fire boy

Along the lines of learning through projects and experiments - I have another post about Bryson.

The Saturday before Easter (3/30) we woke up late morning and had our crepe breakfast with lots of fruit...and lots of Nutella and whipped cream!  After breakfast we divvyed up the Saturday jobs and everyone scattered to their part of the house to work on their list.  However, around mid-day we all sort of started to trickle outside.  The sun was shining so brightly and the weather was absolutely gorgeous for being the end of March.  Work around the yard was taking place in different ways - the boys were helping Bryson Sr. pull out a stump from a juniper bush that I wacked away at last fall...I detest juniper bushes!  I was so thankful that he finally hooked the stump up to a chain on the Explorer and yanked out the eyesore of the last part of that bush.  Good riddance....why juniper bushes were created I know not, but it must be in there along with why we have snakes.  

I started to rake up the backyard and pile up the dry leaves, while Madeleine helped a bit and then started to clean out the little playhouse.  The boys were sweeping out the carport and piling up the dead leaves, when I think it hit Bryson hard --- dead, FLAMMABLE leaves, bright sun & finally time to try his magnifying glass again!  He tried this last fall a few times, and never was able to get a flame ignited.  This time - he was patient and lucked out that the leaves were very dry and the sun perfectly hot to bore through that magnifying glass and make an 8 year old boy's heart leap with joy that he started a fire!  

As a mom - especially a mom of boys - I'm learning to not freak out with experiments.  At least not freak out in a major way.  I did tell him he needed to move his original experiment as it was leaving a burn mark on the cement (I hope we don't have to pay for that one when we move out!), and that there were two rules:  he had to tell a parent when he was going to try to make a fire with his magnifying glass & that he always have a pitcher of water close by...for a 'just in case' moment.  Therefore, I give you Fire Boy & the water brigade :) 

Bryson took his fire making experiment to a new level in creating this trail to the Big Kahuna of a fire pit, which never did ignite, but he burned up most of the trail leading to it!  It just didn't start and then run along the trail as he hoped --- the flame would start up and burn what was right around it and then die out, and Bryson would need to start again.  I don't think he minded that he had to start over...it was all part of the learning experience and enjoyment of this activity!

Bryson was fully engaged with creating a fire for all of the afternoon.  After the shade moved in on this area, he moved his fire to an old fireplace or barbeque that is made out of big rocks and has a big box opening where Bryson set up trying to make more fire.

This past General Conference, I thought of little Bryson out there making his fire during President Monson's talk on obedience.  He told the story that as a young boy of 8 years old, he learned a very important lesson on obedience, when he and a friend set fire to some weeds in a field they wanted to clear in Vivien Park (up Provo Canyon).  He told how he knew he was forbidden to play with matches, but that he knew where his family kept them, and he took them without asking or anyone knowing.  He set fire to the weeds, which took the fire like they were drenched in gasoline and instead of only burning as many weeds as the boys wanted (they had wanted to clear a big circle so they could make a campfire that evening) - the fire kept burning, and finally they needed to call for help otherwise the fire would have spread to the pine trees and then cabins nearby.  After hours of men & women running around with drenched burlap bags, the fire was put out and the boys learned a valuable lesson on being truly obedient and following the rules set in place.

As long as Bryson is obedient when he does his experiments, or projects and that he can learn quickly from any mistakes....I think we'll have a great time as he continues to try out new projects and ideas that he wants to see how they work.  

When he has a drive and a goal - there is no stopping this boy!  He was so focused on getting his fires started all afternoon....now if only his fire of learning could be lit all the time, but I have a feeling we are getting closer to figuring out how to make that happen for him.

I love our Fire Boy!