Adventures in Keeping Kids Occupied Until School Starts

Inspired by this year's experiential learning approach to orientation at SYA, some days I assign the kids excursions within the walls of Viterbo.  Here's a sampling:

Kid Challenges

Excursion #1: Lesson in Bad Parenting

Find:
4 gelaterias
4 fontane
4 chiese
4 piazze (they may not be in conjunction with fontane)

Kids left apartment at 6:30pm to start their scavenger hunt.  Viterbo is a manageable town inside the walls, and it was still light.  Daniel and I took advantage of the non-kid time to walk to the grocery store since we run out of food every three days or so (no Costco size store or American size fridge here).  Pleased with ourselves, we returned, hung out, and then, as dusk settled and darkness started to settle in at 8:10pm, I got worried (clearly not a new theme here even though I don't actually consider myself a worrier) and went out searching for them.  Nearly panicked, I called Daniel at 8:20, and he agreed that we needed reinforcements (his word).  I called colleagues Amy and Warren, who reported for duty, made the plan for stupefied (right word here?) me; unflappable Warren told me how he talked to the kids early afternoon while they looked at the map of Viterbo at SYA, so he had an idea of which piazza they might be in.  Five minutes later, Daniel called Pat, the SYA director (and a friend), and he and his wife prepared to drive over to help search.

At 8:40, the kids arrived home.  Upon arriving home, Sebastian exclaimed, "We did it!"

Mary had encouraged the group to head home earlier not because she was nervous (they were just fine) but because she thought that her mom would be nervous once it got dark.  (Good job, Mary.)

This day scared me plenty...but didn't stop me from assigning another excursion for the next day.  I did learn, however, to have the kids go out earlier in day, to give an ending time, and to give them one of our phones.


Excursion #2: Sweets always available.

Find:
4 pasticceria
4 porta
4 scalini/staircases
4 tabacchi

Savvy: Shockingly, kids could find only 1 pasticceria, so they ate cannoli there. Fortunately (?) for them, this pasticceria is across the street from our apartment.  Fortunately for me, they did not stay out til dark or past dark searching for other pasticcerias that don't exist within the walls.


Excursion #3: Practical

Find your way to Paradiso (their school...which begins -- finally -- September 14) and back, using a different porta by which to return.

They did this one easily and were quite proud of themselves and pleased with me that this excursion took under 45 minutes.

(Daniel was informed this week that he must drive the kids to school when it rains.  He hadn't planned on it.  He said to this colleague/friend, "Would it reflect on my parenting if I don't drive them when it rains?"  The answer an indisputable, "Yes.")  (Truth is that they'll be soaked anyway because it takes seven minutes to walk to the car.)



Excursion #4: Viva Santa Rosa!

Find all the sostata (stops) for the procession of the Santa Rosa macchina, thereby following the route of the macchina.
AND
Find names of all gelaterias we have frequented within the walls.

Not surprising: They texted me while they were searching and I was out walking, "Want to meet us for gelato?"  Of course.

Surprising: There are five stops, not four as they thought, on the route.  :)


Excursion #5: Mangia mangia!

Go to Emme Piu (the grocery store) with Daniel and learn the names of five foods.
S = farfalle, uva, uova, sausaggio, tostate, salsiccia
M =  lievito, zucchero, uova
C = latte, noi voi (not a food, but the store brand), mela, nutella (biggest jar I've ever seen)
H = ciccoria (my preparation was subpar, but I've had delicious versions of this green vegetable), insalata, arancia, pomodoro, melanzane, cocomero (full disclosure: Hannah had no foods when they arrived home, and I wanted ciccoria, so she came across the street with me to Frutte e Verdura and we picked up a few things)

This evening after dinner I noticed the kitchen door was closed.  Daniel and Connor were in there doing dishes.  Closed door set off alarms in my head: they are finding the Nutella that Sebastian hid!  I ran in, caught them, and revealed the hiding place (the tin in which we're keeping kitchen towels).  How did you know what we were doing?  Connor asked.  How do I tell him that 1) I have much practice in hiding and finding certain forbidden foods, and 2) I am as sneaky as they are so of course a closed door was a tip-off,  3) I so wanted some nutella, too, so I wanted to get some before they ate it all (not that there is truly any danger of such since this jar is huge).