Pike Place Market

One of the joys of living so close to Seattle (we're about 45 minutes away) is being able to go to Pike Place Market. Yesterday, we were trying to decide what to do for the day, and Chad suggested heading down there, since the last time we'd gone was last May. We asked Emma what she wanted to do, and she declared, "Seattle!" When I asked if she wanted to go to the market, she shouted, "Yes!" and ran off to her room.

I heard her digging around in her toys up there, and just about the time my curiosity was getting the better of me, she came back down carrying this:


She got this little mermaid doll from a vendor at Pike Place Market almost a year ago. I couldn't believe that she remembered! Apparently her mermaid needed some friends, so I told her we'd try to find the same vendor.

It was a great day - yummy food, lots of cool vendors, street musicians, and we even had a chance encounter with another family with an adorable 4-year-old boy with Down syndrome!








When we got to one part of the market, Emma ran ahead and was looking around. I asked her what she was looking for, and she said, "Where are the dolls?" We were in the spot where the vendor had been last year! Again, I was amazed at Emma's memory. Unfortunately, the vendor wasn't there, so we wandered around until we found her. Emma got some friends for her mermaid, and that's what made the day a real success for her.


It was a real lesson for me. I'm always underestimating what Emma can remember. We work so hard helping her remember and learn what are, to many of us, little things - especially anything to do with numbers. I forget that learning needs to not only be concrete for Emma, it needs to be relevant. If math made an impression on Emma like Pike Place Market and a doll, she'd probably be doing calculus by now! There has to be a way to make those connections for her. If I find it, I'll share it.