Ask Google

It's a feature I've avoided, being generally creeped out by the concept of talking to my handheld device. More precicsely, I am creeped out by that moment when my phone informs me it is listening to me.

But when I showed Sebastian how to ask Google a question on my new tablet, he was enchanted. He keeps coming up with new questions he needs to ask it, when we're drivng in the car, when we're walking down the street. And he holds onto those questions until we have an internet connection, and I can agian grant him access to this magical oracle.

"Okay Google" meets the insatiable curiosity of a four year old. It's a synergistic combination. Questions my particular four year old has asked Google so far:

Is there really such a thing as a volcano that sprays cold lava?
What are the Star Wars movies like?
What does it look like inside your body?
How do you make a tv show?
Is there really such a thing as a robot arm?

Question he came up with in the car on the way to Preschool this morning, and will no doubt be awaiting his chance to ask when he gets home:

"How do you make chocolate?"

It didn't matter at all that I was also able to offer him an answer to this question. After I gave  him my best answer, he wanted just as keenly to ask Google. Which is the point where I started to wonder if I was being obseleted by this new thing - a machine that can answer a four year old's questions, tirelessly, and without irritation.

I still am sometimes amazed when I realise that this isn't just the world my kid lives in, this is the only world he's ever lived in. This is not magic to him, or the amazing stuff of sci-fi novels made real. It's just everyday life. This tablet is just an ordinary household object.

Playing Hooky

An impromptu trip to Paraparaumu, just Sebastian and me. We chilled at the cafe. Played on the playground. Climbed trees. Messed about on the beach.



The "fishing net" at the cool nautical themed playground. I caught a fish too cute to eat.

I Am A Robot

New use for old Christmas Cracker packaging.

Pancakes

Sebastian has been doing completely self led baking experiments lately. Yesterday's ended up being pancakes! He helped me cook them of course



This was the first baking experiment that he actually liked eating as well. He had 3 or 4. I had one too they were pretty good!

Sparkly Mask

This is his good guy mask. Also the entire floor of his room is covered in glitter now. And also the garage. "I'm making the whole house beautiful!"

Crafty

Sebastian has on a mission of making things lately. Here he is busy making things with the modelling clay we got last weekend.



And here's what happened after I gave him some yarn yesterday.

Garlic

My first garlic harvest.

Tree

Fully decorated Solstice Tree.

Solstice Morning

Opening cloth-wrapped presents.

Making Ornaments

Last week we all took some time to work on making ornaments for the Solstice Tree together. We mainly used items found at the beach - shells, little rocks, sea glass,
bits of driftwood, beads and ribbons.



Loren displays a string of paper cranes - part if the Solstice decorations this year.

Solstice Tree

In progress last week. We declared it finished this weekend and spent some time working on decorations.

In the Tall Grass

We took a walk Friday morning. Ended up watching them install the new Plunket building - which arrived on the back of a truck! We sat I'm the Tall grass and watched and Sebastian picked so many dandelions.

Sebastian The Pirate

... holding his telescope (a roll of contact paper) and his gold dubloons (some Mardi Gras coins) and wearing his pirate hat. The couch was our pirate ship, decorated with fairy lights for Solstice, of course.

Rainbow Heart

Sebastian proudly showing me and Loren the rainbow heart activity when we picked him up from Montessori Preschool last week.

Face Paint

Rainbow Dash cutie mark face paint, done by Tutu.

Bath Time

On the swing

In the back garden. Spring is here and we ate getting outside more. I was happy to see Sebastian making good use of his home made tree swing this morning.

Helping

Sebastian helping me make Loren's birthday cake. The most important step: licking the spoon.

Down the Big Slide

Going down the big slide with Daddy at Aotea Lagoon last weekend.

Sprouting Kumera

The kumera I am sprouting is looking just about ready for Spring to arrive. The thing is reminding me of the giant tree in Laputa.