Appreciating What We Have

Yesterday's activity from Teaching Your Children Joy involved trying to do normal things while pretending we were missing certain body parts.  For example:

• Tape your thumb and forefinger together.  Then try to pick up a penny or open a jar of peanut butter.
• Make a fist with your hand and then try to put on your shoe.
• Try to walk up/down stairs without bending your knees.
• Plug your nose and try to smell something fragrant (I used something unrecognizable so Beck wouldn't react before he'd tried to smell it.  Shrimp paste did the trick!)
• Cover your ears and try to hear what's going on around you.

Beck thought most of these activities were hilarious.  He giggled and giggled.  On a serious note, though, it led smoothly into a conversation about people who are different from us and who's body parts don't always work like ours do.  We talked about being blind or deaf, about having arms or legs that don't work or are missing.  It was a nice conversation to help prepare Beck for encountering people different than him and understanding that all people have their own unique strengths and weaknesses.