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| Joey on his Bike. Yes, he has a helmet & pads galore, but they're still packed away in a moving box. |
--------------------(above this line, Joey typed, below this line, Joey dictated)
This is me on my bike, riding my bike. Because I fall and I say, "I'm still pedaling!" like Sheep, like in Word World.
-------------------- (above this line, Joey dictated, below this line, Mom's interpretation)
Joey learned to ride his bike yesterday. Of course, I didn't have a camera! So, I told him that I'd record him today. As soon as I stopped recording, Joey took a (minor) dive, but he recalled an episode of WordWorld in which Sheep learns to ride a bike. When she falls, she keeps air-pedaling and cries out, "I'm still pedaling!" You can bet Mr. Hilarious took his cue from her and had me laughing with his perfectly timed impression.
-------------------- (above this line, Mom's interpretation, below this line, Mom's comments)
About the Video:
We bought a glider for Joey last October, which he used constantly up until about 4 months ago. Life has been going through a number of major transitions since March, and although I was hoping to teach him to ride before he turned three, it just didn't happen. For Christmas he received his Toy Story Bike, but we've mainly been waiting for him to grow into it lol. Yes, as soon as it was bought, an overly-excited family-member allowed him to ride the training-wheel-equipped version of the bike, which he enjoyed. I didn't want him to become dependent on the training wheels, though, so I took them off asap, and wouldn't let him ride until he was tall enough to plant his feet (ok, his toes) squarely on the ground to keep from toppling over.
His height and my schedule finally coincided last week to start his lessons.
1) Attempt One lasted about 15 minutes, but the biggest issue was my inability to hold onto his bike correctly. I didn't realize, but somehow I was pulling the back wheel out from under him, preventing him from getting a good balance on his own. Five tries was the deal, so that's what we did.
2) Attempt Two was a few days later and lasted about the same time, but he only tried about three times. I corrected what I was doing wrong, and he was doing a good job keeping balance and pedaling. On his third try I let go very briefly; he just didn't quite realize. On his own he maintained his balance while pedaling, even if for a few feet, and his ear-to-ear grin as the wind blew past his cheeks was so worth the wait! He was proud and so was I!
3) Several more days passed, and I finally took him again yesterday, Attempt Three. I had his sister in the stroller with me, which probably motivated me to let go sooner, but that's all he needed! On his first try he was pedaling and balanced - on his own - for a significant distance (several houses long!) So neat! We stayed outside for more than two hours on the bike; three, if you include the tricycle and scooter. Of course we went out again today. My boy's getting big *sigh* :-)
About the Post:
Joey's been reading for a little bit, and practicing his letters since well before last Christmas, but he's had a curiosity for typing, and I wanted to encourage it, hence, the blog. He's pecked for a few minutes, but we haven't sat to do much other than his name. To get him to do the one sentence above took much longer than I had expected! LOL But as a parent, it's always good to practice my skills in patience ;-) He enjoyed running his fingers lightly across all the windows, almost like he would do on the piano. He also seemed to relish at holding a letter and then timing the backspace button such that he didn't erase everything, only what he intended. So, the one sentence was good enough for me, and him too, I think! After getting that far, I suggested that he dictate (we've done this in his writing journal before), and he seemed to get a kick out of seeing his words produced so quickly. I'm looking forward to seeing how this activity progresses with him.
If you have kiddos who would like to video/comment reply, I think Joey would love to make some online friends. If you are comfortable mentioning your location (continent, country, state, whatever makes you comfortable) and anything 'teachable', it would help make some geographic connections for him. Thanks!
