Monthly Archive for June, 2008

Rebuilding toys

Published
by
twinutero
on June 23, 2008
in Learning & play
. 1 Comment

Like most kids, ours want. They want juice, or cookies, or picked up. Occasionally, they want something new – desperately. Thomas is particularly prone to deciding that he must have this or that toy or he’ll be the most deprived child in history. To me, his wants seem random and irrational (he has enough toys to outfit a small daycare). Not so to him, of course.

I’ve tried several ways of discouraging this behavior. Explaining that he does indeed have enough toys to outfit a small daycare doesn’t make a dent. I’ve also tried keeping a list: when he wants something new, we write it down so when it’s time to shop, he can choose from all he desires. I’ve had some success with this, although we’ve never actually used the list to buy anything. He has always forgotten about it – which is the point.

The most effective and creative strategy, however is to make whatever it is he “needs”. He decided a few months ago that Lego Percy was necessary. (Percy is a train from the Thomas the Tank Engine collection; Lego makes a replica.) So we hauled out the Lego from the closet, built a green train and painted a number six, Percy’s number, on the side. He was happy.

More recently, Thomas decided that he wanted Sally, the female star of the movie Cars. He said “I want Sally,” just once. Then he said, “I want to make Sally.” I asked him what we needed to make Sally and he organized: an old Lightening McQueen car with only three wheels; a small Lego wheel to replace the missing one; some blue paint for the body; and some white paint for the face. (Cars cars have faces, like Thomas trains.) Not only was he perfectly happy with this rebuilt car, he initiated the rebuilding.

It’s not a complete victory against consumerism. He is, after all, still asking for highly-marketed, massed produced toys. But it’s a good start for a three-year-old.

What makes a picture book great?

Published
by
twinutero
on June 17, 2008
in Books and Learning & play
. 3 Comments

We have lots of picture books at our house – lots. Some are read once in a while; others are read constantly. So what makes a picture book great?

It has to appeal to kids (in our case toddlers and preschoolers) as well as to us, the parents who read the same book over and over. My informal survey and three-plus years of experience suggest three key ingredients make a picture book delicious:

1. Idealized illustration. Complete realism – illustration that looks like a photo – doesn’t seem to interest young children, but neither do pictures so wacky they’re incomprehensible or scary. Illustration with both sense and wonder works best. Jim Arnosky (Turtle in the Sea; Raccoon on His Own), John Schoenherr (Owl Moon) and Ian Falconer (Olivia) are favorites in our house. (And the original Olivia does it in just grays and red.)

2. Groovin’ rhythm. Kids seem to naturally grasp rhythm so a good one make a story memorable and fun. The best-loved example in our library is Rattletrap Car: “Flippita fluppita/ fizzelly sizzelly/ wappity bappity….” Pumpkin Soup and The Bear Snores On are close seconds.

3. Quirky imagination. Not logic, not even plot. The most elusive element to capture: what goes on the head of a three-year-old. Oliver Jeffers (How to Catch a Star; The Way Back Home; Lost and Found) does it brilliantly.

The classics - Goodnight Moon, Where the Wild Things Are, Dr. Seuss - have all of the above.

For more on children’s books see:

Horn Book Magazine, newsletter and blog…

Harold Underdown’s site…

Or send me your favorites in a comment.

Re-thinking blogging and exploitation

Published
by
twinutero
on June 5, 2008
in Blogging & writing
. 0 Comments

Since I first wrote on this topic, my thoughts - and public discussion - have evolved. I still feel strongly about children’s privacy and their right to be aware, at least, of what is written about them. Mine aren’t old enough to read or understand the concept of publishing, but I will continue to write as if they were. I will not post photos, use their real names, or write anything I’m not prepared discuss with them now or later.

I have, however, been swayed by some of the growing argument. Dooce wrote a persuasive, somewhat defensive, response to accusations that she is exploitative. She argues that her blog is a “love letter” to her daughter. I don’t buy that. Love letters can be kept in a drawer. I don’t think they’re more loving for being read worldwide.

She also argues that sharing stories of motherhood openly and honestly is essential for building community, camaraderie and confidence among mothers, and that blogged children just might, eventually, be proud of their mothers for creating a movement. That, I’ll buy. Mommy-blogging isn’t all self-indulgence and pride. We learn from each other and the web is a powerful and expedient way share.

Still, I think it can – and should – be done with sensitivity and without photos. Imagine all of these children growing up to write new blogs about their aging parents, complete with candid photos of us in our jammies, playing solitaire at the retirement home. I mean, there is a community of adults who look after their parents, and they have much to learn from each other too. We would expect sensitivity and discretion when writing about the elderly, and we should expect the same when writing about kids.

Rachel Paskan wrote a beautiful essay on Babble about exploiting her daughter for art. Paskan acknowledges that her daughter influences the characters she creates, even indirectly, and seems sobered by her daughter’s recent awareness.

I’m sure my thoughts - and the larger discussion - will continue to evolve. No doubt there are Phd dissertations being tapped out right now. In the meantime, I’ll keep blogging here and now on the MotherVerse blog as well.

(Thanks to Andrea at Remains of the Day for the link to Dooce - I don’t generally read it!)