Little house on the Prarire.
Nicola Morris
So. Tonight we are all downstairs watching TV!!! Little house on the
Prarie.'Cos that's what My 5 1/2 year old thought would be great. She
says "hey, Dad. Is this real. I mean are these people around now"?
This led to a great chat about American History. I learned a lot being
from UK. Then my daughter says "Let's go and read the book about
Laura" and heads upstairs. I think it's a good start!
Nikky
Prarie.'Cos that's what My 5 1/2 year old thought would be great. She
says "hey, Dad. Is this real. I mean are these people around now"?
This led to a great chat about American History. I learned a lot being
from UK. Then my daughter says "Let's go and read the book about
Laura" and heads upstairs. I think it's a good start!
Nikky
queenjane555
> So. Tonight we are all downstairs watching TV!!! Little house on theFunny, i had practically the same conversation with my son the other
> Prarie.'Cos that's what My 5 1/2 year old thought would be great.
>She says "hey, Dad. Is this real. I mean are these people around
>now"? This led to a great chat about American History. I learned a
>lot being from UK. Then my daughter says "Let's go and read the book
>about Laura" and heads upstairs. I think it's a good start!
day. We watch TV Land and the Western Channel alot, so he sees alot of
old shows, like Leave It To Beaver, Andy Griffith, Gunsmoke, and
Little House. He didnt realize that the Ingalls were a real family, i
told him her books were on the shelf in the back bedroom, but that
they might not be just like the show (its been awhile since i've read
them, and all i remember is that Jack the dog was a bulldog or
something, not the dog they have in the show, and them playing with a
pig bladder (?) for a ball...)...recently they had a storyline about a
blind school moving to Walnut Grove, and many of the students were
black. Somehow i don't think that happened IRL, but is representative
of how "color conscious" many shows were in the 70s.
We also had an interesting conversation about why Jack Tripper would
have to pretend he was gay on Three's Company, or why Wally's dad
would be upset that he lost a $19 jacket. *SO* many conversations
about history, politics, economics, social mores come from watching
TV.
Katherine
Lesa McMahon-Lowe
Do your children initiate these conversations or do you? I'm always
wondering just how these awesome conversations get started.
Lesa
http://lifeacademy.homeschooljournal.net
-------Original Message-------
From: queenjane555
Date: 08/06/06 20:35:48
To: [email protected]
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Re: Little house on the Prarire.
day. We watch TV Land and the Western Channel alot, so he sees alot of
old shows, like Leave It To Beaver, Andy Griffith, Gunsmoke, and
Little House. He didnt realize that the Ingalls were a real family, i
told him her books were on the shelf in the back bedroom, but that
they might not be just like the show (its been awhile since i've read
them, and all i remember is that Jack the dog was a bulldog or
something, not the dog they have in the show, and them playing with a
pig bladder (?) for a ball...)...recently they had a storyline about a
blind school moving to Walnut Grove, and many of the students were
black. Somehow i don't think that happened IRL, but is representative
of how "color conscious" many shows were in the 70s.
We also had an interesting conversation about why Jack Tripper would
have to pretend he was gay on Three's Company, or why Wally's dad
would be upset that he lost a $19 jacket. *SO* many conversations
about history, politics, economics, social mores come from watching
TV.
Katherine
Yahoo! Groups Links
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
wondering just how these awesome conversations get started.
Lesa
http://lifeacademy.homeschooljournal.net
-------Original Message-------
From: queenjane555
Date: 08/06/06 20:35:48
To: [email protected]
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Re: Little house on the Prarire.
> So. Tonight we are all downstairs watching TV!!! Little house on theFunny, i had practically the same conversation with my son the other
> Prarie.'Cos that's what My 5 1/2 year old thought would be great.
>She says "hey, Dad. Is this real. I mean are these people around
>now"? This led to a great chat about American History. I learned a
>lot being from UK. Then my daughter says "Let's go and read the book
>about Laura" and heads upstairs. I think it's a good start!
day. We watch TV Land and the Western Channel alot, so he sees alot of
old shows, like Leave It To Beaver, Andy Griffith, Gunsmoke, and
Little House. He didnt realize that the Ingalls were a real family, i
told him her books were on the shelf in the back bedroom, but that
they might not be just like the show (its been awhile since i've read
them, and all i remember is that Jack the dog was a bulldog or
something, not the dog they have in the show, and them playing with a
pig bladder (?) for a ball...)...recently they had a storyline about a
blind school moving to Walnut Grove, and many of the students were
black. Somehow i don't think that happened IRL, but is representative
of how "color conscious" many shows were in the 70s.
We also had an interesting conversation about why Jack Tripper would
have to pretend he was gay on Three's Company, or why Wally's dad
would be upset that he lost a $19 jacket. *SO* many conversations
about history, politics, economics, social mores come from watching
TV.
Katherine
Yahoo! Groups Links
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-Do your children initiate these conversations or do you? I'm always
wondering just how these awesome conversations get started.-=-
I think if you start them for a while, the kids will start initiating
them.
Some parents are in the habit of talking down to kids, in a false
voice, or else being teacherly and asking questions like quiz
questions, with "right answers."
If you notice how you talk to friends and other adults, and try to be
that way with your kids, the conversations will probably become more
honest and open.
At our house anyone with a thought or idea will initiate a
conversation. Sometimes they're ten seconds long and sometimes an
hour. You can't predict or control which way that will go. Maybe
it's that you have to calmly let ten be short and uninspiring to get
to that eleventh one that's fantastic.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
wondering just how these awesome conversations get started.-=-
I think if you start them for a while, the kids will start initiating
them.
Some parents are in the habit of talking down to kids, in a false
voice, or else being teacherly and asking questions like quiz
questions, with "right answers."
If you notice how you talk to friends and other adults, and try to be
that way with your kids, the conversations will probably become more
honest and open.
At our house anyone with a thought or idea will initiate a
conversation. Sometimes they're ten seconds long and sometimes an
hour. You can't predict or control which way that will go. Maybe
it's that you have to calmly let ten be short and uninspiring to get
to that eleventh one that's fantastic.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
queenjane555
> Do your children initiate these conversations or do you? I'malways
> wondering just how these awesome conversations get started.Both. But i talk alot...i'd say throwing out info, helping my son
make connections is a huge part of what i do as an unschooling
parent. I don't remember how the Little House conversation came up,
i think i was telling him that i bet the REAL Ma and Pa Ingalls
probably werent as nice as the ones on TV, but that Michael Landon
put alot of effort into making the Ingalls better/nicer versions of
themselves. Seamus said something like "You mean, they really
existed?" and i told him about the books.
I don't know how other unschoolers do it, but while i don't try to
totally monopolize conversations (sometimes its just nice to listen
to a song without getting the whole background on it!), I DO often
toss out little bits of trivia. Like how this song is by Prince, and
he changed his name to a symbol once, but changed it back, and his
name really IS Prince. Or just the other day, "Borderline" came on,
and i mentioned that it was one of Madonna's first songs, and she is
from Michigan (like us)...that her name really IS Madonna (kinda
ties into the Prince is His Real Name conversation we had before),
and that her song "Like A Virgin" was hugely controversial at the
time.
So i talk, but it usually turns into us having a conversation
together. Sometimes i say something, and he says "Oh, cool." and
thats it. And he does the same thing with me, which is why i can
name every type of elf, and know that orcs are bad, and am learning
about all sorts of different types of weapons.
I read somewhere that the average parent engages in "meaningful
conversation" with their child only 20 minutes a week. I
thought...."Huh?!" We talk together all the time.
Katherine
Amy Bowers
I have to add in that LHOTP has been HUGE in our house. My children are
young (4 and 2.5 and baby) so I was not sure that they would like it, but we
started by reading the books at night (they are full of action) and
discussing things that are similar or different in our lives. Also, linking
to our relatives who are old or dead and lived lives similar to a pioneer
family. My daughter has fully transformed rooms in her vivid reenactments of
scenes. She and her brother have used laundry baskets to make covered
wagons, they have made stocking out of paper and filled them with the same
things that Laura and her sibs got for xmas, we go for weeks where we have
to call her Mary and her younger brother Laura etc. One interesting thing I
did was look for picture on the internet for anything they might be
unfamiliar with. I printed them out and we now have a box full of picture of
wolves, tee pees, moccasins, covered wagons, the real family members etc. We
even found a recording of wolves howling online and played it over and over
while Eva made her dad look out the windows with his "gun" to see the
wolves. We also rented the dvds and watched several of them and noted the
differences of the story with the tv show. I ordered her a bonnet fand a
sleeping cap from ebay which she has fun with. 99% of this is initiated by
my daughter and I just work hard to facilitate her interest. It comes and
goes in spurts but overall this is a topic she is very intrigued by. It has
been a great example for me about how delving into new topics can spark new
interests and vivid discussions. I am a young (in experience, not age) but
convinced "unschooler"!
Amy
young (4 and 2.5 and baby) so I was not sure that they would like it, but we
started by reading the books at night (they are full of action) and
discussing things that are similar or different in our lives. Also, linking
to our relatives who are old or dead and lived lives similar to a pioneer
family. My daughter has fully transformed rooms in her vivid reenactments of
scenes. She and her brother have used laundry baskets to make covered
wagons, they have made stocking out of paper and filled them with the same
things that Laura and her sibs got for xmas, we go for weeks where we have
to call her Mary and her younger brother Laura etc. One interesting thing I
did was look for picture on the internet for anything they might be
unfamiliar with. I printed them out and we now have a box full of picture of
wolves, tee pees, moccasins, covered wagons, the real family members etc. We
even found a recording of wolves howling online and played it over and over
while Eva made her dad look out the windows with his "gun" to see the
wolves. We also rented the dvds and watched several of them and noted the
differences of the story with the tv show. I ordered her a bonnet fand a
sleeping cap from ebay which she has fun with. 99% of this is initiated by
my daughter and I just work hard to facilitate her interest. It comes and
goes in spurts but overall this is a topic she is very intrigued by. It has
been a great example for me about how delving into new topics can spark new
interests and vivid discussions. I am a young (in experience, not age) but
convinced "unschooler"!
Amy
On 8/7/06, queenjane555 <queenjane555@...> wrote:
>
> > Do your children initiate these conversations or do you? I'm
> always
> > wondering just how these awesome conversations get started.
>
> Both. But i talk alot...i'd say throwing out info, helping my son
> make connections is a huge part of what i do as an unschooling
> parent. I don't remember how the Little House conversation came up,
> i think i was telling him that i bet the REAL Ma and Pa Ingalls
> probably werent as nice as the ones on TV, but that Michael Landon
> put alot of effort into making the Ingalls better/nicer versions of
> themselves. Seamus said something like "You mean, they really
> existed?" and i told him about the books.
>
> I don't know how other unschoolers do it, but while i don't try to
> totally monopolize conversations (sometimes its just nice to listen
> to a song without getting the whole background on it!), I DO often
> toss out little bits of trivia. Like how this song is by Prince, and
> he changed his name to a symbol once, but changed it back, and his
> name really IS Prince. Or just the other day, "Borderline" came on,
> and i mentioned that it was one of Madonna's first songs, and she is
> from Michigan (like us)...that her name really IS Madonna (kinda
> ties into the Prince is His Real Name conversation we had before),
> and that her song "Like A Virgin" was hugely controversial at the
> time.
>
> So i talk, but it usually turns into us having a conversation
> together. Sometimes i say something, and he says "Oh, cool." and
> thats it. And he does the same thing with me, which is why i can
> name every type of elf, and know that orcs are bad, and am learning
> about all sorts of different types of weapons.
>
> I read somewhere that the average parent engages in "meaningful
> conversation" with their child only 20 minutes a week. I
> thought...."Huh?!" We talk together all the time.
>
> Katherine
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 8/7/2006 4:35:10 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
queenjane555@... writes:
I read somewhere that the average parent engages in "meaningful
conversation" with their child only 20 minutes a week. I
thought...."thought...."<WBR>Huh?!" We talk togeth
I often think that the time we have together to talk is what brings us all
the most joy. Sometimes it's a bit bittersweet. My daughter has her own car
now and today she drove us across the bridge to her guitar lesson so she would
be comfortable to do it herself from now on. Her choice. I've known it was
coming but I loved those trips...the music and the talks and the laughter.
We'll still talk but it's a signal of the changes to come as she grows more
independent and confident.
My 13 year old son and I are doing an event at our YMCA where we get points
working out for a month to get a t-shirt. Today we were sitting on a mat
stretching for 10 minutes to get some points and he said.."The best part of this
is that we get to just talk together" I loved that. School started here
today so most parents dropped their kids off at school or the bus stop at 8:00
this morning and here we were just happily hanging out together.
We talk a lot. Sometimes not long conversations but little bits and pieces
through the day. Connecting with each other. I can't even imagine our lives
if they had been gone to school for all those hours for all these years.
Gail
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
queenjane555@... writes:
I read somewhere that the average parent engages in "meaningful
conversation" with their child only 20 minutes a week. I
thought...."thought...."<WBR>Huh?!" We talk togeth
I often think that the time we have together to talk is what brings us all
the most joy. Sometimes it's a bit bittersweet. My daughter has her own car
now and today she drove us across the bridge to her guitar lesson so she would
be comfortable to do it herself from now on. Her choice. I've known it was
coming but I loved those trips...the music and the talks and the laughter.
We'll still talk but it's a signal of the changes to come as she grows more
independent and confident.
My 13 year old son and I are doing an event at our YMCA where we get points
working out for a month to get a t-shirt. Today we were sitting on a mat
stretching for 10 minutes to get some points and he said.."The best part of this
is that we get to just talk together" I loved that. School started here
today so most parents dropped their kids off at school or the bus stop at 8:00
this morning and here we were just happily hanging out together.
We talk a lot. Sometimes not long conversations but little bits and pieces
through the day. Connecting with each other. I can't even imagine our lives
if they had been gone to school for all those hours for all these years.
Gail
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-I read somewhere that the average parent engages in "meaningful
conversation" with their child only 20 minutes a week. I
thought...."thought...."<WBR>Huh?!-=
I read this to Holly. First she was asking for details, like were
they counting babies, and I said probably school-aged kids, and
probably averaged in parents who didn't even live with the kids.
I said, "Twenty minutes? I need to talk to you more."
She looked at me straight on and said, "Please don't."
(We were both joking.)
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
conversation" with their child only 20 minutes a week. I
thought...."thought...."<WBR>Huh?!-=
I read this to Holly. First she was asking for details, like were
they counting babies, and I said probably school-aged kids, and
probably averaged in parents who didn't even live with the kids.
I said, "Twenty minutes? I need to talk to you more."
She looked at me straight on and said, "Please don't."
(We were both joking.)
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]