Sunday, June 17, 2012

Input-->Output

Gordon Lee has a toy elephant that operates under a very basic principle.  If you put a ball in its left ear, the ball will come out of its nose.  There are times when the ball will pop up and land in the elephant's right ear and go down into its "stomach" where it sits.  This toy has Gordon Lee intrigued.  
He understands that if he puts a ball in the elephant's nose, a ball will come back out.  He knows that if he places a ball in the elephant's left ear, he cannot grab it back out.  I have tried to show him repeatedly that the ball goes in through the left ear and out through the nose.  However, I'm not sure he grasps this yet.  He will stand and stare at it as if trying to figure out this whole mechanism and how exactly it operates.  For all I know, he may understand how it works but not care for the fact that he can't grab the ball back out of the ear or nose once it is in there.  
He seems to be very happy with the bottom part because he can put balls in and take them out of there with no problem.
He understands how to turn the toy on.  And he seems to comprehend that when he turns the machine on at least one ball will come out of its nose. Of course, that is unless he's thrown them all around the living room..in which case, he will look at it bewildered as to why no ball is coming out of the elephant's nose even though he turned the machine on.
Yesterday, he tried sticking some of his other toy balls in the elephant.  And much to his disappointment, they were too large and would not work with it.  He also seems to enjoy grabbing one ball, clutching it tightly and running off with it as if to say, "This one isn't leaving my sight!"

Today, he decided to bring one to me..perhaps for safekeeping.
If only I could understand the inner workings of his mind! Much like his intrigue with how his elephant toy processes balls, I find myself amazed at just how Gordon Lee processes information.

I will try my hardest to teach him things.  Sometimes, I am successful.  Sometimes, I wonder what is going into that little brain.  Then, there are other times when I find it amusing what he picks up.  Parents, tiny eyes are always watching you even when you don't know it! Almost every day for the past several months, I have sung "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" with him doing the same hand motions every time.  Surely, surely, I'd think he'd tried to mimic me.  But, no, what is the first song he mimics? "Pat-a-cake." I rarely sing this one with him.  He has heard it from both sets of grandparents and other friends and relatives.  But I definitely did not sing this one with him very often or even do any clapping when I did.  Yet, one day, I start saying "Pat-a-cake Pat-a-cake" and he began clapping! He has just now started trying to do the motions of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." But these things really amaze me with what he absorbs (and often so quickly)!

One thing I have noticed about Gordon Lee is that he seems to internalize a lot of information.  With almost every skill he has learned, he will do it a few times (usually much to my surprise at the time) and then seems to leave it alone until about 2 months later when he just starts doing it like it's second nature.  With walking, he took 3-4 random steps at around 7 months.  He then did it a few other rare times.  But he mostly stuck to cruising furniture.  Then, a little after he turned 9 months old, he just started walking like it was no big deal.  At about 3 months, he first rolled over deliberately.  However, it was so rare that it almost seemed like I'd made it up. Then, about two months later, he just started rolling like it was nothing.  This has also been the same with just about everything! 

I will definitely be interested to see if this continues with him as he grows up! Oh the joys of having a teacher for a mother...I'm sure he'll grow tired of my analysis of his learning curve. :)