Earthquake

We spent quite a bit of time outside this weekend, and while the girls are beyond thrilled to have all that space to themselves (read: a backyard), they aren't altogether sure what to do out there yet, and having lived in the concrete jungle myself for the past 12 years, I'm not sure I'm the best guide. Thanks to my friend Kim, I have at least revived the games Red Light, Green Light and Simon Says, which Eleri doesn't get but enjoys nonetheless, and which Clio likes to play but LOVES to create new rules and versions for.

Clio, never lacking for imagination or a sense of invention, is making it up as she goes along, and I'm loving her sense of discovery. Yesterday, she collected some rocks from around the driveway and gathered them together like this:


"Mom," she said, "look at my earthquake!" Then she proceeded to pour water over the rocks.

I asked her if she remembered what we had told her about earthquakes following the spate of them of late, and she nodded, pointing to the rocks and saying: "these are the plates that moved." This time I nodded, and told her that the plates are deep inside the earth, far beneath where we can see. "I know mom," she said. She gestured to an invisible line about level with her eyes, and clarified: "those are the plates, and the earth is up here!"

Pretty good. I suppose in this analogy, the water she poured over the top would be the ocean? I see no other explanation. Next time, I suppose I had better ask.