Last night was a chilly one and for sure one of the chilliest, so far. But the air has a nice, crisp feeling to it to jumpstart your day. If not the cold, then definitely the need to run into Walmart to use the bathroom. Walmart stores that open at 7am are always a nice thing. But today was more about learning and making new friends than the cold, as the day was beautiful and sunny.
Video to come!
Morning
As I mentioned, it was cold in the morning but with the sun shining, we knew it would be a great day to explore and cross Confederation Bridge over to PEI. Ethan was particularly excited about the bridge, and so were we.
But first, Ethan worked on his Grade 4 assessment, as we’re trying to get him to do a little each day to get it done. He definitely doesn’t like the writing and may need to work on reading comprehension, but we’ll see after the assessment results come back. We know he understands everything, but it’s most likely that he may not enjoy what he’s reading or writing about that’s the issue. After having written multiple issues of The Adventures of the Box, we know that he can write when he’s motivated and excited to.
Last night, Ethan made some paper airplanes while we were driving and put little presents in them. He was throwing them to Dong Eun and these are what he put in.
Breakfast this morning was oatmeal, and after, we crossed the street to Costco to try and find some warm clothes for Ethan to wear at night. He often kicks off the covers, but since it’s cold, he then gets cold. So something warmer to wear was in order.
While at Costco, we checked out some educational books and found a few that Ethan liked, except for the writing one, of course. But he was quite excited to get a math book that explains all the different math concepts students from age 9-16 would need to know. It’s actually a book for parents, but Ethan found it fascinating.
No, we didn’t have any Costco poutine, by the way.
Afternoon
It was now time to head over to PEI and cross Confederation Bridge. On the way, we stopped at a town called Shediac to see the giant lobster.
While there, we decided to have lunch before going to PEI. Ethan took the opportunity to pick some flowers for Dong Eun and then he spent quite a lot of time reading his new math book and telling us all the new things he’s learning.
Ethan added a custom touch to his egg salad sandwich… chocolate chips!
Ethan really enjoys all things math and couldn’t put down his new math book. We find it interesting that he likes math so much because he also likes being creative.
One reason why I think he enjoys math is because we always presented math as something that occurs in every day life. We avoided talking about math in a negative way to avoid creating a negative association with it. It’s something we try to do with just about everything, as we want Ethan to form his own opinions. We’re not perfect parents, and it’s not always easy to do, but we try not to program him with our own biases or judgements.
While in Shediac, we ran into Dan and Loretta from BC again. They are a really sweet couple, so it was very nice to run into them again. And Ethan really likes them, as he was more excited than we were to see them, I think. Maybe it’s because they’re grandparents and love kids, so he enjoys the kind of attention that only grandparents can give.
We thought it would be fun to go to the Anne of Green Gables Heritage site together, so we all hit the road and crossed the 12.9km Confederation Bridge. It was a blast to cross and the view was amazing. Hard to believe people built this.
That’s also something we try to teach Ethan and I first heard it from an old Steve Jobs interview. He said that when you realize that everything around us was imagined and created by someone who is no smarter than you or I, it makes you realize that you can also do great or special things. The only limit is ourselves.
Anyway, Confederation Bridge was awesome.
On the other side, we stopped for some photos and marvelled once again at the bridge.
I usually take photos of Dong Eun and Ethan together and the two of them usually try to come up with a pose or funny face. But lately, Ethan has been saying that he will put on a funny face, so Dong Eun will do it, but then he’ll just smile normally. Like in the photo with the PEI heart.
So, with our friends in tow, drove through PEI towards Cavendish and the Green Gables site. PEI is amazingly beautiful. Everywhere you look, it’s the idyllic country setting you see in postcards and in movies with the little house nestled on perfect patch of green grass. And even the potato farms look amazing. The photos don’t do it justice, so it’s a place you have to visit.
At some point along the way, we managed to lose Dan and Loretta. They’re pulling a big fifth wheel so it takes them a little more time to get around some smaller roads. We didn’t realize they weren’t behind anymore until we arrived at the Anne of Green Gables site.
The site was closed when we arrived but you can still wander in and look around. The massive sunflowers caught our eye first.
But interestingly, we met a couple named Avneet and Winnie who were also at the giant lobster! And more interesting is that they’re also from BC, and that Avneet used to live about 10 minutes from where we live.
They both moved to Toronto almost 3 years ago and are enjoying living and working there. They told us about the Glasgow Lobster Supper so we agreed to try and meet there for dinner. Super nice couple and again, so great to meet new people, and for Ethan to see us interacting with them, while on the road trip.
Evening – No Lobster
Unfortunately, the lobster place was closed for the season! Not a big deal, as the drive around PEI was so nice while going to the local Walmart for the night.
Before dinner, Ethan worked some more on his assessment. We know that he doesn’t like writing, that he’s more into hands on things and math. The challenge for us is finding something for him to do that lets him practice writing without making the activity about the writing.
For dinner, instead of lobster, it was pasta with smoked salmon and feta cheese from Nova Scotia. Not a bad compromise because the cheese and salmon were awesome.
With dinner done, we went over to Dan and Loretta’s for a chat and to check out their fifth wheel trailer. It was pretty impressive because it’s exactly like a home on wheels, complete with an oven and full shower. We had a great time chatting with them and hearing about their fifth wheeler, along with enjoying Loretta’s amazing homemade pumpkin pie, which is by far the best we’ve ever had. Period.
Tomorrow, we’ll see about exploring PEI a little more and also see if I can get Juju Jr. in for an oil change, as he’s due for one. But for tonight, we’ll savour the memories of making new friends and enjoying yummy pie.
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