogs are always on the wrong side of a door.
Kids & dogs always need something just as you sit down.
Kids & dogs always need a snack/drink at the most inopportune times.
The list goes on...

On Oct 4, 6:07 pm, "Polly Esther" wrote:
Thanks and no thanks. *The little one has gone to her grandmother's. *We
had
a happy, busy time. *I am Killed. *No one mentioned the energy level of
the
6 year-old. Someone should have warned me to take a nap before she
arrived
and to get help. *I think I'll go to bed tonight with the chickens. *I
may
go before that. *Polly- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

(((((( Polly ))))) My condolences to you and your family. A shocking
loss like yours tends to get the better of most of us. I'm glad you
were there for the little one. And I hope you know what a huge
compliment the girl paid by choosing you as her shelter during a very
difficult time.

Love,
Sunny

On Mon, 4 Oct 2010 08:18:56 -0500, Dr. Zachary Smith wrote
(in article
):

On Oct 3, 11:46*pm, Sherry wrote:
On Oct 3, 10:13*pm, "Polly Esther" wrote:

Friday a beloved relative had foot surgery and died from a blood clot. *He
was only 57. *We are stunned and hurting. *His 6 year-old granddaughter has
asked to come stay with me during the church and cemetery rituals. *It's
pretty tough to put our grief aside, let her parents and grandparents
grieve
and try to shelter the young one at the same time and good that she thinks
I'm a comfortable person to visit with.
* * Hard to put all that into a preamble . . . but - I have a few ideas on
keeping a 6 year-old occupied - cookies, drawing, learning some simple tune
on the child size piano. *Will probably let her drive the golf cart in the
pasture. *The pickup truck quilt is underway and she can choose some faces
from my I Spy stash for looking out the truck's windows.
* * Help me. *Our youngest grands are in their twenties and I am badly
wanting reminding of the attention span and needs of one this young. *What
do I do for distraction and/or comforting? *Polly

Polly, I am so sorry for your family's loss. The same thing happened
to
my grandmother. All they were doint was putting a little pacemaker
under the skin of her knee, which wasn't healing well after a previous
surgery.

You sound like a dream babysitter though, my gosh! I'm betting the
golf cart
will be a big hit. One thing I do remember about 6 year old girls also
is
that they love to play dress-up, and if there's costume jewelry or
mardi gras
beads involved, all the better. Does she like dolls? Bet she'd love to
sit
with you and help create simple doll clothes or blankets. (but it
seems not
all little girls play with dolls nowadays).
Do little girls still play Candyland? Naw, probably not. They probably
have
Ipad versions or something.

Sherry

Do little girls still play Candyland? Naw, probably not. They probably
have
Ipad versions or something.

I was never a little girl (I assure you) but I was 6 a few times, and
I did spend considerable time (a week to a month at a shot) with... my
grandparents and other elders, who had no clue how to entertain a 6
yr. old kid. One set wasn't too bad - they had a few toys left from
aunts & uncles, & took me fun places - the other's idea of
entertaining me was dragging me to Bingo with her.... 'nuff said.

Kids still play games, including board games (though I'd go for
something a little more challenging/stimulating than C-land.) I
prefer that *younger* kids play face-to-face board games rather than
on a computer due to the socialization with oth)er human beings
involved. There are skills to be learned/honed that cannot be learned
on a computer.

That said, I'm gonna do a quick 180 and also extol the virtues of
*selective* television (Kids programming, WB cartoons, DVDs). As a
child of the '60s (you know that, right?) the TV was my nanny.
("Ohhhh, THAT explains a lot," you muse.) Nevertheless, for those
brief intervals when Grammy needs a few to regroup, an hour or two of
judiciously chosen Toob is ok.

Read aloud. Some of my best memories of that age were of adults
reading aloud to me. Fairy taled, Arabian Nights, Science Fiction,
whatever she likes... Kids can *listen*/comprehend at levels far
above what they can actually read (or view in movies, for that
matter).

Polly, *you* drive the golf cart and let her do a nature walk &
collect stuff to do things with later. Stones, leaves, flowers (if
there are any left), ferns, gator eggs... (oh, yeah... she's a girl -
maybe not gator eggs. ...or maybe so.)

You've probably got arts & crafts covered. You mentioned drawing.
Got crayons? Got blocks? (building blocks, legos... something free-
form requiring creativiry/imagination). I've never been a parent, but
I've rented on weekends, and IIRC, 6 yr. olds don't have a lot of
gender differentiation yet when it comes to activities. She may also
need something more physical (exercise or to wear her down to your
speed - depends on the kid).

My last bit of advice. Think like Yogi. Kids (especially 6 and
younger) are more like dogs than we think.
Kids & dogs are always on the wrong side of a door.
Kids & dogs always need something just as you sit down.
Kids & dogs always need a snack/drink at the most inopportune times.
The list goes on...

Doc

As someone whose rented a 7 and a 3 year old on occassion, may I also add
that Quiet Time is your friend. A couple of well chosen library books, a
puzzle, or some books on tape/cd and everyone goes to their room for a bit o
quiet time.

Now mind you, the 7 year old was at first aggrieved by the idea and told his
Mom in the most indignant 7 year old voice imaginable "They made me have
quiet time." Mom's response was "That's nice. I make you take a nap." He
decided quiet time wasn't so bad after all.

Maureen

On 04/10/2010 04:13, Polly Esther wrote:
Friday a beloved relative had foot surgery and died from a blood clot.
He was only 57. We are stunned and hurting. His 6 year-old granddaughter
has asked to come stay with me during the church and cemetery rituals.
It's pretty tough to put our grief aside, let her parents and
grandparents grieve and try to shelter the young one at the same time
and good that she thinks I'm a comfortable person to visit with.
Hard to put all that into a preamble . . . but - I have a few ideas on
keeping a 6 year-old occupied - cookies, drawing, learning some simple
tune on the child size piano. Will probably let her drive the golf cart
in the pasture. The pickup truck quilt is underway and she can choose
some faces from my I Spy stash for looking out the truck's windows.
Help me. Our youngest grands are in their twenties and I am badly
wanting reminding of the attention span and needs of one this young.
What do I do for distraction and/or comforting? Polly

Sidewalk chalk and bubbles. You can make your own bubbles with washing
up liquid and a small bucket of warm water. Use an old wire hanger to
make a huge bubble wand.... hours of fun with those two things. I
entertained my nieces and nephews when not much older than them with this!


-- Jo in Scotland