Thursday, April 15, 2010

children and the wind

  My daughter reminded me of what a good friend the wind can be. We were taking the clothes off the line as a storm moved in. Huge gusts of air swept the sheets dramatically above her head and then released them  with a satisfying snap when she least expected it. What excitement!
 The rain hadn't begun, so I set off for other nearby chores and left her to run, giggle, and shout with the wind. This post is dedicated to all children who've delighted in the relief of a cool summer breeze and opened their arms wide to embrace a full gale before ducking inside for cover.
 Wind velocity is measured on a scale of 0-12, known as the Beaufort scale. Sir Francis Beaufort, a British Admiral, devised a method for determining wind speed in the early 1800's. We still use it today, but have adapted it to miles per hour. My kids and I have been talking about the different kinds of wind each day and determining what number we think it actually is at any given moment. I find the scale to be quite poetic. For instance a 2 ( 4-6 knots: light breeze) is described as:
sea- small wavelets, crests glassy, no breaking
land- wind felt on face, leave rustle, vanes begin to move
Of course, wind can be quite fierce, but here are some ideas  for its gentler side:
 pinwheels
my favorite easy kite
wind chimes
bubbles

These are some books we've enjoyed. The first two are old favorites. The last two have been new library discoveries.
Gilberto and the Wind
The Wind Blew 
Who Likes the Wind
Feel the Wind


Wind is quite magical, don't you think?



The Spring Wind
The summer wind
is soft and sweet
the winter wind is strong
the autumn wind is mischievous
and sweeps the leaves along.

The wind I love best
comes gently after the rain
smelling of spring and growing things
brushing the world with feathery wings
while everything glistens,and everything sings
in the spring wind
after the rain.

-Charlotte Zolotow
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21 comments:

  1. wow i'm the first, cool. I love the poem, never seen it before but love it. It sums up so many things that i love about all the seasons.

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  2. I love when the wind is telling you stories from some contries far away. And the poem is perfect for your blog note toaday. Greetinge, Inge

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  3. So glad you're enjoying the poem as much as we do!

    "the wind is telling you stories from some countries far away" oh, Inge! Yes!

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  4. it takes the heart of a child to remind us to delight in the simple pleasures :)

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  5. Loved this post. It brought back a fond memory from childhood.

    When we were younger we would play outside until right before we HAD to go in. When we could see there was a storm brewin' we would still play and have fun...but somehow we all knew when it was time to leave. As the wind picked up we knew it was time to start headin' home. Just as we would set our foot on the stoop and had the door close behind us the clouds would open up and down came the rain. Thanks for sharing

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  6. What a perfectly timed post! We've had our own bit of wind, and Scarlette gets so excited about it, she runs around yelling "winy, winy". (She doesn't quite have the 'd' yet.)

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  7. We re-discovered kite-flying a couple of years ago and now I always look forward to "good kite-flying weather". Watching the kites dancing on the wind is so therapeutic. Thanks for sharing that very lovely poem.

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  8. Great post. I just love seeing the delight of children in the "simple things." Gale (#8) winds here today. No clothes on the line today or they'd be blown to North or South Dakota!

    Jody

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  9. These comments are all so fabulous! Wind brings out the magic in ALL of us!

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  10. lovely post and photos - I shall check out the poetic Admiral. We sang a rhyme about the wind when my Abby was little ...

    Who can see the wind?
    Neither you nor I
    But when the trees bow down their heads
    The wind is passing by.

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  11. Yes - wind is totally magical! I find it the most beautiful and the most frightening of all the elements... and most of all love the sound of it when I'm in bed at night... and the cool drafts it sweeps beneath the windows in the bedroom.

    Thank you for this lovely post!

    Vikki :-)

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  12. we are in sync. today during my work hour at school I made works pertaining to the wind!!!

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  13. This is a lovely post and the last image is incredible!

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  14. love this post and the photos are amazing...wishing i could be playing in the wind and the sheets. reminds me of my grandmother it seems like she was always hanging laundry out.

    can't wait to get these books. headed to the library in the morning. my girl is going to love your wind facts. thank you!

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  15. She looks adorable. It's like one of the best candid shots I have ever seen. Nice one.

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  16. love this post... the pictures and reminders of the simple things that give JOY to my 5 y.o. dgtr!

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  17. Beautiful post maya . yes, the simple things in life, we really must stop, look around and enjoy!

    Your photos reminded me of this :
    http://zu4ki.livejournal.com/865.html

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  18. Kickcan and Conkders you always find the most incredible stuff out there! that link is AMAZING!

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  19. :)
    It's actually from the end of this post I did last year - one of my favourite blogs I think. I have never seen so much creativity in one place. If you have time, follow the link and look at this site. You must watch the video at the end of this post. It's beautiful and I think very moving!

    http://kickcanandconkers.blogspot.com/2009/11/happiness.html

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  20. very lovely post and beautiful photos. I will try to play morewith wind ;)

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  21. What a wonderful post; history, science, poetry, art and childhood delights. You have made me weep....that's a lot in one post!

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