The box said ages 3 and up.  Luke just turned two.  Oh well, what do they know?

We purchased five different sets of Lincoln Logs.  We started out looking on eBay and bid on a few there.  One of the challenges is adding the cost of shipping.  To determine the fair price for a new set, we checked out Wal-Mart.  Sometimes the new ones on Wal-Mart are cheaper than the used ones on eBay.  The kicker is that Wal-Mart will ship to your local store for free.  That makes it pretty much a no brainer to just order them from Wal-Mart.

We pieced together five sets.  I thought that would give us a pretty good assortment to be able to build almost anything.  However, that is not really how it works out.   I think we only have about three of the “four-way” logs.  We have barely enough “three-way” logs to build a simple cabin.  However, we have a bunch of “two-way” logs and a ton of “one-way” logs.  In an effort to try to use as many of the logs we have to build something, we built the following structure.

While holding Luke up to inspect the tower, he found that he could drop things into the top and they would disappear.  This is him trying to figure out where they went.

As he is peering into the tower, he utters one of his popular sayings, “Where it go?”  This boy is such a joy to have in our home.

From the list that I compiled during a recent training event, here is the starting list of things I want to teach or do with Luke.  The numbering is random.  I only included them for the sake of discussion.

This list is a very rough draft.  It needs to be grouped into categories both for the type of activity and the targeted age.  I would also guess people will find “obvious” omissions that must be on the list.  Again, I stress, this was just a starting point.

1. Skip a rock
2. Tie a shoe
3. Potty training
4. Calculate Interest
5. Archery
6. Listening
7. Reading
8. Monoply, Clue, Life
9. Sand Castle
10. Change oil
11. Write a thank you
12. Public speaking
13. Get a license to drive
14. Charades
15. Reset a breaker
16. Call poison control
17. Rappelling
18. Set the table
19. Measurements
20. Woodworking (need to expand)
21. Planting / simple farming
22. Interview for a job
23. Homework
24. Map reading
25. Count money
26. Find book in library
27. Writing
28. Typing
29. Golf
30. Another Language
31. Jumping a car battery
32. Travel/Trip planning
33. Document a conversation
34. Pump gas
35. Vacuum
36. Clean a room
37. Shine a boot
38. Ride a horse
39. Give gifts
40. Accept gifts
41. Poker, Texas Holdem, Spades, Hearts, Euchre, Rummy
42. Shoot a bb gun
43. Navigate woods
44. Build a fire
45. Safeword – go with a stranger
46. Wash a car
47. Hotelling (Emily’s word)
48. Tie a Knot
49. Canoe
50. Boating
51. Dig a posthole
52. Painting (like rooms)
53. Ride a bike
54. Fishing
55. Mowing the yard
56. Self reliance
57. Tow a car
58. Wash dishes
59. Ping pong
60. Build a snowman
61. Vote
62. Sledding
63. Mail a letter
64. Make a bed
65. Sewing
66. Change a tire
67. Shooting
68. Drywall
69. Camping
70. Hiking
71. Bicycling
72. Swimming
73. Baseball
74. Basketball
75. Take a bus
76. Take metro
77. Plunge toilet/sink
78. Study the Bible
79. Pray
80. Clean rifle
81. Tithe
82. Save
83. Budgeting
84. Balance a checkbook
85. Credit Scores
86. Treat a lady
87. Shoot pool
88. Catch a baseball, football, etc…
89. Pickup toys
90. Computer repair
91. Models
92. Dating
93. Build a treehouse
94. Wire an outlet and switch
95. Solder wiring
96. Bidding on an auction
97. Build radio controlled sub
98. Shoot Rockets
99. Fly a kite
100. Humor
101. Piano/Guitar
102. Read music
103. Care for a pet
104. Treat shock
105. CPR
106. Hygiene
107. Shovel snow
108. Bowling
109. Split firewood
110. First aid
111. Leave a message or voice mail
112. Order a pizza
113. Drop a tree
114. Share
115. Driving
116. Drive a standard
117. Sharpen a knife
118. Lawnmower repair
119. Video games
120. Microwave
121. Cooking
122. Baking
123. Accept compliments
124. BBQ
125. Tornado planning
126. Fire planning
127. Laundry
128. Multiplication
129. Order at a restaurant
130. Respect for Soldier, Police, and Fireman
131. Fold and respect a flag
132. Pull a nail
133. Bag groceries

Why this blog?

We wanted a place to document this journey of raising Luke.  In a recent training for foster care workers, we were challenged to start early in preparing children for adulthood.  It got my mind to thinking of all the things that I want to do with Luke and teach him.  The training was 6 hours long and I only had one piece of blank paper.  So, I began to brainstorm some ideas.  (Click the image below to see the list)

Brainstorm list of ideas

This blog is intended to be a place to organize each of these activities and allow others to comment on their experiences with similar activities.

Background

My wife and I received word earlier this week (Feb 27) that we have been awarded  Legal Custody of Luke.  We are both so happy about this.  We have cared for him since he was 3 days old when we picked him up from the hospital.

Tammy and I have been foster parents for four years.  During that time, we have cared for 19 children in our home.  On one end of the spectrum, we had one little fellow for about eight hours (he had wondered away from home).  On the other end of the spectrum, we have Luke for more than 2 years.

With Luke just celebrating his 2nd birthday a month ago, he has been with us .  We didn’t become foster parents to try to “get” a kid.  We (more to come…)