Some days are more interesting than others. Some objects are more interesting than others. In a world increasingly taken over by computers and screens (something I’m not opposed to) there remain simple toys and simple pleasures that can inspire the imagination and teach concepts far better than any interactive video ever could (especially for children young enough to be struggling with language). When we lived in Texas one of the primary things you needed in a home was a ceiling fan. The heat was very hot and a little moving air could work wonders. Since we lived in a rather flat portion of the state it was possible for great gusts of wind to pick up a great amount of speed for a long period of time. Wind was a constant. As such, there were also windmills everywhere. Our son learned the word “fan” quite early in his life and applied that word (I think quite aptly) to the windmill. Recently he was given a small toy: a spinning pin-wheel windmill. Oh, the joy!
First he had to learn how it worked. You could spin the colorful wheels with your fingers, or by blowing on them, or by running with it in your hand. Eventually he became a pro. He was spinning in circles and running back and forth in the house. His efforts were sometimes hilarious. Holding the pin-wheel at arms length (to his side) and spinning in circles successfully produced the spinning he desired. The funny part was watching him strain his eyeballs to the side in order to see it (while spinning like a maniac himself). He fell down. He laughed. I laughed. It was a great bit of fun that was had by all. Eventually he found a fan and placed the pin-wheel in front of it. After figuring out the angle he could watch it forever with little to no effort… but that wasn’t fun enough. He went back to the spinning. Carry on, son!