It's Scooby Doo O' Clock

Time in our house is measured thus: there is the day pre SD and post SD. And then there is that sacred time, when visitors must be gone, walks must be gotten home from and craft activities suddenly become meaningless: Scooby Doo O Clock.

Mama sometimes has "Come Dine With Me" O' Clock, but the children groan when I turn it on. But long live Scooby Doo O' Clock it gives me half an hour at a point where they are getting tired and cranky where they are hypnotised by crazy dog cartoons and I get to: check my email/ blog, read a book, or get a head start on supper. It is a breathing space in my day - though one the "no-TV brigade" would NOT approve of.

But it is more than just that, Scooby Doo O' Clock became the motivating factor for our five year old to want to learn to tell the time.

We got a proper clock for the kitchen (previously we had only had a digital one on the oven) and printed some images off the internet. First of course was Scooby Doo. But then I thought - this will be a way of helping them to understand the passage of time which they have little handle on, living in their own little world of constant NOW. This way they don't need to keep asking me when something is, they can see for themselves if it is time.

So on the clock they can see the order of the day, our daily rhythm: breakfast, school, Mr Tumble O Clock (for our 2 year old - who incidently claims to like Scooby Doo, I won't even go there!), lunch, home from school, Scooby Doo O Clock, supper and bed.

Read more on Rhythm and Routine and its importance for children- written when I was an idealisitic mama of one!!